/upsg/ UPS General

>>58323859
buy a generator

>>58323867
Yeah, I was going to add, that isn't really an option I want to use. One of the neighbours has one that comes on automatically when the power goes out (always can hear it start up) but apparently it cost something like $3000, which is more than I want to spend. Also, it is for his whole house, while I just need one for the computer and router.

>decent battery charger
>very decent pure sine wave inverter
>deep cycle battery
>deep cycle battery
>deep cycle battery
>deep cycle battery
>deep cycle battery
>*breathes in*

>deep cycle battery
>deep cycle battery
>deep cycle battery


Also if you just have a laptop, you can skip the inverter and just run 12v around to a car charger adapter.

>>58323859
Buy a used APC, those things are solid as fuck, and will cost you ~$100 for a 1000 VA model.

And if the batteries are fucked, you can replace them for ~$75.

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>>58323859
If your only concern is your uptime stat you should consider a generator. Make sure you share a poorly ventilated, enclosed space with it

>>58324156
It's not my only concern. Losing seeding time also bothers me along with my computer shutting down when it is in the middle of something, like encoding video.

>>58323859
Have you considered using a lower power computer? What's your average load in watts?

https://www.amazon.com/Cobra-CPI1575-1500W-Power-Inverter/dp/B00701HVS6

>>58324273
Been meaning to check how much power it draws from the wall but it's hard to fit the kill-a-watt meter in there so haven't done it yet. If I was starting from scratch with a new build I would make sure it is low-power, but it's already built, so what can be done?

>>58323947
Get a smaller generator

>>58323859
UPS runtime is always tiny, they're meant to survive brownouts or give you enough time for a clean shutdown in a blackout.

If you want long runtime you'll need massive battery capacity which costs a fortune if you can't DIY it somehow

maybe combine these ideas:
>>58324023
>>58324049

I've seen videos and forum posts of people buying used APC units and replacing the internal batteries with some deep cycle shit from an RV or boat

Not compact or pretty but massive increase in runtime for cheap

Some higher-end units have external battery terminals anyway as a lot of of the 'pro' models have separate battery modules available (so connecting a string of massive deep-cycle batteries there might be easier)

Planning on trying it myself when I move later this year

>>58324363
CP1500PFCLCD can show output power, I have mine set to show output wattage with the display always on

just go buy a generator when they are on sale. Much cheaper than a battery until Lithium drops down a few more magnitudes.

>>58325931
>buying used APC units and replacing the internal batteries with some deep cycle sh
Assuming the little guys, Those things are pretty shit, you'd be better off with an online ups if you're going to go that route.

Oil/gas/propane generator

Unless you live somewhere that gets a good deal of sunlight regularly, then you might consider solar with a decent size bank of batteries.

>>58326016
Considered this, but I was under the impression solar cells don't generate much power.

>>58326159
They don't, which is what the large battery bank is for, basically you spend all your time charging up the battery bank and when you do lose power, you use the batteries you've been charging over the last 2 weeks.

>>58325931
Actually, the UPS is supposed to cover you until the generator comes up to speed.
That's how we used to do it when I worked in telecoms. The equipment ran on battery (and that was huge - a whole room full of 55AH batteries) until the automated deisel cut in.
I have seen amateur radio setups where a two-stroke mower motor drove a car alternator (via a short length of radiator hose) to supply 12V DC. These days a Honda generator can't be an expensive option if you're serious.

>>58326170
>you don't need a battery backup, just use a battery backup plus an irrelevant piece of expensive hardware

>>58326391
He doesn't want a generator, the only other option is power storage. Of which your only option are large battery banks.

Fuck off.

Your best solution is to get a large battery bank as previously mentioned


~$500-700 in marine deep cycle batteries + a $300-400 12v inverter (i'd guess ~1000-1500w for your use)

Then keep them charged by using grid electricity, or solar, or whatever else you want.

Use the UPS for brownouts, then have the battery bank hooked up to a switch that can be activated when your power is out that keeps your computer on.

This would require manual intervention, but with a audino or similar you could probably automate this.

>>58326407
Not saying you're wrong, just that solar ends up being another battery bank.

Or he could put a huge water tank on his roof that runs through a Pelton wheel generator.

>>58326519
I only mentioned it if he happened to live somewhere that makes sense, if he doesn't, just charge the battery bank off grid power.

OP here, thanks for the suggestions. The battery bank charged from grid power sounds like the best idea. Would that take up a lot of space? Not much room left for storage here.

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>>58326623
You'd probably want ~5-10 marine batteries depending how long you wanted them to power your setup.

5 of these should run you for a few hours easily.
https://www.batteriesplus.com/battery/marine-and-boat/deep-cycle/bci-group-31m/sli31mdc

10 would give you even more run time.


You need to wire them in parallel so you keep a constant 12v current but are adding additional capacity.

I recommend using a wooden pallet or two as your battery bank surface, this will keep them raised off the floor and prevent water from easily damaging them as well as provide an insulating barrier between the floor and your large array of batteries.

Then you'll need a 12v sinewave power inverter, for your needs it sounds like 1000w should be fine. That will run you about $300.

You will also need 12v battery charger for your batteries to keep them topped off. Should run you $50-150

If you dont understand basic electricity and batteries, i'd recommend doing LOTS of research before starting this project. You'll be dealing with $1000+ in electronics and lots of potential to fuck things up.


pic related, how you should charge multiple batteries in parallel with a single battery charger.

>>58326820
Thanks for the information. I'm just in the preliminary stages now and I definitely plan on doing a lot of research before spending money on anything. Pretty much a n00b when it comes to electronics and the like.

>>58327019
Yeah, you'll need to figure out where to put it, and how to wire it into your house grid.

I'd recommend a full cut off from your house's electricity for when you don't need it connected, with a simple flick of a switch connecting your batteries to whatever circuit you keep your computer on. I'd also recommend having another switch which disconnects your computer from the "live" grid. This is so you don't do something retarded like trying to run your batteries AND grid electricity at the same time.

Keep your UPS attached so when power goes out you have ~20 minutes to go flip the switch to your batteries, and you'll have a ~20 min buffer for when you switch off the batteries and back onto the grid, so at no point will your computer lose power.

>>58327102
Just to add, a real electrician would wire it up so when the batteries are connected the gird is automatically disconnected even if it has power, the multiple switch setup I suggested is only very basic and not particularly safe, but if you're feeling lazy as fuck and don't want to hire a professional, than it would still do the same thing, just not in an automatic fashion.

>>58324363

You can get a reading if you're using a UPS with an LCD display. Another option is to hook up the serial port from it to the computer and get a reading from there. Most UPS-es have a serial port in the back that looks like an ethernet jack.

>>58326820
>1000w should be fine. That will run you about $300.

No no no no no....
If you are going this route, it is implying a complete separation. (which you want anyway) You do not want to skimp out on a inverter that will be running your shit 24/7.

>>58327326
>that will be running your shit 24/7.
He said he want's ~3 hours of run time.

It will be running then for at most ~3 hours at a time.

I don't see the point buying a $500+ inverter for an occasional use battery fallback.

>>58327345
What I am talking about is always running the pc off of the inverter, for 0 switching delay.
If you have a bypass system, then you will have that switching delay. Which in your other posts you seemed to point out by having a manual switch to go flip.

>>58327436
He already owns a UPS, no point in just tossing it out, he has the holdover for 10-20 minutes, he just needs long term power, which a cheap inverter + battery bank should provide.

>>58327458
But what if he's not home?
And it sounds like his current ups is a shitty standby one anyway.

>>58327505
If he's doing something that his computer literally CAN'T be off for, then he's shit out of luck without spending several hindered more on a more advanced setup, but I personally just can't see the value in that for his described use case.

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>>58327525
You don't value uptime as much as I do then.

>>58327603
an auto switching inverter would run ~$700 vs. $280 for a basic 1000w inverter he would need to manually switch on.

$420 is 4 more batteries.


No I guess I don't value up time as much as you do, and I doubt whatever it is you think you need that up time for is as important as you pretend it is, but that's another topic.

>>58327623
I don't mean an auto switching inverter. I mean one that isn't the cheapest one off the shenzhen market... Something like a Schneider. Setup like my pic I posted.

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>>58325931
>>58327269
Is this the right reading?

>>58327671
Yes.

>>58326298
>I have seen amateur radio setups where a two-stroke mower motor drove a car alternator (via a short length of radiator hose) to supply 12V DC.

I read about one who hooked an inverter up to a prius to power his house during a long blackout. Genius move desu

>>58324245
All of that sounds really mission critical. Probably wouldn't hurt to get outside for a bit when the power is out. I think nature is trying to tell you something.

Or buy a fucking generator. Batteries are for short term outages or to signal devices to shut down properly before they lose power.

>>58326407
He is a retard.

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>>58327102
>>58327164
Great, thanks. Could this be done automatically? Sometimes the power goes out when I am asleep and it's not until I wake up that I find everything has been shut down for two hours (like this morning).

>>58327689
Not much to do outside in the winter in the dark in the middle of nowhere. But point taken.

>>58327809
Ah, nevermind, hadn't read the whole thread.