[vcf-midatlantic] [Off Topic] - Vintage computers and UPSes

[Dave McGuire]

On 8/20/19 12:23 PM, John Heritage via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
> For longevity of vintage computers that are hooked up and powered on
> semi-frequently;  I assume any kind of UPS is better than none to try to
> reduce power spikes, or reduce PSU fatigue from brownouts.
> 
> I was curious what folks recommendations or thoughts are here?  I have a
> couple of old (~ 15+ year) UPSes that i'm debating replacing the batteries
> on, and one of them would be for plugging in some vintage hardware.

  That's not a bad idea; most UPSes have MOVs in them, and some have
decent line filters.  Cheap consumer-grade ones typically don't, but
those should be in the garbage anyway.

  A note about MOVs: I generally like MOVs, but they do have one evil
aspect: They fail silently, and you won't know that they're no longer
doing their jobs.

> Is there anything I should watch out for?  Should I assume these are too
> old to effectively monitor/protect - or doesnt' that really matter?  etc.

  The UPSes?  Many higher-end UPSes from even 20 years ago have serial
ports for monitoring.

           -Dave

-- 
Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
New Kensington, PA