Re: Question about UPS.

[Jack Browning <spaminacan@charter.net>]

On Wed, 4 Aug 2004 dsavage@peaknet.net wrote:

> Everybody should take note that Jack includes the CRT monitor as part of
> the expected load on an UPS. If apcupsd doesn't work and you are forced to
> shut down your system manually sans video, you may as well just yank out
> the power cord. (Been there. Done that. Wasn't pretty.)
>
> If commercial power in your area is so flakey that your UPS is called upon
> "often", in the long run it'll be cheaper for you to buy a bigger, beefier
> unit. Unlike other battery types, the sealed lead-acid gel cells used in
> an UPS do not tolerate deep cycling very well. As a rule of thumb UPS
> batteries last about five years, less 10% for each time they're deep
> cycled.

The BackUPS 500 is definitely a light-duty UPS. My power is fairly stable, 
but prone to mini-outages (a few seconds or less). The only items I have 
connected to it are the CPU and the monitor. With that said, apcupsd has 
handled extended power outages and gracefully shut down the computer as 
advertised. The combination has worked well for me, but, like just about 
anything, your actual mileage may vary.

One important thing with any UPS is to calibrate it properly, so that the 
UPS has an accurate estimate of battery life under load. Instructions for 
testing your configuration and calibrating the UPS are included in the doc 
for apcupsd.

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