UPS Power Conditioner Question

[figucp0]

I have been a lurker on these forums for a while this is my first post because I have never had anything to ask until now. I have a question for any electrical engineering experts. Would a falconups.com SG UPS-Plus unit be ok for a Home Theater UPS/power conditioner unit. They are kind of designed for industrial uses but the specs look ok. The only concern I have is the Output harmonic distortion numbers 3% for linear loads and <5% for non linear. If you go to falconups.com and click the SG series under products you can download a very detailed spec sheet pdf. The other home theater specific units from other companies don't specify this information so I have no idea what is acceptable. Anyway I happen to have one and was wondering if it would be ok to use for Home Theater equipment.
Thanks

 

[figucp0]

Sorry about not linking directly to specs

Being that I don't post much I am not allowed to post the link for convenience.
Sorry

 

[TLS Guy]

I have been a lurker on these forums for a while this is my first post because I have never had anything to ask until now. I have a question for any electrical engineering experts. Would a falconups.com SG UPS-Plus unit be ok for a Home Theater UPS/power conditioner unit. They are kind of designed for industrial uses but the specs look ok. The only concern I have is the Output THD numbers. Anyway I happen to have one and was wondering if it would be ok to use for Home Theater equipment.
Thanks

It should be fine. The response time says less than 4ms. That should be OK.

 

[fmw]

When I was in the computer industry years ago, the affordable UPS units generated power under battery operation that was square waves - something like a power generator. Have they ever straightened that out or are these things still producing square waves. I have a TV that won't even work with square wave power.

 

[TLS Guy]

When I was in the computer industry years ago, the affordable UPS units generated power under battery operation that was square waves - something like a power generator. Have they ever straightened that out or are these things still producing square waves. I have a TV that won't even work with square wave power.

I have never encountered a unit that did that!

 

[figucp0]

Pure Sine Wave

These units are "online units" that emit a pure sine wave. They are not budget by any means, in fact they are very nice units. I was just wondering if they would be appropriate for Home Theater use. Other Home Theater UPS units don't advertise their Harmonic Distortion for the output power so they could be similar numbers to these units. My experience and knowledge in this area is just somewhat limited. I do not know how much power Harmonic Distortion would affect audio or video quality. These units are rated to <3% for linear loads and <5% for non linear.

 

[fmw]

I have never encountered a unit that did that!

I used to sell two brands - APC and Emerson. Both generated square waves. So does my engine powered emergency generator. When the power goes off and engage the generator I can't watch TV.

The purpose of a UPS in those days was just to give you time to shut the computer down "elegantly" rather than to crash. I see no application at all for home theater but that puts me in a minority, I guess.

 

[TLS Guy]

I used to sell two brands - APC and Emerson. Both generated square waves. So does my engine powered emergency generator. When the power goes off and engage the generator I can't watch TV.

The purpose of a UPS in those days was just to give you time to shut the computer down "elegantly" rather than to crash. I see no application at all for home theater but that puts me in a minority, I guess.

I use APC UPS systems and have a generator for back up. Neither produce square waves. These types of on line UPS systems are the most cost effective power conditioners for home theater. All my gear works fine from the UPS until the generator starts in power cuts.

The 3% THD figure is fine. The standard for power companies is 5%, but it is often higher than this. Mine was 34%! After a round with the power company they changed a transformer, and now THD varies between 2.5% and 5.8% depending on load of their system.

 

[figucp0]

Thanks!

Thanks so much TLS Guy. Thats exactly the information I was looking for.

As for the purpose of UPS/power conditioners in Home theater use, my understanding is that power from the power company, as TLS alluded to, can be very "dirty." Blackouts, Brownouts, Voltage spikes, frequency variation can all damage sensitive electronics. They can also introduce noise and degrade quality. Modern UPS units with power conditioning convert the incoming AC to DC and use circuitry to stabilize it and output AC in a pure Sine Wave with strict tolerances for volatage and frequency variation. Proper testing equipment provides a nice graphical comparison between a dirty power source and a dirty power source filtered through one of these UPS units. On top of that they can be connected to a network, provide alerts of power problems, initiate the shutdown sequence on PC's, and keep the important bulb cooling fans running in projectors.

I do not pretend to in expert in these fields by any means and anyone feel free to post corrections or better explanations to what I have said.

 

[TLS Guy]

Thanks so much TLS Guy. Thats exactly the information I was looking for.

As for the purpose of UPS/power conditioners in Home theater use, my understanding is that power from the power company, as TLS alluded to, can be very "dirty." Blackouts, Brownouts, Voltage spikes, frequency variation can all damage sensitive electronics. They can also introduce noise and degrade quality. Modern UPS units with power conditioning convert the incoming AC to DC and use circuitry to stabilize it and output AC in a pure Sine Wave with strict tolerances for volatage and frequency variation. Proper testing equipment provides a nice graphical comparison between a dirty power source and a dirty power source filtered through one of these UPS units. On top of that they can be connected to a network, provide alerts of power problems, initiate the shutdown sequence on PC's, and keep the important bulb cooling fans running in projectors.

I do not pretend to in expert in these fields by any means and anyone feel free to post corrections or better explanations to what I have said.

What you have is an online UPS. What you are describing is a double conversion UPS. They make a lot of heat. They are the most perfect, but are overkill for most situations. Am online type with a fast response time is the most cost effective, energy efficient solution.

Glad to help.

Types of UPS.

http://www.upsforless.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=4

 

[cbraver]

Interesting.

I have Line-R 1250s (two of them) for my audio gear and a Smart UPS 750XL that I run my computer stuff off of. The Line-R's just condition/surge protect, while the UPS serves as a voltage regulator as well.

I've always wanted to connect my UPS to my stereo equipment, but, I always wonder if the draw would be too much. My power here on campus is pretty good, so, voltage regulation isn't really needed. But back in South Florida, my power is HORRIBLE... and I've always wanted to connect it. What's the best way to determine the amount of equipment I can connect to a UPS? Not for backup purposes, but just for voltage regulation...