Uninterrupted Power Supply made Easy

By Sascha Schmidt-Ries, Product Manager

Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) solutions offer stable power to South African businesses and individuals who are dealing with an unreliable power supply.

Unfortunately, load shedding is here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future, and the effects on businesses have been horrendous. Many have had to close their doors, and those that are limping on, are having to deal with lost productivity and revenue.

Exacerbating the problem is that many companies are having to cope with damage to their equipment caused by surges that are inevitable when the power is switched on and off on a regular basis.

Covered in this article

Ensuring a constant supply
Easy UPS
Under the hood
Management protection
Sustainable and safe
A solution for every need

Ensuring a constant supply

This is why all forward-thinking organisations and homes are turning to UPS’s to ensure a smooth switchover to another power source, or just to have the time to power off to save devices and data.

This is because when power is interrupted or fluctuates outside of levels that are safe, a UPS solution will immediately provide clean battery backup power for any sensitive equipment that is plugged in.

Easy UPS

Easy UPS by APC offers a range of solutions to meet the needs of every business. They help to solve a range of pain points, including:

• Poor and unreliable power conditions, which are solved by the cleanest power via double conversion online, as well as an additional power factor at, or above, the industry standard.
• Fluctuations in power that put equipment at risk, are dealt with through its wide input voltage range.
• The inability of other solutions to view the UPS status or alter settings is addressed via an LCD display with adjustable settings and immediate status updates, as well as audible alarms which provide notification of changing utility power and UPS conditions. Serial connectivity is offered for the management of the UPS via serial port.
• Inefficiency is dealt with by using the ECO Mode, and the solutions will also rapidly recharge even in the event of frequent outages.
• Flexible form factor options ensure that a variety of installations is manageable.
• APC by Schneider Electric delivers the quality millions of IT professionals trust around the world, addressing the need for a trusted brand.
• Expensive concerns are addressed, as the Easy UPS range is highly price competitive for its category.

Under the hood

If we delve into the technical specs of the Easy UPS range as a whole, these solutions offer a high power factor, with more real output power in watts 0.8 Pf (1, 2, 3 kVA), Unity Pf (6,10 kVA).

Input power factor correction comes in at 0.95 under normal input and full load. This minimises installation costs by allowing the use of smaller generators and cabling. Similarly, it has a wide input voltage range, with a half load of 110-300VAC, which allows for unstable power environments.

The range also promises excellent power quality and performance, and through true double conversion promotes tight voltage and frequency regulation as well as zero transfer time for reactive loads such as machinery or lab equipment.

Management protection

In terms of Overvoltage Cut-off Device (OVCD) protection, under special application with high voltage conditions, will prevent the damage of UPS components, and extend the life of the solution.

When it comes to optional Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) network management, remote monitoring and control of the UPS and environment are managed via an Ethernet connection.

Next, intelligent battery management maximises battery performance, life, and reliability via intelligent precision temperature-compensated charging.

The range also has a built-in automatic and manual bypass, which ensures seamless power to the load even in the event of catastrophic UPS failure, and its power conditioning protects connected loads from surges, spikes, and other disturbances in power.

Flash upgradeable firmware allows for field updates of firmware via communication ports, either USB or RS232, and the LCD/LED display boasts an intuitive interface that offers detailed and accurate information with the ability to configure locally.

Sustainable and safe

Environmentally robust due to conformal coating, and its ECO or Green mode facilitate energy saving that enables the input voltage regulation range to be set and modified through the LCD display.

In addition, the range is generator compatible, which ensures clean, uninterrupted power to the loads should a prolonged power outage occur.

Importantly, the range is safety agency approved, which guarantees the solutions have been tested and approved to work safely with the connected service provider’s equipment and within the specified environment, such as lightning, and other power disturbances.

A solution for every need

For IT professionals in small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), Easy UPS Online offers basic power protection in unstable power conditions, making sure the business has consistent and reliable connectivity when it needs it the most.

Another part of the range, the APC Easy UPS 1 Ph Line Interactive with Sinewave is also a versatile UPS that was designed to manage a wide voltage range, and inconsistent power conditions with pure Sinewave output on battery backup power.

Finally, the APC Easy UPS 3 Series is an easy-to-install, easy-to-connect, easy-to-use, and easy-to-service 10-200 kVA three-phase UPS, which is also perfect for SMBs, data centers, and other mission-critical applications.

Which solution is right for you? Contact us to find out.