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Topic: UPS for Projector Electronics

Chase Taylor
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 175
From: Troy, Alabama, USA
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 06-21-2010 02:30 PM

I'm looking to buy a UPS for the Projector Electronics on a Barco. Since they are run off of 220v does anybody have a recommendations for a UPS? What do you think about the Tripp Lite SUINT1000RTXL2UA?

I think it is really not a good idea to use a C13 plug for the UPS hook up. People will assume that it is 120v, I've never seen it used for 220v.

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Olivier Lemaire
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 118
From: Paris, Ile de France, France
Registered: Jan 2010

posted 06-21-2010 06:06 PM

quote: Chase Taylor
I think it is really not a good idea to use a C13 plug for the UPS hook up. People will assume that it is 120v, I've never seen it used for 220v.

In non-anglosaxon Europe, we rely on 220v, using C13 plugs... sorry to be so european [Smile]

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-21-2010 06:19 PM

The latest ones I've been using are the 1500 VA Tripp Lites that Strong supplies. They are 240 volts in and out and you can not plug a 120 volt plug in the back. They use IEC-320-C13 outlets. This will run the projector, server, switch, and a few other low power accessories for about 10 to 15 min with a full charge.

Mark

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Richard Fowler
Film God

Posts: 2392
From: Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA
Registered: Jun 2001

posted 06-21-2010 06:39 PM

IEC 60320 C13 plug = 10/13 amperes based on wire size @ 125VAC with white / black / green color code. 10 amperes @ 230-250VAC with brown / blue / green + yellow wires......one of the world's most popular plug sets [Wink]

For some reasons union stage electricians call them "D" plugs based on their shape....

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Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!

Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 06-21-2010 07:47 PM

We've been pleased with these Tripplite supplies for the Barco 230V stuff.

http://www.tripplite.com/en/products/model.cfm?txtSeriesID=745&txtModelID=2568

We sell the smaller 1500VA for 120V application. It is nice though that many systems can deal with either 230 or 120. I think Barco is only projector that requires 208+ voltage for the electronics.

Steve

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Chase Taylor
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 175
From: Troy, Alabama, USA
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 06-22-2010 05:57 PM

Thanks for the help

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Tony Ratcliff
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 216
From: Madison, IN, USA
Registered: Mar 2002

posted 06-28-2010 04:13 PM

So is TrippLite the brand you all would recommend now-a-days?

I've always used APCs for my computer equipment, but I've seen a lot of early failures of these the past few years.

I'm looking for a 120V UPS for my Sanyo projector I used to run DVDs.
I had an APC one on it. And it just failed on me today in the middle of showing Ice Age 3 for the kiddie show.

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Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!

Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 06-28-2010 04:42 PM

We have traditionally used Tripplite products for many years now. In the case of UPS...there are MANY different grades of them. The better ones have a zero transfer time and are ALWAYS supplying the output with true sine wave.

I've had APCs where they didn't do the transfer from line to battery well and it still dropped the DSP device...which caused it to crash.

Steve

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Tony Bandiera Jr
Film God

Posts: 3067
From: Moreland Idaho
Registered: Apr 2004

posted 06-28-2010 06:10 PM

I used to recommend APC products but as of late they do seem to be having a lot of reliability issues. I used a Tripp-Lite on my install at UC Irvine.

The APC's I have from over five years ago are good and still working, but the ones I had bought in the last two years or so were the troublemakers.

Tony, how old is the one that failed on you? And what happened?

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-29-2010 09:08 AM

Holy cows! I agree with you Tony! Late APCs are problematic. One reason I switched to Tripplite...

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-01-2010 01:58 PM

Not booth-related, but we had a big storm through here 2 weeks ago and when power came back on, it killed the UPS's not only in my theatre and store, but also killed 5 of them in the hardware store across the street. What's weird is, several computers at the store which were NOT plugged into UPSs were not harmed.

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Josh Jones
Redhat

Posts: 1207
From: Plano, TX
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 07-01-2010 02:52 PM

I've got in the habit of replacing the batteries in our UPS's every two years or so. The "brick" type UPS units are junk, they only last two years, and every time I've tried to repack one it fails shortly after. I've seen the smaller units destroy studio gear and refuse to use them.

JJ

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Tony Ratcliff
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 216
From: Madison, IN, USA
Registered: Mar 2002

posted 07-02-2010 08:41 PM

Here is what happened to me.

Last week a storm came through while we were showing a kids show using the Sanyo showing a DVD.
I had the Sanyo on the APC.
I had the DVD player on an old power conditioner I've had for many years.
A power blink knocked everything out - including the Sanyo. The APC started squealing, but didn't go to battery.
( They say they will signal when the battery is bad, but it doesn't ).

The blink scared me into buying a new power conditioner that I trusted to also plug the Sanyo into.
The next day I bought a Tripp-Lite conditioner (not UPS).
I plugged the APC into the new Tripp-Lite as well as the DVD player.

Then this week, during the kids show, there were no storms, no power blinks. But in the middle of the show the APC starts squealing and shuts off.
Luckily I was right there and paused the DVD, moved the Sanyo directly into the Tripp-Lite and restarted the show.

The APC failed/alarmed/shut down for no apparent reason.

I've come into the office and found APCs my PCs are on alarming out this same way. But this is the first time I was right next to it when it happened.

That is why I am looking for a GOOD power backup solution for my Sanyo and DVD player.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-03-2010 02:16 PM

JOsh is 100% correct on the cheapo UPS's. They are not any good for the most part. A power conditioner is a good thing.

Mike,

In your case you have all the digital gear operating through those three step down transformers. They act as isolation transformers because they have a completely independent secondary. They even combine to make up their own neutral. So that system is essentially floating free from the rest of the building but it is also grounded to the same ground. If you ever get damage there it's only going to be because lightning hits your building directly and gets in some other way. It's not comming through the AC.

Mark

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Tony Bandiera Jr
Film God

Posts: 3067
From: Moreland Idaho
Registered: Apr 2004

posted 07-03-2010 05:20 PM

quote: Mike Blakesley
Not booth-related, but we had a big storm through here 2 weeks ago and when power came back on, it killed the UPS's not only in my theatre and store, but also killed 5 of them in the hardware store across the street. What's weird is, several computers at the store which were NOT plugged into UPSs were not harmed.

The UPS' have surge protection circuitry which took the hit and sacrificed themselves, which is probably a factor in saving the other gear.

But be forewarned that the other gear which seems unharmed now probably took enough of a hit that the next surge WILL do them in. Seen it happen many times.

quote: Tony Ratcliff
A power blink knocked everything out - including the Sanyo. The APC started squealing, but didn't go to battery.
( They say they will signal when the battery is bad, but it doesn't ).

But in the middle of the show the APC starts squealing and shuts off.

The APC failed/alarmed/shut down for no apparent reason.

I've come into the office and found APCs my PCs are on alarming out this same way. But this is the first time I was right next to it when it happened.

That is why I am looking for a GOOD power backup solution for my Sanyo and DVD player.

The squealing "for no apparent reason" with the APC means that it took and absorbed that hit (which saved your Sanyo) but it is now damaged and needs to be repaired. That is why it shut down again.

ANY UPS brand that alarms when you don't have an obvious blink or outage means that either it took a surge that compromised it, or there is some other fault with the circuitry.

I have lost faith with APC due to the poor quality of late.

A caution: For video projectors, older cinema processors (pre- CP500/650/750) or any devices with motors or standard power transformers, DO NOT use a UPS unless it has "True sine-wave" output!! Use of a standard UPS (most of which use a "stepped sine-wave output) can damage the device connected, the UPS or both.

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