Are there proper lithium ion UPS systems for a desktop PC?

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zll

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So I'm looking for a proper UPS system (one that kicks in only when the power goes off), even if it means I have to go lead acid at the end of the day, for two reasons.

One, to add an extra layer of protection against surges (yes, I have a standard surge protector for my plugs) for my desktop machine after I had two motherboards die in two years.

And two, to allow me to run my PC for a few minutes while I switch over to my backups when load shedding kicks in. I had to send my desktop in to get my motherboard replaced a few weeks ago so I've been working on my laptop until the machine is ready. Something that I've been absolutely loving is being able to unplug my laptop from the wall and then switching it over to my portable powerstations without having to shut the whole thing down. I'd like to be able to do this on my desktop machine as I don't run my powerstations as UPS' and only plug them in when they are needed.

Preferably I'd like a lithium ion solution, but I can't seem to find any UPS systems with LI batteries. They only seem to have lead acid.

Do UPS systems with LI batteries exist? Or am I stuck with lead acid?
 
Last edited:
One reason they are lead acid is because the power delivery vs. capacity is very high with this chemistry, i.e. you can draw 20+ amps from a tiny 7 Ah lead acid for a few minutes.

Lithium will need to be significantly larger for the power delivery and then it's overkill for the runtime (only ~5 mins required in this kind of application).

The other reason is just the designs are old.
 
zolly said:
One, to add an extra layer of protection against surges (yes, I have a standard surge protector for my plugs) for my desktop machine after I had two motherboards die in two years.
Click to expand...

Are you sure the failures are surge induced?

I have an ASUS motherboard here that won't boot on humid mornings and needs to be blow-dried first.

Motherboard QC not what it once was.
 
zolly said:
So I'm looking for a proper UPS system (one that kicks in only when the power goes off), even if it means I have to go lead acid at the end of the day, for two reasons.

One, to add an extra layer of protection against surges (yes, I have a standard surge protector for my plugs) for my desktop machine after I had two motherboards die in two years.

And two, to allow me to run my PC for a few minutes while I switch over to my backups when load shedding kicks in. I had to send my desktop in to get my motherboard replaced a few weeks ago so I've been working on my laptop until the machine is ready. Something that I've been absolutely loving is being able to unplug my laptop from the wall and then switching it over to my portable powerstations without having to shut the whole thing down. I'd like to be able to do this on my desktop machine as I don't run my powerstations as UPS' and only plug them in when they are needed.

Preferably I'd like a lithium ion solution, but I can't seem to find any UPS systems with LI batteries. They only seem to have lead acid.

Do UPS with LI batteries exist? Or am I stuck with lead acid?
Click to expand...
Could you run it on a pps with an automatic changeover switch?

Won't be cheap though, or as cheap as a ups at any rate.
 
You do get ie takealot has one for R1999 if memory serves

Lithium can meet that load ie cells can supply up to 3c without any special sauce

And high drain cells can do upto 20c ie what guys tend to use if they are into heavy sound competitions

They cost more so hence don't make their way into budgwt devices ie people don't know better and buy the cheaper option so why make the radical product
 
Tomtomtom said:
Are you sure the failures are surge induced?
Click to expand...

I'm assuming so.

First board died when I was away for a weekend and forgot to unplug my PC while I was away.

Second was when I was using my PC on my powerstation and switched over to mains when load shedding ended (this was more than half an hour after the power came back on). Plugged my plug back into the wall, turned on the switch, tried to turn my PC back on and it just refused to boot. But my devices like my mouse and speakers were getting power, so took it into the shop and they confirmed the board was dead. At least it was under warranty so a new one was sourced.
 
AstroTurf said:
Could you run it on a pps with an automatic changeover switch?
Click to expand...

This looks like I have to wire something together? I'm looking for plug and play. Also can't make permanent changes because I don't own the property.

Takealot.com: Online Shopping | SA's leading online store

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leon.davibe said:
Like this one

Takealot.com: Online Shopping | SA's leading online store

South Africa's leading online store. Fast, reliable delivery to your door. Many ways to pay. Shop anything you can imagine: TVs, laptops, cellphones, kitchen appliances, toys, books, beauty & more. Shop the mobile app anytime, anywhere.
www.takealot.com www.takealot.com
Click to expand...
PsYTraNc3 said:

Takealot.com: Online Shopping | SA's leading online store

South Africa's leading online store. Fast, reliable delivery to your door. Many ways to pay. Shop anything you can imagine: TVs, laptops, cellphones, kitchen appliances, toys, books, beauty & more. Shop the mobile app anytime, anywhere.
www.takealot.com www.takealot.com
Click to expand...

Just out of curiousity, what terms did you guys search for? I couldn't find squat when Googling.
 
Tomtomtom said:
Are you sure the failures are surge induced?

I have an ASUS motherboard here that won't boot on humid mornings and needs to be blow-dried first.

Motherboard QC not what it once was.
Click to expand...
Yea i had a board that did that heating up components around the cpu made it boot
 
zolly said:
Just out of curiousity, what terms did you guys search for? I couldn't find squat when Googling.
Click to expand...
I just used ups and scrolled till i found it since i remeber they have one the moment you add li-ion you get tons of items to scroll through
 
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zolly said:
So I'm looking for a proper UPS system (one that kicks in only when the power goes off), even if it means I have to go lead acid at the end of the day, for two reasons.

One, to add an extra layer of protection against surges (yes, I have a standard surge protector for my plugs) for my desktop machine after I had two motherboards die in two years.

And two, to allow me to run my PC for a few minutes while I switch over to my backups when load shedding kicks in. I had to send my desktop in to get my motherboard replaced a few weeks ago so I've been working on my laptop until the machine is ready. Something that I've been absolutely loving is being able to unplug my laptop from the wall and then switching it over to my portable powerstations without having to shut the whole thing down. I'd like to be able to do this on my desktop machine as I don't run my powerstations as UPS' and only plug them in when they are needed.

Preferably I'd like a lithium ion solution, but I can't seem to find any UPS systems with LI batteries. They only seem to have lead acid.

Do UPS systems with LI batteries exist? Or am I stuck with lead acid?
Click to expand...
You could just get one of these

Takealot.com: Online Shopping | SA's leading online store

South Africa's leading online store. Fast, reliable delivery to your door. Many ways to pay. Shop anything you can imagine: TVs, laptops, cellphones, kitchen appliances, toys, books, beauty & more. Shop the mobile app anytime, anywhere.
www.takealot.com www.takealot.com
 
zolly said:
I'm assuming so.

First board died when I was away for a weekend and forgot to unplug my PC while I was away.

Second was when I was using my PC on my powerstation and switched over to mains when load shedding ended (this was more than half an hour after the power came back on). Plugged my plug back into the wall, turned on the switch, tried to turn my PC back on and it just refused to boot. But my devices like my mouse and speakers were getting power, so took it into the shop and they confirmed the board was dead. At least it was under warranty so a new one was sourced.
Click to expand...
Are you certain the issue isn't a bad power supply here?
 
zolly said:
This looks like I have to wire something together? I'm looking for plug and play. Also can't make permanent changes because I don't own the property.

Takealot.com: Online Shopping | SA's leading online store

South Africa's leading online store. Fast, reliable delivery to your door. Many ways to pay. Shop anything you can imagine: TVs, laptops, cellphones, kitchen appliances, toys, books, beauty & more. Shop the mobile app anytime, anywhere.
www.takealot.com www.takealot.com
Click to expand...
naa,

Takealot.com: Online Shopping | SA's leading online store

South Africa's leading online store. Fast, reliable delivery to your door. Many ways to pay. Shop anything you can imagine: TVs, laptops, cellphones, kitchen appliances, toys, books, beauty & more. Shop the mobile app anytime, anywhere.
www.takealot.com www.takealot.com
 
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zolly said:
I'm assuming so.

First board died when I was away for a weekend and forgot to unplug my PC while I was away.

Second was when I was using my PC on my powerstation and switched over to mains when load shedding ended (this was more than half an hour after the power came back on). Plugged my plug back into the wall, turned on the switch, tried to turn my PC back on and it just refused to boot. But my devices like my mouse and speakers were getting power, so took it into the shop and they confirmed the board was dead. At least it was under warranty so a new one was sourced.
Click to expand...
Good quality psu is key

ie if you get it free with a case throw it away
 
BasBas said:
Are you certain the issue isn't a bad power supply here?
Click to expand...

I'm not 100% sure tbh, but I'm assuming the guys I sent it to will have done some sort of checks to make sure my PSU is still healthy? I have been wondering if that's the case so maybe I'll need to chat to them to make sure.
 
leon.davibe said:
Good quality psu is key

ie if you get it free with a case throw it away
Click to expand...

I have this PSU:

Super Flower SF-650F14MT(BK) Leadex 650W 80 Plus Silver Certified Fully Modular Black Desktop Power Supply - Wootware

Buy Super Flower SF-650F14MT(BK) Leadex 650W 80 Plus Silver Certified Fully Modular Black Desktop Power Supply at Wootware with fast shipping & superb service.
www.wootware.co.za www.wootware.co.za

But I did get in half way through 2019, so not sure it's quite as resilient as it used to be.
 
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