Why PSUs Fail

[sdmf74]

10% of total failures due to insects is a small number to you?

 

[bit_user]

Now I'm looking at $150+ UPS thats pure sine, downside is it only lasts for minutes at decent loads.

I like a CyberPower CP685AVR I got, a few years ago. It's pretty basic, but < $100 and the LCD is nice.

I use it for my router, cable modem, network switch, and a couple other things.

 

[Karadjgne]

Unfortunately, the CP685AVR isn't much different than any of the other cheaper UPS. It uses a Simulated Sinewave, which my Minuteman also uses, which is basically a modified square wave. The AVR part is nothing more than a line voltage regulator, great for when the pc is on mains, but useless on battery.

http://www.minutemanups.com/support/pwr_un10.php

Active PFC is gaining huge momentum in the better quality psus, unfortunately the UPS industry is capitalizing on that and charging prices through the roof in order to get a UPS that will work with Active PFC psus. As is, it's end user ignorance, again, there's a lot of ppl who spend good money to protect the psu, and come up short having bought square wave or simulated sinewave UPS that do absolutely nothing when the power goes out.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

10% of total failures due to insects is a small number to you?

It's smaller than the others... Also, I recognize your profile picture, 1919 Eternal, great album! Probably my favorite of theirs.

 

[bit_user]

Unfortunately, the CP685AVR isn't much different than any of the other cheaper UPS.

Okay, my bad. I thought I remembered it being Active PFC-compatible. I can't find anything to support that, however. Not even the LCD version that I have.

I don't use it for PCs, at least. So, maybe I did know that it wasn't, at one point in time.

 

[Karadjgne]

No worries. It's mostly misleading PR and other junk on labels to make things sound way better than they really are. I've installed many an AVR on the house mains, that also happens to serve as a lightning arrestor. They do work very well at cleaning up and regulating voltages, but that's not a huge selling point. Protecting the big-screen from a lightning strike is a whole different thing. (in Florida it'll literally be a lightning storm on one side of the street and bright sunshine on the other).
Just like regulating voltages to prevent psu damage from under/over voltages and surge protections is probably what got your vote back then.