It's an industry term of art, it means "less awful than a pure square wave"; and while it doesn't have to be as bad is this one is generally translates to square wave with a degree of slope (from capacitor discharge?).
I just purchased an even cheaper, LCDless CyberPower UPS (UT850EG-FR). A few remarks: - it is natively recognized by macOS without installing CyberPower's software, - the CyberPower software has a Mac version, that works on Ventura, - the CyberPower software is not signed and insists on launching the app (and not only the daemon) at system start - it allows to setup "advanced" options such as muting alarms - I uninstalled it after setting them.
APC in my opinion has superior UPS software to Cyber Power and Tripp Lite, though APC does not have a native MacOS version. However, much like Tripp Lite, you can use the native MacOS shutdown feature with any UPS. Simply configure the OS to shutdown or sleep when battery power reaches a set %. I usually set it to 50%
However, Cyber Power in my opinion makes substantially better UPS's than Tripp Lite at the consumer end. Since Schneider bought APC a decade ago, I've noticed all the models since float charge the batteries too high. This shortens their life. A lot. I'd research it because while it seemed the situation was being rectified years ago, it wasn't, and their UPS's still do it. My Back-UPS XS 1000 float charges the lead-acid battery to 13.6v. Sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries can NOT be charged beyond 12V. They can't vent. This causes them to eventually swell and fail. They don't typically explode as they are low-density power and valve regulated (so when the valve pops - like a fuse, the battery internally cuts off input\output.)
I can't tell you how many APC Back-UPS products I've had to pry swollen SLA's out of to replace. Literally with a crow bar. Sometimes the case is even permanently deformed.
When you start spending $1000 for production units, or even $300-$500 for rack mount models, Cyber Power starts to lose some points compared to some APC products and many Tripp Lite products, but they are still overall competitive and I've rarely ever had a problem with them.
If I had a complaint about Cyber Power, it would be they are noisy. The coil whine from the charging\standby circuit is often noticeable in a quiet space. Their older products were not like this but all their new stuff has a buzz, hum, or occasional random noises.
UPSs can be a mixed bag much like hard drives. Have an APC going strong for years. Another two of their backup variety down for the count. Also have a cyberpower that died.
In my experience, switching UPS's do not work. My neighborhood has a ton of momentary outages due to a large number of trees. I've spent a few thousand dollars total on various brand UPS's and have yet to find one that can deal with these. They just don't switch fast enough. I pulled the plug from the wall and by the time it switched (and I believe it was a Cyberpower), my computer was off. In fact, when I just stopped using them altogether, my computer on its own was able to ride out the momentary outages so in fact a switching UPS was worse than useless.
That's very odd because the inherent design of a UPS is the load runs off the power conversion circuit regardless of live AC or not. When the power goes out, there should be no interruption because the load was already running off the battery before the power outage.
Hence "uninterruptible." There should be no switch-over delay.
There are 3 types of UPS: - online, in which the battery is always on - when AC power is available, a double conversion (AC to DC to AC) s performed, - offline, where the battery is offline while AC power is available, - online interactive, where the inverter is on while AC power is available.
For offline and online interactive types, there is a short amount of time required for switching, typically a few ms. This power break is absorbed by the devices behind the UPS.
Your neighbor needs a laptop or a phone with an internal battery if power interruptions are actually as much of a problem as you imply. That's assuming said person doesn't aleady own one or more battery supported devices which I suspect is already the case so this is likely a non-issue outside of a hiccup when playing a video game.
I've done the same test as you and it's worked fine for my desktop. You might have a defective one? I've owned many Cyberpower products, including one similar to this one. My biggest issue is the batteries don't last long, you end up replacing them after 1.5-2 years, gets expensive when you have ~5 UPS in the house.
With most UPS systems, there is a deal-breaker interaction with backup generators:
Power off. Generator comes on.
Loop: UPS switches (near-instantaneously) to line-current UPS-mediated load drops line-voltage below UPS line-voltage threshold UPS switches (near-instantaneously) to battery Line voltage goes back up to "normal"
This loop can easily be avoided if the UPS manufacturer ramps up the transition to line-current slowly (e.g., over a 10-second period).
Unlikely that any generator awareness exists because of how few residential and small offfices have sufficient resources or interest in a generator backup.
"However, its AC output while running on batteries is very poor and will greatly stress modern electronics, generating harmful harmonics in the process."
Confused as to why the title says it's a "solid" product.
I had a 1500 VA CyberPower UPS a couple of years ago and after my experience I will never trust that brand again.
It toasted my computer and a digital clock ran fast by 12 minutes/day while plugged into it. I couldn't get any help with it from the manufacturer but at least the vendor eventually let me exchange it for an APC unit of the same capacity.
It was the first and last non-APC UPS I will ever buy.
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ballsystemlord - Friday, October 28, 2022 - link
Well, I don't think that should be called a sine wave -- modified or not.DanNeely - Friday, October 28, 2022 - link
It's an industry term of art, it means "less awful than a pure square wave"; and while it doesn't have to be as bad is this one is generally translates to square wave with a degree of slope (from capacitor discharge?).jeromec - Friday, October 28, 2022 - link
I just purchased an even cheaper, LCDless CyberPower UPS (UT850EG-FR).A few remarks:
- it is natively recognized by macOS without installing CyberPower's software,
- the CyberPower software has a Mac version, that works on Ventura,
- the CyberPower software is not signed and insists on launching the app (and not only the daemon) at system start - it allows to setup "advanced" options such as muting alarms - I uninstalled it after setting them.
Samus - Friday, October 28, 2022 - link
APC in my opinion has superior UPS software to Cyber Power and Tripp Lite, though APC does not have a native MacOS version. However, much like Tripp Lite, you can use the native MacOS shutdown feature with any UPS. Simply configure the OS to shutdown or sleep when battery power reaches a set %. I usually set it to 50%However, Cyber Power in my opinion makes substantially better UPS's than Tripp Lite at the consumer end. Since Schneider bought APC a decade ago, I've noticed all the models since float charge the batteries too high. This shortens their life. A lot. I'd research it because while it seemed the situation was being rectified years ago, it wasn't, and their UPS's still do it. My Back-UPS XS 1000 float charges the lead-acid battery to 13.6v. Sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries can NOT be charged beyond 12V. They can't vent. This causes them to eventually swell and fail. They don't typically explode as they are low-density power and valve regulated (so when the valve pops - like a fuse, the battery internally cuts off input\output.)
I can't tell you how many APC Back-UPS products I've had to pry swollen SLA's out of to replace. Literally with a crow bar. Sometimes the case is even permanently deformed.
When you start spending $1000 for production units, or even $300-$500 for rack mount models, Cyber Power starts to lose some points compared to some APC products and many Tripp Lite products, but they are still overall competitive and I've rarely ever had a problem with them.
If I had a complaint about Cyber Power, it would be they are noisy. The coil whine from the charging\standby circuit is often noticeable in a quiet space. Their older products were not like this but all their new stuff has a buzz, hum, or occasional random noises.
Threska - Friday, October 28, 2022 - link
UPSs can be a mixed bag much like hard drives. Have an APC going strong for years. Another two of their backup variety down for the count. Also have a cyberpower that died.fmyhr - Monday, October 31, 2022 - link
I switched from APC to Eaton UPS for this very reason. Batteries last much longer. And very well supported in Linux. (I can't speak to MacOS support.)pjcamp - Friday, October 28, 2022 - link
In my experience, switching UPS's do not work. My neighborhood has a ton of momentary outages due to a large number of trees. I've spent a few thousand dollars total on various brand UPS's and have yet to find one that can deal with these. They just don't switch fast enough. I pulled the plug from the wall and by the time it switched (and I believe it was a Cyberpower), my computer was off. In fact, when I just stopped using them altogether, my computer on its own was able to ride out the momentary outages so in fact a switching UPS was worse than useless.Threska - Friday, October 28, 2022 - link
One could always get a delta-conversion online UPS.https://www.thomasnet.com/articles/electrical-powe...
Samus - Saturday, October 29, 2022 - link
That's very odd because the inherent design of a UPS is the load runs off the power conversion circuit regardless of live AC or not. When the power goes out, there should be no interruption because the load was already running off the battery before the power outage.Hence "uninterruptible." There should be no switch-over delay.
jeromec - Sunday, October 30, 2022 - link
There are 3 types of UPS:- online, in which the battery is always on - when AC power is available, a double conversion (AC to DC to AC) s performed,
- offline, where the battery is offline while AC power is available,
- online interactive, where the inverter is on while AC power is available.
For offline and online interactive types, there is a short amount of time required for switching, typically a few ms. This power break is absorbed by the devices behind the UPS.
jeromec - Sunday, October 30, 2022 - link
The 3rd type is "line interactive" , not "online interactive".ballsystemlord - Saturday, October 29, 2022 - link
I suspect the problem lies with your PC's PSU. It probably has undersized capacitors which cannot power it for the duration of the switching time.PeachNCream - Thursday, November 3, 2022 - link
Your neighbor needs a laptop or a phone with an internal battery if power interruptions are actually as much of a problem as you imply. That's assuming said person doesn't aleady own one or more battery supported devices which I suspect is already the case so this is likely a non-issue outside of a hiccup when playing a video game.webdoctors - Tuesday, November 15, 2022 - link
I've done the same test as you and it's worked fine for my desktop. You might have a defective one? I've owned many Cyberpower products, including one similar to this one. My biggest issue is the batteries don't last long, you end up replacing them after 1.5-2 years, gets expensive when you have ~5 UPS in the house.Scipio Africanus - Tuesday, November 1, 2022 - link
FYI, this is a line interactive UPS not a standby type. The "big transformer" is a multi tap autoformer for voltage regulation.cjcoats - Wednesday, November 2, 2022 - link
Interaction with backup generators ??With most UPS systems, there is a deal-breaker interaction with backup generators:
Power off.
Generator comes on.
Loop:
UPS switches (near-instantaneously) to line-current
UPS-mediated load drops line-voltage below UPS line-voltage threshold
UPS switches (near-instantaneously) to battery
Line voltage goes back up to "normal"
This loop can easily be avoided if the UPS manufacturer ramps up the transition to line-current slowly (e.g., over a 10-second period).
What does this UPS do?
PeachNCream - Thursday, November 3, 2022 - link
Unlikely that any generator awareness exists because of how few residential and small offfices have sufficient resources or interest in a generator backup.philehidiot - Monday, November 7, 2022 - link
That explains some very weird behaviour I saw from a UPS in a hospital. I thought it was fried.shadowjk - Friday, November 4, 2022 - link
I'd be very surprised if modified sine inverters with more than 3 steps exist. Double the cost of more for little benefit.artifex - Friday, November 4, 2022 - link
"However, its AC output while running on batteries is very poor and will greatly stress modern electronics, generating harmful harmonics in the process."Confused as to why the title says it's a "solid" product.
shadowjk - Thursday, November 10, 2022 - link
I guess we'll have to wait for a review of a very terrible UPS to see what bad looks like. :)RobStow - Sunday, November 20, 2022 - link
I had a 1500 VA CyberPower UPS a couple of years ago and after my experience I will never trust that brand again.It toasted my computer and a digital clock ran fast by 12 minutes/day while plugged into it. I couldn't get any help with it from the manufacturer but at least the vendor eventually let me exchange it for an APC unit of the same capacity.
It was the first and last non-APC UPS I will ever buy.