UPS!… I did it again
Written: May 27 '02 (Updated May 27 '02)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: It has worked perfectly for a decade
Cons: My old unit lacks some of the newer features
The Bottom Line: Although I only understood about a fifth of what he told me, I knew that if an engineer was that excited about his creation, then it would be something special.
|
|
|
| WulfsDen's Full Review: APC Back-UPS Pro 650 (BP650SUS) UPS System |
I ran into APC (American Power Conversion) about ten years ago at the PC Expo in the Javits Center in NYC. Now, back in those days Expos were worth attending. Instead of scripted and groomed actors (humanotronics), you often met technical folks who actually knew something about the products.
On that fateful day long ago, I met one of APC's chief designers. During a long, extremely technical conversation, he convinced me that APC were making the best UPS systems. Don't get me wrong. He looked like a deadhead with few social skills and even less sales ability. Although I only understood about a fifth of what he told me, I knew that if an engineer was that excited about his creation, then it would be something special.
A short time later, I bought myself a state of the art 486-50, and invested in an APC Back-UPS Pro 650. The 486-66 superceded my 486-50 before I even got it out of the box, and we have bought four more PCs since then, but my UPS is still going strong.
A UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) has five main functions, although, my older unit only supports four of them.
Surge Suppression.
First and foremost, a UPS is a super surge suppressor. The power grid is an old creation that has been created piecemeal since the 1900s. The power supply, which was adequate for driving the motors, mills, and looms of industry, is unsuited for today's sophisticated electronics. It is full of sags, surges, noise, spikes, blackouts and other power anomalies.
A standard surge suppressor will stop those huge voltage tidal waves that overwhelm your machine, but it will do little about the small overvoltage and undervoltage situations that slowly eat away at your valuable chips. An APC UPS system totally conditions the power, preventing these anomalies from harming your PCs delicate circuits.
Blackout Protection.
The UPS has a battery in it that will cut in the moment the unit detects a break in the power supply. Depending on the size of the unit, and the size of your system, it will give 5-30 minutes of power. My current p3 450, 17-inch CRT monitor, scanner, ink jet, and external CD burner will run for about 16 minutes on the 650VA (voltage amps) supplied by this unit. (Needless to say, it was total overkill on my 486-50)
In a blackout, this gives you enough time to shut down your system without losing data or crashing disks. It also allows you to work right through those fraction-of-a-second blinks that would normally reboot your machine.
In an emergency, you can even switch on the machine after the power is out, on battery power alone. This would be handy for a quick use, like looking up the Electric Companies phone number so you can complain.
Phone Line Protection.
Most people have enough sense to switch off their computer during a lightning storm. However, did you know that a lightning strike on a telephone line could fry your circuits from seven miles away, or more.
The main reason I bought a unit that was so much more powerful than I needed was that it was the only unit available at the time that had phone jacks to stop lightning sneaking in that way.
Automatic Shut Down.
A cable supplied with the unit connects it to your serial port. PowerChute, a software package that came with the unit, can sense when the unit switches to battery power, and commence a shutdown sequence. How long to wait before commencing, what programs to shut down and in what order, are all completely under your control.
This is great for units used as network, or Internet servers, where they run unattended for long periods. More recent versions have diagnostics and analysis programs too. I saw them at a later show. This feature is only available on the pro model.
I did not need this feature, and have never connected the cable or installed the software, so I can't tell you much about it. However, it seemed pretty straightforward when I read the manual, long ago.
Network Protection.
My unit does not have this, but its new counterparts can protect from a lightning strike on an Ethernet network the way this unit protects a phone line.
The Unit.
The unit is a beige metal box 14.5" deep, 4.7" wide and 6.6" high, weighing about 25 pounds. On the front are a push button switch, and four indicator lights: on/okay (green), low battery (amber), outage (red), and replace battery (red). It has a hefty audio alarm too, when it is not happy about things.
On the back are two phone jacks, four grounded 3-prong sockets, a connector for the serial cable, and a push button circuit breaker. A six foot power cord also comes out of the rear.
The current models have a network in/out connection like the phone jacks, and six sockets: three of these are full function and three just surge protected (no battery backup).
Underneath is a metal door protecting the battery, which is secured with a screw.
The unit is rated at 650VA storage, 410 Watts, and will dissipate surges at a rate of 480 Joules (whatever that means). In an outage, it takes 4 MS (microseconds) or less to switch to battery power. Newer units come with $25,000 insurance on equipment and data, but I can't remember if mine did.
Using the UPS.
You plug the unit into the wall, and your equipment into the unit. The phone line in goes to one jack, and your computer connects to the other. Push the button to switch the power on. Pushing the button and holding it starts a test cycle, which only lasts a few seconds.
If you need extra sockets, you can plug an extension cord into the unit. However, you must NEVER plug a surge suppressor into it. The two units will fight about who is in charge. Devices that have bulky transformer/plugs won't fit on the back of mine, so you have to use an extension. Modern units have two flexible sockets (one battery, one surge only) that can handle bulky plugs.
The unit is totally silent in normal operation, but does get a little warm. When you have a minor outage, the unit will buzz slightly and the amber light comes on. In a full outage, the red light comes on and it beeps, LOUDLY.
It has powerful magnetic fields running through it, so keep it away from your magnetic media, PC, and monitor. Don't stack floppy disks on it. Don't plug a laser printer into it.
If you want use PowerChute, you must connect the cable to your computer, install the software, and configure it.
Phantom Load.
The unit trickle charges the battery as long as it is plugged in. You should unplug it before long periods of inactivity, like vacations. (You should do that to your TV and stereo too, BTW)
I have mine plugged into a switched receptacle, and I switch the unit off when I am not using it. (I hate phantom loads.) The battery charge light comes on for a second or two when I switch it on again. It does not seem to mind me treating it this way.
Battery.
A couple of years ago, it started warning me about my battery. I got several weeks of warnings (which I ignored) before it failed. I picked the replacement battery from their site. When I called up to order it, a very polite young lady asked a question or two, and helped me select the RIGHT replacement battery. Money changed hands, and I got the new battery two days later. It came with complete, idiot-proof instructions. A few minutes with a screwdriver and needle-nosed pliers and I was back in business. I probably would not have needed the pliers if I wasn't such a klutz.
Summary.
My unit has worked perfectly for about ten years of heavy use. I am on my second battery. None of the equipment connected to it has ever failed. It has stopped me losing unsaved work on many occasions.
The unit was overpowered for my 486-50 system, and even my current system only utilizes it 56 percent. I expect it to serve me for many more upgrades. I would recommend APC to anyone, but unless you need the network features, you may prefer to get the cheaper standard model (which now has phone jacks) rather then the pro model.
You can find out more about current models at:
http://www.apcc.com/index.cfm
They even have a usage calculator so you can select the right unit for your system. Remember to allow some extra power for expansion and upgrades.
See Also:
CD Burners for Bunnies: http://www.epinions.com/content_2645663876
Digital Cameras for Bunnies: http://www.epinions.com/content_2654445700
Home Computers for Bunnies http://www.epinions.com/content_2661851268
Just cut&paste the URL into your browser's address window.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
WulfsDen
|
 - Top 500 |
|
Location: NJ, USA
Reviews written: 328
Trusted by: 96 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.