Ok, Bob here's my recommendation.
Get an APC UPS with smart sensing. Get three times the wattage you want to
protect. Include the monitor. This means that if you have a computer with a
300 watt power supply, you need a 1KW UPS, or even 1.2KW. If brownouts and
power sag is your problem, the UPS will "filter" that out for you in most
cases. If not, you can get something called a Constant Voltage Transformer
made by SOLA company. These are specially-constructed transformers that
maintain a uniform output voltage with a large swing of input voltage. You
can look on the internet for sources. Note that the closer you are to max
load on the SOLA or UPS, the less reliable they will become, and the warmer
they will operate. Heat is the enemy of solid-state electronics!
The reason I suggested three times the steady state load is so that you
have plenty of time before you have to shut down. In a lot of cases, you
can "ride out" the power interruption and just keep working. If you are
100% Linux, there may not be software available to cause shutdown of the
computer when the UPS starts whining that it's batteries are close to dead,
but the information is available from APC about the signalling (it is an
RS-232 device), so you may be able to make your own.
If you need more help, let me know.
Regards, Jim
---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.280 / Virus Database: 147 - Release Date: 9/11/2001
