How much power???

[solomr2]

Ahhh! Then TLS Guy is correct in his suggestion.

I was just trying to get you the cheapest solution!

If you want one UPS to rule them all then it’s going to be kind of expensive.

$250 for the 1500VA is not bad, but not cheap either. It all depends how annoyed I am with FPL when I go to pull the trigger on this. On Saturday, while I was playing Bad Company 2 with my son, we had 4 brown-outs in less than 2 hours. That really pissed me off.

 

[lsiberian]

$250 for the 1500VA is not bad, but not cheap either. It all depends how annoyed I am with FPL when I go to pull the trigger on this. On Saturday, while I was playing Bad Company 2 with my son, we had 4 brown-outs in less than 2 hours. That really pissed me off.

Make sure you get the necessary help with the source of the issue first. I realize a UPS is a helpful solution, but you don't want to be living off one. UPS devices are designed to give you enough time to shut down the system or power up a generator(if a business) Batteries go bad if you use them continually. Then you will get the alarm going off in the middle of the day.

 

[solomr2]

Sure... I have other UPSs around the house and at work for computers. The idea was not to run off it for any extended period of time, it is to avoid hard crashes. But the batteries will go bad no matter what, most only last about 3-4 years, even with minimal use.

FPL frequently has these momentary little blips that last under 3 seconds, often under 1 second. The only time I lost power for a long time was during the NFL playoffs, Packers vs. Vikings, coldest day past winter, just before the 4th quarter. FPL power went down for 18 hours. I missed the entire 4th quarter, and the overtime. By morning, temperature in my house was 45 degrees F. FPL had to replace the transformer for our neighborhood.

 

[Rickster71]

FPL frequently has these momentary little blips that last under 3 seconds, often under 1 second. The only time I lost power for a long time was during the NFL playoffs, Packers vs. Vikings, coldest day past winter, just before the 4th quarter. FPL power went down for 18 hours. I missed the entire 4th quarter, and the overtime. By morning, temperature in my house was 45 degrees F.
FL Power & Light had to replace the transformer for our neighborhood.

My impression was that it sounded like a transformer issue all along.

 

[renegade87]

Wrong answer!

Power conditioners are largely bogus.

A UPS is exactly what he does need for his situation.

As far as power, a UPS must meet the VA rating, which covers the apparent power the device uses because electronic devices are inductive loads, and the actual power consumed by the device in watts.

These specifications should be in your manual, or on the tag on the device.

If only the power consumption in watts is given, then a rough rule of thumb is that the VA rating needs to be about 30% higher than the continuous watts rating.

I found this conversion table in a UPS manual:

If the power requirement of your equipment is listed other than VA, convert the requirement into VA by doing the calculations below.
Watt (W) X 1.67 = VA, or Amps(A) X 120= VA (For 100-120V model)

Hope it helps.

 

[TLS Guy]

I found this conversion table in a UPS manual:

If the power requirement of your equipment is listed other than VA, convert the requirement into VA by doing the calculations below.
Watt (W) X 1.67 = VA, or Amps(A) X 120= VA (For 100-120V model)

Hope it helps.

That will work for a continuous sine wave load. However for discontinuous loads, like switching power supplies in computers and subs, it falls apart.

 

[renegade87]

That will work for a continuous sine wave load. However for discontinuous loads, like switching power supplies in computers and subs, it falls apart.

Thanks TLS Guy. That's good to know. So, is there a all encompassing formula that you would recommend? Or, would we need to use multiple formula's for the different equipment types?

 

[TLS Guy]

Thanks TLS Guy. That's good to know. So, is there a all encompassing formula that you would recommend? Or, would we need to use multiple formula's for the different equipment types?

Only if you know more about the load which you usually don't. However well made UPS devices from APC if the meet the continuous power of the device in watts, they will generally have enough current available to meet the VA rating of pretty much any device and vice versa. They have been at it long enough to know how to build for real world conditions.

 

[highfigh]

$250 for the 1500VA is not bad, but not cheap either. It all depends how annoyed I am with FPL when I go to pull the trigger on this. On Saturday, while I was playing Bad Company 2 with my son, we had 4 brown-outs in less than 2 hours. That really pissed me off.

I haven't seen where you are but you mentioned the Packers and extreme cold. How far from the transformer are you, how old is your house and if you look at the cables over the meter, does each have one connection or are they spliced more than once? Each connection causes loss and old ones cause all kinds of dimming or other variations. High winds and age cause the connectors to lose their grip and moisture can get in, corroding the metal. If you see several connectors, call the power company and ask them to repair them.

 

[renegade87]

Only if you know more about the load which you usually don't. However well made UPS devices from APC if the meet the continuous power of the device in watts, they will generally have enough current available to meet the VA rating of pretty much any device and vice versa. They have been at it long enough to know how to build for real world conditions.

Good point. Which leads me to a question I've been meaning to get to for a while now. Let's completely bypass the whole UPS vs Power Conditioning debate shall we. (Hasn't that been thoroughly debated to death in PearlcorderS701's Power Conditioner Recommendations thread?).

So, I'm wondering what the consensus is on the Tripp Lite UPS is here at Audioholics? I am aware of APC and own several of their products including a BACK-UPS RS 1500VA. Which I use for my PC.

I ask because I'm considering adding a Tripp Lite SMART2600RM2U SmartPro 2U Rack/Tower Extended Run UPS - Line interactive, sine wave UPS to my setup(I have found multiple etailers with better pricing than the manufacturer). APC is a little pricier than Tripp Lite and I haven't yet found an APC model in between 2200VA and 3000VA.

A few months ago, I ran a dedicated 20A line to my "Man Cave" (such as it is) and placed a Brickwall PWP20 panel-mount industrial-surge-protector between my 200A breaker panel and the 20A outlets in the "Man Cave". My electrician used the panel grounds (less than 6 feet from the closest of the two 9 foot grounding rods) to ground the PWP20. I should be covered for anything but a very close or direct lightning strike. Or so I have been told by my electrician. Though I have started at least one thread on the performance of Brickwall products here I had not received any feedback (positive or negative). It seems that though they have an excellent reputation in the PC hardware enthusiast community, Brickwall has yet to catch on here in the AV enthusiast community. I'd be interested in the thoughts of the Guru's here in this forum on Brickwall products in general and the PWP20 specifically.

So anyways, I have calculated the VA needed to supply enough power to everything attached (everything in my Sig requiring power except the Def Tech BP 7006's) to be just a hair under 2200VA. Knowing I will not be using everything at once and that the only thing I really need the extra time to shut down properly is the XL-5200 Lamp in my Sony SXRD TV(unless I actually build that HTPC I've been thinking about and am using it at the time of the power outage...) but still wanting to reap the full benefits of having the UPS in my system. The Tripp Lite SMART2600RM2U would seem to fit in perfectly with my 20A line where a lesser (1500VA) unit wouldn't be able to meet the VA requirements of the entire system and a 3000VA unit would require a 30A line and everything else that goes along with it (there's no more room on the panel anyways if there were I'd want to cover the whole house with one of these ).

So Guys, any feedback on the Tripp Lite SMART2600RM2U and Brickwall PWP20 would be appreciated. Suggestions on cost effective alternatives would also be welcomed.