Step up transformer 110V to 220V for the input of APC Smart UPS C 2000VA

[hwasiti]

Hi there,

I am moving from Finland to Canada. I have SMC2000I which works with 220V mains.

I noticed the specs say:

Input:
Input voltage limits
170...300 V adjustable
180...287 V

Network frequency
47...63 Hz

what would happen if I have a step-up transformer from 110V 60Hz into 220V 60Hz and feed that to the input of the UPS?

The input frequency of 60Hz is within the range of the UPS input in the specs. The backside of the UPS even says:
INPUT 220-240V ~50/60Hz, 16A

So this should work fine? I hope the UPS does not complain that the input frequency is 60Hz instead of 50Hz. 

and what does it mean that the input is adjustable:

170...300 V adjustable

Can I adjust the input to 110V?

Or is there any other way to make this model work with 110V input using a firmware change or a jumper/settings change of the UPS?

[Teken]

For the benefit of others who may be moving from another country the following information may prove helpful.

Short Answer: No, you can't use this UPS in North America - Safely. You can not adjust the UPS to accept 120 VAC input / 120 VAC output.

Long Answer: In North America 240 VAC is used on large appliances that require larger current and also have different plugs when compared to their 120 VAC counterparts. A 15 amp (NEMA 5-15P) plug and outlet is different than a 20 amp (NEMA 5-20P) plug / outlet. A NEMA 5-15P plug can be inserted into a 20 amp outlet without issue. A 20 amp (NEMA 5-20P) plug can not be inserted into a standard 15 amp outlet.

There are of course adapters a person could make or purchase to allow the above to be inserted. But, this is obviously not to code, safe, or recommended by anyone. If a person was safety conscious and ensured the ampacity would never exceed the 80% current limit of a 15 amp circuit. A person would be fine, but more often than not the average person never takes the time to confirm and validate if this is a dedicated circuit or one that is shared with other loads.

Which of course would cause the circuit to be overloaded . . . 😖

Even if you had the electrician install a dedicated 240 VAC circuit / outlet there isn't anything (small consumer electronics) that uses 240 VAC in North America. Now if you connected your existing Finish (240 VAC) electronics it may operate alright on this UPS.

Given the UPS also outputs 50 Hz that would be an issue for North American devices if they are not so rated with a international 50/60 Hz rating. There is nothing on the UPS you can update, or modify from a consumer point of view to output 120 VAC.

You can adjust the upper and lower transfer voltage in the UPS via software or front panel LCD. This simply tells the UPS to engage its AVR circuit to compensate for wider voltage swings. The sensitivity setting from low, med, high tells the UPS to engage the battery only circuit to provide the cleanest and regulated power to the connected outputs. At the end of the day for human safety & insurance reasons the correct North American UPS should be purchased, installed, and connected to North American devices.

Using a step down / step up transformer is not the solution for long term use. This also assumes the transformer is correctly rated to support the UPS load / operation of the unit. 

 This question was asked quite a long time ago (Posted: ‎2023-10-10 03:52 PM) but thought this should be given a proper reply. 👍

Let us know what you did and how that turned out . . .