I run a APC SmartUPS and this does not regulate the voltages, every winter the incoming voltage rises a lot during the night and I have measured it these winter nights at 253v, the APC SmartUPS gives out the same 253v from its output (measured with a DMM) I have the same high voltage problem with my APC BackUPS RS 800 and a Powercom UPS 1kva. None of these UPS regulate the high incoming voltages. The highest incoming voltage reading I have seen was last year at 270v !! I did not switch on my computer at that time
Is it safe to run a computer at these high voltages of 250+ volts ? I normally switch off my computer once the incoming line goes over 245v. I have a stabilizer which I used to run in manual mode to drop down the voltage and feed this to the UPS but I am not sure this is a good thing to do.
your UPS should cutoff when it detects 270+ volts and go into backup mode. I use a stepup transformer to compensate for low voltages. obviously , when the voltage comes back, the ouput easily exceeds 250V .. the ups goes into backup mode, and i turn the step upās ratio down
so far , no issues. most of the folk who live around here do the same thing. but then again, we all use el cheapo PSUās.
even when send high voltages to the SMPS , iām sure it should be able to cope
What is the safe upper limit to have for the incoming votage for the SMPS and Viewsonic LCD Monitor ? At what voltage will there be a chance for damage to the computer ? I asked an electrical engineer and he said max +10% increase is safe which means 230+23 = 253 which is what I have been getting these nights
I remember many many moons back PC Magazine had an article wherein they said that for very 10v increase in the incoming voltage there was a 10% reduction in the life of the electronics on the Motherboard and other PCBās. Does this still hold true ? @Chief-Techie, my old 2 ton Stabilizer is now about 15 years old and is very sluggish in changing the voltages during surges and dips, I am not very comfortable using it any more.
@6pack, I dont want the UPS to go into battery mode, I want to use it for hours as I do my downloads whilst I sleep Powerchute will send it to battery mode at 255v as mentioned by you, but what I want is for the voltage to be regulated and brought down to 230v as a stabilzer does so I can let the download continue thru the night. This is a problem only for 3 months every year, Dec-Feb.
And the scary part is that my building is the furthest one connected to a power sub station, when I went to the building right next to the substation the voltage there was about 10v higher then at my place
I have a Digital panel volt meter kept switched on next my computer 24/7 ā¦ I am absolutely nuts about such things
Stabilizer should be ok if it is rated that high and of a reliable brand. (especially its relays should be good and fast) Or else simply use a proper step-down transformer. (safer)
No question about thisā¦ the APC HAS NO POWER MANAGEMENT AT ALL ā¦ besides going to battery mode at the preselected voltage in Powerchute.
Does any UPS have Auto Voltage Regulation at all ?
@ janitha what about Reostats ? are they any good ? Reliable ? This was suggested to me by a friend.
@andrew, I have been told that stalizers running in Auto mode send a lot of bad spikes and dips down the line which cause more problems. Anyone know about this ?
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ā@ janitha what about Reostats ? are they any good ? Reliable ? This was suggested to me by a friend.ā
Should be alright but with excessive power consumption.
āDoes any UPS have Auto Voltage Regulation at all ?ā
Yes. It is for the same purpose that the UPS transformer has different taps in the secondary winding and relays used to switch among them.
may be a line interactive ups or an online ups may help you.but they are available from 3kv and more.Normal offline ups(500va-1kva) use relays and transformers same as that of stabilizers.But ups have microrelays with less switching time and stablizers have normal relays.A servo stabilizers can also be considered.smps with active pfc have input range from 90-270volts.
Itās always best to check equipment specification before buying. Especially the ouptut voltage regulation range.
Its true that less costing UPS contain relays and transformers to provide voltage regulation on mains which is not very tight and the range is very broad similar to ordinary stabilisers. (as dracul said)
The higher end APC SmartUPS contain accurate output regulation. They are true double online conversion UPS and provide a tighter regulation but more expensive.
My samsung SyncMaster 204B LCD monitor lists 240V max as an input. My APC Backup UPS also tends to deviate from 230V and outputs 260V which is above monitorās max.
Due to this reason i decided to invest in Microtekās 1kva Online UPS based on Double Online Conversion method. Though the investment is high it provides a 700W backup for 6 hours. Output is always 220V to 222V @50Hz. My mains voltage fluctuates from 220V to 260V (LCD display to show voltage, frequency, output current)
For people who are facing AVR issues should consider Switched Mode based stabiliser such as Products except Digital 15 whose output regulation is not very tight.
Iām not sure however about any negative interaction between a UPS and a switched mode stabiliser. So its better to ask company engineers before buying.
dracul, Kuantum ā¦ THANKS for the replies. Since the last few days my incoming voltage seems to be regulated at the source - now the max voltage is 240v during the late night period. Maybe the āstabilizerā in the Electric Supply company may have broken down and is now fixed
@Kuantum the V Guard Digital Stabilizer you linked looks NICEEE !! maybe if I have some spare money to burn I will get one Any idea how much the Digital 200 would cost ?
I have always wanted to buy an online UPS but they are too expensive
A while back I saw on a web page a SMPS which had a 5 minute UPS backup built in !! I wish I had saved that page, now I cannot find this product anywhere.
Iām planning to buy a Stabiliser for my TV & stuck between Vguard and Miracle (Website ā -: MIRACLE :-) since not sure Miracle Stabiliser is switched mode based or not.
No price idea on Vguard. Iām trying to locate a dealer right now.
My area suffers load shedding of 4.5 hours. Inverter was out of the question as it provides no voltage regulation on the mains. When I spoke to Sukam engineer Dhanraj (Delhi) he told me hook up a stabiliser before the inverter to provide AVR.
After much deliberation bought 1kva Microtek Online UPS at an introductory offer of Rs.9990. Offer withdrawn next day after i bought the UPS
with SmartUps 750
Powerchute will send it to battery mode at 255v as mentioned by you, but what I want is for the voltage to be regulated and brought down to 230v as a stabilzer does so I can let the download continue thru the night. This is a problem only for 3 months every year, Dec-Feb.
also backup at 8 min while ide is lower