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#1
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Observations on a UPS - follow up to a previous post
Recently I asked about suggestions regarding a UPS. I ended up
getting an 875 VA 525 Watt "Geek Squad" model from Best Buy - yeah, yeah, everyone says Geek Squad stuff is overhyped junk, but at $69 on sale, the price seemed right. It seems to handle my 2 computers fine - a PIV 2.4 gig and a PIII 933 mhz sharing a monitor. With both machines and the monitor on, the onboard readout shows them well below the unit's max capacity, drawing about .250 - .260 kw (which I assume translates to 250 - 260 watts) , with an estimated run time of 9 minutes with both computers. More than enough to get me through short hit outages with both machines running. Interesting to note how much of a difference the monitor makes. Without the monitor - a 17" MAG CRT, the draw for both computers drops under 200 watts and the estimate run time for the 2 computers goes from 9 mins to 15mins. Over 20 mins with just one computer running but no monitor. Since this thing has a built-in watt usage meter, any reason I couldn't hook it up to say a refrigerator or TV to check how much wattage they're using? |
#2
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Observations on a UPS - follow up to a previous post
"Doc" wrote in message ups.com... Recently I asked about suggestions regarding a UPS. I ended up getting an 875 VA 525 Watt "Geek Squad" model from Best Buy - yeah, yeah, everyone says Geek Squad stuff is overhyped junk, but at $69 on sale, the price seemed right. It seems to handle my 2 computers fine - a PIV 2.4 gig and a PIII 933 mhz sharing a monitor. With both machines and the monitor on, the onboard readout shows them well below the unit's max capacity, drawing about .250 - .260 kw (which I assume translates to 250 - 260 watts) , with an estimated run time of 9 minutes with both computers. More than enough to get me through short hit outages with both machines running. Interesting to note how much of a difference the monitor makes. Without the monitor - a 17" MAG CRT, the draw for both computers drops under 200 watts and the estimate run time for the 2 computers goes from 9 mins to 15mins. Over 20 mins with just one computer running but no monitor. Since this thing has a built-in watt usage meter, any reason I couldn't hook it up to say a refrigerator or TV to check how much wattage they're using? I would avoid hookihg it up to a motor driven appliance, as these generate powerful surges when turned off that can blow semiconductor components. The TV is fine. Bob Morein Dresher, PA (215) 646-4894 |
#3
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Observations on a UPS - follow up to a previous post
Interesting to note how much of a difference the monitor makes.
Without the monitor -- a 17" MAG CRT, the draw for both computers drops under 200 watts and the estimate run time for the 2 computers goes from 9 mins to 15mins. Over 20 mins with just one computer running but no monitor. My experience -- at least where I live -- is that the power is off for a fraction of a second, or hours. There's rarely anything in-between. Than main advantage of an SPS -- again, in my area -- is protection against the tenth-of-a-second glitches that have little or no effect on anything else, but cause the computer to drop out. I've had as many as five or six in a day -- imagine having to restart the computer each time, not knowing if another might occur and slap you down again! If you constantly save your work, a hard shutdown won't usually hurt you. But it's always nice to have enough time -- during an extended power outage -- to shut down the machine "rationally". |
#4
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Observations on a UPS - follow up to a previous post
In comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.misc Doc wrote:
Recently I asked about suggestions regarding a UPS. I ended up getting an 875 VA 525 Watt "Geek Squad" model from Best Buy - yeah, yeah, everyone says Geek Squad stuff is overhyped junk, but at $69 on sale, the price seemed right. The price is all wrong. Nobody can build a decent product with these specs for that price. You cannot even buy the components needed in decent quality for that price. It seems to handle my 2 computers fine - a PIV 2.4 gig and a PIII 933 mhz sharing a monitor. With both machines and the monitor on, the onboard readout shows them well below the unit's max capacity, drawing about .250 - .260 kw (which I assume translates to 250 - 260 watts) , with an estimated run time of 9 minutes with both computers. More than enough to get me through short hit outages with both machines running. And with the el-cheapo battery in there, that figure will be down to 1 minute in no time. And you would be well advised to test the claim. Software can be made to lie to you, you know. Interesting to note how much of a difference the monitor makes. Without the monitor - a 17" MAG CRT, the draw for both computers drops under 200 watts and the estimate run time for the 2 computers goes from 9 mins to 15mins. Over 20 mins with just one computer running but no monitor. Since this thing has a built-in watt usage meter, any reason I couldn't hook it up to say a refrigerator or TV to check how much wattage they're using? A) the watt-meter is likely very crappy, given that a good AC watt-meter costs more than this whole thing. They likely do a current average and then some magic correction. Can be 50% off or more even when used as intended. B) this device is not intended to support motors. Arno |
#5
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Observations on a UPS - follow up to a previous post
On Aug 12, 9:07 pm, Arno Wagner wrote:
The price is all wrong. Nobody can build a decent product with these specs for that price. Well, it was a sale price. I'm not sure that anything they sell there is "top of the line". It seems to handle my 2 computers fine - a PIV 2.4 gig and a PIII 933 mhz sharing a monitor. With both machines and the monitor on, the onboard readout shows them well below the unit's max capacity, drawing about .250 - .260 kw (which I assume translates to 250 - 260 watts) , with an estimated run time of 9 minutes with both computers. More than enough to get me through short hit outages with both machines running. And with the el-cheapo battery in there, that figure will be down to 1 minute in no time. And you would be well advised to test the claim. Software can be made to lie to you, you know. I'm going by the readout on the front of the gizmo, though it does have software that gives many of the same readouts along with some other tasks. A test to find out how long it will actually run the computer sounds like a good idea. Since this thing has a built-in watt usage meter, any reason I couldn't hook it up to say a refrigerator or TV to check how much wattage they're using? A) the watt-meter is likely very crappy, given that a good AC watt-meter costs more than this whole thing. Maybe, but a lot of people seem to swear by the Kill-A-Watt meter, which can be had all day for around $25 online, eBay etc. |
#6
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Observations on a UPS - follow up to a previous post
"Doc" wrote in message ups.com... Recently I asked about suggestions regarding a UPS. I ended up getting an 875 VA 525 Watt "Geek Squad" model from Best Buy - yeah, yeah, everyone says Geek Squad stuff is overhyped junk, but at $69 on sale, the price seemed right. It seems to handle my 2 computers fine - a PIV 2.4 gig and a PIII 933 mhz sharing a monitor. With both machines and the monitor on, the onboard readout shows them well below the unit's max capacity, drawing about .250 - .260 kw (which I assume translates to 250 - 260 watts) , with an estimated run time of 9 minutes with both computers. More than enough to get me through short hit outages with both machines running. Interesting to note how much of a difference the monitor makes. Without the monitor - a 17" MAG CRT, the draw for both computers drops under 200 watts and the estimate run time for the 2 computers goes from 9 mins to 15mins. Over 20 mins with just one computer running but no monitor. Since this thing has a built-in watt usage meter, any reason I couldn't hook it up to say a refrigerator or TV to check how much wattage they're using? Yeah CRT monitors take a lot of juice, it's one of the reasons flat panels are so popular, though I still prefer a good CRT as it looks slightly better to my eyes. Sure you can plug in other items, though motorized appliances will probably not particularly like the modified sine wave those things put out. Your best bet for that is to buy a Kill A Watt or similar device, they're only about 25 bucks and will do so much more. You get accurate measurments of watts, volts, amps, volt-amps, power factor, and accumulated kwa and you can plug in anything you want. |
#7
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Observations on a UPS - follow up to a previous post
A test to find out how long it will actually run the computer sounds like a good idea. That's a good way to kill the battery, these things tend to really punish batteries, after a few complete cycles they're often pretty well toast. You should be fine to try it for a bit, say 5 minutes without issues. Maybe, but a lot of people seem to swear by the Kill-A-Watt meter, which can be had all day for around $25 online, eBay etc. EE friend of mine compared one to a $2500 power analyzer at work, found that the Kill A Watt performance is pretty much inline with the specs printed for it. It's not as good as the professional equipment, but it's really very impressive for what it is and certainly adequate for consumer use. The wonders of modern microelectronics, it's amazing what they can do with one inexpensive chip and a handfull of passive components. I still remember when a pocket calculator was $300, then a few years later $50 would buy one just as effective, and not long after that they were under $20 and those are all more capable than large machines costing many thousands just a few decades earlier. |
#8
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Observations on a UPS - follow up to a previous post
"James Sweet" wrote in message news:ehPvi.2400$jy5.785@trnddc07... "Doc" wrote in message ups.com... Recently I asked about suggestions regarding a UPS. I ended up getting an 875 VA 525 Watt "Geek Squad" model from Best Buy - yeah, yeah, everyone says Geek Squad stuff is overhyped junk, but at $69 on sale, the price seemed right. It seems to handle my 2 computers fine - a PIV 2.4 gig and a PIII 933 mhz sharing a monitor. With both machines and the monitor on, the onboard readout shows them well below the unit's max capacity, drawing about .250 - .260 kw (which I assume translates to 250 - 260 watts) , with an estimated run time of 9 minutes with both computers. More than enough to get me through short hit outages with both machines running. Interesting to note how much of a difference the monitor makes. Without the monitor - a 17" MAG CRT, the draw for both computers drops under 200 watts and the estimate run time for the 2 computers goes from 9 mins to 15mins. Over 20 mins with just one computer running but no monitor. Since this thing has a built-in watt usage meter, any reason I couldn't hook it up to say a refrigerator or TV to check how much wattage they're using? Yeah CRT monitors take a lot of juice, it's one of the reasons flat panels are so popular, though I still prefer a good CRT as it looks slightly better to my eyes. Sure you can plug in other items, though motorized appliances will probably not particularly like the modified sine wave those things put out. Your best bet for that is to buy a Kill A Watt or similar device, they're only about 25 bucks and will do so much more. You get accurate measurments of watts, volts, amps, volt-amps, power factor, and accumulated kwa and you can plug in anything you want. But be aware that in general, these cheap 'power' meters are expecting 'traditional' sine-draw loads. I have seen wildly inaccurate standby figures being given for equipment, by eco-campaigners that have been let loose with one. A lot of modern equipment that makes use of switch mode power supplies, handles standby mode by brief bursts of full draw operation. This can confuse a simple power calculating algorithm that's expecting continuous draw. Also, the draw by many cheapo switchers is very asymmetric and 'dirty', and may also not produce a true reading. I wouldn't connect a UPS to a fridge. These things are notorious for pulling a short-term startup current of tens of amps, as they get the compressor turning over. The UPS would probably fall over before being able to supply this, and might, as someone else suggested, even sustain damage. Arfa |
#9
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Observations on a UPS - follow up to a previous post
On Aug 12, 8:45 pm, "William Sommerwerck"
wrote: My experience -- at least where I live -- is that the power is off for a fraction of a second, or hours. There's rarely anything in-between. In general, I'd say that's my seat of the pants impression too, though not always. I also notice they'll often come in clusters. The transformer - if that's the correct term for it - big gray basically cylindrical unit on top of a power pole - near my house blew once. Powerful **BOOM** and a huge column of flame. Not sure what the fuel for the flame was, do they have oil in them? Also a bit disconcerting since anyone nearby surely would have been in jeopardy from flaming debris. Needless to say, power was out for a while on that one. |
#10
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Observations on a UPS - follow up to a previous post
On Aug 12, 10:24 pm, "James Sweet" wrote:
A test to find out how long it will actually run the computer sounds like a good idea. That's a good way to kill the battery, these things tend to really punish batteries, after a few complete cycles they're often pretty well toast. You should be fine to try it for a bit, say 5 minutes without issues. Seems I've heard an occasional complete drain-down and recharge will extend the life of a rechargeable battery, that being constantly partially discharged and recharged is what shortens their life. Not so? Does it depend what kind of rechargeable it is? |
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