UPS Ideas ?
This could be for an RV where there have been posts about TV receivers etc getting knocked out by slow switching 120v power inputs. In this case it is in the stick house. I have jury-rigged somethin...
Forum Discussion
theoldwizard1 wrote:Gdetrailer wrote:
Also have a couple of Tripplite 1300VA units, 5 yr old and a 1 yr old) ...
FYI, according to their own specs, that unit will give less than 2 minutes of "ride through" when the output is above 650W.
You DO realize that "UPS" units are spec'd by the V/A (Volt/Amperes), actual "wattage" of the unit IS lower than the V/A.
I remember my disappointment many yrs ago when I realized my first UPS which was a APC 450 VA unit could only handle 2.8A of 120V load or 336W if you like.
Read up on VA ratings.. HERE
Actual output wattage on UPS units will always be LESS than the VA rating.
Every consumer grade UPS I have worked with ALL have "ride through" times at or near MAX wattage loads of 2-5 minutes or so.
IF you need more "ride through" time you simply buy a higher VA unit which will have a larger capacity battery.
Most small UPS units have nothing more than a 10ahr-12Ahr battery pack, low wattage UPS units will have a 12V pack, higher wattage like a 1300VA will have a 24V battery bank.. Get into 2200 VA and you start getting into UPS units which offer EXTERNAL battery bank expansion capability.
As an exapmple, my main computer plus router plus a network hub plus a inkjet printer all powered on consume 100W, that is just under 1/6 of the max capacity of the 1300VA UPS that they are attached to.
Run time with all powered up gives me pretty close to 20 minutes.
IF I only have the router and hub powered that same UPS easily runs 1.5 hrs or a bit more.
I HAVE seen these UPS units run for 2 hrs with no load on.
The whole original idea of a UPS is to ALLOW you enough time to SHUT DOWN your computer gracefully. Over the yrs folks have "discovered" that these UPS units can do a lot more than just run a computer.
If one wanted to, one COULD pretty much make ANY UPS run longer by simply removing the existing small 10-12Ahr AGM battery and connecting it to a much larger EXTERNAL battery of your own choice.
The limitation is mainly the Ahr size of the battery that can fit inside that case, although, I will have to warn folks that most UPS units are not designed for long term battery operation so cooling the unit can become an issue for passively cooled fanless units (IE the low VA small surge protector styles).
