Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!apple!motcsd!dms!shepperd
From: shepperd@dms.UUCP (Dave Shepperd)
Newsgroups: comp.periphs
Subject: Re: UPSes
Message-ID: <1226@dms.UUCP>
Date: 21 Mar 91 07:22:51 GMT
References: <98590@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu>
Organization: Atari Games Inc., Milpitas, CA
Lines: 49

From article <98590@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu>, by butzer@rugby.cis.ohio-state.edu (Dan Butzer):
> 
> To cast my vote on the UPS's -- I must strongly endorse BEST.  I have
> a 3.1KVA unit protecting our console server and network racks.

I'd vote with Best also, at least for the bigger units. I have two 3Kva's here
running all sorts of things (I just kept plugging things into it until the
display read ~2800Va). We've run through one set of batteries already on one
of them (took about 4 years). They have worked perfectly through the various
power problems that we've had from time to time.

I also have a Best 850Va unit at home. It runs all my computer stuff as well
as the TV/Stereo/VCRs/Cable_decoder. I'm not quite as impressed with it
because it:

1) is noisy. It has a fan that runs all the time;
2) doesn't do quite as good a job of handling input line drops as I think it
   should;
3) The output signal is not as clean a sine wave as I'd like;
4) is big;
5) is quite heavy.

I have a desk lamp plugged in to it along with all the computer stuff and I
can see the lamp flicker if the main AC drops out. Best goes to great lengths to
suggest that the unit has a 0 cutover time, but if this were true, I believe one
would not be able to see an incandescent lamp flicker. (It'll flicker the lamp
even if the lamp is the only thing plugged in).

I compare this little Best unit against two 1200VA units I got from American
Power. The American Power units were cheaper, lighter, quieter (no fan runs
while running off mains). One of the American Power units powers 2 PC/AT's, a
whole bunch of ethernet stuff (bridges/repeaters/etc) and two terminal
servers. The other one runs a uVax II/GPX and some external labratory
hardware. These guys have also performed flawlessly over the years. They are
not true UPS's being that they route the mains through to the output as long
as the mains has AC on it therfore they don't correct brownouts (we don't have
brown outs in this area, at least not yet). While the inverter is producing
power, it makes a rather loud buzzing noise and an internal fan runs. Its
(inverter) output is a mildly distorted sine wave which causes some of the
driven equipment's power transformer to buzz a little, but so far, none of the
eqipment has complained. We've been using them now for about 4 years.

I think that if an SPS will do and you need something <1200VA, I'd recommend
the American Power series. If you want a true UPS or something >1200VA, I'd
recommend you get one from Best.
-- 
Dave Shepperd.	    shepperd@dms.UUCP or motcsd!dms!shepperd
Atari Games Corporation, 675 Sycamore Drive, Milpitas CA 95035.
Nobody knows what I'm saying. I don't even know what I'm saying.