battery backup for home studios?

[ugo]

hey,

i want to get a battery backup for my studio. it needs to be powerfull enough cover my computer, monitor, scanner, and around 20+ pieces of hardware gear (synths, effects, etc.)

what size/strength battery backup should i buy? do i need more than one or will everything run fine off of one backup with extention cords and power strips
plugged into it?


ps...i apologize for the double post. i started to think that perhaps this question might have been better asked this here rather than in the "everything else" forum, where i originally posted it.

thanks,
-ugo

[DevonB]

To answer your question - I have 5 UPS's in my studio. Spread the load, if you need to. But then again, you didn't say how many watts you needed either. Get the calculator out!

Devon

[ugo]

good point.
once i've added up all the wattage, is it best to get a backup that exceedes that number by a certain amount? if so, whats a good safety range?

thanks,
-ugo

[garret]

good point.
once i've added up all the wattage, is it best to get a backup that exceedes that number by a certain amount? if so, whats a good safety range?

thanks,
-ugo

Usually, if you match the wattage capacity, you'll get a runtime of 7-15 minutes. I'd probably leave yourself at least 20% excess capacity.. you'll appreciate the extra runtime, and if you add another component soon you won't be sorry.

One thing to watch for... make sure to get a UPS that does some sort of voltage correction. UPS's of the past (and most of the cheap APC models) were "STANDBY" designs... basically a huge battery and a relay that watches for a complete power outage and switches over the power as fast as possible. The undervoltage trigger can be very low... in the U.S.A. (110V power), it's something like 70V on a lot of models. So if for some reason your power dips a few volts (say if a big air conditioning compressor kicks on, or someone plugs in a floor polisher in the upstairs apartment), you'll have a measurable dip in power. And that's not very good for your equipment.

Modern UPS's use either "Line-Interactive" or "Online" designs. Line Interactive designs constantly monitor the main power, and compensate for over and under voltage conditions... they don't wait for a full outage to shunt over the battery.

Online UPS's are even better. They use dual converters (AC to DC and DC to AC) so you're basically running your equipment off a combination of the battery and the main power all the time. The output power specs are completely locked in stone by the DC -> AC converter.

Online UPS's are usually very expensive... but I've seen some nice Powerware models that were around $800.

At your local electronics shop, you'll probably find Standby and Line Interactive models. It might not say Line Interactive, so look in the feature list for something that says "Monitors power constantly and compensates for over and undervoltage."

Oh, and one more thing... particularly if you live in a thunderstorm-prone area (I am), hook up the UPS signaling cable to your computer. Usually it's a COM or USB cable, and setup the software so it can shut down your computer if there's a power outage that exceeds the runtime of the battery.

-Garret

[ugo]

wow! thanks for the great info garret. i didnt know about any of that.

oh and btw, i live in a thunderstorm prone area, in an apartment, and we get brown-outs during the summer too. thats probably what messed up my mixer recently.

hmmm...now that i think about it, my living room entertainment system isnt on anything more than a cheep surge protector either. i should probably get something better for that too.

-ugo

[garret]

wow! thanks for the great info garret. i didnt know about any of that.

No problem... I've bought a lot of UPS's over the years at work and home.. maybe 100 of em. So I've seen em all.

hmmm...now that i think about it, my living room entertainment system isnt on anything more than a cheep surge protector either. i should probably get something better for that too.

Yep... If you need a little decent UPS, check out the CyberPower stuff. I found a line interactive model at Best Buy a year ago for around $75 that has worked out great for protecting my Tivo and hifi system. You want any of their models that end in AVR... they have "automatic voltage regulation" or line-interactive designs.

http://www.cyberpowersystems.com/

The APC "Pro" models are also line-interactive, but usually more expensive than other brands...

-Garret