Need advice on power conditioners

bbhaag

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2011
6,677
2,068
146
Hope this is the right forum. I'm new to this type of tech.

So we just bought four new Sam4S SPS-520 RT cash registers at work. They are being programmed now and installation is slated for later next week. The guys doing the programming and installation are pushing us hard to buy four Powervar ABC065-11 line conditioners. Here is a link to the specs. http://www.powervar.com/power-conditioners/standard-power-conditioners/

They want to charge us $150 per conditioner and that seems a little excessive. I guess the questions I have are.
1. Is that price reasonable?
2. Are line conditioners really necessary?
3. Are there cheaper alternatives that work the same?
4. Is Powervar a reliable brand? I tried googling but little comes up on them.

Temps can reach 90+ degrees and humidity is usually around 80% so it will be very hot where these are being used so a commercial unit is probably necessary if there are alternatives to the Powervar.


Any advice you guys can give will be helpful.
 

XavierMace

Diamond Member
Apr 20, 2013
4,307
450
126
What justification do they give for needing a power conditioner? Hot and humid isn't a reason. Look at it this way, do you run one for your computer? Specs for your cash registers state:

Power Requirements: 120 AC ± 10%, 60 Hz

+/- 5% I believe is considered the normal acceptable variation at least in the US. I don't recall ever seeing my UPS show more than 3%. On that note, you can get an APC 700w UPS for $100. In either case, unless your area is known to have dirty power or they can show you why you need one, I would tell them to try again.
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,405
10,085
126
If I ever needed another reason not to live in the Northeast, that would be it.

Well, the low voltage is when my currently-defunct AC tries to start the compressor. But otherwise, it has also fluctuated during the daytime at low as 108V.