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1. |
What
is an Uninterrupted power supply and its functions? |
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An
Uninterrupted power supply (UPS) is a system intended to solve
the mains disturbances and mains failure. The batteries attached
to the UPS enables the user to work during mains failure. This
is done by putting the UPS between the mains and your computer. |
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2. |
What
is the difference between the UPS catagories: OFF-LINE, LINE
INTERACTIVE, ON-LINE |
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Offline
UPS |
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The OFFLINE UPS supplies (or routes) the
incoming mains supply directly through to the output usually
through a relay contact. Some high frequency noise filtering
and surge suppression may be included in this path.The UPS
swiches on its inverter as soon as mains supply failure is
detected or below the normal load and simultaneously switches
the output relay to the inverter side to supply battery sourced
power to the load. This transition involves a delay on account
of the time to reliably detect mains failure and switch over
a relay, and the output is broken for this period (usually
for 2 to 12msec).
OFF - LINE UPS are usually the least exensive as compared
to the other two. |
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The
Block diagram of inverter section of Online ups is shown: |
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Line Interactive UPS |
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The true LINE INTERACTIVE design is in fact
a combination of OFFLINE & ONLINE, in which the inverter
plays a dual role of charging the battery when mains supply
is present as well as regulating the output voltage and working
as a normal inverter in absence of mains supply, so to the
user it appears like an ONLINE System. Line Interactive UPS
offers enhanced power protection over the basic Offline designs
by providing additional line conditioning.
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Online
UPS |
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An ONLINE UPS is the one in which the inverter
always supplies power to the protected load and hence the
same quality of power is ensured all the time. When mains
supply is present, the inverter derives its power from thee
mians supplied rectifier and the backup batteries are also
kept in charged state. When the mains fail, the source of
DC power for the inverter section shifts to the battery without
any break whatsoever in the output to the Inverter. It also
bears all the vagaries and noise borne out of the mains supply
and insulates the secure bus supply from it.
An ONLINE UPS is especially usefulll for sensitive and critical
equipments/devices. |
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3. |
Is
UPS system really necessary for my computer? |
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As an experienced & conscientious computer
user, you have faith in the dictum GIGO and you take precautions
to see that 'garbage' doesn't enter your system through software.
But there is one more source of garbage, of a more serious
nature, which is not normally taken care of. That is in the
form of garbage power input to the computer. It is more serious
because besides malfunctioning and operation problems it can
also cause permanent damage to your computer. |
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4. |
What
exactly is meant by 'garbage' power? |
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It
is common knowledge that there are fluctuations in utility supply
.For example, some times the utility voltage is as low as 170
to 160 volts and high as 280 to 300 volts. Besides this, there
are many more hidden culprits associated with utility lines
like sags and surges, oscillatory transients, EMI and RFI, brown
outs, or total loss of power.
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5. |
How
does all this apply to my computer? |
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The
equipment to which you are feeding this power is extremely sensitive
to the quality of power and is termed as critical equipment.
Imagine a sudden failure of computers during busy hours when
a critical operation is in progress. All this can occur due
to garbage power fed to such equipments. The loss is invaluable
and you just cannot take any chances.
The above problem is of malfunctioning or operational nature.
These can be extremely frustrating, time consuming and expensive.
Besides, like all electronic circuits ,the computer circuits
can also undergo irreparable damage due to high voltage surges
and spikes, which can reach several kilovolts. |
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6. |
How
does an UPS eliminate these aberrations and give clean power? |
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The
important blocks in a UPS and their functions are listed below:
These shall be helpful in explaining the functioning of the
UPS. |
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1)
LINE FILTER : Eliminates line born noise and spikes. |
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2)
INVERTER : The smooth DC is inverted by two transistors
connected in push-pull configuration. The switching device (Transistor
OR IGBT or MOSFETS) is used and controlled by a sophisticated
control circuit.
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A
closed loop voltage feedback control is used to keep the output
voltage constant even under widely varying DC voltage conditions.
A proportional increase in the widths of the pulses causes an
increase in voltage and a proportional reduction in width decreases
the voltage. This means that the voltage control action is a
great advantage for taking care of dynamic loading conditions
in a computer like switching on and off of disk and tape drives
as well as movement of the accessing head. A current feedback
protects the inverter even from short circuit by turning off
the control pulses going to the transistor / IGBT/ MOSFET base.
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3)
OUTPUT FILTER : The output filter converts the inverter
output to a smooth AC with very low distortion. The nature of
the filter is such that it can deliver inrush and surge currents
demanded during switching on of computer loads.
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7. |
Is
computers type of load some special category of load?
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Most
certainly. A number of devices in various computer installations
are studied, information is collected from device manufacturers
and after taking all this into account the system is designed.
JET-Electro has been doing this work in close co-operation with
experienced people from computer application and computer maintenance
fields. Therefore JET-Electro is in a position to offer its
users a unique advantage over others. |
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8. |
How
do I size my requirement ? |
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There
are three ways in which we approach this.
Check the plate at the back of the equipment near the mains
onlet. It will usually give a figure in watts(w) or Amps(A).
If in Amps, multiply the line voltage by the figure given to
arrive at a VA (Volt-Amp) rating add 25% which is what UPS are
rated in.
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9. |
How
does one select the battery? |
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Battery selection depends upon the back up
time required which in turn depends upon the frequency of
power failure, average programme length and the presence of
other back up source like a diesel generator set. One thing
to remember is that the ampere hour ratings quoted by battery
manufacturers are on a ten hour discharge basis and normally
the back up time required will be much shorter; sufficient
either to finish an almost complete job or to take a systematic
shut down or to start the generator set. However, when the
battery is discharged in a shorter time a derating factor
has to be used which incidentally does not vary below 20 to
30 minutes. So approx half an one hour is a sensible back
up time to select. |
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10. |
How
long batteries last in a UPS? |
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Battery
life depends upon number of factors , viz.
- temperature
- number of discharges experienced
- number of deep discharges experienced
- specification of the batteries
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Battery life is halved for every 10 degrees
Centigrade temperature increase above it's specified operating
temperature (usually 25 degree Centigrade).
UPS batteries are designed for maximum life
in 'typical' use i.e. long periods of continous low charge
and occasional minor discharges.
At installation time, the battery is at 100
percent of rated capacity. Each discharge and subsequent recharge
reduces the relative capacity of the battery by a small percentage.The
length of the discharge cycle will determine the reduction
in battery capacity.
So-called deep discharges on a repeated basis will reduce
the life of the battery.
The loaf of "bread" analogy is
most often used to illustrate the relationship between cycling
and battery life. A loaf of bread can either be cut into many
thin slices or a few thicker slices. Similarly, a UPS battery
can provide power over a large number of short cycles, or
fewer cycles of long duration.
The IEEE defines "end of useful life"
for a UPS battery as being the point when it can no longer
supply 80 percent of its rated capacity in ampere-hours. The
realationship between amp-hours and load protection time is
not linear, a 20% reduction in capacity results in a much
greater reduction in protection time. For example, a UPS battery
that supports a full load for 15 minutes when new, will support
the same load for only about 8 minutes when it reaches its
defined "end of life".
When your battery reaches 80% of its rated
capacity, the aging process accelarates and this is the time
when the battery should be replaced.
No UPS battery will last forever - even one
that experiences minimal use.This is because UPS batteries
are electro-chemical devices whose ability to store and deliver
power slowly decreases over time.So, even if you follow all
the guidelines for proper storage temperature and maintenance,
you still must replace them after a certain period of time.
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11. |
One
of the batteries has failed in the UPS battery bank, is it alright
to replace just one battery? |
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If
the batteries are less than twelve months old then the failure
could be due to a manufacturing or material fault. In this instance
the failed battery can be replaced after confirmation by testing
the whole battery bank.
In general once the batteries are over twelve months old, the
failure is more likely to be due to age, environment or usage
and the whole bank should be replaced. Failure to replace the
whole bank could result in the new battery not being charged
properly and your load being at risk if any or all of the older
batteries fail. |
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12. |
How
do I maintain and service the batteries and the UPS? |
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Gradual
decrease in battery life can be periodically monitored and evaluated
by :
- Voltage checks
- Load testing
- Checking for proper battery connections
- Checking for battery water (in case of Automative batteries)
Without regular maintenance and service checks, your UPS battery
may experience:
- Heat-generating resistance at the terminals
- Improper loading
- Reduced protection
- Premature failure or reduced backup |
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13. |
How
long can I leave the UPS switched off without damaging the batteries
? |
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As long as the batteries are fully charged
when the unit is switched off they will not require charging
for three months.
Cold start feature of Power Pack Line Interactive
UPS isolates the batteries from the UPS circuit and thus the
UPS can be switched off for longer period (six months approx.)
without damaging the batteries.
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14. |
How
do I know what to buy ? |
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Following
parameters should be considered before buying
- Company reliability, experience, stability, customer service.
- Technology and features.
- Price and performance. |
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15. |
What
are the right steps to install Line- Interactive UPS? |
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Recharge the UPS for at least 8 hrs before
the first operation. Every UPS passes the quality examination
before it is shipped out of factory. These QC parameters consumes
the battery power of UPS. We strongly suggest users to recharge
the UPS before using it at every first time to make sure that
battery is in fully charged condition. |
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16. |
Which
technology does JET-Electro use? |
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Jet
Electro is using the PWM Technology.The term PWM as used by
us refers to pulse width modulation. |
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17. |
Does
JET-Electro form its own specifications? |
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No!
The specifications are formulated based on International market
requirement. |
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18. |
There
are other manufacturers of similar equipment. What is so special
about JET-Electro systems? |
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One is right when one says "similar". The
reason is that the equipment manufactured by JET-Electro uses
pulse width modulation technique with transistor/ IGBT/ MOSFET
as the basic inversion element.There is no chance of the fuse
blowing during sudden load application due to commutation
failure. That means less down time and assured power supply.
Due to PWM technique the size of the filter is also small
which further improves the dynamic behavior.
We guarantee an inversion efficiency of more than 90 - 92%
. High efficiency also results in smaller size. Our equipment
is the smallest for a given rating, it occupies minimum floor
space and can be installed very easily. A very generous design
imparts tremendous short term overload capacity to our equipment
which is essential to take care of large inrush and surge
currents demanded by computer devices. |
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19. |
For
a small company like JET-Electro, what is the delivery period? |
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JET-Electro is a company started by technocrats,
highly experienced in their respective fields, and works in
close co-operation and perfect technical rapport with other
allied small scale industries, run by people with expertise
in their own fields. We maintain adequate stocks, inventory
control and ensure that the delivery times are brought to
a minimum. JET-Electro has the shortest delivery periods. |
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20. |
How
cost effective is the investment in an UPS system? |
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It is really quite simple. If you consider
the average time lost & multiply it by the cost of computer
time which you already know you will arrive at the direct
loss. This, however, does not take into account indirect losses
like job scheduling, trouble shooting, as well as corruption
of files and damage to electronic circuits. If you take all
these into account , definitely a JET-Electro system will
pay for itself in less than one year. |
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