Comparison Stark Country 3000 INV 3000 VA vs Stark Country 3000 Online 3000 VA

— Standard (Tower). UPS designed for floor mounting or placement on any suitable horizontal surface. This “installation” is extremely simple, and it is suitable even for the most powerful and heaviest devices, and therefore most modern uninterruptible power supplies (of all categories) are made in the usual Tower form factor. They are supposed to be placed vertically.

— Rack. Models for installation in telecommunication racks. Most of these uninterruptible power supplies belong to the professional equipment segment, designed to power servers and other similar electronics (which are also often mounted in a similar way). The most common standard of racks is 19", however there are other options, so it would not hurt to check the compatibility of the UPS with a specific rack separately. We also note that models of this type are often equipped with legs that allow you to place the device on the floor “sideways” or in a vertical position. Display (if available) in such models may have a rotating design for ease of reading parameters in both positions.

— Wall-mounted. Uninterruptible power supplies, primarily designed for wall mounting. Wall hanging may be the best option in tight spaces. However, such an installation is not the only option - many devices can optionally be installed on the floor. Also note that wall-mounted UPSs are often used for heating boile...rs. The main disadvantage of this form factor is the need to drill into the walls to install an uninterruptible power supply.

- Flat. UPS, structurally assembled in a low, flat housing. As a rule, this form factor allows for several options for installing equipment: the uninterruptible power supply can be installed horizontally or vertically. However, it is the horizontal method of installing the UPS that predominates. In fact, everything depends on the location of the uninterruptible power supply and its dimensions - it would not hurt to clarify this point separately.

— Extension cord. Uninterruptible power supplies that resemble an extension cord in appearance. Structurally, such UPSs consist of a set of sockets in one housing, with the sockets located on the top platform of the uninterruptible power supply. Often, the housing of such UPSs is provided with holes or fasteners for wall mounting.

Solar-powered power systems allow you to receive "free" electricity, but the photocells themselves work very unevenly - the voltage varies even during the day, depending on the ambient light (sunny, cloudy or bad weather), and at night it is absent in principle. In such power systems with the possibility of restoring the charge from sunlight, batteries must be used that “smooth out” the described irregularities and store a supply of energy for the dark time of the day. For the same reason, special control equipment must be used to charge such batteries - controllers that are responsible for adjusting the process parameters. The role of controllers is usually played by interactive UPSs (see "Type") of a special design, originally designed for this task. There are two main types of such UPSs and they are classified according to the type of controller used:

- PWM. Devices with support for the so-called. pulse-wide modulation of the charge current, the basic type of solar controllers. The mentioned modulation is used in order to maintain a constant voltage at the input of the battery being charged by changing the current strength - this mode is optimal for charging. After the end of the main charge, the controller switches to low current mode, which prevents battery self-discharge and maintains its charge at 100%. PWM type devices use the simplest algorithms of operation, due to which they themselves are simple and inexpensive, but not very efficient; their use is jus...tified only in regions with a large number of sunny days.

— MPPT. Controllers with MPPT function - search for the maximum power point of the solar module. Such devices are much more complicated and more expensive than PWM, but they use the energy coming from the solar battery more optimally - in this respect, MPPT controllers are 25-30% more efficient. As a result, they pay off faster, moreover, such equipment can be used even in regions with low solar activity.

In this case, the input voltage range is implied, in which the UPS is able to supply a stable voltage to the load only due to its own regulators, without switching to the battery. For redundant UPSs (see "Type") this range is quite small, approximately 190 to 260 V; for interactive and especially inverter ones, it is much wider. Some UPS models allow you to manually set the input voltage range.

Bypass(by-pass) means such a mode of operation of the UPS, in which power is supplied to the load directly from an external source — the mains, diesel generator, etc. — practically without processing in the UPS itself. This mode can be activated either automatically or manually.

— The automatic bypass is a kind of safety measure. It turns on when the UPS in normal mode cannot supply power to the load — for example, when the UPS is overloaded due to a sharp increase in the power consumption of the load.

— Manual bypass allows you to enable this mode at the request of the user, regardless of the operating parameters. This may be necessary, for example, to hot-swap a battery (see below for details) or to start equipment that has a starting capacity greater than that of the UPS. Technically, it can also play the role of a security measure, but automatic systems are more reliable in this sense.

Some UPSs provide both options for enabling the bypass.

The frequency (frequency range) of the AC voltage output by the UPS. For computer technology, the frequency range of 47-53 Hz is considered normal, although the smaller the deviation from the 50 Hz standard, the better. On the other hand, in some UPS models, this frequency can be automatically synchronized with the frequency of the mains — so the power supplied to the load will not differ regardless of whether the load is powered by the mains or from the battery. In this case, a wider frequency range, on the contrary, is more desirable.

The number of outlets connected to the power reserve(battery) provided in the design of the UPS. In order for the UPS to fulfill its main role (providing a backup power in case of power outages), the corresponding electrical appliances must be connected to these outlets. The sockets have a standard shape and are compatible with the vast majority of popular 230 V plugs.

At a minimum, the UPS has 1 or 2 outlets and, in more advanced ones, there may be 3 or more.

Rated voltage of external batteries that can be used in the UPS.

For more information about such batteries, see "External battery connection", here it is worth saying that the voltage of the external battery must correspond to the voltage for which the UPS is designed. If these parameters differ, at best, the UPS simply will not start, and at worst, overloads and even a fire are possible.

In general, the more powerful the UPS, the higher the voltage of the external batteries it is designed for. However, there is no strict rule. Some models even allow for multiple voltage options, such as 96/108/120 V. It is also worth noting that a power source with the required voltage can be assembled from several lower voltage batteries connected in series: for example, 3 batteries of 12 V can be used to achieve 36 V.

It is important to emphasize that the standard voltages for most modern UPS systems are multiples of 12 V. However, car batteries cannot be used in these devices. Despite having identical voltages, car batteries are designed for a fundamentally different mode of operation. Using them in a UPS can result in, at best, improper functioning of the device, and at worst, fires and even explosions.

The protection functions provided in the design of the UPS.

— Short circuit protection. A short circuit is a sharp drop in load resistance to critically low values, due to which the current strength increases and the UPS experiences significant overloads that can disable the device and even cause a fire. It may be caused by a problem with the connected device, poor insulation, foreign objects, etc. In the event of such a situation, the short circuit protection system turns off the UPS, preventing unpleasant consequences.

— Overload protection. Overload in this case is the excess of the load power consumption over the output power of the UPS. Working in this mode can also lead to unpleasant consequences up to breakage and fire; to avoid this, a protection system is installed that turns off the UPS when an overload occurs.

— Overcharging protection of external battery. The overcharge protection function prevents the accumulation of excess energy in the battery, from which the UPS operates in autonomous mode. Overcharging is highly undesirable for any type of battery. It can lead to various unpleasant consequences - from deterioration in performance to overheating and fire of the battery. The automatic protective equipment on board the uninterruptible power supply turns off the power after the battery is fully charged. This prevents “extra” curre...nt from entering the battery, which could damage it. This system is convenient in that the battery can be left on charge for a long time without fear of overexerting it.

— Noise filtering. A system that suppresses high-frequency interference in an electrical network — these can be either single voltage surges when turning on and off powerful electrical appliances, or long-term interference from constant sources, such as electric motors. These interferences can adversely affect the operation of electronics connected to the network (up to visible failures); the noise filtering system avoids this. Such systems are quite simple, and therefore most modern UPSs are equipped with them.

— Data line protection. High-frequency interference protection system, similar to interference filtering (see above) — only used not in an electrical network, but in a telephone or wired computer (LAN) network. Such networks are also subject to interference from various sources of electromagnetic radiation, which can cause failures of equipment connected to them: PCs, printers, fax machines, etc. UPSs with this feature have at least two LAN standard connectors (input and output), into which appropriate network or telephone (with RJ-11 connectors compatible with LAN) cables are inserted.

— Emergency cut-off. This connector allows you to connect the UPS to an emergency power off system. Thus, in an emergency (for example, in the event of a fire), the entire room, including and with a power reserve, can be completely de-energized by pressing one button. Without this, the UPS would simply switch to battery when the power goes out and leave the equipment energized, which could lead to disastrous consequences.

— Sound alarm. A system that gives an audible signal in various important situations. It is most commonly used to signal a power outage and the UPS is transferring to battery power. Without a sound signal, this could not be noticed at all (the light is not always on in the room, it goes out when the network fails, the contact in the socket itself may disappear, etc.), which is fraught with a sudden shutdown of the equipment, data loss and breakdowns. Also, sound alarm can be used for other events — low battery, end of charge, bypass on / off, etc.

Fuses are used to protect the UPS from a critical increase in current strength: at the right time, they open the circuit, preventing unpleasant consequences. Today, these types of fuses are used.

— Melting. At a critical current strength, the conductive element in such a fuse melts and opens the circuit. The fusible protection is disposable, after operation such a fuse must be replaced.

— Automatic. Such a fuse has a sensor that monitors the current strength and opens the contacts at the right time. Its main difference from fusible is reusability: after operation, the circuit can be closed again with literally one press of the button on the fuse.