Looking for a request for a UPS

[oconnellc]

I need to replace my UPS.  It is quite old and has just died...  Anyway, I've been researching this and I'm getting confused on what I am reading.  I've seen that some hardware requires a 'true' sine wave, as opposed to a 'stepped' approximation.  My unraid hardware is probably 6-7 years old, so I'm not sure if I need to worry about this or not.  I don't need anything fancy (really, I just want something that will keep the unraid box, plus another desktop (plus their monitors, too, I guess), running in case of a short power outage.  If the outage is more than just a couple minutes, then just gracefully shut down the unraid machine.

 

I'm willing to pay a few more bucks for something that will 'just work' and my time available for figuring out things that aren't working properly is minimal (thus, willing to spend a few bucks for something that will just work).  I'm running v6.1.3, so I'm willing to upgrade my server first, if that would help.

 

Thanks,

Chris

[ashman70]

I've used APC for years and had good luck, so I would say any APC should be fine, the higher the VA number the larger the batter so the longer battery time you'll have, also the more expensive they get.

[interwebtech]

I wouldn't know a sine wave if I tripped over one. All I know is one of these keeps my server running long enough for it to shut down gracefully on its own. Compatible with unRaid (connects via USB). Use one for my main PC as well. There are plenty of options out there but I try and not get bogged down in them.

 

http://www.amazon.com/APC-BR1500G-Back-UPS-10-outlet-Uninterruptible/dp/B003Y24DEU

 

PS. it appears the "Smart UPS" series have true sine wave. These are stepped.

[Frank1940]

I've used APC for years and had good luck, so I would say any APC should be fine, the higher the VA number the larger the batter so the longer battery time you'll have, also the more expensive they get.

 

Not Completely true.  You actually have to look very carefully at the spec's.  Several different UPS models will use the same battery (as confirmed by their part number).  What will change is that the runtime at maximum power will be less for the higher power units. 

 

If you are comparing a 450VA unit to 1500VA unit, you will find that they will definitely be using different batteries and your 200 watt server will run much longer on the 1500VA unit than the 450VA unit. 

 

One more point (and ignoring the users in third world areas who have other issues), I have all of my UPS setup to start shutdown as soon as the power has been out for 30 seconds.  In twenty-five plus years, I have never seen the power restored in less then two hours once it has been out for thirty seconds!

 

 

[tdallen]

I use a CyberPower - seems to work well and costs less than the APCs.

[JonathanM]

I have all of my UPS setup to start shutdown as soon as the power has been out for 30 seconds.  In twenty-five plus years, I have never seen the power restored in less then two hours once it has been out for thirty seconds!

This, exactly. There is very little to be gained by trying to get an extra 10 minutes of computer time if you are going to be out of power for a while. Better to only stress the batteries to 80% than to run them nearly all the way down. SLA batteries don't like being deeply discharged, so a high capacity UPS should be much better on battery life than a small UPS that gets half drained before the server can finish shutting down.

[beckp]

I would stick with APC. I had an APC BX1000G. Was destroyed by a major power surge. I replaced it with a Cyperpower CST135XLU from Costco. Communication with apcupsd is not the same.  I have apcupsd programmed to shutdown UnRaid  in 5 minutes. The APC unit shut off shortly afterward UnrRaid shuts down, the Cyperpower  continues to run after the UnRaid shuts down  unitil the battery is discharged.