Here at Project Studio Handbook, between us we've been running home studios for over 53 years and at no time have we ever felt the need of a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply). Until last week when over the course of three days we experienced five brown-outs.
We all know pulling the plug on the computer is akin to hitting someone over the head with a baseball bat. And yet for the most part our computers and connected hard drives seem to survive the occasional interruption in the power supply. However when we rely on our systems for work and have critical data stored that may have taken weeks or years to create, we cannot be confident that disaster is not just around the corner.
As you may know, a brown-out is a temporary interruption in the power supply that lasts for a fraction of a second but is enough to crash digital systems. Blackout is of course a longer power outage that may last minutes, hours or even days.
Following a series of brown-outs we investigated every item in the studio to see if there wasn't an issue which could be fixed by removing and repairing a faulty device.
After several days of diagnosis we couldn't find anything wrong and concluded that the brown-outs were due to interruptions in the local power supply to the building. We therefore decided it was time to protect our DAW, NAS, router and connected hard disks with a UPS device.
 |
| Our new CyberPower UPS protects our Mac system, NAS, Router and online backup drives |
Put simply, a UPS is a device that takes over the job of supplying power to devices if the mains power supply to the building cuts out. It comprises a large battery and several outlets to which you connect the devices you wish to protect. You plug the UPS into the mains power to keep the battery at maximum charge.
You can also let your devices know they are attached to a UPS by connecting them with USB cables. When the UPS kicks in they can perform safe shut downs. Once connected with a USB cable, Windows, Mac OS X, and NAS drives can detect if they are connected to a UPS and provide control panel parameters to allow you to configure what they should do if the UPS kicks in. For example you might configure them to perform a controlled shutdown immediately or wait until the UPS battery is down to a specified percentage.
When you choose a UPS you should ensure that the total wattage output it is capable of can accommodate the total wattage needs of all the devices you intend to connect to it. It is not necessary to have a UPS that can take over power supply for an extended period of time. A battery that only lasts 15 minutes will be sufficient to ensure your devices can shut down safely.
You should consider the following when buying a UPS ...
Total wattage required
Size and strength of battery
Number and type of power outlet connectors
True sinewave output, which is required for some computer power supplies
USB connection and hub if you plan on collecting multiple devices
A good LCD display read out on the front which indicates load and battery charge status
 |
| The CyberPower CP1500EPFCLCD we purchased. Rated for 1500VA/900Watts, provides 10 minutes of back-up, more than enough to allow our systems to shut down safely |
Thanks for watching and reading
FairFax
"Put simply, a UPS is a device that takes over the job of supplying power to devices if the mains power supply to the building cuts out."
ReplyDeleteYep that's what it does in the simplest terms.
And it does protect against brownouts mainly, but also can be used as a surge protection device and also as an AVR all in one. Your studio has practical use for it.
I do have other tips when buying a UPS.
First, is it really what you need?
You can read my article about
the decisions involved when buying a UPS as protective equipment. I do feel the need to supplement this so future consumers will know if they really need one.