Thread: URGENT HELP NEEDED IN BUYING UPS- tricky problem

hello friends..!!! i want to purchase a ups Please guide me..!! first let me tell you about my power supply

i dont exactly live in a bad area. its just that people in my area use more power than they are supposed to do..!! like 3 a/c in 4 kw connection. as a result i get very poor voltage of around 120 - 150 in morning and 70 - 100 at night.
i have installed a bluebird stabilizer of input 90-300 v to output 195 - 245 v. but i am concerned with fluctuation. i get around avg 210 v as output of stabilizer. there is a lot of fluctuation in my input. when i en-quired from stabilizer dealer he said the stabilizer has automatic relay that adjusts the voltage from 195 to 245 automatically but it cannot control fluctuation . whenever there is a fluctuation my tube light blinks it cannot control that. now the main part

i have an old system p4 with 17 inch monitor around 5 years old.

i purchased a microtek 625 v ups heritage gold . whenever there is fluctuation in my voltage the ups shifts to battery mode but the my pc restarts. i called microtek they said their ups cannot work when there is fluctuation . they tried everything they could. i fought with them a bit and got my money back. now i want to know where is the problem. its ok to shift ups to battery mode but it should not make my system restart. otherwise what is the use.! if i plug my pc without ups it works very well if there is no fluctuation without ups. now if there is any knowledgable person . please guide me where is the problem. and which ups should i get.

my requirement is MY SYSTEM SHOULD NOT RESTART. IT SHOULD KEEP ON WORKING.

please guide me as i have to purchase it tommorow only....!!! if i have posted it at a wrong place please move it right place...!!!
please help >>>>>>>>>> HELP <<<<<<<<<<<<

Hi,

The problem doesnt lie in the UPS. How old is your SMPS and the load connected to it? Is your monitor CRT or LCD? If CRT, is it connected to the SMPS of your computer?

If the SMPS seems to be fine, most UPS would be fine, as they have relays installed in it to switch to battery mode, if the voltage drops a certain value which is usually mentioned in its specification. Its this "transfer time" for the relay to swich to battery is causing your computer to restart. This is becoz the SMPS has become very sensitive to fluctuations...
Also, check for earth leakages and your computer is properly earthed.

If problem still persists, I advice you to get a line voltage regulator along with your UPS. Try APC, they have wide solutions.

Line-R 1200VA Automatic Voltage Regulator

hi bro thanks for your reply . i got my smps just 4 months back it is intex 450 v ! and i have a 17 inch crt monitor !!
even if i connected only ups with cpu ( not monitor) then also it was getting restarted . and bro i already have voltage regulator . it works perfectly just there is a blink in tubelight when flucuation occurs and the pc restarts ! what do you suugest is there something wrong with stabilizer it is of bluebird from 90 v

my requirement is MY SYSTEM SHOULD NOT RESTART. IT SHOULD KEEP ON WORKING.

And that is exactly what a UPS designed for use with a computer should give you. I think your requirement is very reasonable!

My voltage here fluctuates a lot too, although not as much as yours. While we are lucky to ever see 220, I don't think it drops below 100, except when faililng altogether. For the past hour and a half, my APC UPS has been cutting in and out as the voltage fluctuates around 170 to 184. It switched to battery for most of an hour at one point. My battery capacity is now down to 66%, but there is absolutely no problem with keeping my PC and LCD monitor running.

I have an APC Back-UPS RS 1500 + external battery pack. My aimis to keep running for one hour minimum to two hours maximum, although I try not to run beyond 50% battery capacity, as flattening the batteries really lowers their life.

This is my experience:

1. Buy UPS
2. After nearly 2 years (warranty) complain that backup time has dropped from 2 hours to 20 minutes.
3. Both items replaced under warranty (which pleasantly surprised me).
4. After further 18 months, capacity diminished again: replaced both internal and external battery packs at cost to me.

Hi,

Well, from your relplies I undersatand that your SMPS is working fine. In this case I suggest you to get a branded quality UPS from APC or Wipro. Also explain them your problem, they will help you out. Also, let me ask you something, have you noted the lights dimmimg noticibly when the fridge or ac starts??

thanks for your replies !! Hum i should try apc company. I thought microtek was best . In day time there is less fluctuation and i am able to run pc for 2 hours without ups. But at night its horrible !! Any other things to look for. And will that come under rs 2000-2500 . I am thinking of 600 va as smps is 450 v. And nevinjhon . My a/c is on different line. And fridge stays always on so there is less fluctuation as they both have seperate stabilizers.

Hi,

600VA will just enough considering the fact that you have a CRT monitor. I'd suggest to go for 1200VA. Else, consider upgrading your monitor to LED based LCD's as these consume very less power and gives a higher contrast ratio. Keep the post updated!!
Regards!!

hi guys i enquired about ups from APC . first they suggested me model : BR600
which is around rs 2400. that is ok. but then i again enquired they told me to purchase BR 800. this costs around rs 8000. thats way too much. i have a 6 year old pc. which product should i buy. my budget is not more than 2500 bucks. and i would be mad if i spend some 8000 bucks on a old pc .

Originally Posted by qwert12

i would be mad if i spend some 8000 bucks on a old pc .

Except that you wouldn't be spending it on the PC ... you'd be spending it on the UPS that your next PC is going to plug into too! My UPS is now on its second PC and second monitor.

There are two aspects to consider when buying a UPS:

--- how much load it will take

--- how long it will run your load on batteries.

I have a Back-UPS 1500. It will support a load of over 800W. My PC/monitor/speakers/desk-lamp amounts to around 170 or 180 Watts and it will run for over two hours (until the batteries start to age).

--- if you overload your UPS, you may damage it, or it will simply not provide that power.

--- how long you want it to run depends on whether you want a quick, safe shutdown, or to work through your average expected powercut.

thanks once again for your reply. bro i am in no mood to buy a pc for next 5 years . As i am planning on buying a laptop within few months. So i require ups for this pc only. My pc came with a ups of elent company. It was of 600 va. It ran very well for 3 years. I never encountered any problem and used to give backup of 20 min. But i used it when i was living at a diff place. Then I shifted and i dont know whether a similar new one would work on fluctuation. It costed me around 2000 6 years back. So i am looking for a similar thing in apc.
my requirements
basic backup (10-15) minutes
only want to run this old pc.
Will br600 be good . Whats the price

Hi,

BR 600 will do fine, since you are planning to run your existing desktop only, considering the fact that your power requirment will not increase.
Regards
Nevin.

hi quert12,
you have to correct the mistake at the root.
All others except you are enjoying power by 3 each of window A/c etc? , Perhaps they are also suffering burnt compressors etc by now.
if not, i suspect a dry joint at the electrical pole of the wires brought to your home
all on the lines man and request to remove the connections without any check
, cut, clean and re-terminate.
Incidentally if you are at the far end of a electrical service, that their wires have to take 4 to 5 turns in different lanes to reach you point,
perhaps the jumpers(what they call) connecting main line to the lane ,are somewhere dry connection
you have to keep the electrical Lineman in good mood and get these also cleared.
By this action , your service ill improve and you would have helped many others.

all the best.

Originally Posted by nevinjohn

BR 600 will do fine, since you are planning to run your existing desktop only, considering the fact that your power requirment will not increase.

Absolutely agree. In fact, if you use this with a laptop, it will run your modem and a low-wattage desk lamp for a decent period of time. It will be a good setup. The only thing you need is enough voltage, for enough hours in the day, to keep the UPS batteries charged.

re "correcting at the root," I would just love to install a big 3-phase servo stabiliser for the whole house, but this is way outside my budget, and maybe twenty times what qwert12 is talking about spending. So far as the supply to the house is concerned, our local cables are all renewed within the past couple of years. Our house cable burned through about three years ago and was replaced. In the process, we got to know out local engineer, and he has corrected faults for us several times. Still, we are stuck with voltages often way below 200.

(never mind servo stabilisers... we are getting an increasing number of several-hour outages. Yesterday, my wife was making the case to buy ...a generator! And she doesn't mean a titchy one; she means one that will run at least one AC )

Hello qwert12,

Has the problem been solved after buying the new APC UPS?
I am having the same problem with the microtek UPS... but earlier i tested with APC and had the same problem even with the APC UPS.

So i was wondering whether the APC UPS has solved your problem?

Thanks,