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View Full Version : Using an uninterruptible power supply for a PC


CageyH
01-02-2014, 14:33
The surge and spike protecting battery back up power supplies can be had quite cheaply these days, so I was wondering if there would be any benefit to using one to protect my HiFi gear?

I live in a rural part of France (not that far from Toulouse) and the local power network is a bit of a nightmare. We often get micro cuts in the power, which probably has voltage spikes etc.
To protect from the spikes, I can use a multiway power block, but I was wondering if added battery protection would help? Do they smooth the supply?
Stratmangler
01-02-2014, 15:27
They usually have overvoltage and current protection, which is not uncommon with a power surge.
I'm not sure if UPSs utilise SMPS or not - I suspect the former.
CageyH
02-02-2014, 01:34
After a bit of digging, I see that most use a square wave form, so apparently not suitable.
I've bought a surge/spike protector instead.
tannoydmt
02-02-2014, 13:47
Check out the PowerInspired UK site and look at the AG1500, this will be much better for your hifi. I have two of these, one for the analogue and one for the digital sources. I would't go for the battery version however as it only gives a very short period of time if the power shuts down, but go for the cheaper power conditioner AG1500 and save some money.
Kember
02-02-2014, 14:37
Check out the PowerInspired UK site and look at the AG1500, this will be much better for your hifi. I have two of these, one for the analogue and one for the digital sources. I would't go for the battery version however as it only gives a very short period of time if the power shuts down, but go for the cheaper power conditioner AG1500 and save some money.

I'm with Mike. I have two AG1500s (split analogue and digital as well). Pure sine wave and smooth frequency delivered out.

If outages really are a problem, I believe that you can add banks of batteries to the AG1500 to provide resilience. Watch out, though - the (cheaper) batteries for the AG500 do not work with the AG1500.

Peter
CageyH
02-02-2014, 17:35
They look like a nice bit of kit, but seem pretty expensive.
I'll stick with my spike and surge protection power blocks for now.
CageyH
14-11-2016, 14:43
After two and a half years, I have finally ordered an AG1500.

I don't like to act quickly on these things. :eyebrows:
struth
14-11-2016, 14:57
Think its the smaller 500 ive got. Dunno if its got batteries in it or not tbh... its great at giving a steady 50hz and 230v. My system improved greatly:uhho::sofa::bag::laugh:
CageyH
17-11-2016, 20:10
It's arrived, and after a brief leakage current test to see what happened, it is plumbed in and the system sounds fine.
Does it sound any better? No idea yet....

It's a big old beast though!
I could do with another shelf in my rack to sit it on., although I am hoping to get a new "HiFi Racks" set up for my gear soon.
struth
17-11-2016, 20:14
got mine on floor on side with the screen rotated. yes, its big, and doesnt fit on my rack, as its way too deep. if nothing else it will keep everything stable.