Old UPS

[dougtrr2]

I am a dinosaur. But when we bought our IMAC 10 years ago I was surprised that the Apple store didn't have UPS's for sale. The salesperson kind of had a blank look when I asked about them. I guess I am one of the few that doesn't carry a laptop around the house.

And yes, I still have a flip phone. I don't see the need for a portable computer glued to my hand.

Doug in SW IA

 

[bigtiller]

If the power blinks in the evening when we are watching TV, the DirecTV system needs about 15 minutes to reboot. But with a UPS it never looses power during that blink, and it keeps on recording the program we will watch next. We still have to wait for the TV to come back on but that is only a few seconds.

 

[ultrarunner]

Had to put one in for mom because power blinks caused the VCR clock to flash…

Best battery purchase ever!

UPS was a cast off only needing new battery

 

[lman]

Had to put one in for mom because power blinks caused the VCR clock to flash…

Best battery purchase ever!

UPS was a cast off only needing new battery

What's a vcr?

 

[JethroB]

I explained many times over the years during power outages that UPS’s were in place to allow users to quickly save their work and then to orderly shutdown their PC‘s, terminals, or processes. ”But I just need 5 more minutes …..” Good luck with that.
My favorite thing to hear while sitting in a dark office was “Can we get back on the system now?, followed by “When’s the power coming back on?” then the inevitable “Can we go home?”

Found all manner of things plugged into the battery protected side of a UPS. Coffee pots, laser printers, space heaters. Even a hair curling iron once.

 

[ultrarunner]

At work with automatic standby generator still.requires battery backup UPS...

Even with average 6 second restore time would you want your eye surgeon in the dark for 6 seconds?

 

[JethroB]

At work with automatic standby generator still.requires battery backup UPS...

Even with average 6 second restore time would you want your eye surgeon in the dark for 6 seconds?

Is there an emoji for the willeez’s?

 

[BravoXray]

I have my computer, desk light, cable modem and switches all on UPSs.

The idea of a UPS for the DirecTV receiver is a good idea. Never could figure out why it takes that thing 15 minutes to start up after the power goes out. Probably poor software and cheap hardware.

 

[ultrarunner]

Yep... computer, DSL, answering machine next to rotary dail phone...small LED desk lamp and phone charger cube...

It will go hours with power down.

 

[Xfaxman]

Many years ago I had the TV (tube type) and VCR on a UPS. Removed the small 12 volt battery and wired the UPS to a deep cycle marine battery.

It would run them for several hours.

 

[ultrarunner]

Was the UPS charger able to keep battery charged?

When I was 10 I ran zip cord from the garage to the attic and down through the middle hollow tube of my bedroom ceiling light fixture to power a bare 12 volt lamp.

The garage side had alligator clips connecting to a car battery...

Then I couldn't wait for the next time the power went out...

Only house in the area with bedroom lights during the blackouts...

And now we have LED bulbs.

 

[Xfaxman]

Was the UPS charger able to keep battery charged?

Yes.

 

[Boatman62]

I just went through a search for recycling old laptops. My local landfill/transfer station recycles them but couldn't give any details of what happens once I dump them off. A couple things concerned me,,, data left on the hard drives and are they being responsibly recycled. Not shipped off to some 3rd world country to be dealt with by children melting off the gold and whatnot.

Then I found that Staples is a pretty responsible recycler. Supposedly all the recycling is done under their watch and in the US. They shred the laptops right in the store... this one actually let me watch.

And yes,,,, they take old UPS's.

 

[grsthegreat]

I always pull old hard drives and destroy them myself. Dont trust anyone with access to that

 

[Boatman62]

I always pull old hard drives and destroy them myself. Dont trust anyone with access to that

That's why I had a stack of laptops. But if I can watch the laptop being shredded I'm okay with that.