UPS (Uninteruptable PSU)
 

been a little while since ive started a thread about problems Im having with my comps or Ideas I am having so I think this is way overdue :)

ok, my problem at the moment is that I seem to be getting a tiny power surge in the house, a surge protected powerstrip doesnt stop it yet strangley my computer & my TV are the only things effected.
The TV dimms briefly but then carries on as normal, the PC however reboots as though someone has hit the power button twice fast (sometimes it needs to be powered down completeley before it will reboot as im sure some of you have experienced if you switch your machine on and off too quickly).

No other devices are affected at all in the house, my internet carries on as normal when I connect the laptop to it, it only seems to be the PC and TV effected.
And im pretty sure it has nothing to do with the PC itself (faultwise anyway) Its pretty random when It happens, it can range from ten days uptime to 20mins uptime, done it today at exactly the same time as my Mum unplugged the hoover.

The problem with the TV I can live with but the problem with the PC is something I am not willing to put up with so I figured a UPS would be a good idea as it would provide power to bridge this momentary surge, will also be handy if the main fuse trips wich seems to happen everytime a bulb or a plug blows downstairs.
This is when my problem starts as I havent the foggiest idea about UPS types and requirements.

Im not looking to spend much and the battery life doesnt need to be great so long as it holds a charge since its not really a UPS without the battery is it? So I figured Ebay would be a good place to start.

Found the following....
APC Smart-UPS 700VA - Part Number: SU700INET

APC Smart-UPS 1000

APC 350 UPS

Would any of those be good enough for a PC running on a 300W PSU?? (If more info about my system is needed I would be more than happy to share it).

Re: UPS (Uninteruptable PSU)
 

If its only small glitches you have, then you don't need one with a long lasting battery, you just need it to keep the power supply steady.

Re: UPS (Uninteruptable PSU)
 

Yeah I thought as much, thanks for confirming though :)

Just need to know what type/rating to get now and I'll be sorted :)

Re: UPS (Uninteruptable PSU)
 

Seems to me that you should also have a competant electrician have a look at your board, ( what do you have ? the old wylex type ( fuses ) or a board with trips and an R.C.D. trip switch ) either way it sounds as if there may be a bad connection on a circuit. Is the pc on the same ring main ( socket loop ) as the tv ? if so this would re-inforce my suspicion of a bad \ loose wire IMHO


Just my two pence worth, and as stated, if you do go for a u.p.s. system back up. it need not be anything to big, hope this helps a bit :)

EDIT :- just as an after thought, it may be worth asking your electricity supplier if they have been doing an work \ changing any equipment etc etc :shrug:

Re: UPS (Uninteruptable PSU)
 

How old is the property?

If this is happening when you unplug the vac then you can probably rule out external forces (Electricity Company) unless for some reason your not quite getting your quota of juice (210v-250v). It's more likely that your sockets ring is overloaded and this could be dangerous - I would recommend that you get this checked out by a qualified sparky or at least someone who knows what they are doing/looking for. I only state this as I know someone who had a similar thing happening and one day they had a small fire (noone hurt thankfully) which cause a bit of damage.

Re: UPS (Uninteruptable PSU)
 

check it out with the electricity company, ring them up and explain that you keep having power surges, and they should send you a box to plug in for a week and measure what is going on. If they problems are their end it will then be resolved for you by them :) if they confirm that everything is ok, then follow Tricky's advise and get an electrician on it.

Re: UPS (Uninteruptable PSU)
 

Have you spoken to your neighbours to see if they are getting the power-dip? If they are, call you electricity supplier. They may not do anything, but it's worth a call anyway. It is actually law that your power supply stays within certain voltage limits (230v +10% / -6%), but they can get away with the odd dip or spike. It may be that somebody is starting something quite large and that is causing the problem. Repetative power dips or spikes will shorten the life of electronic equipment and TV's are especially sensitive to voltage fluctuations.

Alternatively, it may be your premises. As has been pointed out, you may have a fault on your ring main circuit, or the whole installation. If you suspect this, get it checked immediately. A bad connection or other high resistance can easily result in a fire, and any protective device may not be triggered by such a fault. If you do have rewireable fuses, I'd recommend getting them changed anyway. A rewireable fuse can easily take twice its rating without blowing. If you have a Wylex consumer unit (the fuses have two coloured dots on them), there are MCB's and cartridge fuse replacement options available which mean you don't need to change the consumer unit. But an RCD is a must these days, so if you haven't got one then a new consumer unit perhaps is the best choice.

Also, you may have a faulty appliance causing a problem, although this is less likely as it should be taking its own protective device (fuse, MCB etc.), but you never know.

If your fault is with the electricity supply, and your supplier isn't doing much, then a UPS may be a work-around. But I recommend that you get the other things checked out first.

Re: UPS (Uninteruptable PSU)
 

You've just unwittingly solved a big problem for me, my turntables very occasionally (and it's both of them) speed up very briefly for no reason, makes mixing a pain in the arse, it doesn't happen very often and no-one could explain why they were doing it, I've just put a cheap APC UPS/Powerstrip between them and the mains and it's stopped happening.

Re: UPS (Uninteruptable PSU)
 

While your looking at a UPS, don't forget to get one big enough to cope with your monitor too.

Its really hard to save stuff when you cannot see what your doing. :D

I have a 300w UPS that goes beserk when the mains fails, because I'm using a 21" monitor & am just over the limit of the UPS. Gives me a minute or two in which to save & shutdown though.

Automatic scripts are only any good if you know how to write them.

Re: UPS (Uninteruptable PSU)
 

In fairness - even the 350 would be enough to avoid the spikes causing issues - it would also give you about enough time to shutdown the PC in the event of a power cut...

But got the extra couple of pounds I would go for the higher spec, just because you know that you are going to end up adding the CM/router/Printer/Scanner etc to it.

Also check out This page for choosing the right one ;) :angel:

Re: UPS (Uninteruptable PSU)
 

I've got the APC 500 UPS and its great for use with my equipment. Gives me about 24 min from the power going off to the battery failing. Bearing in mind I've got a TFT monitor so it'll use less juice then a CRT. It also came bundled with APCs power chute which can automatically stick your comp into hibernation mode if the power goes off.

Edit - that site listed above recomends:

APC BACK-UPS RS 800VA 230V

Part Number(s):
BR800I

Price: £139.99

However I get on fine with the 500

Re: UPS (Uninteruptable PSU)
 

As always - the site will recommend that you get the next one up from what you need, to allow for usage growth (or more importantly from their point of view profit growth) :naughty:

Re: UPS (Uninteruptable PSU)
 

Thanks a lot guys, just the sort of info I was looking for, gonna have the electrics checked out soon and as of payday (this friday) im hoping to buy myself a nice UPS.

Just to clear something up, im not sure if the last spike was caused by my mums hoover, allthough it happened at the exact same time she unplugged the hoover she has used the hoover many times without the computer going off, infact this is the first time something has actually happened at the same time the comp has gone off, normally its random. So I dont think it is related though I thought I would mention it due to them happening at the same time.

Now another question...
I hadnt thought of the monitor, would it be possible to run 2 ups? one for the monitor and one for the PC? just a thought as this would no doubt increase the uptime for both in the event of a power cut. or Would it be better to have Just one bigger unit?

EDIT: according to that site I was reccomended the APC BACK-UPS 650VA 230V

Re: UPS (Uninteruptable PSU)
 

Always better going for the bigger unit - apart from anything else - buying 2 units is more expensive...
Which means th 500 would be ok - but the 650 will give you a bit of growth capacity..

IIRC the site will go up to the ext model if it calculates you need 80%+ of the capacity of the lower one.

Re: UPS (Uninteruptable PSU)
 

And not to forget that the batteries are flogged to death in them & there will be a reccomended replacement time in the instructions, best to follow it.

Mine was thrown in a skip because the battery was knackered, and as they are very, very cheap to me it was easy to replace & I do so every year (but dont forget that I flog mine to death too).