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

[Jason Perkins]

If you get an APC Smart-UPS, be sure to calibrate the charge voltage. They
drift over time, and end up cooking the cells:

http://www.jjoseph.org/notes/apc_smartups_battery_float_voltage

Thanks,

On Tue, Aug 20, 2019 at 12:27 PM Dave McGuire via vcf-midatlantic <
vcf-midatlantic at lists.vcfed.org> wrote:

> 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
>


-- 
Jason Perkins
313 355 0085