I mentioned this before but figured I'd make a thread.
My current UPS is a Tripp Lite inverter-charger, I went that route as I want to use large flooded acid batteries so I can cheaply have good run time. These batteries also last longer if they are cared for better. My current setup gives me about 4 hours, possibly more. Not often we get a power outage that lasts more than a few hours.
The problem I've run into is that because it's a standby UPS, like most home UPS solutions, there is a delay before the servers see AC power when the power goes out. If it's a clean cut, it's ok, but if it's a very dirty cut, like a wire arcing somewhere or a huge surge or brownout, the servers will see the brunt of that before the UPS kicks on. I've had two incidents so far where I lost servers as the UPS did not trip fast enough.
My goal is to look into a telecom style setup, basically -48v rectifiers, a battery bank that is kept floating. In telecom all the stuff runs on -48 but since it's going to be hard to find -48v psus for computers I will just go with a -48v inverter and then have everything on AC. If power goes out, even very dirty, the rectifiers will just go off and batteries will continue to handle the load. The beauty with this setup is being able to just add more rectifiers and more inverters to expand. Eventually I would also add solar to the mix so the rectifiers would run a bit below float voltage and the solar charge controller would actually be what charges the batteries. The rectifiers would just be to keep them at a decent capacity over night.
Problem is, it's very hard to find telecom rectifiers and stuff. Especially the chassis that they sit in. The modules themselves go into a chassis and that's what actually controls the output voltage, equalization etc. I've searched a lot and only real option is Ebay but then I don't know what I'm getting or how reliable it will be. Shipping is also prohibitive on lot of that stuff. For inverters I could probably look at solar stores though, but I rather go with something that's fully rackmount. Solar stuff tends to be made to go on a wall and I don't really have lot of wall space in my server room.
I'm probably going to stick with the telecom stuff and just keep trying to see if I can get lucky and find a site that sells that kind of stuff in Canada, but other than that, I'd be open for suggestions as well. I am also thinking of just building my own power conversion electronics but I have a lot to learn in electronics before I trust anything I build for such a high critical task. If it fails it could cost a lot of money.
I'd also be open to suggestions for a cheaper temporary fix. Will a power conditioner or something plugged before the UPS help? I'm even thinking just a relay that will shut power immediately if it detects any anomalies such as too low of a voltage for more than 1/4th of a 60hz cycle. But I imagine that's what the UPS does, it's just that the dirty outages that involve random voltage fluctuations before it goes off don't trigger the circuitry fast enough.
My current UPS is a Tripp Lite inverter-charger, I went that route as I want to use large flooded acid batteries so I can cheaply have good run time. These batteries also last longer if they are cared for better. My current setup gives me about 4 hours, possibly more. Not often we get a power outage that lasts more than a few hours.
The problem I've run into is that because it's a standby UPS, like most home UPS solutions, there is a delay before the servers see AC power when the power goes out. If it's a clean cut, it's ok, but if it's a very dirty cut, like a wire arcing somewhere or a huge surge or brownout, the servers will see the brunt of that before the UPS kicks on. I've had two incidents so far where I lost servers as the UPS did not trip fast enough.
My goal is to look into a telecom style setup, basically -48v rectifiers, a battery bank that is kept floating. In telecom all the stuff runs on -48 but since it's going to be hard to find -48v psus for computers I will just go with a -48v inverter and then have everything on AC. If power goes out, even very dirty, the rectifiers will just go off and batteries will continue to handle the load. The beauty with this setup is being able to just add more rectifiers and more inverters to expand. Eventually I would also add solar to the mix so the rectifiers would run a bit below float voltage and the solar charge controller would actually be what charges the batteries. The rectifiers would just be to keep them at a decent capacity over night.
Problem is, it's very hard to find telecom rectifiers and stuff. Especially the chassis that they sit in. The modules themselves go into a chassis and that's what actually controls the output voltage, equalization etc. I've searched a lot and only real option is Ebay but then I don't know what I'm getting or how reliable it will be. Shipping is also prohibitive on lot of that stuff. For inverters I could probably look at solar stores though, but I rather go with something that's fully rackmount. Solar stuff tends to be made to go on a wall and I don't really have lot of wall space in my server room.
I'm probably going to stick with the telecom stuff and just keep trying to see if I can get lucky and find a site that sells that kind of stuff in Canada, but other than that, I'd be open for suggestions as well. I am also thinking of just building my own power conversion electronics but I have a lot to learn in electronics before I trust anything I build for such a high critical task. If it fails it could cost a lot of money.
I'd also be open to suggestions for a cheaper temporary fix. Will a power conditioner or something plugged before the UPS help? I'm even thinking just a relay that will shut power immediately if it detects any anomalies such as too low of a voltage for more than 1/4th of a 60hz cycle. But I imagine that's what the UPS does, it's just that the dirty outages that involve random voltage fluctuations before it goes off don't trigger the circuitry fast enough.
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