Hi all,

 

I'm moving my flight  sim system (custom-built PC, 3 monitors, numerous Saitek peripherals) to a new apartment. I was thinking of getting an Uninterrupted Power Supply so I would have time to shut the system down if we lost power. I didn't want a power loss to damage the system or cause data corruption. I'd only be looking for 10 minutes of run time, tops. I just need enough time to shut the system down in case of power loss.

 

The problem I'm running into is that I don't know what size UPS I need. I know there are UPS calculators to estimage your PC power consuption, but I don't know how to account for the power consuption of all of my Saitek equipment. I was hoping someone here could point me in the right direction or recommend what UPS they use for their flight sim systems.

 

As always, I sincerely appreciate your help and feedback!

Only when I fly a UPS livery on a cargo flight

Check out www.apcc.com  http://www.apc.com/tools/ups_selector/US/en/home/device

 

They have an online calculator. at work we only sell and use their units. They are on the higher price end but bulletproof over a long period of time.

 

I have 2, one on my server and one on my desktop system.

I have 3 systems and all three have their own UPS.  Typically I plug the monitor, PC, external backup drive and the cable modem into the UPS and don't worry about the speakers. All three are Cyberpower 1350 units and all three have served me well, especially during those nasty thunderstorms, they give me plenty of time to do orderly shutdown.

I have implemented a UPS for over 20 years and by no means is use specific to flight simulation. Its just a system no-brainer in general. I have my cable modem, wireless router, CPU, monitor, and landline telephone (base) all connected and can get 20 minutes from all of that. Then I also have a 6,500 watt Honda generator that through a no-backfeed switch connects to my home's circuit breaker box. I turn off all my home's circuit breakers, throw the no-backfeed switch, plug in the feed from the generator, start it up, and then selectively choose on my home's circuit breaker box what I want to have powered, and what I can go without, until the power outage is over.

I Sim on a laptop, with a whole lot of periphreals: 1 Keyboard and 1 joystick...I know,  LOT of stuff, buuuut... :lol:

Since laptops are always running off their batteries anyway and those are being charged, no loss there. Pretty much how the basic UPS works. We do have our desktop comp in my wife's office on the biggest UPS we could afford for it, and it's never let us down. We also have the router, modem, and printer setups, colocated with the desktop on their own UPS. Extremely good things to have, UPS...

When I worked on an Aerostat site (Google USAF Aerostat   ) we had two separate UPS systems, each one consisting of a large floor to ceiling cabinet to control things, and 2 battery banks of 34 batteries each. Automotive type batteries...we could run the entire site for 2 hours! Of course, we also had 2 generators, 250kw each, either one would run the site at a total of about 50% useage. The only times we used the UPS was during the wait for the generator to come on automatically. Darn handy system, I thought.

I have the exact same setup of 6500W generator, plug-in, and no-backfeed switch that fppilot has. I thought no one else had it in the world! Works great, especially if/when the ice in the winter brings down the power lines. Happens every year, and I sure feel for hte poor linesman that have to fix them...I keep enough gas for the generator on-hand for over a week of use. Can't be too carefull! It gets COLD here! Great for the computers, not so much for ME!

Anyway, I would get the biggest longest lasting UPS you can afford, and I betcha it will be plenty enough for all your needs. Really, when you think about it, all you need is anough for the computer, mouse, and Keyboard. This will let you shut down. All the Saitek peripherals and so on aren't needed, and LED/LCD monitors these days use very little power, so what runs the comp will handle those as well...

Long-winded as usual, but that's me...

Pat☺

You posted this a while ago it must have got buried...

 

I used to use a ups, see my reply here

 

http://forum.avsim.net/topic/448638-purchasing-a-ups-for-my-flight-sim-setup/

You posted this a while ago it must have got buried...

 

I used to use a ups, see my reply here

 

http://forum.avsim.net/topic/448638-purchasing-a-ups-for-my-flight-sim-setup/

 

Sorry about that! I'm on a few different flight sim forums and sometimes forget where I post certain questions.

 

I appreciate everyone's recommendations. I'm going to have to go through and read about them to figure out the best one for me.

 

Is there any way to calcuate the power usage of the Saitek peripherals that are plugged into my PC?

Honestly a good investment is Kill-A-Watt , it will tell you a lot of electrical info about your devices...

 

In addition to measuring my pc's consumption I ran it on my chest freezer this summer to help with a leaky gasket detection... It will show W A kWh V etc

 

Probably 20-30 bucks on amazon

You posted this a while ago it must have got buried...

 

I used to use a ups, see my reply here

 

http://forum.avsim.net/topic/448638-purchasing-a-ups-for-my-flight-sim-setup/

 

Just for my own understanding - the UPS (linked here) in your previous post would be able to handle my system? Because my power supply is 850W, I would need something that provides more than 850 watts in battery power?

 

EDIT:

Would this one work for a 750W PSU? This was recommended by a friend at work: http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-SMART1300LCDT-1300VA-Battery/dp/B00AX9Z7W4/ref=sr_1_156?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1373846832&sr=1-156&keywords=tripp+lite

I'd go with the 1500VA version, here's the math:

 

http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/ups-required-to-power-850w-system.169896/

 

Actually I suck at math, the 1300va should be fine... Except that Tripp lite is not pure sine wave from how I read that link... So that's a factor if you buy into it

I'd go with the 1500VA version, here's the math:

 

http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/ups-required-to-power-850w-system.169896/

 

Actually I suck at math, the 1300va should be fine... Except that Tripp lite is not pure sine wave from how I read that link... So that's a factor if you buy into it

 

Ok so maybe I'll go with the CyberPower CP1350PFCLCD PFC Sinewave UPS 1350VA 810W PFC Compatible Mini-Tower you linked in your other post.

With a 750w PSU that should be ok.... Typically though you won't get 10 min run time, more like 2-4 min for a high end FSX rig... Something to note

You are wise to invest in a UPS. The only other thing I think is as/more important is a good disk imaging program and an external hard drive.

 

Most UPS units come with software which, when switching to battery power will put the computer into hibernation after an interval selected by the user. That takes care of your data.

 

You don't need UPS that exactly matches your power supply wattage, unless your rig is pushing your PSU to its limit. I notice you have an 850 watt PSU, so I doubt that's the case. But UPS's are considerably less expensive than they once were, so there's no harm in getting a high capacity unit.

 

Also you typically only need your monitor, external hard drive and computer attached to the battery outlets on the UPS. The rest of your gear can be attached to the surge protected only outlets.

 

I won't get into brand names. But I would stick with an established name, if only for customer service and warranty issues. The units mentioned above are excellent.

 

Graham

Thank you Graham and Ryan for your help! I think I will go with the CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD PFC Sinewave UPS 1500VA 900W PFC Compatible Mini-Tower (link) for my 750W PSU.