UPS Product Suggestion

[jplatania_apc]

This was originally posted on APC forums on 3/28/2008

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In the building automation industry, control companies have been using digital controllers for over 20 years. More and more buildings are requiring digital control panels to be on UPS power to maintain controller integrity between the time when power fails and an emergency generator kicks on.

These digital controllers are essentially little computers sans hard drives. For years and years, we have been stuck using off-the-shelf personal PC-type UPS's to do this work. These are NOT the best solution for several reasons...

1.) They are too big and don't fit into control panels very well.
2.) They have too much stuff on them. We only need 1 or 2 ports maximum.
3.) They have no wiring options.

I would suggest you create a small, panel mountable UPS with the following...

1.) 1 or 2 plug outlets.
2.) Hard-wired 120vac input terminals.
3.) Hard-wired 120vac conditioned power terminals (1 set)
4.) Something in the range of 200-500va.

You guys would make a killing selling these to Johnson Controls, Honeywell, Seimens and every other company out there that installs digital controls that do ANYTHING!!!

How much money do I get for the suggestion???

[dynaglide04_at_bellsouth.net_apc]

This was originally posted on APC forums on 3/28/2008

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My two cents....LOL


You are right thought...Good idea....

[NoMoreJuice_apc · Accepted solution]

This was originally posted on APC forums on 3/30/2008

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While we are at it:
Despite the fact that APC started out as a company with focus on solar applications, that focus has been lost completely.
I consider APC to be the best manufacturer for small to mid-size UPS systems. Period. The expertise should be there, the market is definitely there and growing. Xantrex and Outback etc. can't quite fill the ticket, either.

I'm pretty happy with APC's solutions if there is AC power around, but in case there isn't, APC has nothing to offer.

A simple real-life scenario:
Take a Smart-UPS 750XL, fit it with a management card like the AP9617, hook up several external batteries, hook up some solar panels and/or wind generators that charge the batteries via an external charge controller, unplug the AC power to the UPS and watch what the management card reports...

Although the Wind/Solar system keeps the batteries at 100% charge, the UPS will report an ever declining remaining capacity of the Batteries down to 0%. That's the way the firmware is programmed. Not to speak about the impossibility to adjust float charge voltages or scheduled equalization charges if your external batteries happen to bet wet-cells.

I absolutely love the remote management capabilities of the SmartUPS line. I guess that it only takes minor hardware/firmware modifications to accomodate an off-grid (inverter-only) operation of the SamrtUPS. In our case, we operate remote telecommunications equipment and would like to supplement battery charge levels with solar/wind, but that seems to be a no-no with the current way the UPS evaluates battery charge levels.