UPS with Master Power Switch?

P4C Newbie · 10-08-2003, 01:27 PM

I'm looking for a good UPS for my home-office and I was wondering if any of them offer the convenience of a 'master power switch'? While most surge suppressors have this feature, I don't see it mentioned on any UPS feature-list. I don't especially want to also buy a separate surge suppressor unit as that functionality is usually built into a UPS.

So does anyone know of such a UPS - switching all plugged-in devices on/off at the same time, while providing battery backup?

Underwater Mike · 10-08-2003, 01:41 PM

I use the Belkin Universal UPS 800VA. Works great, has a good equipment warranty and simple but usable software. A bit low in capacity for all my junk, so I limit the backup protection to PC, monitor and external storage only. Still, it does enable me to save everything rather than losing it all when VA Power coughs (several times a week). List is $119.99, but I got it for $79.99 at CompU$A (after rebate, which hasn't yet arrived).

And, yes, it has a master switch.

P4C Newbie · 10-08-2003, 02:12 PM

Mike: Thanks for bringing the Belkin unit to my attention... Just for clarification, I assume that with the power switch OFF all connected devices are powered off and the UPS battery is charging. Is that correct?

Also, when the power switch is ON, are the battery-protected devices powered by AC (switching to battery upon loss of AC)?

Thanks!

Underwater Mike · 10-08-2003, 02:43 PM

Short answer: Yes on both counts.

Long answer: The Belkin has 6 surge-protected outlets, four of which are powered by the battery when the unit loses AC power. When the main switch is off, EVERYTHING is off and the battery is charging. FYI, you should charge the unit for at least 9 hours in this condition before powering on. I left mine ovenight...

The only time that backup-protected outlets run from battery is when AC is lost. Otherwise, the device acts just like a flow-through surge protector and line conditioner. I don't know the actual switching time, but when I lost AC a couple days ago, the unit didn't even hiccup -- just started running from battery and went on its way. Ditto with switching back once power was restored.

As I mentioned, 800VA will not power everything at full-tilt for very long -- even at the relatively low load I'm putting on the unit -- but the software does allow for automated shutdown of your system if you wish. Lots of alternatives for monitoring (see below), most of which I don't attend to.

The battery is standard lead-acid and heavy as hell. Even though I followed all charging instructions, I have never seen the charge level rise above 97%, and it's usually between 92%-95%. I assume this is just some weird reporting issue; it won't concern me unless I see it drop below 90%. I believe the warranty on the battery is one year.

FB · 10-08-2003, 03:17 PM

I am confused on your question, do you want a UPS that you can switch off, but still have battery power??? if so there is no such unit. it is either on or off

please try to explain your quesion better.

BTW: i have the CyberPower 1500AVR, it has 6 outlets, all with battery backup

P4C Newbie · 10-08-2003, 03:24 PM

Mike, thanks again. Seems to be just what 'the doctor ordered'. I think that unit will more than suffice for my needs. On average, I experience 2 or 3 power-outages a year, and I mainly want to protect the PC components listed below. My other peripherals (printer, scanner, etc.) shouldn't get too 'messed up' when the outages occur.

Underwater Mike · 10-08-2003, 03:29 PM

Whoa, 1500vA?

How much was that?

OT: BTW, excellent job on the paint!

Quote:

Originally posted by FB -|-+
BTW: i have the CyberPower 1500AVR, it has 6 outlets, all with battery backup

P4C Newbie · 10-08-2003, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by FB -|-+
I am confused on your question, do you want a UPS that you can switch off, but still have battery power??? if so there is no such unit. it is either on or off please try to explain your quesion better.

BTW: i have the CyberPower 1500AVR, it has 6 outlets, all with battery backup

Re: the power switch, I'm simply looking for the functionality that Mike's Belkin provides (please see his explanation). I want a master control power-switch on the UPS that would turn the power to all connected devices ON or OFF with one push of the switch. Obviously when the switch is OFF I won't be using my system, so I don't need any kind of power to be supplied to any of the equipment during that time!

FB · 10-08-2003, 03:37 PM

my unit was 209.99 before 60.00 mail in rebate.

it will run my computer for about 75 minutes

thanks, i tried really hard for that paintjob, i might still use rubbing compound on it.

FB · 10-08-2003, 03:38 PM

i have a thread about it somewhere, the darn thing weighs 70 pounds

eva2000 · 10-08-2003, 03:59 PM

my latest UPS

APC BackUPS RS 1500VA http://www.bleedinedge.com/forum/sho...&threadid=1096

weighs only 14kg with external battery pack 12.5kg so together will be only 26.5kg

APC BACKUPS RS 1500VA/865W
http://www.apcc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=23

with external battery attached

most APC range have switches

Underwater Mike · 10-08-2003, 04:18 PM

P4C Newbie, these guys are raising a good point: More is better if you can afford it. These 1500vA units will allow you to work for a while w/o any AC. I've never run the backup into the ground, and may just to see what it can do, but I know it's not much! I purchased mine basically to enable a graceful shutdown w/o loss of work.

Good perfromance distinction to keep in mind.

P4C Newbie · 10-08-2003, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mike Donatello
P4C Newbie, these guys are raising a good point: More is better if you can afford it. These 1500vA units will allow you to work for a while w/o any AC. I've never run the backup into the ground, and may just to see what it can do, but I know it's not much! I purchased mine basically to enable a graceful shutdown w/o loss of work.

Good perfromance distinction to keep in mind.

For my use (and gear), I think anything more than 800VA is overkill... I'm at my system about 10 hours/day, 6 days/week and it's always attended when in use. So if I experience an outage, all I really expect from a UPS is a brief period of battery-power to complete the task at hand (perhaps several minutes) followed by an orderly shutdown.

eva2000 · 10-08-2003, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by P4C Newbie
For my use (and gear), I think anything more than 800VA is overkill... I'm at my system about 10 hours/day, 6 days/week and it's always attended when in use. So if I experience an outage, all I really expect from a UPS is a brief period of battery-power to complete the task at hand (perhaps several minutes) followed by an orderly shutdown.

that's what i had in mind before i got a prommy - i have 500VA UPS for each pc

but now Prommy itself consumes 170-200W and my PC with 9800PRO would consume 380-480W so 1500VA/865W UPS seems to be just right

you can divide your load into 2 smaller UPS i.e. one for pc and one for other gear i.e. CRT mon etc

Underwater Mike · 10-11-2003, 10:04 AM

Looks like, starting tomorrow, CompU$A has the 1500vA APC unit for $99 after sale and rebate.

I'd be all over that if I hadn't just purchased the Belkin.

10-08-2003, 01:27 PM	#1
P4C Newbie Registered User Join Date: May 2003 Location: CA Posts: 74	UPS with Master Power Switch? I'm looking for a good UPS for my home-office and I was wondering if any of them offer the convenience of a 'master power switch'? While most surge suppressors have this feature, I don't see it mentioned on any UPS feature-list. I don't especially want to also buy a separate surge suppressor unit as that functionality is usually built into a UPS. So does anyone know of such a UPS - switching all plugged-in devices on/off at the same time, while providing battery backup? __________________ MB: P4C800 Deluxe CPU: P4 2.8C RAM: 2 x CMX512-3200C2 C: WD 360 Raptor (SATA) - OS, Paging, Apps D: Maxtor 120GB (8MB) - Data & Photo files E: Plextor 48x24x48 CDRW Case: Lian-Li PC61 PSU: Enermax Whisper 460 Video Card: Matrox G550 Monitor: Princeton V193 LCD OS: WinXP Pro
(Offline)

10-08-2003, 01:41 PM	#2
Underwater Mike Thoroughly water-cooled Join Date: May 2003 Location: Somewhere, beyond the sea Posts: 2,595	I use the Belkin Universal UPS 800VA. Works great, has a good equipment warranty and simple but usable software. A bit low in capacity for all my junk, so I limit the backup protection to PC, monitor and external storage only. Still, it does enable me to save everything rather than losing it all when VA Power coughs (several times a week). List is $119.99, but I got it for $79.99 at CompU$A (after rebate, which hasn't yet arrived). And, yes, it has a master switch. __________________ My boxes
(Offline)

10-08-2003, 02:12 PM	#3
P4C Newbie Registered User Join Date: May 2003 Location: CA Posts: 74	Mike: Thanks for bringing the Belkin unit to my attention... Just for clarification, I assume that with the power switch OFF all connected devices are powered off and the UPS battery is charging. Is that correct? Also, when the power switch is ON, are the battery-protected devices powered by AC (switching to battery upon loss of AC)? Thanks! __________________ MB: P4C800 Deluxe CPU: P4 2.8C RAM: 2 x CMX512-3200C2 C: WD 360 Raptor (SATA) - OS, Paging, Apps D: Maxtor 120GB (8MB) - Data & Photo files E: Plextor 48x24x48 CDRW Case: Lian-Li PC61 PSU: Enermax Whisper 460 Video Card: Matrox G550 Monitor: Princeton V193 LCD OS: WinXP Pro
(Offline)

10-08-2003, 02:43 PM	#4
Underwater Mike Thoroughly water-cooled Join Date: May 2003 Location: Somewhere, beyond the sea Posts: 2,595	Short answer: Yes on both counts. Long answer: The Belkin has 6 surge-protected outlets, four of which are powered by the battery when the unit loses AC power. When the main switch is off, EVERYTHING is off and the battery is charging. FYI, you should charge the unit for at least 9 hours in this condition before powering on. I left mine ovenight... The only time that backup-protected outlets run from battery is when AC is lost. Otherwise, the device acts just like a flow-through surge protector and line conditioner. I don't know the actual switching time, but when I lost AC a couple days ago, the unit didn't even hiccup -- just started running from battery and went on its way. Ditto with switching back once power was restored. As I mentioned, 800VA will not power everything at full-tilt for very long -- even at the relatively low load I'm putting on the unit -- but the software does allow for automated shutdown of your system if you wish. Lots of alternatives for monitoring (see below), most of which I don't attend to. The battery is standard lead-acid and heavy as hell. Even though I followed all charging instructions, I have never seen the charge level rise above 97%, and it's usually between 92%-95%. I assume this is just some weird reporting issue; it won't concern me unless I see it drop below 90%. I believe the warranty on the battery is one year. __________________ My boxes
(Offline)

10-08-2003, 03:17 PM	#5
FB Re-Retiring Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: MN, USA Posts: 24,834	I am confused on your question, do you want a UPS that you can switch off, but still have battery power??? if so there is no such unit. it is either on or off please try to explain your quesion better. BTW: i have the CyberPower 1500AVR, it has 6 outlets, all with battery backup __________________ Bye Bye ABXZone.....Rest In Peace.
(Offline)

10-08-2003, 03:24 PM	#6
P4C Newbie Registered User Join Date: May 2003 Location: CA Posts: 74	Mike, thanks again. Seems to be just what 'the doctor ordered'. I think that unit will more than suffice for my needs. On average, I experience 2 or 3 power-outages a year, and I mainly want to protect the PC components listed below. My other peripherals (printer, scanner, etc.) shouldn't get too 'messed up' when the outages occur. __________________ MB: P4C800 Deluxe CPU: P4 2.8C RAM: 2 x CMX512-3200C2 C: WD 360 Raptor (SATA) - OS, Paging, Apps D: Maxtor 120GB (8MB) - Data & Photo files E: Plextor 48x24x48 CDRW Case: Lian-Li PC61 PSU: Enermax Whisper 460 Video Card: Matrox G550 Monitor: Princeton V193 LCD OS: WinXP Pro
(Offline)

10-08-2003, 03:37 PM	#9
FB Re-Retiring Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: MN, USA Posts: 24,834	my unit was 209.99 before 60.00 mail in rebate. it will run my computer for about 75 minutes thanks, i tried really hard for that paintjob, i might still use rubbing compound on it. __________________ Bye Bye ABXZone.....Rest In Peace.
(Offline)

10-08-2003, 03:38 PM	#10
FB Re-Retiring Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: MN, USA Posts: 24,834	i have a thread about it somewhere, the darn thing weighs 70 pounds __________________ Bye Bye ABXZone.....Rest In Peace.
(Offline)

10-08-2003, 03:59 PM	#11
eva2000 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 1,673	my latest UPS APC BackUPS RS 1500VA http://www.bleedinedge.com/forum/sho...&threadid=1096 weighs only 14kg with external battery pack 12.5kg so together will be only 26.5kg APC BACKUPS RS 1500VA/865W http://www.apcc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=23 with external battery attached most APC range have switches __________________ * DFI LP UT X48-T3RS DDR3 + 2x512MB HIS IceQ3 Turbo HD3850 CF
(Offline)

10-08-2003, 04:18 PM	#12
Underwater Mike Thoroughly water-cooled Join Date: May 2003 Location: Somewhere, beyond the sea Posts: 2,595	P4C Newbie, these guys are raising a good point: More is better if you can afford it. These 1500vA units will allow you to work for a while w/o any AC. I've never run the backup into the ground, and may just to see what it can do, but I know it's not much! I purchased mine basically to enable a graceful shutdown w/o loss of work. Good perfromance distinction to keep in mind. __________________ My boxes
(Offline)

10-11-2003, 10:04 AM	#15
Underwater Mike Thoroughly water-cooled Join Date: May 2003 Location: Somewhere, beyond the sea Posts: 2,595	Looks like, starting tomorrow, CompU$A has the 1500vA APC unit for $99 after sale and rebate. I'd be all over that if I hadn't just purchased the Belkin. __________________ My boxes
(Offline)

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