A UPS is an uninterruptible power supply system , which in the case of PCs allows us to continue working -or playing, or doing whatever we were doing- during a time when there is a power outage , while protecting us from surges and the rest. But how does a UPS work? Did you know there is more than one type? We will tell you how a UPS works , and which type is the best of all.
Adding a UPS to our PC is undoubtedly a very good idea, especially if you tend to suffer power cuts. It will give us enough autonomy time to go to lift the automatic if there has been a specific power cut, or to save what we were doing and turn off the equipment in a controlled way in any case to safeguard its integrity. In addition, as a general rule they also protect the equipment against surges and filter the energy so that it arrives cleaner.
However, not all UPSs are the same, and their operation depends on their type . For this reason, it is important to know the types of UPS that exist and how each of them works so that you can know which one is the best for you depending on the needs you have. If this is your case, then we are going to tell you everything you need to know before leaning towards one type or another.
How a UPS works
In essence, we will connect the UPS to the electrical wall outlet and then we will connect our equipment to the UPS. This element has a battery, which will be responsible for providing power to the equipment when the power goes out, but normally they work in bypass mode , which means that we will be receiving power directly from the wall without the UPS intervening and, through of a relay, the UPS will detect in milliseconds when the power goes out , making the battery work and thus the connected equipment will continue to operate.
Of course, it depends on the type of UPS, its operation is like this or in another way, so we are going to see all the types that there are.
UPS types
Standby
This is the most basic and most economical type, and its operation is essentially as we have explained before. When the input power drops (the power goes out) or the voltage rises too high (voltage spike), the UPS relay causes the current to stop going direct to the connected equipment and go through the battery instead (the relay This is what causes the UPS to make a clicking noise when switching to battery mode).
Of course, the battery produces direct current, and the power supplies of the equipment are prepared to receive alternating current, so the UPS first have an AC / DC converter before the battery, and another DC / AC converter later to deliver current. alternates.
Line interactive
This is a kind of intermediate UPS, to call it somehow. It incorporates a technology that allows the device to correct minor power fluctuations (under voltages and over voltages) without the need to switch to battery mode. In addition, this type of UPS has an autotransformer that regulates these under voltages and over voltages to continue using its energy and that it does not end up transforming into heat.
This is the most widespread type of UPS in consumer electronics, and it is the most widely used and sold for PCs.
Double conversion (Online)
This is the most advanced type of UPS, and its use is generally based on very delicate equipment and industrial environments, although many high-end UPS for the common consumer also have this system. Its operation is very different from the previous, since it converts all the energy that comes to running continuously , and then converted back to alternating current, causing the signal output of the UPS is practically perfect.
UPS that use this technology therefore operate under direct current 100% of the time and when the power goes out there is no relay that comes into action, the energy is simply only emitted by the battery that is always connected. For this reason, it also protects against overvoltages, undervoltages, short circuits and all possible electrical problems that may exist. Of course, they are also the most expensive of all, but also the best .
What type of UPS is better and how to recognize it
After what has been explained above, you already know how a UPS works and that the best ones are the Online ones , although as we said they are quite expensive and more oriented to industrial environments. The normal thing is that almost all the UPS that we can buy for PC are of the line interactive type, which are very good. Those that we should avoid, at least for equipment such as the PC, are the Standby, since they are the most basic and the ones that offer the least protection.
How to recognize them is more complicated because the manufacturers do not usually indicate it, and only by accessing the technical information will we be able to know it. Basically, if you see that a UPS indicates that it is Standby type, you already know that it is the worst of the three types (but it is not bad for that), and if it is online you will know that it is one of the best. By the way, many manufacturers treat line interactive as in-line , which sounds more commercial (and seems to say online, by the way).
