An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is a feature perhaps more commonly known as a “battery backup,” which ensures you have backup power available if your primary power source fails or experiences a significant voltage drop. By having an uninterruptible power supply in Upland, CA, you can ensure safe shutdown of a computer and any equipment you have connected to it.
There are multiple different UPS topologies, each of which offers its own levels of power protection to your devices. The most common of these topologies are standby, double-conversion and line interactive. Here’s an overview of what you should know about each of these forms of UPS.
Standby UPS
Standby is the simplest form of UPS topology. In this system, the technology resorts to battery backup power if there is an issue such as a blackout, significant drop in voltage or a major voltage surge.
Any time the utility power coming in drops below or pushes above safe levels for voltage, the UPS switches to DC battery power, and inverts to AC power to run all equipment connected to the system. This is ideal for most consumer electronics and entry-level computers. It’s also ideal for commercial equipment such as point of sale systems, residential or commercial security systems and other forms of basic electronics that could be damaged by blackout or voltage issues.
Double-conversion UPS
A double-conversion UPS (also known as online UPS) offers consistent, high-quality power, no matter the condition of the power incoming to the system. It converts AC power to DC, then back to AC.
UPS systems that feature this technology operate on isolated DC power for 100 percent of the time, and thus have no transfer time for you to be concerned with, because there’s never a need to switch to DC power. These systems are ideal for protecting large data centers, high-end servers, critical IT equipment, advanced network equipment and large telecommunications installations from blackouts, voltage sags and surges, frequency noise and variation and harmonic distortion.
Line interactive UPS
Line interactive UPS systems feature technology that allow them to correct and adjust some minor fluctuations in power without having to switch to battery power. This type of UPS features an autotransformer designed to regulate low voltages and over voltages, and the ability to do so without having to switch to battery is highly beneficial.
These models are most frequently used for consumer electronics, computers, gaming systems, network equipment, entry- to mid-range servers and home theater electronics and technology. Even during blackouts and voltage issues and events, they’ll still continue to provide power.
These are just a few examples of some of the types of UPS systems you’ll need to familiarize yourself with if you are to choose the one that is best suited for your home or business. For more information about some of the measures you can implement to give yourself reliable backup power in the event of a blackout or voltage sag or spike, contact Ham’s Electric, Inc. about your options for uninterruptible power supply and surge protection in Upland, CA.