FAQs

Standby UPS

“Standby” UPS models are designed for standard computer equipment applications where battery support is the most important factor. In standby units, electricity typically passes through the UPS until an electrical disturbance is detected. Once a power failure or other electrical disturbance is detected, internal switches immediately transfer the output load to the unit’s internal batteries. Standby UPS provide a quasi-sine wave output which is suitable for most switch-mode power supplies. The PrOffice 650 UPS is a Standby UPS.

Line Interactive UPS

Upsonic Power’s Domestic Series is a Line Interactive UPS which contains built-in Automatic Voltage Regulators (AVR) and surge/sag protection devices which are constantly in operation. “Line Interactive” UPS models carry all the features of Standby UPS with many additional enhancements, including an enhanced level of surge and sag protection. The Domestic Series UPS provide a modified sine wave output.

Upsonic Power’s Commercial Series models provide a unique microprocessor-controlled Intelligent Buck and Boost technology, which allows the unit to correct brownouts and overvoltage conditions without resorting to battery power reserves. This allows the unit to deal with a wider range of power disturbances and helps increase battery life. Commercial Series UPS are ideal for high-end desktop and small to medium level network servers. The unit’s True Sine Wave Output is especially suited to communications equipment and other network peripherals.

True On-Line UPS

“True On-Line UPS” provide the highest possible level of UPS power protection. Internally different from Standby and Line Interactive UPS models, a True On-Line UPS continually breaks down, conditions and rebuilds the input power supply to strict voltage and frequency regulations. Upsonic Power’s Industrial series UPS’s features full Double Conversion and Input/Output Isolation suitable for high-end network servers and mission-critical electronic equipment. True On-Line Double Conversion UPS models are fully compatible with generator power and the only UPS suitable for industrial locations and country areas with poor quality power.

A typical Pentium or Macintosh system with a 17″ monitor(CRT) generally measures between 300-500VA (VA=Volts x Amps). As extra peripherals such as amplified multimedia speakers, external modems, scanners, and other equipment are added, this load can sometimes be between 400VA or 800VA. 19″ monitors(CRT) can also increase the load by an additional 50-80VA.

Therefore, while a 500VA UPS is sufficient for a basic system configuration, a more practical entry-level choice is the Domestic series 600VA UPS. It is common practise to leave some room for expansion; and if in doubt, always go to the next size. Our UPS Sizing Calculator can assist in finding the right size UPS for your equipment.

Your UPS will beep for mainly one reason – The unit is on battery. This can be caused by a faulty power point socket, faulty cable or the mains power being out or of poor quality.

If you have checked all of these, and there is definitely power going to the UPS, then it is possible that the UPS is faulty. If that is the case, call Upsonic on 1800 634 307 for UPS Solutions.

Look at the manufacturer’s specifications plate attached to your equipment, and locate the power rating – usually indicated in VA or AMPS. Multiply Amps by 240 (as in 240 Volts) to find the VA rating. Once you have added together the VA rating of all equipment to be protected, select an Upsonic Power UPS Solutions of a rating equal to or slightly higher than your total figure. For more information refer to our UPS Sizing Guide.

During a power failure a UPS naturally has a limited battery capacity. Once the battery has expired, your system will be subjected to this secondary power failure and left open to possible data corruption and hardware damage – exactly what the UPS was installed to prevent!

Shutdown software makes it possible for your computer system to identify the power supply status of the UPS and perform an orderly, automated shutdown of your network or workstation operating system. Once power is restored, the UPS reboots your system back into operation.

A UPS without shutdown software is only half of your power protection solution. Monitoring software has all of the features of shutdown software, and adds the ability to monitor input and output voltages, frequency, battery charge, UPS loading and many more useful features.

Upsonic Power UPS’ are designed to be user friendly and maintenance-free. Once the unit is correctly installed and switched on, it will continue to ensure the internal batteries are fully charged and ready for use – 24hrs per day, 365 days per year.

Upsonic Power UPS models perform regular self-diagnostics to ensure they are always in top condition. It is, however recommended to perform a power failure trial two or three times per year to calculate the expected support time in the case of a genuine power failure. This test is also a good indication of the battery’s life.

It is recommended a UPS is serviced once every 12-24 months. Units with a size of 5kva and above may require more regular servicing. Speak to an Upsonic representative for more information on 1800 634 307.

Upsonic Power’s Commercial series and Industrial series feature an advanced microprocessor-controlled communications port, capable of transmitting a wide variety of power analysis and status data to the monitoring computer system via a special serial cable.

The UPSILON UPS Monitoring Software package provides full support for this intelligent communications feature. The Domestic Series and the PrOffice 650 both use the Winpower shutdown and monitoring Software.

No, so long as the total VA rating of the equipment does not exceed the output of the UPS.

Upsonic Power supplies different types of cable adapters to convert the IEC-style output sockets (on smaller units) to Australian standard 3-Pin plugs for connection to powerboards or extension leads.

Upsonic Power UPS systems up to 2KVA are freestanding units which can be easily installed by the user, simply plugging into any existing 230/240V domestic power outlet. 3KVA units require a 15amp socket outlet(some can be hard wired), which some businesses already have installed – otherwise a licensed electrical contractor is required.

Due to the fittings on units above 3KVA, a licensed electrical contractor is required to hardwire these units into an electrical distribution board and wire a dedicated power circuit for your equipment. In these circumstances Upsonic Power can recommend and arrange a suitably qualified electrician.

The Domestic Series UPS model incorporates a much wider variety of features than the PrOffice. This range of intelligent UPS features wider input windows on frequency and voltage fluctuations, allowing automatic correction of power problems, conserving battery reserves and promoting longer battery life.

The Domestic Series UPS also features a fully intelligent communications port allowing it to interact with the Winpower monitoring software for real-time power management. The Domestic Series UPS is ideal for multimedia desktop systems and small workstations.

There are several factors which determine how long your UPS will last when it is running on batteries. The most important is the load (the amount of power being drawn through the UPS). Lets take a standard PC for an example with a load of 150 watts. If you view the autonomy chart featured on our web site (www.upsonic.com.au/autonomy.asp), you can see that the DS-600 will give you approximately 15 minutes. If you were using a CS-2000 you would expect approximately 82 minutes.

Different computers draw different amount of power – a server can draw anywhere from 150 watts to over 1000 watts. As the UPS gets older, the internal batteries will not hold the load for as long. When the batteries hold the load for less than half of the expected run time, it may be time to change the batteries.

For your nearest service centre, call the UPSONIC FREECALL NUMBER on 1800 634 307.

The PrOffice 650 (and DS) does NOT come with a software disk. In the user manual there is a web site listed that has the software for you to download.

The web site is www.ups-software-download.com The software is called Winpower. If you have any trouble downloading the software, please contact Upsonic on 1800 634 307.

The most common problem encountered with the Power Guardian 500 (PG-500) is that the unit gets overloaded. This occurs when the power being drawn through the PG-500 is more than it is designed for. When this occurs, it will blow the fuse. The fuse is user-replaceable. 

To replace this fuse, turn off the UPS, disconnect all cables connected to the unit, and put the PG-500 on a table or somewhere you can view it comfortably. Just below the input socket on the back of the PG-500 is a plastic cover with a symbol of a fuse on it.

Using a flat head screw driver, lever this fuse holder out. Check the fuse – if it is blown (often blackened), replace it with the spare that is included in the fuse holder. Plug the fuse holder back in, then plug power back in to the PG-500 and turn the UPS on.

If it starts up, then you know that the unit was overloaded, and you should check what has been plugged into the unit. As these units are now getting older, the problem could also be the internal battery needs to be replaced. If you have any questions, please call us on 1800 634 307.

There are many variables when it comes to working out when a UPS battery should be changed. As standard, all of our 600va to 3000va UPS models come with a 5 year design life battery. These usually have a service life of 3 to 5 years. Therefore, it would be recommended that the batteries be changed at about 3 years from the purchase date.

However, UPS units that are in areas of high temperature, or where the UPS battery is run down frequently, should have their batteries changed earlier. Sometimes, as a special request, batteries with a longer design life are used.

In that situation, you would need to speak to an Upsonic representative on 1800 634 307.

In a word, yes. However there are many risks with doing this. The biggest being that you run the risk of overloading the UPS. Many people, to help avoid overloading the UPS, will plug the equipment they want running off the UPS, then sticky tape the remaining outlets to prevent vacuum cleaners being plugged in which will in most case blow the fuse in a UPS.

For more information on what your UPS can handle, please call 1800 634 307 and speak one of our friendly staff.

Some units can handle a Generator. It is always recommended that a True Online, Double conversion UPS is used, however in some cases a line interactive unit can be used.

Please call Upsonic on 1800 634 307 to discuss your situation, so we can be sure you get the UPS for your Generator.

Network servers are the most obvious starting points when protecting a LAN from power disturbances. A typical server will require a UPS rated at least 800VA, 1000VA for mid-range servers and up to 3KVA for larger mainframe units.

When installing a UPS it is important to consider what other components are critical to the network. Look for hubs, routers, modems, backup drives, telephony equipment, and other computers performing server-like activities.

It is essential that ALL these devices are powered by the UPS for the network to remain stable. Also consider the requirements of network users and remote workstations performing mission-critical operations.