Humorous update: This article was originally written in 2010/2012 -- the last time I replaced the battery. It failed again today, 6 years later (2018). Time to get a new battery, again, making this unit's third battery!
An un-interruptable power supply (UPS) provides power when the main grid fails. During a "power anomaly," these relatively inexpensive devices keep the computer running for about 10 to 12 minutes -- giving enough time to save your work and shut down. If you are not at home, included software can gracefully shut the machine down.But the real reason for a UPS is to protect the hard disk and motherboard from brownouts and power surges. Power gremlins like these can fry the equipment or corrupt the hard disk -- which would ruin everything. Remember my mantra: Data is more valuable than hardware.
Related Keyliner Article: UPS turns off and on
My UPS Pooped-out and the PC Reboots:
My then six year-old UPS APC cs350 has been dying [which on this update is now 15 years old]. When it was new, it ran the computer and two monitors for about 10 minutes -- now it holds a charge for 2 seconds.
The unit has a sealed, lead-acid rechargeable battery and like a car battery, it can lose its spunk.
The final straw came last week when my Brother HL-2040 laser printer (Keyliner reviewed here), printed a page and then surprised me by rebooting the workstation. When it crashed, the document was lost and the RAID array failed.
Laser printers pull an amazing 450 watts, and something like 15amps. Lights throughout the southern part of the State dim whenever the printer cycles. The power company rejoices.
I have always known the UPS was compensating. Each time the printer fired-off a page, the circuit would brown-out and the UPS stepped in to save the day -- that is, until it became too tired.
APC cs350:
I am partial to the APC brand cs350 UPS, which costs about $70 (now $90 and is amazingly still produced). You can get one at any office-supply store. It features a user-replaceable battery. Mine is now it is on its fourth battery. It will fail again in 2025. I use the UPS to protect me from those one or two-second power blips you see every now-and-then.
Installing a UPS is a cinch: Plug it into the wall. Plug in the computer and monitor, and you are set. I should, but don't bother with the USB connector, which can tell the computer to gracefully shut down when I am away.
Most UPS's, including this one, have two rows of power plugs. One side is [battery and surge-protected] and the other is [surge-protected with no battery]. Here is the back-side view:
Although it is safe to plug an inkjet printer into a UPS (on the surge-side), never plug a laser into the UPS because it would suck even a large UPS to its death.
User Replaceable Batteries
When buying a UPS, look to see if it has a user-replaceable battery. Replacing the battery is cheaper than buying a new UPS every five years.
Replacement batteries can be found at these easy locations:BatteriesPlus $40.00
Staples for $35 -special order "RBC2"
Lowes Home Improvement $35, in the lighting section of all places
It takes about a minute to replace the battery. Turn the UPS on its side, and pull the battery out, unplugging a red and black cable. The battery is surprisingly dense, weighing about 5 pounds. Dispose the old battery at any auto-parts, tire-and-battery shop, or battery store.
I have a second UPS plugged into the house wiring closet, where the routers, wireless, and SAN drives are connected. This keeps these devices from resetting when the power goes out. If you hate re-programming fried equipment, protect them with a UPS.
Your comments are welcome.
Related links and products:
BatteriesPlus
Staples: New cs350
Raid Volume Rebuild
Raid Power Gremlins
UPS turns off and on
PC Reboots after printing
Replacement Battery: 12V 28W 7.2AH
GP 1272 F2 (APC) RBC2
GP1272 F2 1272A
Werker 12Volt 7Ah AGM Battery .250 Terminal WKA12-7F2
Battery size: 15cm (16") long, 6cm (2.5") wide, - about the length and width of a cell phone, by 9cm (3.5") tall. This is a very standard size, used in this UPS, and in all kinds of battery-powered lighting fixtures.
Replaces: 05201050BAT, 182735, 23275, 6DW9, 6FM6, 6FM6A, 6FM7, 791181624, B00007, BAT0062, BAT0370, BD712, BERBC31, BP127F, BT712, CB1270, CFM12V65, CP1270 , CS36D12V, DG127F, EP1229W, EP1234W, EVA12-7.5F2 , F6C127BAT, GNBSP12V7F1, GP1270, GP1270F2, GP1272, GP1272F2, GT12080HG, HE12V77, HEPNP712, HEPNP712FR, HP712, HR1234WF2, HR1234WFR, HR912, LC-R127CH1, LC-R127R2CH1, LCP127R2P, LCR127R2P, LCR129CH1, LCR12V65BP1, LCR12V65P, LCR12V65P1, LCRB126R5P, MBCFM12V72, NPW3612, NPW4512V, PE12V72F1, POWPS1270F, POWPS1270F2
The vendor rates the battery for 5 years.
Since this article was revised, this UPS moved into the wiring closet and the main computer got an upgraded UPS, an APC-1100va - 600watts, 2 batteries. I have not yet replaced these batteries.
Good article. I, too, have had a positive experience with BatteriesPlus. Purchased a cell phone battery. Will use them again.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting aside - there are true UPS's and battery backups. What's the difference? A true UPS runs on the battery continuously and the AC current keeps the battery charged. This also provides line conditioning. The Battery Backup runs on the AC power & when it fails, there is a split second when it switches from the AC to the battery. While technically this is not a UPS, most home users would be well served by such a device & with the cost savings in their pocket.
I was not aware of the difference. Is it safe to assume that APC cs350 is a UPS?
ReplyDeleteI didn't know for certain. I went to the APC web site & looked up the CS line. It states
ReplyDelete"APC CS - Best value battery backup & protection for business computers."
As I remember (it has been a while) most of the true UPS devices started in the $200-$300 range and went up quickly from there.
This is my OPINON but the odds of a PC writing at that exact second the switch over takes place is far less than a server. Also the value of the data on a server is far greater than that on a PC.
The issue may be moot for a single computer. Whether the power always runs through the battery or if it switches over in a milli-second is probably inconsequential -- as long as the results are the same.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments.