https://www.staples.com/apc-back-...t_24645593
APC UPS Model #: BN600U1 on sale for $60 (25% off), regular price $80. There is a $15 off $60 coupon that you can use for signing up for their mailing list, or a $10 of $50 coupon that they also emailed me after signing up. You will have to find a cheap filler for the $15 off coupon (pens, tape, notebooks, etc). This can bring the cost down to $45 or $50 with free shipping.
As for the UPS, it will be good for low powered devices. I got it for my NAS as it also has a data port in the back. Should also be good for routers, modems, and maybe TVs, etc.
Spec wise, this model # BN600U1 is nearly identical to the more common BE600M1 ($84) aside from a miniscule amperage difference (5A vs 5.42 A on this model on sale). I contacted APC, and they told me the only real difference is BN600U1 is for the retail market, while the BE model is used on their website and for larger production.
EDIT -
This is an FYI for anyone receiving this unit - These devices, like many other APC UPS units come with a quality assurance testing sticker from the factory. It does not mean that the unit is used or refurbished. This has been the standard practice for all units for years.
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I ordered 2. When I got the first one, I thought it was used as well. After doing some research on it, it seems that it is standard for APC to include the quality assurance label on a new UPS. If anyone else has purchased APC items before, does that sound right?
My second unit also has the same thing - QA sticker and taped twice. I assume APC is just testing these units in the factory before deploying them out in the wild. I doubt Staples is hoarding and shipping everyone used/refurbished units. Just wanted to confirm with everyone else.
This is just to make everyone else aware in case it's people from SD posting those reviews and returning their items.
The batteries in both of mine were partially disconnected, so it's strange that yours was connected.
Also, I see no point to buy another UPS unit when I have many unused ones I can put a $20 battery in and get another 12-16 months. Obviously you only need 1 UPS per computer.
From the earlier discussion about what happens if you're playing a game and drawing more power than the UPS can supply when the power goes out, does anyone know what the PC hardware will do? It's such a quick event I don't think the software running under Windows has time to react and do any power management. Is the graphics card smart enough to back off its power usage which will mess up the game or will it cause an immediate reboot or BSOD?
As long as you're using under the UPS' capacity to supply amps, then this will work fine to keep the PC on longer. I've found "new" 7Ah or 9Ah batteries only provide a fraction of the supposed runtime due to losses and the batteries degrading over their short lifespan. There's a formula and a calculator page somewhere. Basically with a PC drawing 100-150W around idle, a "fresh" 7Ah or 9Ah battery will rarely give me more than 5-6 minutes of runtime before it's below 40% which is where I set Windows to start the shutdown which can take up to 30 seconds . The battery usage is usually very non-linear going down super quickly from 100% and then it slows in the middle range. Once it gets to the final 20-30% it seems to accelerate again toward 0%. A year old battery during an outage will give me 2-3 minutes instead of 5-6 before shutdown. Then one day the UPS will give me a solid beep or a self test will happen and the PC suddenly shutts off and I'll know it's time to change the battery. Sadly when Windows shows a 100% battery it means nothing because the battery uses most of its capacity over time even if the power doesn't go out. Clearly the original APC batteries are superior as they tend to last the full 3 years, but they are also 3-4x the cost of my cheap 12-16 month batteries.
One might think one could get solar with battery backup, but the systems I've looked into which claim fast switchover times still take a few seconds to switch which means you still have to have a UPS on every PC.
I don't have tools to measure the switchover time but will try to test this out with my Ecoflow River 2 Pro
Thanks OP
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