Damn,

 

It looks like the Corsair TX650 will eventually be damaged by running on these popular UPS's.  My UPS hasn't even powered the Corsair for long without mains power, but now as soon as the UPS switches to battery, my unraid machine locks up.  Things used to be fine, but now the shortest glitch takes out my (14 green drive) unraid machine.

 

Are there any recommended PSU's that work well with a "Stepped approximation to a sinewave" UPS or do I need to right off the almost 2 year old UPS and get a better one?

First of all you are using an incomparable ups for the power supply you are using.  If you have an active PFC PSU you need a pure sine wave UPS or you may see a failure as you describe.  The UPS you link to is a step approximation sine wave.

 

I would recommend one of these

 

http://www.cyberpowersystems.com/products/ups-systems/pfc-sinewave-series.html

I use stepped sine wave UPS's (the one in your link actually) with my 750 PSUs and have been for a long time.  While a pure sine wave UPS would be better if you already have a stepped sine wave UPS I wouldn't bother switching until the battery dies.  I've never had a problem with with them.  I am switching as I need to expand or replace batteries to pure sine wave models (currently the cyber power ones in sgibbers17 link).  But I see no need to spend extra to replace something that is working well.

If you want to use your current UPS you need a power supply that is not an active PFC PSU.

 

Here is a newegg link that has PSUs that have a single 12v rail and no/passive PFC.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=Property&Subcategory=58&N=100007657%20600014006%20600014141%20600014142%20600026254&IsNodeId=1&IsPowerSearch=1

 

They seem to be all Raidmax power supplies, I have no experience with this brand maybe someone else here has.

If you want to use your current UPS you need a power supply that is not an active PFC PSU.

 

Here is a newegg link that has PSUs that have a single 12v rail and no/passive PFC.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=Property&Subcategory=58&N=100007657%20600014006%20600014141%20600014142%20600026254&IsNodeId=1&IsPowerSearch=1

As I said it is better but I am using and have been for at least 5 years active PFC power supplies and stepped sine wave UPSs without any problems.  I will continue until the batteries are dead and need to be replaced.  It has only been in the past year that I've gotten pure sine wave UPSs to replace my existing UPSs.  So I still think it may be better but is NOT a requirement.  So unless you need to replace the Power Supply or the UPS keep what you have if it isn't causing you any problems.

Thanks all.  Looks like I'll pick up one of those cyberpower 1000 pure sine wave UPS's ($150 up here in the GWN) and move the 2 year old APC UPS to the wife's office with our wifi, printer and her laptop.

 

Does apcupsd work with these Cyberpower unit's and if not what's the recommended shutdown technique?

Thanks all.  Looks like I'll pick up one of those cyberpower 1000 pure sine wave UPS's ($150 up here in the GWN) and move the 2 year old APC UPS to the wife's office with our wifi, printer and her laptop.

 

Does apcupsd work with these Cyberpower unit's and if not what's the recommended shutdown technique?

It appears to with the 1000 unit on my N40L and 6b5a and the new powerdown plugin.  I have a 1500 unit working with ESXi and the CyberPower appliance VM also.  Need to upgrade my 6B5a servers just haven't yet so haven't tested the power down plugin (if it is even still needed with 6B8) with anything later.  The biggest reason I switched to CyberPower and the pure sine wave output was the CyberPower appliance VM and it's ease of install in ESXi.  I could have gotten a stepped sine wave but decided I may as well get a UPS that was guaranteed to work with the new power supplies.

Have you tested it on battery? It's only on battery that the output is stepped. On AC, it just passes the sinewave so you may never see any issues. This is the first I've heard about active pfc vs pure sine wave too and it looks like the information from power supply vendors and UPS vendors is not conclusive. It may work or it might not work. What model is your 750 watt PSU?

 

If you want to use your current UPS you need a power supply that is not an active PFC PSU.

 

Here is a newegg link that has PSUs that have a single 12v rail and no/passive PFC.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=Property&Subcategory=58&N=100007657%20600014006%20600014141%20600014142%20600026254&IsNodeId=1&IsPowerSearch=1

As I said it is better but I am using and have been for at least 5 years active PFC power supplies and stepped sine wave UPSs without any problems.  I will continue until the batteries are dead and need to be replaced.  It has only been in the past year that I've gotten pure sine wave UPSs to replace my existing UPSs.  So I still think it may be better but is NOT a requirement.  So unless you need to replace the Power Supply or the UPS keep what you have if it isn't causing you any problems.

Have you tested it on battery? It's only on battery that the output is stepped. On AC, it just passes the sinewave so you may never see any issues. This is the first I've heard about active pfc vs pure sine wave too and it looks like the information from power supply vendors and UPS vendors is not conclusive. It may work or it might not work.

 

If you want to use your current UPS you need a power supply that is not an active PFC PSU.

 

Here is a newegg link that has PSUs that have a single 12v rail and no/passive PFC.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=Property&Subcategory=58&N=100007657%20600014006%20600014141%20600014142%20600026254&IsNodeId=1&IsPowerSearch=1

As I said it is better but I am using and have been for at least 5 years active PFC power supplies and stepped sine wave UPSs without any problems.  I will continue until the batteries are dead and need to be replaced.  It has only been in the past year that I've gotten pure sine wave UPSs to replace my existing UPSs.  So I still think it may be better but is NOT a requirement.  So unless you need to replace the Power Supply or the UPS keep what you have if it isn't causing you any problems.

Yes.  Several times a year I have a power outage that requires the battery.  Usually 1 - 15 minute outage but have had a 9 hour outage.  With my ESXi servers on my APC UPSs I have to power them down completely manually because I've never gotten around to installing what is needed for APC since it is a fairly manual process.  Once I got my 1500 installed I installed the CyberPower client VM on the APC ESXi servers and they take their shutdown instructions from my CyberPower box on when to shutdown.  It isn't perfect because the UPS's don't shutdown too but it works.

Good to know...but probably still UPS and PSU dependent. Some probably play nice together and some don't. Is your 750 a Corsair?

 

Yes.  Several times a year I have a power outage that requires the battery.  Usually 1 - 15 minute outage but have had a 9 hour outage.  With my ESXi servers on my APC UPSs I have to power them down completely manually because I've never gotten around to installing what is needed for APC since it is a fairly manual process.  Once I got my 1500 installed I installed the CyberPower client VM on the APC ESXi servers and they take their shutdown instructions from my CyberPower box on when to shutdown.  It isn't perfect because the UPS's don't shutdown too but it works.

People just need to be aware that using none Sine Wave UPS's "can" damage some active PFC PSU's.  I wasn't until I started having issues, posted and read sgibbers17 reply and then did more research.  Luck is a factor so YMMV.  In my case it was a Corsair TX650 and the APC1500.

 

A quick Google shows folks with Corsairs not working with non-Sine Wave UPS's.  For example this case which mirrors my experience.  As I've learn't, if you don't want to potentially damage your PSU (mine used to work fine with the UPS) and rely on luck, get a pure sine wave UPS.

Good to know...but probably still UPS and PSU dependent. Some probably play nice together and some don't. Is your 750 a Corsair?

 

Yes.  Several times a year I have a power outage that requires the battery.  Usually 1 - 15 minute outage but have had a 9 hour outage.  With my ESXi servers on my APC UPSs I have to power them down completely manually because I've never gotten around to installing what is needed for APC since it is a fairly manual process.  Once I got my 1500 installed I installed the CyberPower client VM on the APC ESXi servers and they take their shutdown instructions from my CyberPower box on when to shutdown.  It isn't perfect because the UPS's don't shutdown too but it works.

I have several PC Power and Cooling (early 750 and Silencer MKII)s.  I have a Corsair TX750.  I have a completely modular Seasonic 850.

 

Power supplies I have running off of UPSs (one of these is off the CyberPower but not sure which):

[*]9/2/2008 & 7/13/2009 PC Power & Cooling - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009 - one of these is currently a spare.

[*]4/21/2008 Seasonic for Desktop since multi rail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151027 - should have two of these floating around got them by mistake didn't know they were multi rail and had a Seasonic burn up and it might have been one of these or it might not as I could have purchased it elsewhere than newegg.  Also had an Antec burn out but that was not purchased from newegg and I don't buy them anymore.

[*]4/5/2009 Corsair TX750 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

[*]3/28/2012 PC Power & Cooling MKII http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703027

[*]5/7/2013 Seasonic http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151102

All of these have been connected to APC UPSs but none with a power output less then 1000 and most are 1500 (two BR1500's, 1 RS1500, 1 B?1500G, 1 B?1000G).  Have 1 spare CyberPower sine wave two others in use as well as the 1500 sine wave.

 

Good to know...but probably still UPS and PSU dependent. Some probably play nice together and some don't. Is your 750 a Corsair?

 

Yes.  Several times a year I have a power outage that requires the battery.  Usually 1 - 15 minute outage but have had a 9 hour outage.  With my ESXi servers on my APC UPSs I have to power them down completely manually because I've never gotten around to installing what is needed for APC since it is a fairly manual process.  Once I got my 1500 installed I installed the CyberPower client VM on the APC ESXi servers and they take their shutdown instructions from my CyberPower box on when to shutdown.  It isn't perfect because the UPS's don't shutdown too but it works.

I have several PC Power and Cooling (early 750 and Silencer MKII)s.  I have a Corsair TX750.  I have a completely modular Seasonic 850.

 

Power supplies I have running off of UPSs (one of these is off the CyberPower but not sure which):

[*]9/2/2008 & 7/13/2009 PC Power & Cooling - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009 - one of these is currently a spare.

[*]4/21/2008 Seasonic for Desktop since multi rail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151027 - should have two of these floating around got them by mistake didn't know they were multi rail and had a Seasonic burn up and it might have been one of these or it might not as I could have purchased it elsewhere than newegg.  Also had an Antec burn out but that was not purchased from newegg and I don't buy them anymore.

[*]4/5/2009 Corsair TX750 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

[*]3/28/2012 PC Power & Cooling MKII http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703027

[*]5/7/2013 Seasonic http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151102

All of these have been connected to APC UPSs but none with a power output less then 1000 and most are 1500 (two BR1500's, 1 RS1500, 1 B?1500G, 1 B?1000G).  Have 1 spare CyberPower sine wave two others in use as well as the 1500 sine wave.

 

Ok we get it you are not using pure sine wave UPSs, and have been lucky that you are not running into issues.  And if you rarely have to run them on battery power you may be able to run your current UPSs for even longer, but the more often your active PFC PSU is subjected to a modified sine wave from running on battery power the more likely you are to have problems.

 

There are also PSUs out there that will just turn off if the power coming in is not a pure sine wave in order to protect it self.  I had one of these years ago and can't remember what brand it was, I found this out when my PC would just turn off when the UPS lost power and I did some research online.