UPS Battery Backup for your Sanity
Posted on Sep 25, 2007 by
Paul WhiteToday I got up to start work on my computer. It was raining out side, which is pretty normal for Pearland, TX. So there you are with 100 lines of freshly written code, when the power goes out. Of course you didn't have a chance to click File -> Save. So all your data is gone. This happend to me today. It wasn't like I was without power for a long period of time. It was just a 1 second outage. This of course is enough to cause my computer to turn off. So As soon as I got back online I began to search for a UPS power supply. These little boxes do two things.
1. They protect your hardware from power spikes, which can quickly turn your expensive Computer into a piece of Contemporary Art.
2. They provide a backup power source via a battery. This allows you to keep working even if you don't have power. How long is determined by how large of a UPS you get, and what your power requirements are.
If you have a desktop like me you can figure you will need about 150 watts of power to keep your computer plus 1 LCD monitor up and running. If you have multiple displays ( I have three ), then figure your power requirements will be closer to 200 watts.
Even though our egos urge us to run out and buy a monster size powersupply. Allowing use to use 1000 or 3000 watts for hours on end. This is usually overkill. The simple 350 VA
models that replace your powerstripe will work just fine. The best place to buy one of these is ebay. Or if you want it now, and don't mind spending some extra cash. you can run out to compusa, bestbuy, or circuitcity to find one. Next time the power goes out, you won't loose your last hour of productivity, and if the power stays out, you can even get some more work done, before you shut down your system, before the battery runs out.
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