Traditional UPSs utilize the serial port for communicating with the PC to shut down the
PC in the event of a power failure. APC’s Back-UPS Pro 500 is an uninterruptible
power supply that instead utilizes a USB connection to communicate with the PC. Featuring
four backup battery outlets with surge protection, three regular surge protection outlets,
and a small footprint, the APC Back-UPS Pro 500 is perfectly suited for a single desktop
with many power peripherals.
INSTALLATION
UPSs are generally shipped without the battery connected due to Department of
Transportation regulations. Consequently, the first part of the installation was sliding
off the battery compartment to attach a black wire to the battery. Next, we connected a
Pentium 450 and a 21-inch monitor to the battery backup outlets on the UPS, leaving two
battery backup outlets free. We also connected speakers, an AC adapter, and a Teltone
simulator to the regular surge protected outlets. We turned on the UPS, booted up the
Windows 98 machine, and then connected the USB cable from the UPS to the Pentium 450 MHz
PC. The Windows 98 “Add Hardware” wizard popped up and prompted us for the
drivers, at which point we inserted the APC CD-ROM. We installed the appropriate drivers
and completed the trouble-free procedure.
DOCUMENTATION
The documentation consisted of a glossy legal-sized sheet of paper folded four times (in
half, and then in half again), so you have to unfold it in order to read it. A
step-by-step guide instructs the user on how to install, maintain, and troubleshoot the
Back-UPS Pro 500. Included within the instructions, detailed diagrams explain how
everything is connected. We should also point out that multiple copies of this glossy
instruction manual are available in various foreign languages.
Other pieces of documentation include a $25,000 equipment protection policy, important
safety information, as well as some release notes. We also want to mention that a bright
yellow label was stuck onto the casing of the UPS, warning that the UPS will not work
until you connect the battery. This is a nice touch since many “eager beavers”
might want to just hook up the UPS without reading the documentation.
FEATURES
The Back-UPS Pro 500 features an output power capacity of 500 VA and a typical power
transfer time of 2ms and no more than 4ms power transfer time. The UPS provides 9.6
minutes of backup power at half load and has a recharge time that is usually around 7
hours. The unit features LED status display with On Line, On Battery, Replace Battery, and
Overload indicators.
Other features include:
- Power management extensions to Windows 98.
- Filtering — full-time multi-pole noise filtering; 0.3 percent IEEE surge
let-through; zero clamping response time; UL 1449 compliance.
- RJ-11 Modem/Fax protection (four- wire, dual-line).
- Two-year repair or replace warranty.
- $25,000 lifetime equipment protection policy.
OPERATIONAL TESTING
We should point out that many new PCs ship with only one serial port, instead of
the usual two serial ports. This is because most PCs have replaced serial mice with PS/2
mice. But many PC users use the only remaining serial port for other devices, such as PDA
hot-sync cradles or external modems, so the serial port is often already used.
Fortunately, with the advent of USB, dozens of devices, including USB-compatible UPSs, can
be connected.
The best test for a UPS is to see how it holds up when you disconnect the power. While
our Windows 98 PC had several applications open, we disconnected the power cord. The UPS
immediately began to beep. We looked at the power meter and saw that the remaining power
dropped from 20 minutes to 18 minutes. The APC software we installed integrates with
Windows 98 to automatically save files such as Word documents, and to shut down the
computer in the event of an extended power outage.
Voltage regulation to ensure a lengthy life span for the UPS battery is something that
TMC Labs looks for when choosing a UPS. The APC Back-UPS Pro 500 corrects over- and
under-voltages, without draining the battery. This preserves battery resources and ensures
that it will provide the optimum runtime during a complete blackout.
We completed an unintended test when we upgraded the PC connected to the UPS from
Windows 98 to Windows 2000 beta 3. Windows 2000 properly recognized the Back-UPS Pro UPS.
This means that users who purchase the Back-UPS Pro can be assured that their UPS will not
become outdated if they upgrade their operating system to Windows 2000.
CONCLUSION
Battery backup is essential to any organization. Various UPS products and models cover
everything from small office/home office (SOHO) applications to the enterprise
mission-critical applications. APC’s Back-UPS Pro is perfectly suited to meet the
power protection needs of the small office or home user. TMC Labs liked the feature set,
small footprint, ease of installation, and user-friendly software, as well as the use of
the USB port as opposed to the traditional serial port connection |
Internet Telephony Magazine
Click here to read latest issue
CUSTOMER 
Cloud Computing Magazine
Click here to read latest issue
IoT EVOLUTION MAGAZINE
