We haven’t had a lot of luck with UPSs (Uninterruptible power supplies) over here in Astana. In three and a bit years, two have broken (one the battery definitely died, the other was never diagnosed) and the replacement one I bought a couple of days back didn’t ever work.
Anyway, to be fair to Planet Electronica, where we bought the 3rd UPS from a day before the final choice, they didn’t quibble over their product not working, nor insist on sending it back to Almaty for testing before issuing a refund. However, as the unit didn’t come with a power cable, and was supposed to, I am slightly tempted to go back in a week or so and see if the model is on sale again (it was the last of their stock), and if so look into DNA testing to check if they are simply re-selling a lemon in the hope someone won’t bother to return it.
So, this time, I’ve gone for a simple model (limited LEDs, no graphic display on the unit for exact incoming voltages etc) from a different supplier, not assumed that the big names would automatically mean a longer lasting model, and also took the opportunity to get a higher capacity unit (1250VA/~600W). Although the configuration has been set to initiate an automatic hibernate procedure when the battery gets too low (useful if we aren’t at home when the power goes out), I should get around 20 minutes to continue my work before that point is reached – plenty of time to finish off e-mails or posts and save/publish.
hmm, just noticed that although the powered USB hub, monitor and PC itself are protected by the UPS, the router is plugged in to the mains directly. Will need to see if I can wire up a free standing UK mains socket (the router comes from Britain) to a cable with a male IEC connector to make sure the internet connection isn’t lost either.
[edit]
OK, thinking about it, I need my portable hard drives covered as well, so I’ll probably just wire up a UK 4-way mains extension lead and replace the plug with the kettle lead socket (like the one your PC has on the back). The UPS is only currently running at around 20-30% of maximum load, and even if I’m using both drives and on the internet, I can’t imagine the current drawn is going to be massive.
October 12th, 2009 11:52 pm
I really need to invest in a UPS as well at some point, can you remind me the cost of the one you bought (maybe I should wait a little while to see if you have any issues with it !!!??? )
October 13th, 2009 1:16 am
Something scarey like 25,000 tenge. However, if you want something to power your PC for a minute, to give you enough time to either auto-hibernate or manually save docs and shut down, you could get away with 550VA probably (~300w??). These cost less, as the battery inside is smaller. Make sure it is USB connected, not serial, and also ensure you have enough suitable power leads with the right connectors.