cdayton

Have construction in my area and today, again, there was a momentary interruption to the electrical service that messed up my desktop computer work. Does anyone have a recommendation for a power supply to remedy the problem? Thanks for any input.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Are you referring to a UPS?

I purchased a UPS at Staples with sufficient power that will keep my computer and monitors going long enough to do an orderly shutdown of the desktop if power goes out. I've done that a few times. It will also level out any moderate power blips.

tradio Loc: Oxford, Ohio

Yep, what Longshadow said.

cdayton

Yes. Thanks.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I think it was this one. I only need to run the computer long enough to save what I'm doing and shut down. I don't need one to run the computer for an hour or more.

https://www.staples.com/APC-Back-UPS-650VA-Battery-Backup-7-Outlet-with-USB-Charging-Port-BN650M1/product_2259351

cdayton

Thanks.

Stardust Loc: Central Illinois

APC has been the benchmark of power/surge protectors for decades. For an adequate one they can be had on Amazon in the $50-70 range. Just need computer & monitor connected, most have alarms if power loss (not always noticed in daylight). They also handle the jolts of power spikes as well as surges if power goes off or back on.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Make sure you get something that has the amperage to let your computer run long enough to shut it down. For most people a 650 VA UPS is not going to get it done. I would go higher. I would also remind you that a UPS or SPS has a battery that needs to be replaced over time - usually about every three years. You want to schedule replacement rather than wait until it fails. Towards the end of life the amount of time it will run your gear without a power source diminishes greatly.

You can figure out what you need in VoltAmps - VA, by taking the wattage load and multiplying it by 1.6. Not all backup power is a UPS. The least expensive is at SPS - or standby power supply - which has a switchover speed of around 40 ms. These are cheap and dirty solutions - and most of the time the switchover speed is short enough.

If your power is noisy and dirty and fluctuates, you'll want a line-interactive UPS. These cost more but can protect against brownouts and momentary voltage drops which could damage equipment.

The most expensive is the online UPS - which is actually a battery used to run your equipment and uses the grid to top off the battery - so essentially it is running off the battery 100% of the time, and no switchover occurs. Your equipment runs off exceptionally clean pure DC power inverted to AC with zero interaction with the line voltage at the wall outlet.

You'll also probably want to think about a good surge protector. Most cheap UPS and SPS devices have awful surge protection. I have had a surge blow through an APC UPS causing a small fire, and damaging a printer and computer that was connected to it. Something similar also happened to a friend, but in his case it was some seriously expensive high end audio gear - though in both our cases it could have cost us our homes had we not been home to use a fire extinguisher. When I opened the UPS up, the multi-stage MOV had completely fried. MOV (Metal Oxide Varistor) based devices are cheap to make, but wear out over time, and when they fail it can be quite spectacular - but you'll never know when that will happen.

I recommend, without hesitation, ZeroSurge out of Frenchtown, NJ. They were the first to use an inductive-type surge protector which, by design, is not sacrificial in nature. There are a few others on the market now, but they were the first.

https://zerosurge.com/plug-in-products-solutions/

They have other products but I think this may be the least expensive.

cdayton

Thanks. I think I’ll order an APC.

cdayton

cdayton

OnDSnap Loc: NE New Jersey

APC battery back up. I have um on every electronic device worth anything in my house and office. They can get quite expensive but worth it when protecting your investments.

OnDSnap Loc: NE New Jersey

APC battery back ups. I have um on every electronic device worth anything in my house and office. They can get quite expensive but worth it when protecting your investments.

IMSHog

Agree totally with Gene51, the Zerosurge followed by an APC UPS will solve the problems you are having. Another company is brickwall, basically the same product as the zerosurge. I cannot count the number of times I have seen equipment in data centers / offices fried, except the equipment that was protected by zerosurge or brickwall followed by a UPS. I have both in my home office and they work.

Last, check out http://www.refurbups.com/Refurbished-UPS-Systems they sell used UPS units at about half the price of new units. I have purchased from them many times and never had a problem.

Best

sr71 Loc: In Col. Juan Seguin Land

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