Recent content by MarkGinger

  1. M

    Advice on a UPS purchase

    You're better off getting the Smart-UPS protection than not. You can't lose by having a better quality UPS that will protect your system better than the smaller home use UPSs.
  2. M

    Advice on a UPS purchase

    Don't disable write cache on your drives, that's unnecessary. Either of the above mentioned Smart-UPS units will do a fantastic job protecting your machine.
  3. M

    Advice on a UPS purchase

    Hey, if it works don't fix it! A little run time sacrifice is ok, but 10 minutes of run time is excellent.
  4. M

    Advice on a UPS purchase

    The SUA1000 or the SUA1500 would fit the bill perfectly. They output an actual sine wave, offer avr boost/drop, surge protection and power filtering. You can't go wrong with buying a data center quality UPS. Save yourself the headache, if you have a machine that needs a sine wave unit, don't...
  5. M

    Advice on a UPS purchase

    If you buy the Back-UPS RS 900VA you're going to have exactly the problems that you describe. You need a Smart-UPS if you want proper protection. Do you have a serial port on your machine?
  6. M

    Thinking of getting this UPS / protector for my Home Theater.

    A double conversion model is the biggest overkill for any household. So few businesses use them that it's completely impractical. The most common line that's used in data centers across the US is SUA. It's the most optimized UPS. The SUA2200 with 4 car batteries which provides 400 minutes of...
  7. M

    Thinking of getting this UPS / protector for my Home Theater.

    For $200 there's no point of getting any surge protector. Your best bet is always to buy a proper UPS that will protect your equipment from power problems, give you time to shut down and function as an awesome surge protector. Get the most for your money.
  8. M

    CyberPower UPS

    Sure, as long as you don't put too much of a load to pop the circuit breaker, you'll be ok. Cosmetic flaws is cool, missing screws is scary!
  9. M

    How long can a UPS battery last when unplugged?

    This is absolutely true. Unfortunately if you leave the batteries sitting around unplugged for more than a few months they will drain to a point of no return. Your best bet is to buy a new set.
  10. M

    CyberPower UPS

    Both the SUA1000 and the SMT1000 are better units than the Cyberpower units mentioned here. The SUA's are industrial data center units, they're work horses. We use new SMT1500's in our server room, but on all the machines we use refurbished SUA1000's. They output a sine wave, have the Smart-UPS...
  11. M

    Replace UPS Batteries or just buy new ones?

    Hi Greg, If your UPSs work there's no point of replacing them. Most of the time UPSs sit idle so there's not much wear on the components. If your UPSs worked without any problems, don't fix something that's not broken. Install new batteries and you're good to go. We have UPSs in our office...
  12. M

    Need a UPS battery backup.

    The batteries should be lasting 3-5 years. It depends on the abuse they take but if you buy high quality batteries they're designed to last about 3-5. Some of the cheaper batteries on the market are actually 1 year life span batteries. If you're looking to replace the unit, I would recommend...
  13. M

    Using a car battery with an APC UPS

    Yes, the recharge time is definitely much slower. The UPS should know when the battery is fully charged. Sealed lead acid batteries are safe to use in doors, but you should definitely check with the vendor before buying the batteries. Car batteries are definitely NOT Safe to use indoors.
  14. M

    Using a car battery with an APC UPS

    Hey Guys, I know of a few installations where external deep cycle marine batteries were attached to a Smart UPS 1400 successfully. The run time is increased exponentially but the recharge time is very slow. Personally, I wouldn't go with anything over 12v 75ah x2. I can vouch that it works...