Buying A Ups

[meadish_sweetball]

I am about to invest in a UPS, but I left the computer store empty-handed since the salesperson understood as much about what I needed as a lobotomized ferret on yaa baa, and I did not want to risk buying something I could not use.

I have a laptop computer (ASUS) bought in Europe and use it as the base for my entire setup - it is hooked up to

1. A Samsung flat screen (thai power plug)

2. A cable modem (thai power plug)

3. A set of speakers (thai power plug)

4. An external hard drive (euro power plug)

As I understand it, I actually need a UPS with 4 holes, preferably compatible with Euro plugs. (Safetywise, would it be ok to just stick a Thai adapter on top of the Euro plugs before connecting to the UPS, or will that present any problems?)

What about grounding? How can I ground the setup in a safe way? Or do I not need to (which I doubt, but that is what the Thai salespeople keep telling me)...

What UPS brands are good - or does it not matter so much? Prices? Store recommendations (in Chiang Mai)?

Is there anything else I should think about?

Anything else to think about?

Cheers in advance,

Meadish

[Firefoxx]

I don't see any problem with using adapters... many peripherals sold here are meant for other markets (like S'pore) and have weird plugs and require adapters. They work well enough with UPS's.

As for grounding, if your wall plug is grounded then you don't have any problem. If not, then getting proper grounding will be fairly involved.

I can understand plugging a monitor into a UPS, but I doubt that you would need to plug in the speakers, especially if they're high-powered speakers (less battery time).

If you want monitoring (usually for auto shutdown) then you should get a UPS with a USB port (I doubt your notebook has a serial port).

Try to get one with an easily replaceable battery... you'll need to replace it after a few years of normal use. Prices range from around 2k-10k, depending on brand, features, capacity, etc. Since you won't have your computer attached to it (a notebook is its own UPS), you won't need that much capacity.

[bkk_mike]

Unless you have seriously dodgy power supply - why do you need a UPS?

The only item that is usually affected by a power cut (other than simply going off, and coming back on when the power returns) is the computer itself because if it's in the middle of writing something to the hard disk when the power goes, the file table on the hard disk can be corrupted. However, with a notebook, the battery in the notebook acts as an internal UPS - so if the power cuts out, the notebook stays on.

If you're still certain you want a UPS, I, don't think you'll find one that takes different plug types on the UPS itself (except where it has some 3-pin sockets, and a couple of 2-pin ones, usually one of those being just surge-suppressed, and not fed from the battery, for use with a laser printer.)

I personally, handle assorted different plug types (UK/Thai ones that don't fit on the UPS itself), by plugging in an extension strip into the UPS that takes different plug types (making sure it has a 3 pin plug on it, so that it is actually earthed). But do be sure to restrict what you plug in to solid-state devices that use very little power. (and nothing with a motor - like a laser printer. as they will drain the battery very quickly).

i.e. I've got my two routers plugged into the same UPS as the PC - so that my internet access stays up for long enough for me to email the office that the power has gone and I'll log back in when it's restored.

As for brands - APC seems to be the best (although seriously expensive compared to the others) - I've got an APC I got when I first moved here in 2001, and it's still going strong (but is only 500VA, so is now on one of my kids PCs).

A lot cheaper than APC is Leonics, which seems to be one of the better local brands. (so much so, I've now got 3 of them).

Edited April 29, 2005 by bkk_mike

[paulfr]

You said ...... lobotomized ferret on yaa baa.

I love it. Big smile.

Yes, I too find salespeople here for the most part completely clueless. But to be fair, in the US, about half the time it is the same. You really need to do your homework before you buy. With the internet these days, it is much much easier to get information and opinions. Which is what you are doing here.

I like to keep all devices on the same power strip to be sure there are no differentials between the equipment. Other than that, adapters work fine wrt grounding.