UninterruptiblePowerSupply
Latest
Sony intros 200-pound battery to power businesses, government agencies during a blackout
In the five months since a tsunami and 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit Japan, we've seen various technology companies struggle to get their manufacturing operations back in order, but Sony appears to be the first to introduce a product seemingly inspired by the disaster itself. The outfit's Japanese division just announced the ESSP-2000, a 90kg (198-pound)battery whose 2.4kWh of power should keep businesses and government agencies afloat for at least a few hours in the event of a blackout or natural disaster. All told, the battery can support a maximum load of 1000VA, and can recharge to 95 percent in about two hours -- not bad, considering the capacity of this thing. Sony also went with olivine-type lithium-ion iron phosphate batteries, which it says will last ten years. With a price of ¥2 million ($25,700), this battery's clearly not meant to be a savior for home users, though for businesses it could be a small price to pay for an uninterrupted power supply.
APC intros increased-efficiency Back-UPS ES 750
It looks like APC is trying to make its uninterruptible power supplies a little less power-hungry, with its new Back-UPS ES 750 model promising both a boost in efficiency and a savings, however small, on your power bill. Among other things, the ES 750 (which apparently replaces the previous model of the same name) can automatically cut off power to unused peripherals when your computer's in sleep mode, which APC says should save you on average $40 a year on your power bill compared to competing models. Otherwise, you'll get all the features you'd expect in a model of its class, including ten power outlets (five of which have battery backup), and 450 watts of power which, depending on what you have plugged in, can give you up to 70 minutes of run time. Look for this one to set you back an even $100 when its released sometime in January.
How to build your own UPS
Whether your end improvement is a functioning office, or a longer game of Unreal, uninterruptible power supplies are an essential part of keeping your kit up and running. In case you were wondering what goes on inside the little -- or, as the case may be, big -- boxes that sit next to power outlets, icrontic has a how-to for constructing your own UPS. If you're not up to the task of constructing your own, then there's also advice about which type of off-the-shelf UPS is for you. Now all you've got to worry about are other, human based, interruptions.
