CyberPower CP850AVRLCD 9-Outlet 850VA/510W AVR Mini Tower UPS $70 + Free Shipping (expired)

Has anyone been able to connect a car battery to extend the run times?

Looks like a great deal. Thanks OP. Selling for $90 on Amazon [amazon.com]with good reviews.

I've never used one of these before (a UPS)... On average how long would this last for my home computer/printer etc.?

TIA

Quote from gabe23111 : I've never used one of these before (a UPS)... On average how long would this last for my home computer/printer etc.? TIA

no way to know unless you specify how many watts your devices are using that you plan on connecting to this.

Quote from blueiedgod : Has anyone been able to connect a car battery to extend the run times?

You can do this with any UPS, however the "plastic" ones aren't meant to run for extended times. However the older and more expensive METAL models are meant to have extended runtimes and have beefier components in them.

Also some UPS's are 12V, some are 24V, and some are 48V.

Thanks, OP! Timing on this post showing up this morning was perfect as my current APC backup just went bad last night. So I just got two of these CyberPower units; one to use right away, and one to stash in the closet for later use.

Quote from rbreding : no way to know unless you specify how many watts your devices are using that you plan on connecting to this.

Nothing to heavy... Just my XPS 8000 (I think 550W PS), a couple printers, and my router.

I should have been more clear... When I asked how long it would last I was referring to when it is on standby - not while I'm having a power outage.

I thought you have to replace these every year or so?

Quote from gabe23111 : Looks like a great deal. Thanks OP. Selling for $90 on Amazon [amazon.com]with good reviews. I've never used one of these before (a UPS)... On average how long would this last for my home computer/printer etc.? TIA

Hi Gabe,

Generally the run time is only minutes (10-15 based on load?) -- but that will save you from all the brown outs and short interrupts that are most common. It will also give you time to save everything that you have open and quit in the event of a longer outage.

You wouldn't want to put your printers on the battery backup (you can always print later) but you need your computer, and your monitor (so you can see). You probably also want to put your cable modem and router on the backup so that little spikes don't force you to reset them when they occur...

The batteries do degrade over time but they should be good for many years... (like a car battery).

I also have a little backup for my DVR -- and also put my TV on it for the few second outages that we get all too frequently...

Thanks for your posts, and help in another thread!

~Paul

Thanks OP.. In for 1..

Quote from ph123 : Hi Gabe, Generally the run time is only minutes (10-15 based on load?) -- but that will save you from all the brown outs and short interrupts that are most common. It will also give you time to save everything that you have open and quit in the event of a longer outage. You wouldn't want to put your printers on the battery backup (you can always print later) but you need your computer, and your monitor (so you can see). You probably also want to put your cable modem and router on the backup so that little spikes don't force you to reset them when they occur... The batteries do degrade over time but they should be good for years... (like a car battery) Thanks for your posts, and help in another thread! ~Paul

I have a 1500VA which keeps my computer with 2 monitors up for about 30 minutes, if monitors are off, I get about 45 minutes (for example if you have a server you are worried about). This is about half the size, so about 15-25 minutes is about right depending on what you keep turned on.

You're printer hopefully won't use too much unless you decide to wait for a power outage to print out a 1000 page document.

Thanks OP. Repped.

General advice, these use SLA (lead acid) batteries and if you let your UPS run down to zero, you will have severely shortened the battery life. This process is called sulfation and it is like plague on the conductor plates within the sealed battery.

Thus, to keep having to change batteries every year, my policy is to start shutdown at half drain.

Quote from gabe23111 : I should have been more clear... When I asked how long it would last I was referring to when it is on standby - not while I'm having a power outage. I thought you have to replace these every year or so?

Battery life depends on usage. Batteries usually will last 2 or 3 years.

EDIT: heat is also also a killer for SLA batteries. No fan in the ups will decrease lifespan.

Thanks OP - ordered one

Thanks for the help everyone! Ordered one

FYI - I just got an email from OD... receive a $15 OD gift card for spending $100 using code : 89982703.

Don't purchase from OD much so I have no idea if you can stack coupons. If you can it may be worth adding $30 worth of stuff to get the $15 gift card.

Also got a $20 off of $100 code - 43075877

Thanks OP. got one too using a giftcard w/ leftovers. was hoping there would be a deal on the 1500VA (CP1500AVRLCD) version but this will do for now.