Questions & answers

What does a UPS do ?

The distribution of electrical power is often subject to short and long term interference. Using an instantaneous back-up power supply means you can protect your IT system against such interference which can come from the industrial and atmospheric environment, as well as from your own environment. The following table lists the most common sorts of power supply problems, and the consequences for badly protected users:

CAUSES CONSEQUENCES
Voltage reduction
Due to high voltage consumption required when starting up heavy equipment (motors, escalators, compressors, etc). Keyboard lock, system breakdown leading to data distortion or loss, reduction in equipment performance and lifespan.
Excess voltage
Lightning hitting power cables or the sudden shutdown of high-consumption equipment can cause temporary voltage increase. Breakdowns, electronic component wear-and-tear, destruction of hard disks.
Cut-offs and micro cut-offs
There can be many factors: lightning, live-line working,
or heavy demand on the electrical network, etc.
Data-loss, badly shut-off applications, equipment damage and problems when re-activating applications.
Stray
There can be many factors: atmospheric conditions, load permutations, generators, radio-emitters, household and industrial equipment. Program and database errors.
Shock waves
These are generally caused by lightning or when the mains supply is re-established after having been absent during a storm or following a motoring accident.
What are criteria for choosing a UPS ?

The answer to this question depends on the type of equipment you wish to protect.

YOUR EQUIPEMENT CRITERIA

INDIVIDUAL STATION
Back-up 
The UPS should have enough back up to correctly shutdown the PC.
Implementation
We favour easy implementation (Plug & Play Windows) and ease of integration of the UPS in the office.

LOCAL SERVER

Quality of power supply
Certain IT equipment (top-of-the-range workstations, for example) requires good quality current when the UPS is running on battery. We favour a UPS which produces a sine wave out-put signal.
Voltage control
The UPS must be able to control voltage should the variations be too high.

Communication software
Should the IT system be running on a network, it will be necessary to use software which enables the UPS to be controlled via the network.


CRITICAL APPLICATION SERVER

Perfect quality
The availability of a critical server is fundamental to your company. As for a local server, great care must be taken over the quality of the current supplied by the UPS.

Extending back-up time
You could need longer back-up time, therefore it´s important to easily add supplementary batteries to your UPS. 
No interruptions 
The UPS should supply high quality power without any interruption. To guarantee this you should choose a UPS which permanently controls voltage and frequency. Changing over to battery operation should be completely seamless, i.e. without any cut-off.

What are the differences between On-line, Off-line or Line-interactive technologies ?

OFF-LINE LINE INTERACTIVE ON-LINE
Applications Low power

Service industry with infrequent interference
Recommended for <2kVA power ranges

Service industry with infrequent interference

Medium and high power UPS

 

Service industry and industrial

Battery transfer time during mains cut-off YES YES NO
Frequency control NO NO YES
Voltage control YES YES NO
Voltage peak absorption NO SOME ALL
Normal operational supply Mains Mains UPS
Power supply during mains cut-off Battery with <10ms changeover Battery with <4ms changeover Battery without any interruption
Is it necessary to protect a printer with a UPS ?

No, unless it's an industrial-style printer.

Is it necessary to protect a fax machine with a UPS ?

Yes and no. It’s not necessary to protect the fax machine itself, but the modem line needs to be protected against excess voltage, which could damage the device.

Are there any norms or standards concerning the choice of a UPS ?

There are numerous national (NF) and international (IEC) standards for UPS, but those standards covering safety (NF …), electromagnetic compatibility (IEC …) and quality (ISO) are all given priority. SOCOMEC SICON UPS satisfy all these standards and are also ISO 9001 certified.

Do I need a communication software?

The UPS supplies power back-up in cases of electrical network failure. However, this back-up may not be enough to cover longer cut-offs and you may not be there yourself to correctly close-down your files and your IT system. UNI VISION communication software is designed to automatically carry out all the necessary operations to closedown your system before the end of battery back up. UNI VISION also offers remote communication with your UPS systems:
• Status monitoring
• Control programming
• Statistics print-out for the quality of supplied power
• Remote warning via fax, Email, MS-Exchange or pager.

Do I need a UPS in addition to a gen-set ?

Yes, for 3 reasons:
• A gen-set supplies current with a high risk of frequency variation. A UPS able to provide perfect quality current is therefore an indissociable complement to a gen-set.
• Supplied equipment may not be able to withstand motor start-up time (about 8-10 seconds).
• The gen-set might not in fact start-up at all. The UPS will, however, ensure supply back up.

Is there a maximum ambient temperature for the correct operation of a UPS ?

The ideal ambient operating temperature for a UPS is 20°C. Nevertheless, the UPS and its components can operate satisfactorily within a range of 0°-35°C, excluding the battery. Using sealed lead-acid batteries requires a maximum local temperature of 25°C in order to maintain optimum reliability.

What is the VSS+ DC?

The VSS+ DC is an innovative system for storing energy manufactured by PENTADYNE. It operates with the DELPHYS MP or MX UPS and has been designed as an alternative to using batteries, for the purposes of back-up.

What is a Flywheel?

A flywheel is a "mechanical battery" which stores electrical energy using a rotating weight. The energy can be permanently tapped into. Just as a chemical battery is kept floating, a flywheel is kept in rotation by its connection with a direct current bus from the output of a UPS charger.

Why should the VSS+ DC be used instead of batteries?

Compared to batteries, the VSS+ DC is favourable in the following ways: greater reliability, a longer life, reduced need for maintenance, insensitivity to ambient temperature, consistent performance with frequent use (cycles), rapid back-up time, easy to install, an attractive price giving a quick return on investment.

Where would the VSS+ DC be used?

The VSS+ DC is designed for high-quality energy consumers requiring a high level of reliability: service, industrial, medical, telecommunication sectors.

What are the standard specifications of the VSS+ DC?

The VSS+ DC systems have many advantages over traditional flywheel systems: 

    • High reliability
    • Low maintenance
    • 20-year service life
    • Easy to install
    • Compactness
    • Takes up little room
    • Improved output >99.8%
    • Controlled by microprocessor
    • Self diagnostic 
    • Command control via LCD display
    • Rapid recharging time (20 seconds to 2 minutes)
    • Silencer
    • Cabinet with wheels
    • Easy to install
    • No particular engineering requirements
    • Compatible with DELPHYS MP and MX UPS
    • Possibility of setting up units in parallel without any adaptation
    • Maintenance via front panel

What is the service life of the VSS+ DC?

The VSS+ DC systems have been designed to last 10 years.


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