Not kidding

Andy

So, I got one of these APC UPS Battery Backups for my Apple G5 Quad, and 23" display. I bought it and plugged it in a few weeks ago. I did NOT, however, plug in the cord, that talks to the Mac, and communicates during a power failure. I noticed this cord when I was cleaning up under my desk.

I plugged the cord in, and I'm not kidding within 1 minute we had a power outage - full out - for about 2 minutes. My Mac never skipped a beat :lust

I think I'll head to the corner store and buy some Lotto tickets :evil

rutt

I don't think this particular miracle had anything to do with that cord. Your UPS should keep the computer powered up for quite a bit longer than your power outage, so the computer didn't have to do anything. It's when the battery runs out that that cord does something: tells the computer to shut down gracefully without any potential data loss. When the power comes back, if everything is all configured right, it can also tell the computer to power back up. But sometimes the computer will just do that when it gets AC back.

docwalker

They are a life saver. I have been using APC UPS for years. We are installing a new radio system, included in the install is a battery system that will run the Computer and Radios for several days. Keep in mind not to run the printer on the battery protected side it seems to kill UPS units. Also do not plug in any peripherals into the battery side that is not needed. ie. speakers

Most UPS will also protect against spikes. but most people forget to protect the network cable, phone cable, and cable modem connections as they are a source of spikes as well.

Doc

behr655

Andy wrote:

So, I got one of these APC UPS Battery Backups for my Apple G5 Quad, and 23" display. I bought it and plugged it in a few weeks ago. I did NOT, however, plug in the cord, that talks to the Mac, and communicates during a power failure. I noticed this cord when I was cleaning up under my desk.

I plugged the cord in, and I'm not kidding within 1 minute we had a power outage - full out - for about 2 minutes. My Mac never skipped a beat

I think I'll head to the corner store and buy some Lotto tickets

Maybe you pluging in the cord blew the city's mainframe.

Bear

dragon300zx

Andy wrote:

So, I got one of these APC UPS Battery Backups for my Apple G5 Quad, and 23" display. I bought it and plugged it in a few weeks ago. I did NOT, however, plug in the cord, that talks to the Mac, and communicates during a power failure. I noticed this cord when I was cleaning up under my desk.

I plugged the cord in, and I'm not kidding within 1 minute we had a power outage - full out - for about 2 minutes. My Mac never skipped a beat

I think I'll head to the corner store and buy some Lotto tickets

Hmmm, Who know someone with such sophisticated taste could be please by something so simple. This isn't new technology. It has been protecting servers and desktop computers for many many many years now. I would sure hope that it could keep a mac running for 2 minutes, considering the big brother versions of these are designed to keep servers running for hours. Oh and guess what. They also work on PC's.

Andy

rutt wrote:

I don't think this particular miracle had anything to do with that cord. Your UPS should keep the computer powered up for quite a bit longer than your power outage, so the computer didn't have to do anything. It's when the battery runs out that that cord does something: tells the computer to shut down gracefully without any potential data loss. When the power comes back, if everything is all configured right, it can also tell the computer to power back up. But sometimes the computer will just do that when it gets AC back.

The cord enables a smart, orderly shutdown though

David_S85

Lotto tickets for everybody!

Andy, you are a lucky man. Either way though, if your monitor and 'puter were on the fully protected side, you would have been OK (probably).

There is 2-way communication through that data cable that allows for more power management and reporting options.

• You can program the audible alarms for time periods where it doesn't beep or squeal (like when the family is asleep). Optionally, you can kill the alarm(s) altogether.

• You can program the unit to either save files and power the computer off as quickly as possible, or wait for a period of minutes before doing so.

• The data cable will report power outages, brownout periods or high voltage or other odd current irregularities, and then report to you when, what and how long they lasted. That report is on a tab in the APC interface.

• With data cable plugged in, you can more accurately predict the number of minutes it will keep you powered up using the current load and battery power stored. By default, your estimate of time remaining on battery is a very high estimate. With everything on and fully charged, and with the software provided installed, you can simulate a power outage by pulling the plug out of the wall. The time remaining should update using your current draw on battery usage only. It will save that current draw data for the next time, and give you more information to decide on when the unit turns off your computer.

I don't know how Apple's power management works, but XP's built in controls are very close to what the APC software allows you to do.