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Thread ID: 23178	2002-08-09 06:31:00	UPS	Heather P (163)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
69663	2002-08-09 10:35:00	Thanks Elwin. Sounds like it will keep the jug going so long as I don't run the computer. Anyhow, how do I get the car up the stairs? It's bad enough with the grocery shopping! Hmmm, well I've been doing a spot of research. So far have found prices ranging from the $300 to $6,000 and have heard that a certain television station has one worth around $200,000. Possibly out of my league. Now, computers I can translate most things to simple English. Electricity makes my eyes roll (and that's even without plugging into the socket). I understand Watts. 10 100W light bulbs use 1KW in 1 hour, 20 50W bulbs also use 1KW in an hour. Electricity is charged by the amount of watts you use. I half understand Volts. The mains supply provides 240V but the computer itself only uses 12V so the power supply has a transformer that reduces it. There are also things called Amps and ohms. And there's a formula in there somewhere to calculate things. Sine waves have something to do with AC current. As you can see my electricity knowledge has some quite major gaps. Now looking at the net - I have absolutely no idea if I'm comparing apples with oranges or perhaps a sea lion or two. The Dick Smith unit appears to do the following: - protects against blackouts and spikes (if spikes this means all power is filtered through it so you don't get the milliseconds pause whilst it switches over?) - protects computer, telephone or security system (presumably one or the other?) - RJ11/RJ45 Fax/Modem spike protection (will protect the modem but if a lightening bolt hits the satellite dish it's toast anyway?) - operating system shutdown software for Windows 95/98 (it'll shut down windows. What about Word, Homesite, IE....?) So: - would a 500VA unit have enough time/power to close down several applications and turn itself off? - if it does: - is this a good deal? - anyone other than tweak'e used one of these and have any recommendations? -does anyone know of something similar that's cheaper?	Heather P (163)
69664	2002-08-09 13:10:00	ok the basics (before i fall asleep) 500va should be ok, more the better. spike protection is handy BUT most ups prtection is poor. hopefully you already have decent spike protection. phone line is a must. get more kills by spikes via the phone line than do via the power. very rare to have sat dish hit by lightning (i've only seen 3 in 10years) however sat surge prtectors are advailable. there are heaps of brands around. PK, triplite, APC, and a few that i can't spell ;-) if u r lack of $$ consider the 'baby bob', cheaper model of DSE one. not an 'line interactive' one ie no power contioning. pc shutdown.....not all models have it, some require you to buy an extra addon, software varies but there is some software that is free. not 100% sure about saveing all files tho. not something i use much. time wise 500va should give you at least 5min~	tweak'e (174)
69665	2002-08-09 23:11:00	look in trademe site for a ups they usually go for around $150 upwards I have a APC one rated at 450 watts enough for about 12 mins on my setup after a total blackup its already saved me about 6x that i know of once from an idiot who crashed into a powerpole down the road . The APC Smart-UPS 700 provides protection from the damage that can be caused from sudden crashes due to power failure, designed for heavy duty workstations and low-end servers the APC Smart-UPS 700 is capable of delivering a massive 450 Watts of power. Output power capacity - 700 VA Output power capacity - 450 Watts Typical backup time at half load - 17.5 minutes Interface port - DB-9 RS-232 (Serial), Smart-Slot card Typical recharge time - 3 hours	kiwibeat (304)
69666	2002-08-11 10:29:00	Well I've done some research into UPS . I've been told, both here and by an electrician friend (and my father), that VA is approximately = to Watts . Then one or two web sites says 200W(320VA) so ? Having established that I needed Watts for the calculation I then set out to find it on the monitor and computer, found they're not specified, found a calculation for amps and volts and watts and came up with a rough answer . I've also discovered in my reading that computers overstate the power required (as the manufacturers allow for extra add-ons) . An interesting site with a calculation to determine the size of UPS required is: . apcc . com/template/size/apc/" target="_blank">www . apcc . com It is, of course, American, and they don't specify dealers here but it's interesting academically . This is not easy but I'm coming to an idea of what I need! Thanks for the help . Heather	Heather P (163)
69667	2002-08-11 10:52:00	Heather, I feel a device that has only just enough grunt for the job will prove over time to be less reliable than a device that is barely getting warm doing the same job. If you use your computer(s) alot, which i suspect you do, be careful. An UPS device that barely matches your power requirements may simply be substituting unreliable mains supply with unreliable UPS. And of course that is before we take into account the additional load from that DVD burner you will inevitably buy in a few months, when the prices get really low!	Chris Wilson (431)
69668	2002-08-11 11:02:00	Chris, I've been contemplating such things myself. I really SHOULD go out and get one. The power glitches in the last few days have caused a certain amount of havoc with this machine but it seems to have settled down this evening. This afternoon - ran scandisk - it found and fixed errors. Ran defrag - it refused to do it due to disk errors and sent me to scandisk. Ran a thorough scandisk (it would only do the standard one the first time I ran it), it found no errors but now the machine is behaving. I'm reasonably certain it was the sudden shutdown followed by equally fast restarts that done it! Ah well, currently working on the accounts and proving that great expenditures are a bad idea....	Heather P (163)
69669	2002-08-11 11:40:00	Have a look at Ascent (http://www.ascent.co.nz) they have quite a few UPS's.	-=JM=- (16)
69670	2002-08-11 11:54:00	JM, That's the problem - there are quite a few UPS and I have general knowledge rather than specific knowledge! The site I went to suggested 650VA. But when you consider the advances over the past few years and predict the future - will it be enough in 2 years? The Dick Smith one has the advantage of being expandable so if 500 isn't enough you can upgrade to 1000VA now with the potential to add more in the future. Decisions, decisions....	Heather P (163)
69671	2002-08-11 12:03:00	What are the main roles of the computers? Do you really need to be working through powercuts (buy a generator) . Is the computer on 24/7 or just when you are nearby? I did read a How To in an atomic (http://www . atomicmpc . co . nz) magazine recently which showed how to make one yourself . It was rather large after it was all done though . most of these have probably been answered already i'll have to go back and read the thread again ;)	-=JM=- (16)
69672	2002-08-11 12:10:00	No I don't need to work through powercuts. Crashing Windows though due to sudden power cuts is not the best idea - and out here it happens. It is thus protection for the machine. Computer on most days, off when sleeping. Main roles? Business accounts, work from home and study - computer degree.	Heather P (163)
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