New Generation UPS?

[Taqyon]

I want to provide some uninterrupted power supply for my small home lab. I use a mini dc ups for my raspberry pi, routers, aps and even a mini pc. But I have a itx case with a bunch of drives requiring 100 Watt, so I thought I'd just get a UPS for it all. But when I go onto takealot, I'm faced with the old school lead acid mecer type UPSs with a serial interface I used 25 years ago (https://www.takealot.com/rct-1000va-line-interactive-ups/PLID32714411). They have so many problems, including a permanent 15watt consumption and a battery that becomes useless after a year.

Surely tech moved on? I was expecting lithium ion now with a useful small display panel, like the eco / bluetti power stations offer. I've tried this : https://www.takealot.com/econode-no...-portable-power-station-home-ups/PLID94443566 which claims to function as a ups, but it doesnt. It can't charge faster than 100w, so if my demand is 101w, the battery would deplete and my system goes down with the grid still up and running.

So in short, can anyone recommend a ~600VA UPS that is not from the stone age?

 

[Lupus]

UPS Accessories

Buy UPS Accessories online at the Best Prices! Door to Door and Overnight Delivery. Voted the best online store in SA. View Here

www.geewiz.co.za

 

[B-1]

Another option:

Ecoflow River 2 Portable Power Station

Features: Charge 0-100% in only 60 mins. Safe and reliable for 10 years of use. Smart Battery Protection System. Charge without limits. AC Charging. Car Charging. Solar Charging. USB-C Charging. X-Boost Up to 600W. Lightweight at only 3.5 kg. Run up to 99% of your consumer electronics...

www.sustainable.co.za

 

[Park@82]

The EcoFlow River 3 has a ups function.
It is an upgrade in terms of switch over time form the River 2. 10ms iirc.

 

[Taqyon]

Thanks ppl!!

 

[Park@82]

UPS Accessories

Buy UPS Accessories online at the Best Prices! Door to Door and Overnight Delivery. Voted the best online store in SA. View Here

www.geewiz.co.za

Note that with a 100w load you can expect about 30 minutes of run time with this. Expect about 2 hours from the River 3.

 

[Lupus]

Note that with a 100w load you can expect about 30 minutes of run time with this. Expect about 2 hours from the River 3.

UPS role is to be for shutting down safely, not for running through a power outage.

 

[Park@82]

UPS role is to be for shutting down safely, not for running through a power outage.

Traditionally yes, old timer but mini DC upses like the OP is currently using is not just to shut down safely. With Lifepo 4 you can run it until the battery dies so why not? Besides the OP wants to run his raspberry pi, routers, APs . I dont think he wants to "shut down" his Router or APs safely.

 

[Lupus]

Traditionally yes, old timer but mini DC upses like the OP is currently using is not just to shut down safely. With Lifepo 4 you can run it until the battery dies so why not? Besides the OP wants to run his raspberry pi, routers, APs . I dont think he wants to "shut down" his Router or APs safely.

That R1400 ups should be fine for router,APs and pis it's not like those would be anywhere near the 480w the ups can handle. Plus it's R1400 vs well a lot more for a portable power station.

 

[Park@82]

That R1400 ups should be fine for router,APs and pis it's not like those would be anywhere near the 480w the ups can handle. Plus it's R1400 vs well a lot more for a portable power station.

Sure, I was just trying to point out capacity. You usually would not just want a 30 minute backup for your APs and routers.

And sure the River 3 costs almost 4 times as much, but it also has 4 times the capacity, more use cases, a very polished app where you can remotely monitor and control it from, a longer warranty and probably much higher quality lithium cells.

But if he is looking for something cheaper then perhaps a DC UPS will be his best bet assuming other stuff runs all on DC. Some Mini PCs will need 12v and some will need 19v. I would probably just get more mini DC upses if I was him.

Elecstor 100W Mini 24000mAh Uninterruptible Power Supply : Amazon.co.za: Electronics

Elecstor 100W Mini 24000mAh Uninterruptible Power Supply : Amazon.co.za: Electronics

www.amazon.co.za

NETOGY 100W DC 46Wh Mini UPS/Power Bank : Amazon.co.za: Electronics

NETOGY 100W DC 46Wh Mini UPS/Power Bank : Amazon.co.za: Electronics

www.amazon.co.za

 

[Lupus]

Sure, I was just trying to point out capacity. You usually would not just want a 30 minute backup for your APs and routers.

And sure the River 3 costs almost 4 times as much, but it also has 4 times the capacity, more use cases, a very polished app where you can remotely monitor and control it from, a longer warranty and probably much higher quality lithium cells.

But if he is looking for something cheaper then perhaps a DC UPS will be his best bet assuming other stuff runs all on DC. Some Mini PCs will need 12v and some will need 19v. I would probably just get more mini DC upses if I was him.

Elecstor 100W Mini 24000mAh Uninterruptible Power Supply : Amazon.co.za: Electronics

Elecstor 100W Mini 24000mAh Uninterruptible Power Supply : Amazon.co.za: Electronics

www.amazon.co.za

NETOGY 100W DC 46Wh Mini UPS/Power Bank : Amazon.co.za: Electronics

NETOGY 100W DC 46Wh Mini UPS/Power Bank : Amazon.co.za: Electronics

www.amazon.co.za

Honestly, that is the route I'd go as well, I mean it is the route I went, all my APs, routers and some cameras are running mini ups, they still are. Still have one mini ups in a box that I didn't install cause it was like eh I've got solar, batteries so do I really need to.
Though they have come in handy for the few minutes when the power is turned off for work to be done.

 

[Park@82]

Honestly, that is the route I'd go as well, I mean it is the route I went, all my APs, routers and some cameras are running mini ups, they still are. Still have one mini ups in a box that I didn't install cause it was like eh I've got solar, batteries so do I really need to.
Though they have come in handy for the few minutes when the power is turned off for work to be done.

I also went the mini DC ups route. I also have some EcoFlow units that I use as backup for my TV and other stuff (not used as UPSes though). I love the EcoFlow portable power stations they are awsome for their quality, mobility and flexibility.

 

[Lupus]

I also went the mini DC ups route. I also have some EcoFlow units that I use as backup for my TV and other stuff (not used as UPSes though). I love the EcoFlow portable power stations they are awsome for their quality, mobility and flexibility.

I don't know hey, a friend has one that seemed to chew power even when supposedly in bypass mode, plus the cycles of the battery were low.
For a little Portable I picked up those Power ups that Takealot had one special last year, 150w for 296 and the 300w for 600. The 300w went to my dad so he has something to keep stuff running, the 150w my wife uses as a massive powerbank. Quality is alright.

 

[Park@82]

I don't know hey, a friend has one that seemed to chew power even when supposedly in bypass mode, plus the cycles of the battery were low.

The low cycle ones were the first gen Ecoflow units with NMC. New units comes with Lifepo4. I cant really comment on power usage in bypass mode. I never liked using the previsions units as a UPS, they do advertise the new River 3 as a UPS though so maybe it will be better in that regard.

I use my River 2 Pro for my TV with an automatic transfer switch like this one https://www.geewiz.co.za/smart-plug...rtable-inverters-without-a-ups-function.html? so it stays off but if the power is out I just turn the power station on and the TV has power - no need to unplug anything.

 

[Taqyon]

UPS Accessories

Buy UPS Accessories online at the Best Prices! Door to Door and Overnight Delivery. Voted the best online store in SA. View Here

www.geewiz.co.za

Just want to say, I ended up buying this UPS and I'm extremely happy with it. I can down my supply to work on it and not have to worry shutting down my servers first.

The only thing I can complain about re. this UPS is that it has the normal 12 watt overhead of running even after the battery is charged. I guess it's for the control unit. I'm sure these days we can come up with milliwatt replacements. until then, I love this unit. Thanks again.

 

[Lupus]

Just want to say, I ended up buying this UPS and I'm extremely happy with it. I can down my supply to work on it and not have to worry shutting down my servers first.

The only thing I can complain about re. this UPS is that it has the normal 12 watt overhead of running even after the battery is charged. I guess it's for the control unit. I'm sure these days we can come up with milliwatt replacements. until then, I love this unit. Thanks again.

12w isn't bad, not great but not bad

 

[bwana]

The low cycle ones were the first gen Ecoflow units with NMC. New units comes with Lifepo4. I cant really comment on power usage in bypass mode. I never liked using the previsions units as a UPS, they do advertise the new River 3 as a UPS though so maybe it will be better in that regard.

I use my River 2 Pro for my TV with an automatic transfer switch like this one https://www.geewiz.co.za/smart-plug...rtable-inverters-without-a-ups-function.html? so it stays off but if the power is out I just turn the power station on and the TV has power - no need to unplug anything.

I’ve just ordered the River 3 for my kid to use when camping. Hope it’s decent.

 

[Park@82]

I’ve just ordered the River 3 for my kid to use when camping. Hope it’s decent.

It should be great for camping as long as you don't try to power high wattage things like hairdryers etc.

 

[bwana]

It should be great for camping as long as you don't try to power high wattage things like hairdryers etc.

Thanks - that's what I wanted to hear.

 

[Park@82]

Thanks - that's what I wanted to hear.

I have an older Gen River Max, the Detla Max, River 2 and the River 2 Pro. They are great. Used the older River Max and the River 2 Max for camping on multiple occasions. It's great for keeping stuff changed, refilling the airbed etc. And it changes very fast so if you run out of power you can just take it to the nearest wall outlet and top it up in no time.

The app is great as well.