The advice that I received (thanks!) basically said to go as big as I could when it comes to Uninterruptible Power Supplies. One adviser said he rarely gets three minutes out of a unit rated for twenty. No stamina jokes, please.
So, yesterday I sat down and started researching the cost of said UPS units. Turns out that they start at almost $300, and that’s for a 1500 VA/1050 Watt unit. They also change the number of outlets from what I had (10) to a lesser amount (8), but all of them are both battery and surge protected.
Now, while the change to an all-battery-backed unit might sound good, you’ve got to understand what else I’ve had plugged into the non-battery-backed side of the dead unit. Since I’m a music composer/producer as well as an aspiring author, I have previously laid down some serious money on mix-quality audio monitors—specifically, on a pair of Adam A3X desktop units and an Adam Sub7 subwoofer. These aren’t lightweights when it comes to power draw, and to be honest I don’t need them backed up by a battery.
In short, I’m going to have to move things around a bit and risk letting a bit of 60Hz hum into the system (I’m no electrical engineer, nor can I afford one to come in and set things up so that they share a common path to ground). The computer and video monitors will have to go to the new UPS, along with a couple of low-power synths, while the Adam monitors will have to move over to a new heavy-duty surge/noise protector. Total cash outlay: more than $350.
I just hope my circuit breaker box can handle everything once I’m done.
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