Best Battery Backup around $300

[PenguinMaster]

Hi

 

I am in need of a new UPS for my server rack as I have outgrown the old one I had. I predict I need a 1500VA UPS.  My budget is $300 and I am trying to get a pure sine wave if possible.

 

Does anyone have any good suggestions as I see some people are reporting bad switch over times for UPS' at this price point.

 

Thanks

[Fourpointsix]

Back in May I was in the market for exactly that and after doing some cursory research, settled on the APC BR1500MS2 for $347 CAD from Amazon. Its price has dropped since then to $334 CAD. So far, it's been excellent. It quotes transfer times as "8 ms typical, 10 ms maximum" which means at 60 Hz it takes between half and just over half a cycle to switch (16.7 ms/cycle). I'm willing to bet that every power supply will have large enough capacitors to survive a 10 ms hiccup.

 

I have it powering my desktop machine which runs Linux Mint and if you connect the UPS's USB cable, Linux sees it and treats it like a battery on a laptop. This means that the standard battery rules can be used with it, such as to shut down when critically low. No additional software needed.

 

Note: APC puts an "S" in the model numbers of pure sine wave models and also calls them "Pro" too, though I wouldn't rely on that moniker alone. None of the Costco.ca models are those, which is why they carry a 1500VA model for a suspiciously-cheap $209 CAD. Don't fall for it. They look nearly identical too, if you don't notice the model number.

 

 

EDIT: Just to further illustrate how APC intentionally confuses their product descriptions, let's look at this product page. Try to figure out if it's pure sine wave or not.

• Product is in the "Back-UPS Pro" category? Yes.
• Product description says "Pro"? Yes.
• Price seems to be pro-level? Yes.
• Product image shows "Pro" on its front panel? No.
• Model number has an "S" in it? No.

 

The obvious flags suggest that it's a pure sine wave. The subtle ones suggest that it isn't. I would forgive anyone for not knowing what they're looking at, seeing that the same model is only $210 CAD at Costco.ca, and impulse-buying it thinking they're getting an amazing deal on a "pro" UPS.

 

The only way to be certain is to look at the datasheet, which in this case says "Wave type: Stepped approximation to a sinewave". In other words, not pure sine wave and not "pro".

Edited July 18, 2022 by Fourpointsix

[wseaton]

Why do you need pure sinewave? Running AC motors on your rack?

 

Modern Switching power supplies that go in pretty much every computer related peripheral dont care if its square wave or sine. First step of DC conversion is the wave gets filtered out. 

 

still prefer cyber power unless I need web cards for VM access.

[Fourpointsix]

12 hours ago, wseaton said:

Why do you need pure sinewave?

I had two reasons for wanting pure sine wave. First, I had never used a modified sine wave UPS so I had a bias to sticking with what I knew. Second, I had read enough concerns about modified sine wave and their interactions with 80+ rated supplies with active power correction. For instance, CyberPower has this to say:

Quote

You will need a UPS with sine wave technology if you want to plug-in the following:

• Apple iMac Computers
• Computers and Equipment that are Energy Star® or 80 PLUS® efficient systems using Active PFC power supplies.

Electronic equipment with Active PFC power supplies may shut down unexpectedly when using a UPS with simulated sine wave output, resulting in data loss or equipment damage. UPS systems that deliver sine wave output prevent unexpected shutdowns and damaging electronic stress.

I read other similar advice, both from manufacturers and forum posters. I have such a power supply so I felt it would've been foolish of me to ignore that advice. Obviously there are systems that work fine with modified sine waves, otherwise they wouldn't be on the market, but I didn't want to roll the dice.

 

[PenguinMaster]

Hi all,

 

Thanks for your advice.  I ended up getting two APC SMC1500C as they met my power requirements, price requirements, and also have network abilities.  This is more of a redundant setup because there is an LG chem battery from our solar on our house that backs up the data outlet so this is more meant to bridge the gap between when the power goes out and the LG Chem kicks on.