In our last post, we discussed the basic definition of what is an uninterruptible power supply. This post, we’ll go through the main types of uninterruptible power supplies on the market.
There are three main types of Uninterruptible Power Supply units on the market. Thee three types are:
1. Offline / Standby
2. Line-interactive
3. Double Conversion / Online
A basic explanation of the three types:
1. Offline / Standby
The most basic available
Provides battery backup and basic surge protection only
A power bar with a battery
Equipment is directly connected to utility power. The UPS functions as a surge protector, power bar
When the power fails, the UPS transfers the equipment to the battery. Takes up to milliseconds
Most of the time with general equipment, the switch will not be noticed
The offline / standby unit, is the entry level power backup
Join us as we discuss the basics of power back ups over the next few posts. We’re going to keep these posts short and simple. Please leave questions in the comments.
What is an Uninterruptible Power Supply?
An uninterruptible power supply, also known as a UPS, battery backup or power back up is a device that provides power to attached equipment when the utility power goes out. The main idea of a UPS is to provide instant power without interruption to the attached devices. That way, the computer or server attached will not lose power but will continue running uninterrupted.
Common Names for Uninterruptible Power Supplies:
- Uninterruptible Power Supply
- Uninterrupted Power Supply
- Battery Backup
- Power Backup
- UPS Backup
- UPS
All of the above terminology basically means the same thing. So if you want be part of the cool club, call it a “UPS”. How do you pronounce that? That’s a great question, it’s pronounced like the shipping company, “UPS”. It’s not pronounced like the “UPS” in the diapers “Pull Ups”.
What are Uninterruptible Power Supplies used for?
- Computers
- Servers
- Data centers
- Telecom equipment (voip, pbx, phone system)
- Medical Equipment
- POS Equipment (cash registers, debit machines)
- ATM, ABM
and every other piece of equipment that can be harmed or cause harm by suddenly losing power. You might not have noticed them before, but they’re pretty much everywhere. Your local bank has them, the grocery store and your internet service provider.
In the next few posts, we are going to discuss:
Different types of UPSs
Main Features
Power Problems
If you have any questions please post them in the comments or post them up on our Q&A Site
