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220V to 110V voltage conversion, UPS, and power conditioning...

post #1 of 7
2/6/13 at 11:52am
Thread Starter 
Hello,

I'm new here. I'm not a home theater expert or power expert so I'm looking for advice on what to purchase to solve a problem I have.

I'm in Afghanistan and have an office setup with a MacBook Pro, Dell U2711 monitor, Epson WF3540 printer, Air Purifier, and few other things. Half of this stuff requires 110V power and my camp receives 220V power from diesel generators, so its definitely not the best power source. I have a Tacima 2000VA voltage converter supplying my 110V power. However, since moving to my new office, I've noticed some things.

For example, my Dell monitor button LCDs come on and off at random. When I plug my iPhone 5 into the USB port of the monitor, the touchscreen portion of the phone acts wonky, not always registering the touch input. I don't know if there is too much or too little power coming through, but I'm betting that its too little power, due to the gauge of electrical wire that was used in this new office.

I was thinking of buying an Uninterruptible Power Supply to correct the power voltage levels. However, years ago, I had an issue with using an 110V APC UPS plugged into a voltage converter (wouldn't turn on). I've been looking at the following options:

CyberPower Enterprise GreenPower UPS CP1500AVRT 1500VA 900Watt 4 x 5-15R Battery/Surge Protected 4 x 5-15R Surge Protected Outlets UPS

TRIPP LITE OMNI1500LCD 1500 VA 825 w 8 Outlets UPS

CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD PFC Compatible 1500VA 900W Pure Sine Wave Tower UPS

Does anyone have any input on whether there are issues with these types of UPS running when connected to voltage converters and not directly to a wall outlet? These are all 110V UPS and would fry if connected directly to the wall (which is 220V).


On another note, taking into consideration the following devices (the biggest power drawing devices):

Dell U2711 monitor
2009 MacBook Pro
Epson WF3540 All-in-One Printer

Is a 2000VA voltage converter overklll? Should I go smaller (1500VA or 1000VA)?

How can I do the math on these items so I can add up the power draw myself?

Thanks in advance.
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post #2 of 7
2/6/13 at 12:25pm
To start with your Macbook power brick probably supports 220v. Your monitor should also. Just look for a 110v-220v input range on the power brick or monitor chassis. Check this before you plug anything in.

Your printer you are stuck with 110v though.

That gets your problem devices off of 110v so don't worry about it too much after that.

Another option is that your camps electricians probably have a multimeter that they could check the output of the transformer(power converter).

Lastly, if you are drawing too much current for the power cables that are run then you are causing a fire hazard if it is not properly grounded and does not have a proper relay/fuse.

I had to do cleanup after a fire in Afghanistan, it isn't fun.
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post #3 of 7
2/6/13 at 12:32pm
So most of the things you listed should accept 240V input, so first I would move them off the voltage converter if you haven't already. I have a hard time believing all that stuff, in particular, the iPhone issue, is at all related to power. Modern switching power supplies are pretty resilient. I've got a transfer switch wired in my house and have a relatively low-grade generator (6000W Champion Power unit) that I imagine puts out worse power than you receive, and my computers have no issue on it.
The only other thing I could think of are either dryness affecting your touch screen on your phone, and maybe some weirdness not having the 3rd prong grounded.

Regarding the UPSes you mentioned, they are useless - they are nothing more than a surge suppressor when not operating on battery power. You would need an 'on line" UPS (which is always converting from AC to DC and back to AC) to do any good.
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post #4 of 7
2/6/13 at 12:33pm
Thread Starter 
The MacBook Pro and Dell monitor do run on 220V. I have a printer and wax warmer that run on 110V only.

The printer is rated to pull 100W during operations, the wax warmer 25W.

So perhaps I should instead look at getting a 220V UPS that can regulate the voltage and then a much smaller voltage converter that would only need to provide 110V power to the printer and wax warmer?
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post #5 of 7
2/6/13 at 12:33pm
Also your Tacima 2000VA looks like it's little more than a transformer in a metal box - you might get cleaner output by using a better unit that uses a switching power supply.
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post #6 of 7
2/6/13 at 12:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MopyMerc View Post

The MacBook Pro and Dell monitor do run on 220V. I have a printer and wax warmer that run on 110V only.

The printer is rated to pull 100W during operations, the wax warmer 25W.

So perhaps I should instead look at getting a 220V UPS that can regulate the voltage and then a much smaller voltage converter that would only need to provide 110V power to the printer and wax warmer?

The surge protectors that are sold in afghanistan normally don't have a proper ground cable. This could be the cause of your issues.

Both issues you mentioned had to do with your monitor... Maybe it is dieing? It is a dell...
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post #7 of 7
2/6/13 at 12:45pm
Thread Starter 
I appreciate your input on this. I think I'm going to sell the 2kVA transformer and just get a 220VA UPS, running the majority of my stuff off that, since most of my things are universal voltage. Only the printer and wax-warmer run on 110V only. I'll use a much smaller converter for just those two things.
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