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UNDERSTANDING UPS: For Effective Selling

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DQC News Bureau
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Like most IT products, UPS too, to a large extent, has

evolved into a volume business. The entry-level and mid-range UPSs are today

pushed by the channel in the SOHO and SME segment. While selling UPSs is a

profitable business, if partners have an in-depth idea about the technicalities

involved, selling would become that much easier.

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It is also advisable to be aware of the various power-related

problems and requirements. Because ultimately, this is what will determine the

type and rating of UPS that he/she will be able to sell.

WHY UPSs REQUIRED?



There are many types of disturbances in electricity, beside power cuts, that

may damage one’s computer equipments. These disturbances may be in the form of

surge, spike, sag, frequency variation, harmonic distortion or noise.

OFF-LINE
Off-Line

also called Standby, is a cost-effective choice for small, less

critical, stand-alone applications such as isolated PC’s and

peripherals. While they can be connected to a network,

communications is not usually a necessary component.
LINE

INTERACTIVE
Line-interactive

technology provides highly effective power conditioning plus UPS

back-up. This is particularly applicable in areas where power

outages are rare, but where there are frequent power fluctuations.

Network communications options are available.
ON-LINE
The

on-line alternative provides the highest levels of network power

protection, conditioning and UPS back-up available. But make sure is

true on-line technology... some manufacturers call their line

interactive models "on-line", an one on-line hybrid has an

off-line battery. Network communication are often necessary to

product mission-critical applications.
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While surge is a sudden increase in the main voltage which

usually lasts for 1/20th of a second, spikes are caused by lightening strikes,

or when utility power comes back after a failure.

A sag refers to a dip in the main voltage. If this sag lasts

for more than one minute its called a brownout. Brownouts occur when heavy

machineries are turned on.

Different countries have different standard mains frequency.

For India, it is fixed at 50 Hz. Any deviation from this frequency can cause

damage to computer equipments.

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The main voltage is in the form of a sinusoidal waveform.

When there are distortions in these waveforms it’s referred to as harmonic

distortion. And finally, there is noise which is often generated by normal

computer operation.

While it is essential to find out what kind of disturbances

affect one’s power circuitry, this information is also critical for

determining the kind of UPS required for corrective action. Since most UPS

ratings are in VA (which refers to the apparent power), you must know the actual

power consumed by your equipments before going in for a particular rating of

UPS.

This actual power when divided by power factor (a factor of

0.7 is considered to be good enough) gives the desired VA rating of UPS to be

installed. Simply put, apparent power (VA) = actual power (watts)/power factor.

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However, identifying the rating of the required UPS is not

the final answer. It is here that one must understand that there are three basic

UPS technologies: off-line, line-interactive and on-line.

SELLING THE RIGHT UPS



An off-line UPS, also referred to as a standby UPS, can prove to be an ideal

choice for environments which have less critical and stand-alone applications

like isolated PCs and peripherals. Though these UPSs can be connected to a

network, they usually do not have provisions for network communications.

Line-interactive technologies allow options of network communication.

A line-interactive UPS provides a highly effective power

conditioning in addition to a back-up. Different UPSs may offer a range of

back-up times. Such UPSs are useful in environments where instances of power

outages are few but power fluctuations are common.

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For environments requiring the highest level of network power

protection, conditioning and back-up, on-line technology is the best. On-line

UPSs also provide frequency regulation which is essential for use with back-up

generator systems.

ON-LINE OR OFF-LINE?



UPSs switch to battery to prevent glitches. It is also capable of protecting
machines from most power spikes by clamping down on excess voltage. This helps

take care of more than 90 percent of all power outages.

However, on the flip-side, off-line UPSs offer little

protection from sags and surges and nil protection from harmonic distortions and

frequency variations.

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A line-interactive UPS goes beyond offering mere battery

back-up to provide control over power fluctuations. The critical advantage of

line-interactive UPS is the voltage boost circuitry and the range of input

voltage that the unit accepts. An ideal line-interactive UPS is one which

provides boost to at least 25 percent below standard voltage before switching to

battery back-up.

The quality of power from an on-line UPS is better than

off-line and line-interactive type. While the latter two reduce the impact of

spikes, surges and sags by boosting power or switching to battery back-up, the

on-line completely regenerates the waveforms.

UPS and

network problem

Network Problems

Possible

Causes

Offline

UPS Protection
Line

Interactive UPS Protection
OnLine

UPS Protection
Network

hanging
Power

outage Power Interruption
80% 90% 100%
Harmonic

distortions Distortions that occur at multiples of  fundamental wave
0% 0% 100%
Hardware

damage (SMPS burnout, motherboard failure)
Voltage

surges Brief intense surges of voltages of 100% or more above normal.
50% 50% 100%
Modem

malfunction (reduced speed, frequent transfer to self check mode)
 
Frequency

variations Fluctuations in number of  cycles per second
0% 0% 100%
System

hanging, keyboard lockup, monitor malifunction
Voltage

sags and swells short term low and high voltage of the order of +10%
50% 100% 100%
Electrical

noise, unwanted electrical interferences
90% 95% 100%
Unintended

server shutdown on DG startup
  UPS

non-compatible with DG set
Non

Compatible
Non 



Compatible
Fully

Compatible
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In case of off-line and line-interactive, most of the power

fluctuations are left un-rectified. On-line UPSs also provide frequency

regulation and control harmonic distortions which are essential for use with

back-up generator systems.

The bottomline is, whatever be the technology, partners

should first understand the nature of power discrepancies, assess the consumer’s

power requirement and then accordingly suggest the kind of UPS with a rating

that best addresses the user’s needs.

GOLDIE in Mumbai

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