Uninteruptable Power Supplies Preventing RePurchase Of Pc

[Todd The Kiwi]

yeah so i get some serious power cuts down here
at the moment i'm getting AT LEAST ONE PER WEEK!!!!
i found some settings in the 'power' options in
*desktop > right click > screen saver > power
something to do with batteries in my computer.
do any of you guys use this ?
how do i configure it?
do i actually have to buy some hardware to plug into the machine for this to work ?
if i do can i have it set so it will SHUT DOWN my machine rather than just crashing it into the dirt?
any brands of UPS i should be looking at/for?
are they software based?

i don't work from/at home so i can't just shut down my machine within 10 seconds notice of a power failure, i get home and realise it's very quiet from no fans or humming etc.. only to discover the power died 7 hours ago :skull:

a googling i shall go now but i'd be well keen on any advice/suggestions from you guys.

pre thanks Todd The (Frequently Off Line) Kiwi

p.s my current "virus" sig is quite funny

[GildedSplinter]

yeah so i get some serious power cuts down here
at the moment i'm getting AT LEAST ONE PER WEEK!!!!
i found some settings in the 'power' options in
*desktop > right click > screen saver > power
something to do with batteries in my computer.
do any of you guys use this ?
how do i configure it?
do i actually have to buy some hardware to plug into the machine for this to work ?
if i do can i have it set so it will SHUT DOWN my machine rather than just crashing it into the dirt?
any brands of UPS i should be looking at/for?
are they software based?

i don't work from/at home so i can't just shut down my machine within 10 seconds notice of a power failure, i get home and realise it's very quiet from no fans or humming etc.. only to discover the power died 7 hours ago :skull:

a googling i shall go now but i'd be well keen on any advice/suggestions from you guys.

pre thanks Todd The (Frequently Off Line) Kiwi

p.s my current "virus" sig is quite funny

I'll run an extension cord from my flat to yours! There can't be any more than say, 20,000 miles between us! :ponder:
:cheeky:

[Qaz]

i found some settings in the 'power' options in *desktop > right click > screen saver > power something to do with batteries in my computer.

The settings in there are related to screen's power saving and don't really help with your problem. and I dont know anything else that would... :disappoin

[ace2701]

I use a CyberPower 585AVR. It's basically a battey backup with a voltage regulator. Comes with software that will properly shut down the computer after approximately 10 minutes without main power. Keeps a log too, so you know when the power outage actually happened.

[Todd The Kiwi]

I use a CyberPower 585AVR. It's basically a battey backup with a voltage regulator. Comes with software that will properly shut down the computer after approximately 10 minutes without main power. Keeps a log too, so you know when the power outage actually happened.

this is EXACTLY the sort of thing i'm looking for man
how much did it set you back ?
is it for your work pc or home?
we run 240 volts down here so i wouldn't be able to get one from the states even if it was cheaper :depressed
i'm googling your one right now...

[Todd The Kiwi]

I'll run an extension cord from my flat to yours! There can't be any more than say, 20,000 miles between us!

we might have to talk to Telecom about this man , i'm keen though...
ha ha ha ha we may have to 'juice it up a bit' too we run 240 volts down here not 110 (?) :skull:

[ace2701]

this is EXACTLY the sort of thing i'm looking for man
how much did it set you back ?
is it for your work pc or home?
we run 240 volts down here so i wouldn't be able to get one from the states even if it was cheaper :depressed
i'm googling your one right now...
I've had it for about 2 years now, and honestly can't remember the price (about US$60-80, I think). About running on 240 volts, i really can't tell.. can't find the paperwork. I'm using it at home. Google should give you the info.

[Tokelil]

I think APC (http://www.apcc.com/) is one of the leading companies when it comes to UPS. (Though I dont know that much about it...) If the prices are around the same as here in DK the cheapest ones is about 60-70$ which really isn't that bad. Worth considering... (Though I dont think I have experienced a black out since a bad storm in 1999)

[Todd The Kiwi]

I think APC (http://www.apcc.com/) is one of the leading companies when it comes to UPS. (Though I dont know that much about it...) If the prices are around the same as here in DK the cheapest ones is about 60-70$ which really isn't that bad. Worth considering... (Though I dont think I have experienced a black out since a bad storm in 1999)

true man i found this at the end of >
*desktop > right click > screen saver > power*

[Rex_Mundi_Incarnit]

Here in Europe we actually have 220V. I heard that for a computer in Europe running on 220V, needs a converter to run at 110V in the US. I figured that in England that voltage is also 240V, but that appliances that really run on 220V are sturdy enough to also cope with 240V and vice versa. In fact, most appliances dont even run at such high voltages. :foureyes:

[Willow of Oz]

Yeah I used to get a lot of power outages here in Melbourne Australia.
Got an APC 1400 smart-UPS off an auction site - "untested". Much cheaper than buying it new. So anyway, turns out it's got like venting batteries and has to be fixed. Which cost more than I paid, but I could get a refurbished unit for the same price (actually a tad less - and the refurbished one was a tower unit, not the rackmount one I had, which is good since I don't have a rack).
Runs sweet now.
Decent UPSes will also filter your power, so your crappy mains doesn't feed into your PC direct.
It should also come with software and some form of comms to enable you to set it up so that it can shutdown after a time on battery. So for example, if power goes off, it will run for 10 minutes then send a shutdown to your PC so it shuts down properly. Alas, I don't have the software and my unit does serial comms when my main PC doesn't have any serial ports.
I quite like it - it runs well and doesn't break a sweat with 2 PCs and a 19inch monitor running off it (20% load or so if I read this thing correctly). I need to feed it some more equipment.

[Todd The Kiwi]

It should also come with software and some form of comms to enable you to set it up so that it can shutdown after a time on battery

yeah mate , i need a software based one because i can't 'baby' my pc all day
if i'm at work it's just going to have to die... :skull:

also just noticed >willow< > hedge< coincidence or what ...

[Jost]

Yeah I used to get a lot of power outages here in Melbourne Australia.
Got an APC 1400 smart-UPS...


I use two APC 1400 rackmounts. Mine didn't come with the serial cables, as I had bought it used from Ebay. I was able to construct the cables myself from parts I had laying around. A regular serial cable won't work, it will shut the UPS down. The software for the APC units can be downloaded from their website.
I run a 21" monitor and a cpu from each unit, and the satellite modem. I also use it to keep my network (wired and wireless) up and running.
The amount of gear you have plugged into it directly affects the runtime. So if you are using a small percent of it's capacity, you will have a longer runtime.


APC SMART-CUSTOM CABLE (P/N:940-0024C)
UPS Power Chute Cable Pinouts
Signal Computer UPS
DB9F DB9M
RxD 2 -------------------- 2 TxD Send
TxD 3 -------------------- 1 RxD Receive
GND 5 -------------------- 9 Ground
1 --┐
4 --┘
7 ---┐
8 ---┘

[Willow of Oz]

I use two APC 1400 rackmounts. Mine didn't come with the serial cables, as I had bought it used from Ebay. I was able to construct the cables myself from parts I had laying around. A regular serial cable won't work, it will shut the UPS down. The software for the APC units can be downloaded from their website.


Ah, mine was off graysonline. The APC's are nice, aren't they? There was a 3000VA one going for quite a reasonable price too (server equipment sell-off), but also untested. Though I thought - 3000VA? That's just for bragging...
I had heard about the standard serial cable not working - thanks for the info on what is needed. But can it be split so I can shut down 2 PCs ? Of course, I'd still need an rs232 -> USB convertor or somesuch for my (reasonably) legacy-free main PC.


The amount of gear you have plugged into it directly affects the runtime. So if you are using a small percent of it's capacity, you will have a longer runtime.


Yep. I had electricity dudes come out and replace my old house meter, and the PC stayed up the entire time! Woah, that made me proud...

[Willow of Oz]

also just noticed >willow< > hedge< coincidence or what ...

Both plant-type things??

[Todd The Kiwi]

Both plant-type things??

Both plant-type things indeed heh heh :skull:

JOST > i'm glad you've joined our little (?) community man
you shall be having your brains picked regular like :skull:

[matty28carter]

Here in Europe we actually have 220V. I heard that for a computer in Europe running on 220V, needs a converter to run at 110V in the US. I figured that in England that voltage is also 240V, but that appliances that really run on 220V are sturdy enough to also cope with 240V and vice versa. In fact, most appliances dont even run at such high voltages. :foureyes:

In the UK they dropped the voltage from 240v to 230v don't ask me exactly why tho...

[Willow of Oz]

In the UK they dropped the voltage from 240v to 230v don't ask me exactly why tho...

because of the Mutations

[Tokelil]

We upped the voltage to 230v some years ago here in Denmark.

[hedge]

because of the Mutations
HAHAHAHAHA go plant type things go!

[GildedSplinter]

JOST > i'm glad you've joined our little (?) community man
you shall be having your brains picked regular like :skull:

YEEEEEHAAAWWW!!! My first recruit!!! Do I get the free toaster now??? :silly:

[Todd The Kiwi]

YEEEEEHAAAWWW!!! My first recruit!!! Do I get the free toaster now??? :silly:

i'm shocked , what on earth could you mean by this mr splinter ? :cheeky:

[GildedSplinter]

i'm shocked , what on earth could you mean by this mr splinter ? :cheeky:

It's like when my mom used to sell Mary Kay cosmetics when I was a kid. If she could get other people to sell their crap, they'd give her stuff... you know...

[Todd The Kiwi]

well i haven't had a powercut since i posted the first thread here, bizarre.
i went from one a week to none in about a month.
chances are i'll still get a UPS at some stage though, i can just take my time about it now ...:skull: