Power Problems and UPS Solutions

Power Problem Definition Visual Cause Effect UPS Solution

Power Surges Voltage Above 110% Heavy electrical Memory loss, data Standby
of rated RMS voltage equipment being errors, flickering Line
(range of usable turned off. lights, equipment Interactive
voltage) for one or shutoff. On-line
more cycles.

Power Sags Voltage below 80% to Heavy equipment Memory loss, data Standby
85% of rated RMS being turned on, errors, flickering Line
voltage for one or starting large lights, equipment Interactive
more cycles. electrical motors, shutoff. On-line
switching power
mains (internal or
utility).

Power Failure A zero-voltage Circuit breaker File corruption, Standby

condition lasting for tripped, power hardware damage, Line
more than two cycles. distribution failure, data loss and Interactive
utility power failure. corruption. On-line

Brownout A steady state of Heavy equipment Premature hardware

RMS voltage under being turned on, failure, data loss Line
nominal by a relatively starting large and corruption. Interactive
constant percentage. electrical motors, On-line
switching power
mains (internal or
utility) over loaded
circuit breakers.

Electrical Line Noise Radio Frequency Electrical motors, Data errors, data
Interference (RFI) and relays, motor control loss, keyboard lock- Line
Electromagnetic devices, broadcast up, storage loss, Interactive
Interference (EMI) transmissions, system lock up. On-line
and other frequency microwave radiation,
causes. distant electrical
storms.

High Voltage Spikes Rapid voltage peak
up to 6,000 volts with
a duration of 100mS
to cycle.
Lightning strikes, Memory loss, data
switching error, data loss, On-line
operations, arcing components stress.
faults, static
discharge.

Frequency Variation A change in Erratic operation of Disk crash,

frequency of more emergency power keyboard lockup, On-line
than 3 Hz. generators, unstable program failures,
frequency power data corruption.
sources.

Switching Transients Rapid voltage peak Lightning strikes, Memory loss, data
up to 20,000 volts switching error, data loss, On-line
with a duration of operations, arcing components stress.
10mS to 100mS. faults, static
discharge.

Harmonic Distortion Radio Frequency Electrical motors, Data errors, data

Interference (RFI) and
Electromagnetic
Interference (EMI)
and other frequency
causes.
relays, motor control loss, keyboard lock- On-line
devices, broadcast up, storage loss,
transmissions, system lock up.
microwave radiation,
distant electrical
storms.
Uninterruptible Power Systems (UPS) Technology

Which UPS Is Right For My Systems?

You can choose from a variety of power protection devices to shield critical data and equipment from power
problems.
The most sophisticated of these devices are Uninterruptible Power System (UPS). There are three types of UPS: Standby
or Off-line, Line-interactive and On-line. To choose the UPS that is right for you, first determine the level of power
protection that you need. Then match those needs to the appropriate UPS.

Standby UPS Technology Line-interactive UPS Technology On-line UPS Technology

Standby Power Systems or Off-line
UPS offer a low price solution to
environments that require minimal
power protection. Utility power is
provided during normal operation.
Utility voltage and frequency
changes are not regulated by the
standby UPS, and pass through to
your equipment.
When voltage or frequency
changes become severe, the
standby UPS inverter converts DC
battery power to AC power to run
your system.
Standby UPS, provides that
minimum protection required by
your electronic system.
Line-interactive UPS provide basic
power protection at mid-range
prices. This design offers low-grade
voltage regulation by bumping the
utility voltage up or down before
passing it through to your electronic
system. During the UPS voltage
changes, the line interactive UPS
uses the battery for regulation.
Although line-interactive UPS
provide more regulation than
standby, battery life is often
sacrificed. The number of transfers
to and from battery by the line-
interactive design exceeds that of
the on-line design by as much as
10 to 1 during brownouts, spikes
and surges.
Line-interactive designs, offer
more protection than a standby
UPS at a competitive price.
On-line UPS are ideally suited for
your critical equipment. Devices
that are particularly sensitive to
power fluctuations also need the
added protection and reliability of
on-line design. On-line UPS protect
against all types of power problems
and continuously use the inverter to
create 100% new, clean, regulated
AC power for your systems.
Brownouts, spikes, and surges are
isolated from your equipment by the
on-line double conversion design.
Battery conservation is an
essential factor in your decision to
purchase an on-line UPS. On-line
designs, use the battery less than
any other UPS technology,
increasing the life of your UPS.