Art Alexion on 10 May 2009 05:09:00 -0700


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Re: [PLUG] Is Any UPS Any Good?


Speaking of APC brand quality, has anyone else noticed a drop in  
quality control for their surge protectors?

For the last year, it seems that one in three coming out of the  
packaging seem to have at least one non-functioning outlet. The one  
that I opened on Friday had at least three that did not work.



--

Art Alexion
Sent unsigned from an iPod. That's the reason for the top posting as  
well.

On May 8, 2009, at 10:15 PM, Lee Marzke <lee@marzke.net> wrote:

> I've never liked the design of the really small units,  though I  
> have used them
> to provide power to WiFi mesh routers ( very low load )
>
> FYI,  the VA rating of the UPS does not indicate how long it will run.
> VA = Volts*Amps =  Watts
>
> The runtime is related to the energy stored in the batteries, e.g.   
> Watts*Seconds (Joules) and this
> is not usually listed.
>
> So an inexpensive 700VA UPS could have a much shorter runtime than a  
> very expensive
> 700VA UPS,  and you really have to look at the manufacturers runtime  
> charts.
>
>
> The following was discussed at PLUG central a few nights ago.
>
> 1. Network UPS tools ( NUT)  package   has support for lots of UPS's
>   suggest picking a UPS  supported by NUT.
>
> 2. APC brand is generally regarded as 'it just works' , but may not  
> be the least expensive.
>
> 3. You may want to power your ethernet switch and/or a monitor.   
> ( So you can shutdown
> the unit from monitor or ssh in case the auto shutdown doesn't work )
>
> Personally, I think a refurbished older commercial unit (e.g. Ebay  
> Smart UPS 700 ) may be quite
> affordable for you, just get it with new batteries and change them  
> every 2 years - even if they test OK.
> The older units are serial - not USB, and generally less expensive.
>
> These units also regulate the voltage ( boost or buck ) to keep the  
> output near 120 V, and they
> also act as surge protectors.
>
> For my office I've only used APC Smart UPS 700, 1400 units and they  
> have been flawless for 5+ years.
>
> The  SmartUPS 1400 3U Rack Mount is particularly beefy,  the thing  
> weights nearly 100lbs !
> But be aware the serial cable is not a normal cable -you need to  
> make or buy the special one.
>
> Lee
>
>
>
>
> Casey Bralla wrote:
>> During the last thunderstorm, my power went out for about 3  
>> minutes.  naturally, 2 of my UPSs failed to hold on and then was  
>> totally dead afterwards.
>> I have been underwhelmed by the reliability of the UPSs I have  
>> bought.  After investigation, I find the batteries themselves  
>> usually still have a charge, but the charging circuitry is fried.
>>
>>
>> Most power outages last just a few seconds.  I don't care about  
>> monitors and such, so I have only the main CPU box plugged in to  
>> these puppies.   I had thought this meant that I could buy low  
>> cost, low capacity units.   Maybe I was wrong.
>>
>>
>> Are any of them any good?
>
>
> -- 
> "Between subtle shading and the absence of light lies the nuance of  
> iqlusion..."  - Kryptos K1
>
> Lee Marzke,  lee@marzke.net   http://marzke.net/lee/
> IT Consultant, VMware, VCenter, SAN storage, infrastructure, SW CM
> +1 800-393-5217  office         +1 484-348-2230               fax
> +1 610-564-4932  cell           sip://8003935217@4aero.com    VOIP
>
>
>
> <lee.vcf>
> ___________________________________________________________________________
 

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