Does a low-priced, "true" UPS exist?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Wendell III
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Wendell III

Hi everyone,

I'm having a lot of trouble tracking down some kind of consumer UPS
that actually has continuously-fed power (from the battery). I'm
currently in an apartment with somewhat bad power, and need to get
ahold of one or more of these things. Any ideas? Everything I've seen
is over $1K...

Thanks for your help!
-Wendell
 
Wendell said:
I'm having a lot of trouble tracking down some kind of consumer UPS
that actually has continuously-fed power (from the battery). I'm
currently in an apartment with somewhat bad power, and need to get
ahold of one or more of these things. Any ideas? Everything I've seen
is over $1K...
Click to expand...

American Power Conversion (APC) makes UPS units with battery backup
below $1000, if I'm not mistaken (certainly mine was cheaper than
that, although I bought it a few years ago). See http://www.apcc.com.
 
Hi everyone,

I'm having a lot of trouble tracking down some kind of consumer UPS
that actually has continuously-fed power (from the battery). I'm
currently in an apartment with somewhat bad power, and need to get
ahold of one or more of these things. Any ideas? Everything I've seen
is over $1K...

Thanks for your help!
-Wendell
Click to expand...

Good inverters are expensive and I've gone through half a dozen cheap
ones that work for awhile and then fail.

My house is off the grid. I'm always on "backup power," using a 1,500
watt Trace DR inverter, the bottom of the line. They cost about $800
and you'd still need the batteries and some other stuff. But Trace
inverters are dead reliable and the DR (square wave) series will run
your computer just fine, no hum, no nothing, because the PSU converts
it back to DC and cleans it up.

This market seems to draw in a lot of shitheads and scammers. They
will tell you what you want to hear, i.e., that their cheap-ass stuff
is as good as the expensive brands. Caveat emptor.

Charlie
 
Wendell said:
Hi everyone,

I'm having a lot of trouble tracking down some kind of consumer UPS that
actually has continuously-fed power (from the battery). I'm currently in
an apartment with somewhat bad power, and need to get ahold of one or
more of these things. Any ideas? Everything I've seen is over $1K...

Thanks for your help!
-Wendell
Click to expand...
Although the $100 Appox APC units switch, they will switch on a dim for
many reasons including line noise. Not the best ones available, but
surely they will do more than you need. These may be cheaper at
Newegg.com and I'm referring to the 425 VA model for price.
 
Robbie said:
Although the $100 Appox APC units switch, they will switch on a dim for
many reasons including line noise. Not the best ones available, but
surely they will do more than you need. These may be cheaper at
Newegg.com and I'm referring to the 425 VA model for price.
Click to expand...
opps I ment 725 va
 
Mxsmanic said:
American Power Conversion (APC) makes UPS units with battery backup
below $1000, if I'm not mistaken (certainly mine was cheaper than
that, although I bought it a few years ago). See http://www.apcc.com.
Click to expand...

http://www.apcc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=BR1500 is
the one I use and it has worked great for me. I live at "the end of the
line" so to speak, and my power is inconsistent putting it mildly. We also
live in an area that has really bad electrical storms. I used to have
components fail fairly often and since getting this unit, I have had none
whatsoever. It has a small footprint so it does not clutter things up at
all. With a complete power failure, it will run my entire system for at
least a half hour (probably more as I have never tried running it longer). I
have had the power go out during a print job and it seamlessly keeps the
power going until I am finished. IIRC, it was around $200.00 at Circuit City
or Best Buy, I don't remember which.

Ed
 
Apc at best buy for 80 bucks 97 for the bigger (american dollars)
works great. 4 years same battery flawlessly.... and still going.
The 500va works better now than it did then (lower cpu micron level, less
power needed... I believe that was the facts)
I even ran the monitor, DSL modem along with p4 2.8e pc.
 
The difference is, the OP was looking for a 'true' UPS.

there are different types of UPS's , the standard ones that you will see at
the local computer stores, etc, provide power from the AC line, and only
switch to battery power when the incoming AC is no longer present. When it
does this, it takes a finite amount of time to switch from AC power to
battery power.

Normally this is no big deal. but a 'true' UPS, is one that does not switch
from AC to battery at all. Power is continuelessly provided by the
batteries, and the AC circuitry maintains the charge on the batteries. In
this case the batteries are in constant use, etc, thus they tens to cost
quite a bit more than the usual $80 APC UPS found at the local store.


All depends on what the OP is really looking for.
 
The difference is, the OP was looking for a 'true' UPS.

there are different types of UPS's , the standard ones that you will see at
the local computer stores, etc, provide power from the AC line, and only
switch to battery power when the incoming AC is no longer present. When it
does this, it takes a finite amount of time to switch from AC power to
battery power.

Normally this is no big deal. but a 'true' UPS, is one that does not switch
from AC to battery at all. Power is continuelessly provided by the
batteries, and the AC circuitry maintains the charge on the batteries. In
this case the batteries are in constant use, etc, thus they tens to cost
quite a bit more than the usual $80 APC UPS found at the local store.


All depends on what the OP is really looking for.
Click to expand...

Yep. Inverters have to run the current load through the circuit
board, as opposed to an isolated circuit board that controls an
actuator or something of that nature. That is why the cheap ones
fail, just like incandescent lightbulbs fail, and just that quickly,
too.

Charlie
 
You got it totally right -- I want one that continuously uses the
battery and filters the power. And ideally, for under $500. :-)
 
Wendell III said:
You got it totally right -- I want one that continuously uses the
battery and filters the power. And ideally, for under $500. :-)
Click to expand...

The SU1000XL has pretty small capacity, but the price range quoted
here meets your target (Price Range: $337-515 1000VA/800W)
An extra battery pack may take it out of your price range.

http://www.tripplite.com/shared/pdf/literature/2004070724.pdf

http://inktomi-cnet.com.com/Tripp_L...1000XL+-+UPS+-+1000+VA+-+UPS+battery&tag=feed

This 1000VA/700W unit is $432.00
http://www.excaliberpc.com/OPTI-UPS_DS1000B_SINEWAVE_ONLINE/DS1000B/partinfo-id-552417.html

A search in your favorite search engine with "zero transfer time"
all in quotes, should turn up some more.

HTH,
Paul
 
Hi everyone,

I'm having a lot of trouble tracking down some kind of consumer UPS
that actually has continuously-fed power (from the battery). I'm
currently in an apartment with somewhat bad power, and need to get
ahold of one or more of these things. Any ideas? Everything I've seen
is over $1K...
Click to expand...
Big **** off truck battery and a 12V to 115V invertor.
 
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