Ups To Protect Your Computer

[bppree]

Just curious if the average computer users in Chiang Mai are using a UPS with surge control "to protect their computer and prevent data loss whenever the lights flickr." If not using a UPS, are there a lot of power surge related casualties ?

[Crow Boy]

Just curious if the average computer users in Chiang Mai are using a UPS with surge control "to protect their computer and prevent data loss whenever the lights flickr." If not using a UPS, are there a lot of power surge related casualties ?

Chiang Mai and indeed the whole of Thailand has an "interesting electricity supply" - we regularly get black outs, brown outs, white outs, and various other tinted voltage variations. I use a power filter to my laptop becuase it has an internal battery if the power dies, around here about 3 times a week depending on time of day, heat, birds landing on the power line and exploding, transformers blowing up and a myriad of other causes. For anyone with a desktop I would suggest wandering down to the local IT shop and getting a UPS. While there check out line filters for the stereo/tv etc.

CB

[tigerbeer]

don't forget to plug in your adsl modem as well into your UPS (both the phone line and the power supply). helps with the internet being disconnected every time your electricity supply goes berserk. (some modems are totally sensitive, not all).

definitely a worthy investment as crow boy mentioned.

[Foggy Bottom]

Yup - highly recommended

Also recommend that once a month or so, you leave the UPS unplugged from the supply, but with a table lamp plugged in the back to drain the battery and prevent "charge-memory"

If you try it by leaving the monitor on, you'll probably find the UPS won't keep the monitor powered as the charge-memory is too high a percentage of the battery. Use a low drain appliance like a table lamp to completely flatten the battery and remove the charge memory.

What's charge memory? If the battery is X% charged and the power disconnects, then when the power reconnects, the battery metabolism believes that the remaining charge level is the totally drained state. E.G. (in simple English) if for the normal load you put on the UPS, you would get 20 minutes of power, but the battery is only half charged when the power goes out, then when the power comes back, your UPS will set itself up as a ten minute battery - same thing happens with mobile phone batteries and lap-top batteries - especially lap-tops if you always run them with the main plugged in.

It's a simplistic explanation but the easiest to understand. Different battery (and UPS) chemical-types react slightly differently.

Cost me two monitors here before I learned the lesson to get a UPS.

[p1p]

Lost three UPS so far. Need to get a new one!

[bppree]

Lost three UPS so far. Need to get a new one!

But no computer casualties ?

[Tywais]

Lost three UPS so far. Need to get a new one!

I just bought a new one. My current one, PowerCom (DCM) has been faithful for nearly 6 year now but now shuts down when there is a quick power drop and return. New battery would probably solve it, after all 6 years is a looong time when 3 years is recommended for change. But I wanted an intelligent UPS with active monitoring and auto shutdown of my system if I'm not around. I have need for the PowerCom somewhere else anyway (after getting a new battery).

Got a 650VA (400Watts) APC with USB connection and so far quite happy with it. APC is all I buy for the office and we have about 100 hundred UPSes now. At the time I bought the PowerCom, APC was just too expensive. A snapshot of the PowerChute software that came with the UPS.

[higgy88]

Yup - highly recommended

Also recommend that once a month or so, you leave the UPS unplugged from the supply, but with a table lamp plugged in the back to drain the battery and prevent "charge-memory"

If you try it by leaving the monitor on, you'll probably find the UPS won't keep the monitor powered as the charge-memory is too high a percentage of the battery. Use a low drain appliance like a table lamp to completely flatten the battery and remove the charge memory.

What's charge memory? If the battery is X% charged and the power disconnects, then when the power reconnects, the battery metabolism believes that the remaining charge level is the totally drained state. E.G. (in simple English) if for the normal load you put on the UPS, you would get 20 minutes of power, but the battery is only half charged when the power goes out, then when the power comes back, your UPS will set itself up as a ten minute battery - same thing happens with mobile phone batteries and lap-top batteries - especially lap-tops if you always run them with the main plugged in.

It's a simplistic explanation but the easiest to understand. Different battery (and UPS) chemical-types react slightly differently.

Cost me two monitors here before I learned the lesson to get a UPS.

Just for the record, UPSs use the same sealed lead acid batteries the same as cars and motorcycles, at least mine do. The charge memory problem is not an issue with lead acid batteries and I know of no one who has ever discharged and then recharged his car battery once a month. The charge memory problem was a big problem with the first generation Ni-Cad batteries, a smaller problem with the next generation Ni-MH batteries, and a minor problem with the current generation lithium batteries. I have 2 UPSs, one 9 years old and is on its 4th or 5th battery, and one that is 3 years old which I have just put in its 2nd battery. I would not buy a new UPS just because it needs a new battery for the same reason I would not buy a new car or new phone just because it needs a new battery.

I do know one person who did not use a UPS and had to replace his power supply after about a year.