UPS for DLP TV

[gstarr]

Zero Surge makes the best pure surge protectors. It doesn't have any MOS devices that degrade. When a surge or even a lightning strike occurs the circuit clamps down. I recommend going to the Zero Surge website. I have bought 3 of them and haven't had any problems. Before I lost some equipment that was connected to Monster and APC devices. And it only costs about $200. It is quite a heavy little box. They sell a lot to the government to protect valuable equipment--from compouter storage to sesitive lab equipment at the National Labs at Argonne, Livermore, etc.

If you want extra power conditioning you can always buy one and put it after the Zero Surge. But the Zero Surge also removes spurious electrical noise too.

Greg

[pws442]

Perhaps I missed something at the Zero Surge site. Yes they do a great job of surge protection, but I need power to STAY ON! At least until my lamp cools down. Reading through the Monster Power HT UPS 500 manual gave me a good feeling that it would do exactly that.

It learns how my TV uses power, and, when the need arises, will shut it off, keeping an A/C flow to allow the fan to function for a long enough time to protect the lamp.

It's all I ask.

I just am not too wild about running the I/R repeater from behind the set (where the MP wil live) to the front. Which brings up a question:

If the repeater covers the TV I/R receiver, how will my Harmony One turn it on and off?

[pws442]

Guy from Monster Power (first ring answer!) said that even though I put the I/R transmitter over the TV receiver, my remote control's signal will pass through it!!! (He also said to learn from the Discrete signals from the Harmony, and not the On/Off button on the original TV remote.)

The manual had a lot about learning and testing. Seems well-written.

Well, I ordered it anyway (earlier this morning), and will report back week of March 10.

[gstarr]

The I/R generally needs to be in sight of the Harmony One, unless you position a mirror to deflect the Harmony One signal to the I/R repeater:-)

That is the single disadvantage of the Harmony One and many other remotes. It would be nice to have an RF switch for doing both types of communication, as RF doesn't need line of sight.

Too bad that Zero Surge doesn't have a battery option.

An inexpensive option would be the APC Back-UPS ES (BE750BB) UPS System. It has 18 minuyes of battery time and I've seen it online for under $100.

Greg

[ydnar]

I use the APC 1400's for all my electronic (TVs, Audio, Computer) back-up. I've been using them for almost 2 years with no problems. I live off the back roads in VT so large power fluctuations are the norm. My power line monitor swings from 95 volts to as high as 140 volts virtually every day. If you go to the APC refurb equipment web site, you can get a real bargain on some of APC best equipment.

[ydnar]

Originally Posted by rlpiii

I have experimented with a few of the little APCs for my office system, and they did not last very long. I think after the 3rd or 4th power outage at my house (~ 6 month time frame), they died. I would definitely look into a UPS made for HT application before trying an APC for computer stuff.

If you want a great bargain, go to the APC Refurb web site and buy the 1400's which provide a little over 10 amps of backup power and excellent line stabilization and good filtration. If you do connect more than 6 to 7 amps of total draw to it. (Remember if using a audio amplifier connected to it or any other device that has a non-constant current draw, use the maximum current draw figure for the device to determine the load)
The little ones fail usually because, to use a expression, you are over-amp-ing them??