UPS back up suggestions

[phrehdd]

Anyone have luck calculating power for a set up for getting the right UPS unit?

In my case I have a Mac Mini M1, BenQ 27" monitor as the primary items needing power backup. All others just surge protection.
Thoughts?

I was looking at these Cyberpower US that have 850VA 1000VA 1350VA and 1500VA ratings. My goal is to get protection and graceful shut down as needed.

CyberPower CP1350PFCLCD PFC Sinewave UPS System, 1350VA/880W, 12 Outlets, AVR, Mini-Tower

A mini-tower UPS with line interactive topology, the CyberPower PFC Sinewave CP1350PFCLCD provides battery backup (using sine wave output) and surge protection for desktop computers, workstations, networking devices, and home entertainment systems requiring active PFC power source compatibility. ...

www.amazon.com

 

[monokakata]

I admit I buy by price -- I buy the largest-capacity one I can afford, reasoning that what I'm paying for is actually run time.

I suppose that's not helpful to you. You could get a clamp-on ammeter and see what your equipment draws under heavy load, which would give you your max.

 

[njvm]

I have 15000 VA version of the CyberPower and it has the following items connected to the UPS sockets:

• Mac Mini 2018 i7 64GB RAM
• Caldigit TS3 Plus
• LG Ultrafine 5K Monitor
• BlackMagic eGPU

According to the Output meter on the UPS - its is drawing around 170VA when everything is on (not under load though).

 

[BigMcGuire]

My work has a 1500VA at every desk. From what the UPS report, we use a tiny fraction of that power.

I've got a vertical APC XS 1500 Back-UPS that I've used for the last handful of years. Worked for me and my 4k Samsung monitor, 2020 MBP, and EGPU.

 

[Erehy Dobon]

I have the 1000VA version of the CyberPower unit which powers a Mac mini 2018, an SFF custom built Windows PC, LG 27" UHD monitor and a few miscellaneous items on battery backup.

I have never drained this UPS dry. If I turn off the monitor and the Windows PC, my guess is that the Mac mini can run for six hours. It's programmed to shut down gracefully with 5% battery remaining. It has never done that.

The main considerations that the OP has to consider is how frequently are there power outages? How long are their durations? How necessary is it to actively use that system during those outages?

I have other devices (iPhone, iPad mini, Windows ultrabook) and other lesser UPSes available at my disposal. I could conceivably limp along for 24+ hours on battery on my Windows ultrabook.

I've had a variety of computers on various UPSes for well over twenty years (I remember running apcupsd on a Linux box in the late Nineties) and I have never had a single home computer run out of UPS juice.

 

[glenthompson]

I have a CyberPower with the following attached:

• Mac mini
• 2 external drive enclosures with own power supplies
• Synology 2 drive
• Cable modem
• Eero
• 16 port Netgear switch

It shows 0.9 amps draw with all that equipment. Monitor is plugged into surge side.

 

[Stephen.R]

Anyone have luck calculating power for a set up for getting the right UPS unit?

In my case I have a Mac Mini M1, BenQ 27" monitor as the primary items needing power backup. All others just surge protection.
Thoughts?

I was looking at these Cyberpower US that have 850VA 1000VA 1350VA and 1500VA ratings. My goal is to get protection and graceful shut down as needed.

CyberPower CP1350PFCLCD PFC Sinewave UPS System, 1350VA/880W, 12 Outlets, AVR, Mini-Tower

A mini-tower UPS with line interactive topology, the CyberPower PFC Sinewave CP1350PFCLCD provides battery backup (using sine wave output) and surge protection for desktop computers, workstations, networking devices, and home entertainment systems requiring active PFC power source compatibility. ...

www.amazon.com

I've typically bought APC AC UPS' (for small stuff like a router, modem or switch that has a DC wall wart, I'd recommend a small DC UPS.), and they have a simple wattage based calculator for all models to indicate their total output capacity but also estimated runtime with a given load.

I can't find that model on the CyberPower website, but I do see these: https://www.cyberpower.com/th/en/product/series/value_pro#models so possibly the listing on Amazon is a previous version.

Apple says the M1 mini has a max power draw of 39W.

Max power draw for the display should be easy enough to find, if you can tell us the model? Without this it's hard to guess: one BenQ 27" listed 58W as max power draw but e.g. the LG ultra fine 27" lists 200W as max power draw.

 

[phrehdd]

I have 15000 VA version of the CyberPower and it has the following items connected to the UPS sockets:

• Mac Mini 2018 i7 64GB RAM
• Caldigit TS3 Plus
• LG Ultrafine 5K Monitor
• BlackMagic eGPU

According to the Output meter on the UPS - its is drawing around 170VA when everything is on (not under load though).

Thanks for sharing what you use and which items are hooked up. Did you ever run a test on the UPS to see how long the UPS battery would work until shut down?

 

[phrehdd]

Has anyone done a battery test to see how well the UPS performed? It seems that my main concerned for up time would be the computer. I might be able to sidecar an iPad if power went down and not drain the UPS for the monitor. Thoughts? Btw, my actual concern is that power around my present locale is a bit dirty and suffers brown periods.

 

[Stephen.R]

Has anyone done a battery test to see how well the UPS performed? It seems that my main concerned for up time would be the computer. I might be able to sidecar an iPad if power went down and not drain the UPS for the monitor. Thoughts? Btw, my actual concern is that power around my present locale is a bit dirty and suffers brown periods.

Not specifically to test it, with an AC unit for a computer, because power draw can fluctuate a lot. Even with the more efficient CPU, the M1 mini still fluctuates from ~7 to ~40 watts power draw.

I did (deliberately) run a test on a DC UPS (smaller than a Mac mini) till drained, running our FTTH router, and got about 8 hours (yes hours).

I run a 2018 i7 Mini + 1 (of 2) 24" 4K displays, plus an eGPU, a 5-bay disk array and a 4-bay disk array from a 700W APC unit. I don't think I've actually had an extended outage since adding the eGPU, but I seem to remember getting at least 30 minutes runtime before I had the eGPU. Obviously it'll depend what you're doing. I imagine that runtime would drop dramatically if e.g. a Time Machine backup started running (writing to spinning rust in the 5-bay disk array), or if I tried to watch a 4K video for example.

Realistically, make sure the rated wattage of the UPS is greater than the max combined draw of the devices you want to power from it. Beyond that, generally the more you spend, means the longer time you'll have on battery.

 

[satcomer]

I forgo the the old UPS route and get something like passthrough power you could leave it plugged in, and plug to a Electric Generator. I seem to like the Jackery Power Station 500 because it’s pass through, ease of use and power even your refrigerator!

 

[glenthompson]

Has anyone done a battery test to see how well the UPS performed? It seems that my main concerned for up time would be the computer. I might be able to sidecar an iPad if power went down and not drain the UPS for the monitor. Thoughts? Btw, my actual concern is that power around my present locale is a bit dirty and suffers brown periods.

Not with my current setup but in a previous house I had all my networking equipment covered by a smaller UPS. During one power outage it lasted for over 6 hours. My current requirements are smaller as our house now has a backup generator and only needs about 5 minutes for power to be restored.

A display will likely be the largest power draw. If you don't need the display for things to keep working it can help extend the time.

 

[Erehy Dobon]

Has anyone done a battery test to see how well the UPS performed? It seems that my main concerned for up time would be the computer. I might be able to sidecar an iPad if power went down and not drain the UPS for the monitor. Thoughts? Btw, my actual concern is that power around my present locale is a bit dirty and suffers brown periods.

I think the longest power outages have been around 4-5 hours, maybe three of those caliber events in the past twenty years.

I put UPSes on my computers mostly to provide clean power and protect the systems from the occasional quick outage. I'd say 95% of my power events have been less than thirty seconds. I'm more concerned about those than a longer outage. If an outage lasts more than a couple of minutes, the UPS is there for me to power down non-essential equipment.

I have an eGPU but I'm able to limp along without it. Hell, I doubt if my eGPU is plugged into a battery-backed outlet. Computer, monitor, Ethernet hub.

More importantly, I have a few lesser UPSes to power things like broadband routers, my iPhone charger, etc. My guess is that there's enough UPS juice to keep an iPhone charged for over a week.

Heck, only recently did I buy a sinewave UPS. Most of the past 25 years have been with stepped wave UPSes and I've never had any equipment damaged by a stepped-wave UPS.

If your main concern is protecting your computer from dirty power and occasional short brown outs, then having a maxxed out UPS would seem to be less of a priority.

It's your money though.

 

[Boyd01]

I think the longest power outages have been around 4-5 hours, maybe three of those caliber events in the past twenty years.

Of course it depends on where you live, but I'm in a rural area with a home back in the woods, you can't even see my house from the road. I moved here in 2006 and have had several outages of a few hours, several of about 12 hours and one that lasted for 5 days during the 2012 derecho. Can't complain too much, some people in my area went for 10 days or more, it was very devastating. The roads were completely blocked with downed trees for two or three days and you couldn't even go anywhere. When that cleared, the stores didn't have any perishable food because their refrigeration had been down for days. The power lines are on poles in my area but, fortunately, the power (and Verizon fiber) are buried along my 800 foot driveway to the house.

I lived in simlar rural locations from many years before that and had numerous outages too, but never that long, I got my first generator about 30 years ago. Seems to me that a lot of people are finding out they are subject to long power outages these days - look what happened recently in Texas. My generator is a bit of a pain to setup, so I wait for awhile when the power goes out. I have a big APC UPS for my FIOS interface, router, fileserver and primary computer. If the power stays off for more than a few minutes, I shut the server and computer down. Have another big UPS connected to a Mini that's a media server connected to a 24" screen and stereo amplifier. It has run for about 30 to 40 minutes in the past.

But here's something to remember - once you get a UPS, you can't just forget about it. The batteries eventually die. I found that out a year ago. Came home one day and the media server was down, evidently there had been an outage while I was gone and the battery died. Could not get it to recharge. Tested the other UPS and its battery only lasted a couple minutes. Ordered replacement batteries for both, which wasn't cheap but was less than replacing the whole units.

I also have a Goal Zero 400 watt-hour portable power supply which I got primarily for outdoor activities but it comes in handy during outages for powering things.

 

[satcomer]

Of course it depends on where you live, but I'm in a rural area with a home back in the woods, you can't even see my house from the road. I moved here in 2006 and have had several outages of a few hours, several of about 12 hours and one that lasted for 5 days during the 2012 derecho. Can't complain too much, some people in my area went for 10 days or more, it was very devastating. The roads were completely blocked with downed trees for two or three days and you couldn't even go anywhere. When that cleared, the stores didn't have any perishable food because their refrigeration had been down for days. The power lines are on poles in my area but, fortunately, the power (and Verizon fiber) are buried along my 800 foot driveway to the house.

I lived in simlar rural locations from many years before that and had numerous outages too, but never that long, I got my first generator about 30 years ago. Seems to me that a lot of people are finding out they are subject to long power outages these days - look what happened recently in Texas. My generator is a bit of a pain to setup, so I wait for awhile when the power goes out. I have a big APC UPS for my FIOS interface, router, fileserver and primary computer. If the power stays off for more than a few minutes, I shut the server and computer down. Have another big UPS connected to a Mini that's a media server connected to a 24" screen and stereo amplifier. It has run for about 30 to 40 minutes in the past.

But here's something to remember - once you get a UPS, you can't just forget about it. The batteries eventually die. I found that out a year ago. Came home one day and the media server was down, evidently there had been an outage while I was gone and the battery died. Could not get it to recharge. Tested the other UPS and its battery only lasted a couple minutes. Ordered replacement batteries for both, which wasn't cheap but was less than replacing the whole units.

I also have a Goal Zero 400 watt-hour portable power supply which I got primarily for outdoor activities but it comes in handy during outages for powering things.

You should get the solar panels that can charge your Goal Power Station in case of another outage! This way you could keep your Mac and fridge when power goes out again!

 

[Boyd01]

The solar panels are cool, thought about getting a large one "just for fun" but they aren't cheap. And my 400 watt-hour battery sure ain't gonna run my fridge!

Generator is my only practical solution for outages. I need power for the well pump just to have water and also the water heater. A few Tesla Powerwalls would be a nice alternative if I could afford them.

 

[satcomer]

You could afford the cheaper fold out solar panels like this one:

 

[BigMcGuire]

The solar panels are cool, thought about getting a large one "just for fun" but they aren't cheap. And my 400 watt-hour battery sure ain't gonna run my fridge!

Generator is my only practical solution for outages. I need power for the well pump just to have water and also the water heater. A few Tesla Powerwalls would be a nice alternative if I could afford them.

I had a coworker that new how to wire electronics - bought several 100W panels - got them charging car batteries and then running his playstation off of those batteries LOL. Always wanted to do stuff like that but currently in an apartment (with no front yard / back yard).

Yeah those fridges are insane. We had a 24 hour period where we lost power, I borrowed a coworker's Honda generator - that thing strained temporarily whenever the fridge turned on.

 

[satcomer]

I had a coworker that new how to wire electronics - bought several 100W panels - got them charging car batteries and then running his playstation off of those batteries LOL. Always wanted to do stuff like that but currently in an apartment (with no front yard / back yard).

Yeah those fridges are insane. We had a 24 hour period where we lost power, I borrowed a coworker's Honda generator - that thing strained temporarily whenever the fridge turned on.

A YouTube reviewer had your back just a little while ago:

 

[monokakata]

The solar panels are cool, thought about getting a large one "just for fun" but they aren't cheap. And my 400 watt-hour battery sure ain't gonna run my fridge!

Generator is my only practical solution for outages. I need power for the well pump just to have water and also the water heater. A few Tesla Powerwalls would be a nice alternative if I could afford them.

I'm rural.

I have a propane generator that kicks on automatically (but with a lag of maybe a minute) when the power goes down. It powers the well pump, the heating system, and about a third of the power outlets in the house (I didn't design/install it; it was in place when I bought the house).

I also have 53 solar panels but the installation is the old style in which the PV output is disconnected when the power goes down (to protect utility workers). At some point I'll look into a battery, as it makes sense to use the PV output when possible.

My internet goes down when the power does, because the ISP's tower is on my property and runs on my electricity. The previous owner didn't size the generator to supply the tower -- I'm not sure how much power the tower uses, in any case.

 

[jeyf]

a few years ago we down sized into an urban house. I can say; not a complete win for the boy with toys. be caerful what you accumilate.
4example i had a honda sinewave generator i never used. Recently re cycled it on ebay. I had a small diesel front loader too.

i now iive in the city
been a dry winter here but we had two spring snow storms. The first storm rolled through with 12" of snow. In a few days all the snow melted. 12" of snow is 1" of rain typically. Next storm FOX news pushed it as the Mother of Snow Storms. Everyone was buying generators and barbaque size propane tanks. Standing in line to fill those tiny tanks with the heavy creepy explosive gas. Again the second accumilation of snow melted in a few days and here we are spring and 80F degrees.

just saying take it easy, simpe so better.

power dosnt go out here that often. i own multople UPS boxes, not all equipment is covered. Either way i verify if a computer goes goes down it will retun to an expected state.

 

[Boyd01]

I'm rural.

I have a propane generator that kicks on automatically (but with a lag of maybe a minute) when the power goes down.

After the long outage from the "derecho", my neighbor got one of those installed, said it cost $5000 but I'm sure there are ongoing costs because a guy stops by to service it regurlarly. I had a cheap 4000-watt generator from Lowes that got me through that outage, it was connected to a manual transfer panel that I installed myself and lets me switch important circuits between line power and generator.

I ended up getting a portable Generac 7000 watt generator that runs the well, refrigerator, water heater and additional circuits scattered around the house. I store it in the house and roll it out on the porch during short outages but have a long extension to put it farther away during a long outage.

BTW - you live in a beautiful place! I had a home and land in Sterling, NY for about 20 years. In that place, I buried a cable across the back yard to shed where I permanently mounted a generator. It was cheap, pretty small and loud as hell but was far enough from the house not to be a problem. Made life a lot easier with frequent outages up there. I still love that area, but was glad to get away from those winters!

 

[hodad66]

I have Tesla Solar on the roof & Tesla Powerwalls. The power transfer (during outage) seems
instantaneous except for my computer system. The UPS that I have will take over and run for
about a minute then shut off. One of my units (entertainment system) is either broken or needs
a new battery. I am thinking of replacing it with a much smaller unit now that I have Powerwall
backup.

 

[romanof]

My APC works fine and will keep the power on to my router and Airport and m1 Mini for a couple of hours. The problem is that at power drop, the fans start up at full tilt and take far more juice than the three boxes, not to mention constantly producing the sound of a 737 taking off in my small room. It might run all day if the fans weren't cranking at full speed, even with such a light load.

I finally just built one with a high efficiency inverter and two huge RV deep storage batteries. Will run my stuff for days, which in these rural parts, is needed at least once a year. A trickle charger keeps them ready and hot.

 

[satcomer]

I just saw a cool video on new /home /battery that peaked my curiosity: