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What to look for when buying a UPS
All 3 of the UPS design categories I've discussed supply battery backup power to your
computer and or devices in the event of an electrical power failure. How long a UPS can
supply battery power is often called it's "runtime". The UPS should supply enough battery
power to allow the system to be safely shutdown (see "Management" software below).
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A UPS is also rated by how much power it can deliver when needed (the "load" it can
support). The rating is usually expressed using the term "volt-amperes" (VA)
(Example: 750 volt-amperes). The load the UPS is rated to support must be larger than the
total needs of your computer and attached devices.
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In order to determine your needs you
must know how much electrical power each computer and or device attached to the UPS
(draws) requires. You would then take out your trusty calculator and add the power
required by each device the UPS is expected to power. This process can become complicated
because every computer and peripheral device has unique power needs determined by it's
configuration and design. The numbers (electrical specifications) you need are not always
readily available in an owners manual or from the manufacturer of your computer and or
devices (printer, scanner etc). To further complicate matters some companies quote
different electrical specifications with similar, but technically different definitions.
If this is the case you must convert values from one specification to another
(Example "volt-amperes" to "watts").
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What can happen if you choose the wrong UPS for the job? If the UPS can not supply
enough electrical power to the connected computer and devices it may simply shut down,
blow it's internal fuse or circuit breaker. Your computer and any attached device
could be left with no electrical power or protection. Some UPS manufacturers provide
indicator lights that warn you if the UPS can not support the number of devices attached
to it. This is a useful feature to look for if you decide to purchase a UPS.
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The GOOD NEWS is most larger UPS manufacturers provide a means to help you easily
and painlessly determine your UPS needs. The company "Powerware" provides an easy to use
utility on their Web site appropriately called
"Find a UPS". You
begin by choosing from several main categories, Example: PC or Workstation. You are then
asked a series of questions about your computer and the components you want to
protect/provide power to.
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You will need to know some basic information about your computer. For instance the size
in inches of your monitor, the type and how many hard drives, how many (usually 1)
and what type of CPU (processor) and the manufacturer/brand of your processor
(usually AMD or Intel). Most of this information can be found in your owners manual
or from the vendor you purchased your computer from. You will also be asked a couple
of questions you may not be familiar with such as "Voltage computer plugged into"
(in the USA normally 120 VAC) and "Plug type" which is almost always a NEMA 5-15P.
The default answers already provided to the questions are sufficient to meet most
peoples needs.
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In my opinion when you choose a UPS choose one to protect/power your
computer and monitor. Don't worry about supplying backup power to your scanner or
printer. If the electricity goes out and you loose an image you were scanning or
a document you were printing you can simply rescan or reprint the item. Why spend
the additional money for the larger UPS that may be needed to power/protect these
additional devices?
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What happens if the UPS itself fails? The best UPS designs incorporate redundancy
(backup) into critical components and subsystems of the UPS. If a critical component or
subsystem fails another or duplicate takes it's place. This reduces the possibility of a
complete UPS failure and increases your overall level of protection. Component redundancy
and the enhanced protection it offers usually increases the price of the UPS. Less
expensive units probably do not include redundant components and subsystems.
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| Copyright © 1996-2011 Tom Bowser. All rights reserved. |
