APC UPSs.
As I was one of the posters, let me update those comments
a bit. The short version is, I wouldn't be too quick to
eliminate APC.
I had a 600VA (400w) APC ups running two PCs, 17 & 21 in
monitors, 3 or 4 HDs each, and other minor draws (modems,
CDs). When new, it would support the combination for
about 12 minutes. When approximately a year old, a power
failure left me with only seconds of run time (and wouldn't
support the monitor at all).
The batteries do fail in these things, but typical lifetime
is supposed to be 3-4 years.
However, APC support immediately replaced the unit, cross
shipped a new one (actually, a the same size in the newer
line), and paid shipping both ways, no questions asked.
They did this without proof of purchase, determining the
date of manufacture from the serial number.
The battery shouldn't have failed at that age, BUT if I
had periodically tested the unit, I would have known
the battery was weakening before an outage took me down.
Good intentions, etc.
More important, that UPS took me through many short-duration
outages, spikes, and what not, and a surge that
absolutely fried the C drive in my wife's PC,
not on the UPS (it is now <gg>).
Back on this thread there was a report (not mine)
of somebody getting equipment fried that was protected
by APC UPSs. APCs equipment is hot-switched, that is, it
runs from line current and switches to battery only on
a failure (typical switch time is about 20-30 ms if
I remember correctly), which does leave the equipment
vulnerable to extremes. You can get UPSs that
run continuously from the battery. Probably 1500 bucks
or so <g>. They will leave you vulnerable to even
greater extremes (from once-in-a-decade to once-in-a-
lifetime, maybe).
The question is, what are you protecting and what is the
investment worth? A UPS is NO SUBSTITUTE for proper
backups. Remember you can always lose data from other
causes, so don't think of a UPS that way.
So, on balance, despite not being real happy with a
prematurely dead battery, but realizing that was as
much my fault as anybody's, and being very favorably
impressed with APC's customer support and the fact
that nothing has ever hurt my equipment protected by
one while surrounding equipment went up in smoke,
I now have 3 APC UPSs. Test 'em periodically, too.
In fact, as soon as I post this response ... |
