So I'm going to be getting a new desktop PC soon I think, and I was thinking about using my UPS with it. This hasn't been a big concern to me before because my current PC is a laptop that has its own battery in the case of a power blip. But I have no experience with UPSs and was hoping to get a few concerns addressed by someone on here who hopefully does.
So, the UPS. It's a CyberPower 550VA that I got second-hand at a yard sale for $3. Not really concerned about it being exposed to the elements as it was in the person's garage rather than outside, and it looks brand new to the point where the red sticker over two of the surge-protected outlets is still there.
First concern: everything I plug into it buzzes when powered by the battery. Fans, lights, chargers, etc., and seems to run at slightly less of a voltage than 110 (light is slightly dimmer, fan is slightly slower). I'm not overloading it - I'm plugging in only one of these at a time. Is this normal, and is this safe for a PC, monitors, and an external hard drive? These are the devices I plan to plug into the battery-enabled slots.
Second concern: When I was testing the battery with the fan, I noticed the fan gets gradually slower, which I'm assuming means it's getting gradually less and less voltage supplied to it, rather than the UPS supplying max capable voltage to it then instantly cutting power when it can no longer handle max voltage. Same question as above: is this normal and safe for the devices?
Third concern: When I plug it in it gets noticeably warm, on or off. Not hot where it smells or will burn me, just warm. Normal?
Fourth concern: It only has a 16 AWG cord and a 10A circuit breaker. I would need to use all 8 outlets on this for the 4 devices I mentioned above, plus a Wii U, projector, DVD recorder, and cable box in the 4 surge-protected-only outlets. Can a 16 AWG cord safely handle all this? Most power strips and surge protectors I see have a 14 AWG cord capable of handling 15A; not sure why a UPS wouldn't.
The more I sit here and type all this the more I realize that this is probably not worth the trouble at all and I should just continue using the Newpoint 14 AWG surge protector I'm using now, especially considering I rarely EVER get surges or blackouts here. But these are still questions I have anyway in case I'm in the market for UPSs in the future.
Just a note that I did hook the UPS up to my PC with USB and used the software with it. The software said everything was running correctly and there were no problems.
So, the UPS. It's a CyberPower 550VA that I got second-hand at a yard sale for $3. Not really concerned about it being exposed to the elements as it was in the person's garage rather than outside, and it looks brand new to the point where the red sticker over two of the surge-protected outlets is still there.
First concern: everything I plug into it buzzes when powered by the battery. Fans, lights, chargers, etc., and seems to run at slightly less of a voltage than 110 (light is slightly dimmer, fan is slightly slower). I'm not overloading it - I'm plugging in only one of these at a time. Is this normal, and is this safe for a PC, monitors, and an external hard drive? These are the devices I plan to plug into the battery-enabled slots.
Second concern: When I was testing the battery with the fan, I noticed the fan gets gradually slower, which I'm assuming means it's getting gradually less and less voltage supplied to it, rather than the UPS supplying max capable voltage to it then instantly cutting power when it can no longer handle max voltage. Same question as above: is this normal and safe for the devices?
Third concern: When I plug it in it gets noticeably warm, on or off. Not hot where it smells or will burn me, just warm. Normal?
Fourth concern: It only has a 16 AWG cord and a 10A circuit breaker. I would need to use all 8 outlets on this for the 4 devices I mentioned above, plus a Wii U, projector, DVD recorder, and cable box in the 4 surge-protected-only outlets. Can a 16 AWG cord safely handle all this? Most power strips and surge protectors I see have a 14 AWG cord capable of handling 15A; not sure why a UPS wouldn't.
The more I sit here and type all this the more I realize that this is probably not worth the trouble at all and I should just continue using the Newpoint 14 AWG surge protector I'm using now, especially considering I rarely EVER get surges or blackouts here. But these are still questions I have anyway in case I'm in the market for UPSs in the future.
Just a note that I did hook the UPS up to my PC with USB and used the software with it. The software said everything was running correctly and there were no problems.