[gale1965]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeKustra I guess it depends on what you have and what you need. My latest is from Walmart: http://www.walmart.com/ip/CyberPower...p-UPS/10250450 The other 1500VA PowerPro1500E Minuteman has a fan that runs all the time. I also have APC BackUPS 1500VA (both old white and new black), two inverters (1500w and 2500w) and some smaller units. The new APC fan runs for 4 hours even if the power drops for 1 second. Do you expect to record during a power failure? Do you just want to just keep a powered off unit maintain it's schedule and time? You could probably upgrade to the 515H for what a good UPS will cost. But the UPS does other things, like power your router & cable/DSL modem, answering machine, TV, STB, and probably computer for a while.

thanks. That one is way out of my budget so I'll have to see what else they have. My local store doesn't seem to have any so I'll go to staples. I do have the 515 now. I've had it since January and this is the 2nd time this has happened. Not bad so far but we tend to get more of these mini outages in the winter than in the summer. I already have my computer and router hooked up to a ups but it isn't within reach of the dvd and I'm already using all of the plugs on it for my computer stuff. I don't want to record during a power failure (unless it just so happens something is set to record then) but mainly so that I don't have to do this soft reset again, if possible. I don't even know yet if it'll come out of this one or not. The last time I had to leave it unplugged for about 6 hours.


eta: this is the one that our computer is connected to: http://www.jr.com/apc/pe/AMN_BE550G/


We don't have costco or sam's here. Only walmart and staples. I live in a very rural area.

 

[jjeff]

Your linked APC would certainly work, the ~$30 I mentioned was only a 350 VA and I think I got it at Office Max. Again the current draw of the Maggy is quite low so most any UPS would work, it's just the larger ones will give you more recording time.

 

[gale1965]

Is it a problem to plug the UPS into a power strip? I am running out of outlets. Right now I have the tv, vcr, dvd and both directv boxes in one power strip. We have an antenna booster that is plugged directly into the wall. I don't think it'll reach the current power strips we are using. I'd rather not plug everything into the UPS or it won't last as long in an outage (although I do realize the dtv box has to be on it if it was in the middle of a recording).

 

[jjeff]

Personally I would plug the UPS(s) directly into the wall. If you like you could plug your power strips into the USP's surge or battery backup outlets. Of course don't overload the battery backup outlets, the surge outlets should be able to handle more current.

Again you could plug the USP into a power strip, it's just not the preferred way to do it.

 

[JoeKustra]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gale1965 Is it a problem to plug the UPS into a power strip? I am running out of outlets. Right now I have the tv, vcr, dvd and both directv boxes in one power strip. We have an antenna booster that is plugged directly into the wall. I don't think it'll reach the current power strips we are using. I'd rather not plug everything into the UPS or it won't last as long in an outage (although I do realize the dtv box has to be on it if it was in the middle of a recording).

My error. You already have a 515H. I thought they could run for hours without power. Color me confused.


My one UPS (in the basement) has a 50' 12 gauge cord hooked to a normal duplex outlet with two outlet (not surge) strips. I have watched TV without line power for 90 minutes in this configuration. An LED/LCD TV doesn't use much power. Normal viewing uses 400w due to my AVR and speakers.


But again, you said you have a 515H. It's supposed to keep its settings for hours.

 

[Ken.F]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeKustra But again, you said you have a 515H. It's supposed to keep its settings for hours.

It does unless you have a recording in progress when the power goes out. When that happened to me I had to do a soft reset.

 

[JoeKustra]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken.F It does unless you have a recording in progress when the power goes out. When that happened to me I had to do a soft reset.

That would hurt. I have already lost power twice during September, but only for 2 or 3 seconds. I like my current UPS but would not recommend it since there are no surge-only outlets and no add-on battery is supported. So it runs my computer, etc, and the new APC now takes the entertainment system load from the basement. It can make all the noise it wants down there.


I have more power failures per month than trafffic lights in my borough. I still haven't figured out why we even have traffic lights.

 

[gale1965]



Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeKustra /forum/post/20955242


My error. You already have a 515H. I thought they could run for hours without power. Color me confused.


My one UPS (in the basement) has a 50' 12 gauge cord hooked to a normal duplex outlet with two outlet (not surge) strips. I have watched TV without line power for 90 minutes in this configuration. An LED/LCD TV doesn't use much power. Normal viewing uses 400w due to my AVR and speakers.


But again, you said you have a 515H. It's supposed to keep its settings for hours.

I do but if I have to do the reset it loses all that. One some power blips, it didn't seem to affect it. During this one it *might* have been recording. I had it set to record from 8-9:30 am and my daughter (who was the only one up at the time) said she thinks the power didn't go out when she was up but she may have been mistaken. So there's a possibility it went out during the recording but not likely. The last time, which was in April, it was not recording at the time of the outage. But it wouldn't come back on when the power came on and I had to do a soft reset then too. A soft reset loses all the settings (but this time it didn't lose my channels-only the time and the stuff I had set to record).

 

[jam-h]



Quote:
Originally Posted by gale1965 /forum/post/20955194


Is it a problem to plug the UPS into a power strip? I am running out of outlets. Right now I have the tv, vcr, dvd and both directv boxes in one power strip.

Manufacturers usually prefer directly into the wall (see link below), but I do plug a UPS into a power strip when necessary.


But please never plug a surge suppressor strip INTO a UPS. All but the most expensive UPSs only roughly simulate a normal AC sine wave. Surge suppression circuitry will see "dirty" UPS supplied power as continual surges, etc., that in some amount of time fry the surge suppressor strip, or (according to some) worse. Personally, in such a case, for non-critical AV purposes I use a regular "power tap" type strip devoid of protective circuitry, but APC recommends a power distribution unit (PDU) after the UPS (and a wall outlet before the UPS...)
APC_LINK_using-surge-strips-with-apc

 

[profhat]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken.F /forum/post/20954224


Just a guess but after the soft reset your auto clock may have went back to the default "Auto" setting. It probably did a clock channel search and put some stations in your channel memory. I'd try setting the auto clock to off and do a auto channel preset with nothing connected to Antenna In.

Thanks, I'll check that ASAP.


Also, anybody know if a UPS will solve the frozen problem? Is this permanent?

 

[gale1965]



Quote:
Originally Posted by jam-h /forum/post/20956035


Manufacturers usually prefer directly into the wall (see link below), but I do plug a UPS into a power strip when necessary.


But please never plug a surge suppressor strip INTO a UPS. All but the most expensive UPSs only roughly simulate a normal AC sine wave. Surge suppression circuitry will see "dirty" UPS supplied power as continual surges, etc., that in some amount of time fry the surge suppressor strip, or (according to some) worse. Personally, in such a case, for non-critical AV purposes I use a regular "power tap" type strip devoid of protective circuitry, but APC recommends a power distribution unit (PDU) after the UPS (and a wall outlet before the UPS...)
APC_LINK_using-surge-strips-with-apc

Thank you. I got my UPS and plugged it into the wall, and there is a power strip there plugged into the wall as well (different outlet). My 515 is the ONLY thing plugged into the UPS right now. In the other power strip I have the tv, both directv boxes, vcr, and my external dvd recorder (which is used with my computer but happens to be closer to this outlet), plus an extension cord I use when I plug in the spare dvd player or my nook charger. I also found another thing plugged in and have no idea what it is for-it's a transformer kind of thing and has a weird plug in the other end, and no name on it so I took that out. But anyway, is that too much for the one power strip? If so there are 4 outlets that are not on the backup side of the UPS (they're just plain surge protected) and I could plug a couple of things into that.

 

[JoeKustra]



Quote:
Originally Posted by gale1965 /forum/post/20957062


Thank you. I got my UPS and plugged it into the wall, and there is a power strip there plugged into the wall as well (different outlet). My 515 is the ONLY thing plugged into the UPS right now. In the other power strip I have the tv, both directv boxes, vcr, and my external dvd recorder (which is used with my computer but happens to be closer to this outlet), plus an extension cord I use when I plug in the spare dvd player or my nook charger. I also found another thing plugged in and have no idea what it is for-it's a transformer kind of thing and has a weird plug in the other end, and no name on it so I took that out. But anyway, is that too much for the one power strip? If so there are 4 outlets that are not on the backup side of the UPS (they're just plain surge protected) and I could plug a couple of things into that.

If it was me, I would plug the TV, DVD player and VCR into the surge outlets. I would make the satellite boxes and everything else share a surge outlet via an outlet strip.


When you get time, you might want to test the configuration. That means pull the plug and see what happens. Or you can wait for the next power outage. Outlet strips may have their own circuit breaker. Or not.

 

[timtofly]



Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeKustra /forum/post/20955889


That would hurt. I have already lost power twice during September, but only for 2 or 3 seconds. I like my current UPS but would not recommend it since there are no surge-only outlets and no add-on battery is supported. So it runs my computer, etc, and the new APC now takes the entertainment system load from the basement. It can make all the noise it wants down there.


I have more power failures per month than trafffic lights in my borough. I still haven't figured out why we even have traffic lights.

They help keep the power outages regulated?

 

[JoeKustra]



Quote:
Originally Posted by timtofly /forum/post/20957463


They help keep the power outages regulated?

That's logical. Given a two lane intersection, 25mph limit, pedestrian crossings that are ignored, and only half the stop sign intersections are four-way, the lights must do something. I just haven't figured it out yet. Even the power failures are canned. I can check the outage on their web site and it's always two hours. Probably it takes them that long to drive to our substation and remove the fried squirrel.


Perhaps it's Karma for living 40 miles downwind from Three Mile Island.

 

[TBoneit]



Quote:
Originally Posted by gale1965 /forum/post/20955194


Is it a problem to plug the UPS into a power strip? I am running out of outlets. Right now I have the tv, vcr, dvd and both directv boxes in one power strip. We have an antenna booster that is plugged directly into the wall. I don't think it'll reach the current power strips we are using. I'd rather not plug everything into the UPS or it won't last as long in an outage (although I do realize the dtv box has to be on it if it was in the middle of a recording).

If you use the DTV box to supply video then yes it should be on the UPS. If you need to Antenna Booster to get a signal then it should be plugged in too.


I have my Satellite HD DVRs on a UPS. they do take a few minutes to boot properly after a power outage. I also need to get a UPS for one HDTV. After power comes back on it comes on tuned to a HD channel at high volume and needs a channels scan. Actually all it's settings have reverted back to default at that point and need to be set back to my preferences.

 

[JoeKustra]



Quote:
Originally Posted by TBoneit /forum/post/20957726


If you use the DTV box to supply video then yes it should be on the UPS. If you need to Antenna Booster to get a signal then it should be plugged in too.


I have my Satellite HD DVRs on a UPS. they do take a few minutes to boot properly after a power outage. I also need to get a UPS for one HDTV. After power comes back on it comes on tuned to a HD channel at high volume and needs a channels scan. Actually all it's settings have reverted back to default at that point and need to be set back to my preferences.

You bring up a good point. How much time will it take to get everything back the way it was, and what is that time worth? Some devices save data in flash RAM, some save data on the HDD. With the 2160A every second was important. With the 515H you get a larger window before a recovery is needed. When power comes back on and your item asks you for a language, you will really consider a UPS before the power fails again.

 

[dare2be]



Quote:
Originally Posted by jjeff /forum/post/20954714


Lots of people use a UPS on DVDRs, including the Magnavoxes. I'd be surprised of Wajo didn't have a section on UPSs in his compressive OP of this thread

Compressive? Comprehensive? Obsessive-compulsive???

I have an APC 650VA powering my computer, LCD monitor, DVDR3576, 20" CRT TV, router and cable modem. Even with all components on, the load on the UPS is just over 50%. It has worked well for me. I get about 12-15 minutes of backup time with the computer on, which gives me plenty of time for a graceful shutdown of all components. If I am away and the DVDR (and router and modem) is all that is drawing power during a recording, then I have plenty of backup power time for even an hour-long recording.

 

[jjeff]



Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeKustra /forum/post/20957447


When you get time, you might want to test the configuration. That means pull the plug and see what happens. Or you can wait for the next power outage. Outlet strips may have their own circuit breaker. Or not.

Actually "pulling the plug" on a UPS is a bad idea. When you do this you lose your connection to earth ground and create a possible shock hazard. The best way to test a UPS is to turn off the circuit breaker feeding your outlet(or unscrew the fuse). Another option I just thought of would be to have the USP fed through a switchable outlet strip(something I suggested against earlier). Turning off the power switch on such a strip doesn't break your ground connection, generally only the hot side of the outlet strip and possibly the neutral too.

 

[BuTal63]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken.F /forum/post/20955495


It does unless you have a recording in progress when the power goes out. When that happened to me I had to do a soft reset.

Better luck here.


While recording to HDD, power surged several times - abnormally bright lights and all, died, came back on and died again, then died completely for two hours. Very nasty for a power failure, even around here.


When power was restored, the 515 powered right back up (I had to turn it on) and went right back to recording as ordered. The clock didn't even lose a tick.

 

[MrNews]

I use an APC ES-550 in my bedroom set-up, with battery backup outlets feeding the STB, DVDR, and TV. Surge protector only outlets feed the additional DVD player and VCR. BrightHouse digital HD boxes do a complete re-boot if they lose power for more than one nanosecond, and the re-boot takes 10+ minutes. Major annoyance if you're watching TV, or recording directly from the STB. (The Mag 515 has its own 2+ hour battery backup for clock, but not for actual playback/recording.) And the TV backup is mainly for convenience, and to make sure it stays powered on during a direct-from-STB DVR recording (or I get the dreaded HDMI/HDCP error message). Surge protection alone is sufficient for DVD player and VCR, although a VCR power outage while playing could lead to a stuck tape (I've never actually had that happen...)


This is all necessary because Progress Energy's power supply has the reliability of a self-absorbed teenager, and we experience anywhere from 3-10 mini-outages every single day. And the utility rates just keep on climbin' up and up and up...


I have a similar UPS configuration for my living room set-up, and a third for my computer/modem/router/monitors/scanners/printers in my home office. EVERYTHING runs a whole lot smoother via UPS. It makes no sense NOT to use a good quality UPS on one's important/critical electronic gear.