How to protect iMac against power cut (Continental Europe)

[xpanded]

I am living in Belgium. Despite (or maybe because of having ;-) ) 6 Governments nobody in this country anticipated the need for electricity in general and backup for nuclear power plants going off line in particular. Thus power cuts are likely in the coming Winter if it becomes harsh.

I would very much prefer to have some kind of protective "thingy" between my iMac and the power outlet that allows me to gently power the iMac down before reality bites. A few minutes respite would be wonderful but less will probably do. And it does not have to be military grade hardware.

But what kind of "thingy" should I use?

All input much appreciated & thanks in advance

Xpanded

 

[SUBY]

There is a long-standing debate about this - Google will show it easily enough. This thread sums it up pretty well; 4th post is particularly interesting.

 

[gaussian blur]

Touching on your post, I noticed the question of Pure Sine Wave was not mentioned. You typically hear it brought up for Macs.

Actually you don't, because it's not needed.

Nonsense. It is commonly discussed, especially in regards to the iMacs. That discussion has been going on for years. Maybe you are too young to know that.

As expected you show up, once again, to troll.

You keep telling others to not attack the messenger instead of the message, yet that's exactly what you do.

Furthermore, 'commonly discussed' only means that people ask about it, with the discussion inevitably ending up with "it's not needed".

I have a Cyberpower UPS that powers a few LED bulbs for emergency lighting. Works great, except that they make an awful clicking noise when powered by that UPS. I have no idea what it is doing for the life of the battery, but I doubt it's any good for the medium and long term. It's certainly not a UPS I would want to plug my iMac into. Something to consider. Besides, those Pure Sine Wave UPS's come with some nice options.

What do LED bulbs have to do with using a Mac? Nothing whatsoever.

Uhhh, they both have electronics in them??

A lot of things have electronics in them. So what?

Go read up on power factor before you dig yourself an even deeper hole than you're already in.

 

[gaussian blur]

Not to deny your concern but realize that the iMac's power supply is quite different from whatever is powering the LEDs and probably a lot more tolerant.

I'm not an electrician so I really don't know.

Then why are you arguing with those who do?

 

[joger]

Thanks a lot all of you who took time to answer my post.

I still pray for a light Winter, but hopefully this can get me through it.

Again - thanks!

/Xpanded

relax!!

You're connected to the european power grid and thus you'll have a european wide UPS ;-)

Nevertheless it is an IMHO good investment to have an UPS as a filter and over current protection plus 30 minute (±) power for emergency.

I use one for my NAS and another one for my main workstation (Mac PRO late 2013) - both are shut off when the battery life has only 5 minutes left and thus no opened file will be lost due to accidental power cut.

The investment is rather low compare to the possible damage.

You've asked a very valid question! Most people I know fully trust the local grid and forget that a lot of things could happen even though everything has been sorted out with great care. A tree can fall into a power cord - or in winter ice can damage it or lighting strikes in . . .

Your data on your MAC is probably very valuable to you and thus it is good to think how to protect it best - btw - if you're using a RAID configuration (especially Raid 0) it is even more important to protect your power supply - loosing data might corrupt all data on your Raid - even if you're using Raid 5 to 6.

I payed for my 1000 VA UPS roughly 2 % of the investment I put in my MAC - I guess that's a reasonable investment.

--

__________________________________
isn’t it funny, a ship that leaks from the top
ISO 9000 definition of quality: 'Degree to which a set of inherent characteristic fulfills requirements'
I am the classic “Windows by Day, Mac by Night user'
“The horizon of many people is a circle with zero radius which they call their point of view.” Albert Einstein
"In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move." Douglas Adams

 

[JanePete]

There is an additional benefit to using a good UPS like an APC. They filter and stabilize the power so that your computer electronics are not tortured by line noise, bad waveforms, and over voltage / undervoltage which can all happen even if the power is always on. Shielding your computer from bad power helps your components last longer or just to prevent failures.

If you get a UPS with a USB port and connect it to your Mac, your OS X Energy Saver preference will have a new UPS section, where you can control how the Mac will save work and shut down if the power goes out while it is unattended. Of course, you want to set it up so that the Mac safely shuts down before the battery runtime is exhausted.

Touching on your post, I noticed the question of Pure Sine Wave was not mentioned. You typically hear it brought up for Macs.

Actually you don't, because it's not needed.

Nonsense. It is commonly discussed, especially in regards to the iMacs. That discussion has been going on for years. Maybe you are too young to know that.

As expected you show up, once again, to troll.

Interesting take and hostile reply there JanePete. Some of us have been fairly long term members of this forum (longer than your 5 week registration under your username). I personally, in 9 years of frequenting this forum, cannot recall a "common discussion" occurring about this topic.

Try visiting a Mac forum that doesn't consist of just a few regulars, as this one does, on an actual Mac site.

Hostile? No, trolling is hostile.

I have a Cyberpower UPS that powers a few LED bulbs for emergency lighting. Works great, except that they make an awful clicking noise when powered by that UPS. I have no idea what it is doing for the life of the battery, but I doubt it's any good for the medium and long term. It's certainly not a UPS I would want to plug my iMac into. Something to consider. Besides, those Pure Sine Wave UPS's come with some nice options.

What do LED bulbs have to do with using a Mac? Nothing whatsoever.

Uhhh, they both have electronics in them??

Most computers will operate properly from a UPS with a stepped sine wave, including Macs. There is no need for one with a pure sine wave (and it isn't actually 'pure' anyway, just more pure).

Products with motors will have problems with a stepped sine wave, but computers do not have motors so that's not an issue.

OK Mr. Electrician, Mac users are covered, now that you have spoken.

What's the point of this sarcastic reply? This used to be a very helpful forum where people were able to discuss and defend their viewpoint with supportive evidence instead of abusive comments.

See above. He has not supported his comments, whatsoever, which also makes for very unhelpful advice. The fact that he says "most computers will operate properly, indicates he is simply guessing. When people have their Macs making a disturbing buzzing sound when they are running off of a cheaper UPS his type of advice will fall on death and skeptical ears, and rightly so.

I have admitted that I do not have sufficient electrical knowledge to detrmine the saftey of different UPS's for use with Macs, or more specifically iMacs. Unfortunately what you have in this case is someone that is always anxious and desperate to show his knowledge of computers to a particular person, and others, to the point of trolling, that sensible advice takes a back seat to personal whims and desires.

You should also allow people to reply for themselves.

--
Cheers Suby

 

[JanePete]

Not to deny your concern but realize that the iMac's power supply is quite different from whatever is powering the LEDs and probably a lot more tolerant.

I'm not an electrician so I really don't know.

Then why are you arguing with those who do?

The only one looking for an argument is you. You are doing it again by dishonestly quoting me out of context. If you had quoted everything I wrote then you would have pie on your face. You are trolling, once again.

 

[JanePete]

Touching on your post, I noticed the question of Pure Sine Wave was not mentioned. You typically hear it brought up for Macs.

Actually you don't, because it's not needed.

Nonsense. It is commonly discussed, especially in regards to the iMacs. That discussion has been going on for years. Maybe you are too young to know that.

As expected you show up, once again, to troll.

You keep telling others to not attack the messenger instead of the message, yet that's exactly what you do.

I do address the message, every time, as I did above. I will, in the very rare exception, alao point out when someone is obviously trolling (something you proved after many posts) especially when it comes to them giving potentially harmful advice as a consequence. You seem to want to be helpful but I think you are more concerned about trying to prove others wrong and to prove your knowledge of computer related things, and so much so that you are willing to give wreckless advice when it comes to other people's property.

Furthermore, 'commonly discussed' only means that people ask about it, with the discussion inevitably ending up with "it's not needed".

So you are backtracking now. Above you said that "you don't" in response to me saying that "you typically hear it brought up for Macs." Is that because you read someone else post that this in fact is a commonly discussed issue?

I have a Cyberpower UPS that powers a few LED bulbs for emergency lighting. Works great, except that they make an awful clicking noise when powered by that UPS. I have no idea what it is doing for the life of the battery, but I doubt it's any good for the medium and long term. It's certainly not a UPS I would want to plug my iMac into. Something to consider. Besides, those Pure Sine Wave UPS's come with some nice options.

What do LED bulbs have to do with using a Mac? Nothing whatsoever.

Uhhh, they both have electronics in them??

A lot of things have electronics in them. So what?

Go read up on power factor before you dig yourself an even deeper hole than you're already in.

You are the one in a hole by making wreckless statements like "most computers" work fine with non-Pure Sine Wave UPS's. Do you also go into people's homes on the weekends and do electrical work and tell them that "most" times things turn out OK?

I gave reasonable advice to consider the issue, since it is commonly discussed and since iMac users will often hear buzzing sounds, while making it clear I have no idea whether it is an issue for the saftey of their computers and their data. Then you jump in and say the equivalent of they should be OK. Wreckless.

 

[gaussian blur]

Touching on your post, I noticed the question of Pure Sine Wave was not mentioned. You typically hear it brought up for Macs.

Actually you don't, because it's not needed.

Nonsense. It is commonly discussed, especially in regards to the iMacs. That discussion has been going on for years. Maybe you are too young to know that.

As expected you show up, once again, to troll.

Interesting take and hostile reply there JanePete. Some of us have been fairly long term members of this forum (longer than your 5 week registration under your username). I personally, in 9 years of frequenting this forum, cannot recall a "common discussion" occurring about this topic.

Try visiting a Mac forum that doesn't consist of just a few regulars, as this one does, on an actual Mac site.

Try learning when a pure sine wave UPS is actually needed rather than blindly defer to what uninformed people post in a forum.

Hostile? No, trolling is hostile.

Attacking other posters is hostile.

What do LED bulbs have to do with using a Mac? Nothing whatsoever.

Uhhh, they both have electronics in them??

Most computers will operate properly from a UPS with a stepped sine wave, including Macs. There is no need for one with a pure sine wave (and it isn't actually 'pure' anyway, just more pure).

Products with motors will have problems with a stepped sine wave, but computers do not have motors so that's not an issue.

OK Mr. Electrician, Mac users are covered, now that you have spoken.

What's the point of this sarcastic reply? This used to be a very helpful forum where people were able to discuss and defend their viewpoint with supportive evidence instead of abusive comments.

See above. He has not supported his comments, whatsoever, which also makes for very unhelpful advice. The fact that he says "most computers will operate properly, indicates he is simply guessing. When people have their Macs making a disturbing buzzing sound when they are running off of a cheaper UPS his type of advice will fall on death and skeptical ears, and rightly so. I have admitted that I do not have sufficient electrical knowledge to detrmine the saftey of different UPS's for use with Macs, or more specifically iMacs.

In other words, it is you who is guessing, not me.

You are also moving the goalposts. Nobody said anything about buzzing.

Unfortunately what you have in this case is someone that is always anxious and desperate to show his knowledge of computers to a particular person, and others, to the point of trolling, that sensible advice takes a back seat to personal whims and desires.

Another attack, and totally false.

You should also allow people to reply for themselves.

Where did he prohibit anyone from replying?

 

[gaussian blur]

Not to deny your concern but realize that the iMac's power supply is quite different from whatever is powering the LEDs and probably a lot more tolerant.

I'm not an electrician so I really don't know.

Then why are you arguing with those who do?

The only one looking for an argument is you. You are doing it again by dishonestly quoting me out of context. If you had quoted everything I wrote then you would have pie on your face. You are trolling, once again.

Whether or not I responded to the entire post doesn't change the meaning of anything. You're weaseling again.

You admit you don't know about the topic, yet you argue with those who do. That's called trolling, among other things.

Not only that, but whenever you are shown to be wrong, you move the goalposts, become hostile and resort to personal attacks, which you have done both here and elsewhere.

 

[gaussian blur]

Touching on your post, I noticed the question of Pure Sine Wave was not mentioned. You typically hear it brought up for Macs.

Actually you don't, because it's not needed.

Nonsense. It is commonly discussed, especially in regards to the iMacs. That discussion has been going on for years. Maybe you are too young to know that.

As expected you show up, once again, to troll.

You keep telling others to not attack the messenger instead of the message, yet that's exactly what you do.

I do address the message, every time, as I did above. I will, in the very rare exception, alao point out when someone is obviously trolling (something you proved after many posts) especially when it comes to them giving potentially harmful advice as a consequence. You seem to want to be helpful but I think you are more concerned about trying to prove others wrong and to prove your knowledge of computer related things, and so much so that you are willing to give wreckless advice when it comes to other people's property.

You're lying. You did not address the message at all.

What you did above was attack not once, but twice, in that I'm too young to know (and therefore ignorant) as well as calling me a troll. Not only does that have nothing to do with the message, but they are both completely false.

You even admit you don't know what you're talking about (a first), yet you continue to argue. What does that make you?

And it's reckless, not wreckless, which if it was a word would be a desirable thing, a lack of wrecks.

Furthermore, 'commonly discussed' only means that people ask about it, with the discussion inevitably ending up with "it's not needed".

So you are backtracking now. Above you said that "you don't" in response to me saying that "you typically hear it brought up for Macs." Is that because you read someone else post that this in fact is a commonly discussed issue?

I'm not backtracking at all. People might ask about pure sine wave in forums because they don't know what it is or if it's needed. The answer is it almost always is not, and there is nothing unique about Macs versus other computers.

The basic rule of thumb is if it has a motor or not. Computers do not. Computers have switching power supplies that can tolerate a wide range and quality of input voltage, and therefore do not need a pure sine wave input in nearly every case (there are edge cases but not something a typical home user would ever encounter).

What do LED bulbs have to do with using a Mac? Nothing whatsoever.

Uhhh, they both have electronics in them??

A lot of things have electronics in them. So what?

Go read up on power factor before you dig yourself an even deeper hole than you're already in.

You are the one in a hole by making wreckless statements like "most computers" work fine with non-Pure Sine Wave UPS's. Do you also go into people's homes on the weekends and do electrical work and tell them that "most" times things turn out OK?

I gave reasonable advice to consider the issue, since it is commonly discussed and since iMac users will often hear buzzing sounds, while making it clear I have no idea whether it is an issue for the saftey of their computers and their data. Then you jump in and say the equivalent of they should be OK. Wreckless.

You're moving the goalposts yet again. Nobody said anything about going into people's homes or buzzing sounds, which has little to do with pure sine wave UPSes. You're digging yourself an even deeper hole than you're already in.

Millions of cheap UPSes have been sold and there is no mass hysteria about damaged computers or houses burning down.

In other words, you're wrong.

 

[red fuji]

Nice info and discussion but are we beating this one to death?

 

[SUBY]

There is an additional benefit to using a good UPS like an APC. They filter and stabilize the power so that your computer electronics are not tortured by line noise, bad waveforms, and over voltage / undervoltage which can all happen even if the power is always on. Shielding your computer from bad power helps your components last longer or just to prevent failures.

If you get a UPS with a USB port and connect it to your Mac, your OS X Energy Saver preference will have a new UPS section, where you can control how the Mac will save work and shut down if the power goes out while it is unattended. Of course, you want to set it up so that the Mac safely shuts down before the battery runtime is exhausted.

Touching on your post, I noticed the question of Pure Sine Wave was not mentioned. You typically hear it brought up for Macs.

Actually you don't, because it's not needed.

Nonsense. It is commonly discussed, especially in regards to the iMacs. That discussion has been going on for years. Maybe you are too young to know that.

As expected you show up, once again, to troll.

Interesting take and hostile reply there JanePete. Some of us have been fairly long term members of this forum (longer than your 5 week registration under your username). I personally, in 9 years of frequenting this forum, cannot recall a "common discussion" occurring about this topic.

Try visiting a Mac forum that doesn't consist of just a few regulars, as this one does, on an actual Mac site.

Hostile? No, trolling is hostile.

In a way this is "an actual Mac forum", but I do occasionally flirt with other sites.

I have a Cyberpower UPS that powers a few LED bulbs for emergency lighting. Works great, except that they make an awful clicking noise when powered by that UPS. I have no idea what it is doing for the life of the battery, but I doubt it's any good for the medium and long term. It's certainly not a UPS I would want to plug my iMac into. Something to consider. Besides, those Pure Sine Wave UPS's come with some nice options.

What do LED bulbs have to do with using a Mac? Nothing whatsoever.

Uhhh, they both have electronics in them??

Most computers will operate properly from a UPS with a stepped sine wave, including Macs. There is no need for one with a pure sine wave (and it isn't actually 'pure' anyway, just more pure).

Products with motors will have problems with a stepped sine wave, but computers do not have motors so that's not an issue.

OK Mr. Electrician, Mac users are covered, now that you have spoken.

What's the point of this sarcastic reply? This used to be a very helpful forum where people were able to discuss and defend their viewpoint with supportive evidence instead of abusive comments.

See above. He has not supported his comments, whatsoever, which also makes for very unhelpful advice. The fact that he says "most computers will operate properly, indicates he is simply guessing. When people have their Macs making a disturbing buzzing sound when they are running off of a cheaper UPS his type of advice will fall on death and skeptical ears, and rightly so.

I have admitted that I do not have sufficient electrical knowledge to detrmine the saftey of different UPS's for use with Macs, or more specifically iMacs. Unfortunately what you have in this case is someone that is always anxious and desperate to show his knowledge of computers to a particular person, and others, to the point of trolling, that sensible advice takes a back seat to personal whims and desires.

You should also allow people to reply for themselves.

How have I disallowed this? My comment was purely based on my personal observation as a long term member here, that personal attacks and sarcasm have degraded this forum. Merely pointing out that this is what you are currently doing in this thread.

 

[JanePete]

There is an additional benefit to using a good UPS like an APC. They filter and stabilize the power so that your computer electronics are not tortured by line noise, bad waveforms, and over voltage / undervoltage which can all happen even if the power is always on. Shielding your computer from bad power helps your components last longer or just to prevent failures.

If you get a UPS with a USB port and connect it to your Mac, your OS X Energy Saver preference will have a new UPS section, where you can control how the Mac will save work and shut down if the power goes out while it is unattended. Of course, you want to set it up so that the Mac safely shuts down before the battery runtime is exhausted.

Touching on your post, I noticed the question of Pure Sine Wave was not mentioned. You typically hear it brought up for Macs.

Actually you don't, because it's not needed.

Nonsense. It is commonly discussed, especially in regards to the iMacs. That discussion has been going on for years. Maybe you are too young to know that.

As expected you show up, once again, to troll.

Interesting take and hostile reply there JanePete. Some of us have been fairly long term members of this forum (longer than your 5 week registration under your username). I personally, in 9 years of frequenting this forum, cannot recall a "common discussion" occurring about this topic.

Try visiting a Mac forum that doesn't consist of just a few regulars, as this one does, on an actual Mac site.

Hostile? No, trolling is hostile.

In a way this is "an actual Mac forum", but I do occasionally flirt with other sites.

Obviously not if you are looking to get an in depth and wide ranging view of Mac related topics.

I have a Cyberpower UPS that powers a few LED bulbs for emergency lighting. Works great, except that they make an awful clicking noise when powered by that UPS. I have no idea what it is doing for the life of the battery, but I doubt it's any good for the medium and long term. It's certainly not a UPS I would want to plug my iMac into. Something to consider. Besides, those Pure Sine Wave UPS's come with some nice options.

What do LED bulbs have to do with using a Mac? Nothing whatsoever.

Uhhh, they both have electronics in them??

Most computers will operate properly from a UPS with a stepped sine wave, including Macs. There is no need for one with a pure sine wave (and it isn't actually 'pure' anyway, just more pure).

Products with motors will have problems with a stepped sine wave, but computers do not have motors so that's not an issue.

OK Mr. Electrician, Mac users are covered, now that you have spoken.

What's the point of this sarcastic reply? This used to be a very helpful forum where people were able to discuss and defend their viewpoint with supportive evidence instead of abusive comments.

See above. He has not supported his comments, whatsoever, which also makes for very unhelpful advice. The fact that he says "most computers will operate properly, indicates he is simply guessing. When people have their Macs making a disturbing buzzing sound when they are running off of a cheaper UPS his type of advice will fall on death and skeptical ears, and rightly so.

I have admitted that I do not have sufficient electrical knowledge to detrmine the saftey of different UPS's for use with Macs, or more specifically iMacs. Unfortunately what you have in this case is someone that is always anxious and desperate to show his knowledge of computers to a particular person, and others, to the point of trolling, that sensible advice takes a back seat to personal whims and desires.

You should also allow people to reply for themselves.

How have I disallowed this?

You know what is meant by that.

My comment was purely based on my personal observation as a long term member here, that personal attacks and sarcasm have degraded this forum. Merely pointing out that this is what you are currently doing in this thread.

Agreed, but then try doing it objectively and fairly.

--
Cheers Suby

--
Cheers Suby

 

[SUBY]

There is an additional benefit to using a good UPS like an APC. They filter and stabilize the power so that your computer electronics are not tortured by line noise, bad waveforms, and over voltage / undervoltage which can all happen even if the power is always on. Shielding your computer from bad power helps your components last longer or just to prevent failures.

If you get a UPS with a USB port and connect it to your Mac, your OS X Energy Saver preference will have a new UPS section, where you can control how the Mac will save work and shut down if the power goes out while it is unattended. Of course, you want to set it up so that the Mac safely shuts down before the battery runtime is exhausted.

Touching on your post, I noticed the question of Pure Sine Wave was not mentioned. You typically hear it brought up for Macs.

Actually you don't, because it's not needed.

Nonsense. It is commonly discussed, especially in regards to the iMacs. That discussion has been going on for years. Maybe you are too young to know that.

As expected you show up, once again, to troll.

Interesting take and hostile reply there JanePete. Some of us have been fairly long term members of this forum (longer than your 5 week registration under your username). I personally, in 9 years of frequenting this forum, cannot recall a "common discussion" occurring about this topic.

Try visiting a Mac forum that doesn't consist of just a few regulars, as this one does, on an actual Mac site.

Hostile? No, trolling is hostile.

In a way this is "an actual Mac forum", but I do occasionally flirt with other sites.

Obviously not if you are looking to get an in depth and wide ranging view of Mac related topics.

So in other words, you are implying that if one hasn't come across a discussion/ issue/ problem with a facet of a computer issue, of which there are a multitude (factual or otherwise operator-fault-based), that they are lying that they visit other mac sites?

I have a Cyberpower UPS that powers a few LED bulbs for emergency lighting. Works great, except that they make an awful clicking noise when powered by that UPS. I have no idea what it is doing for the life of the battery, but I doubt it's any good for the medium and long term. It's certainly not a UPS I would want to plug my iMac into. Something to consider. Besides, those Pure Sine Wave UPS's come with some nice options.

What do LED bulbs have to do with using a Mac? Nothing whatsoever.

Uhhh, they both have electronics in them??

Most computers will operate properly from a UPS with a stepped sine wave, including Macs. There is no need for one with a pure sine wave (and it isn't actually 'pure' anyway, just more pure).

Products with motors will have problems with a stepped sine wave, but computers do not have motors so that's not an issue.

OK Mr. Electrician, Mac users are covered, now that you have spoken.

What's the point of this sarcastic reply? This used to be a very helpful forum where people were able to discuss and defend their viewpoint with supportive evidence instead of abusive comments.

See above. He has not supported his comments, whatsoever, which also makes for very unhelpful advice. The fact that he says "most computers will operate properly, indicates he is simply guessing. When people have their Macs making a disturbing buzzing sound when they are running off of a cheaper UPS his type of advice will fall on death and skeptical ears, and rightly so.

I have admitted that I do not have sufficient electrical knowledge to detrmine the saftey of different UPS's for use with Macs, or more specifically iMacs. Unfortunately what you have in this case is someone that is always anxious and desperate to show his knowledge of computers to a particular person, and others, to the point of trolling, that sensible advice takes a back seat to personal whims and desires.

You should also allow people to reply for themselves.

How have I disallowed this?

You know what is meant by that.

If I knew, I wouldn't have posed the question. You are welcome to post a quote in my participation of this thread as to where I have allegedly disallowed people to reply!

My comment was purely based on my personal observation as a long term member here, that personal attacks and sarcasm have degraded this forum. Merely pointing out that this is what you are currently doing in this thread.

Agreed, but then try doing it objectively and fairly.

What are you agreeing to here exactly? You quote me, agree and then counter with the infamous "but". Do you disagree that you have made a personal attack and have used sarcasm toward another forum member? Is my observation of this then not objective and unfair?

 

[JanePete]

There is an additional benefit to using a good UPS like an APC. They filter and stabilize the power so that your computer electronics are not tortured by line noise, bad waveforms, and over voltage / undervoltage which can all happen even if the power is always on. Shielding your computer from bad power helps your components last longer or just to prevent failures.

If you get a UPS with a USB port and connect it to your Mac, your OS X Energy Saver preference will have a new UPS section, where you can control how the Mac will save work and shut down if the power goes out while it is unattended. Of course, you want to set it up so that the Mac safely shuts down before the battery runtime is exhausted.

Touching on your post, I noticed the question of Pure Sine Wave was not mentioned. You typically hear it brought up for Macs.

Actually you don't, because it's not needed.

Nonsense. It is commonly discussed, especially in regards to the iMacs. That discussion has been going on for years. Maybe you are too young to know that.

As expected you show up, once again, to troll.

Interesting take and hostile reply there JanePete. Some of us have been fairly long term members of this forum (longer than your 5 week registration under your username). I personally, in 9 years of frequenting this forum, cannot recall a "common discussion" occurring about this topic.

Try visiting a Mac forum that doesn't consist of just a few regulars, as this one does, on an actual Mac site.

Hostile? No, trolling is hostile.

In a way this is "an actual Mac forum", but I do occasionally flirt with other sites.

Obviously not if you are looking to get an in depth and wide ranging view of Mac related topics.

So in other words, you are implying that if one hasn't come across a discussion/ issue/ problem with a facet of a computer issue, of which there are a multitude (factual or otherwise operator-fault-based), that they are lying that they visit other mac sites?

I was referring to the first part of your statement.

I have a Cyberpower UPS that powers a few LED bulbs for emergency lighting. Works great, except that they make an awful clicking noise when powered by that UPS. I have no idea what it is doing for the life of the battery, but I doubt it's any good for the medium and long term. It's certainly not a UPS I would want to plug my iMac into. Something to consider. Besides, those Pure Sine Wave UPS's come with some nice options.

What do LED bulbs have to do with using a Mac? Nothing whatsoever.

Uhhh, they both have electronics in them??

Most computers will operate properly from a UPS with a stepped sine wave, including Macs. There is no need for one with a pure sine wave (and it isn't actually 'pure' anyway, just more pure).

Products with motors will have problems with a stepped sine wave, but computers do not have motors so that's not an issue.

OK Mr. Electrician, Mac users are covered, now that you have spoken.

What's the point of this sarcastic reply? This used to be a very helpful forum where people were able to discuss and defend their viewpoint with supportive evidence instead of abusive comments.

See above. He has not supported his comments, whatsoever, which also makes for very unhelpful advice. The fact that he says "most computers will operate properly, indicates he is simply guessing. When people have their Macs making a disturbing buzzing sound when they are running off of a cheaper UPS his type of advice will fall on death and skeptical ears, and rightly so.

I have admitted that I do not have sufficient electrical knowledge to detrmine the saftey of different UPS's for use with Macs, or more specifically iMacs. Unfortunately what you have in this case is someone that is always anxious and desperate to show his knowledge of computers to a particular person, and others, to the point of trolling, that sensible advice takes a back seat to personal whims and desires.

You should also allow people to reply for themselves.

How have I disallowed this?

You know what is meant by that.

If I knew, I wouldn't have posed the question. You are welcome to post a quote in my participation of this thread as to where I have allegedly disallowed people to reply!

Really? That actually needs explaining?

Clearly you have no ability to physically stop someone from responding, but that does't mean you should be speaking for them.

My comment was purely based on my personal observation as a long term member here, that personal attacks and sarcasm have degraded this forum. Merely pointing out that this is what you are currently doing in this thread.

Agreed, but then try doing it objectively and fairly.

What are you agreeing to here exactly? You quote me, agree and then counter with the infamous "but". Do you disagree that you have made a personal attack and have used sarcasm toward another forum member? Is my observation of this then not objective and unfair?

You are confused, or acting confused. We have now also gone off topic so I'll leave it at that.

--
Cheers Suby

--
Cheers Suby

--
Cheers Suby

 

[SUBY]

There is an additional benefit to using a good UPS like an APC. They filter and stabilize the power so that your computer electronics are not tortured by line noise, bad waveforms, and over voltage / undervoltage which can all happen even if the power is always on. Shielding your computer from bad power helps your components last longer or just to prevent failures.

If you get a UPS with a USB port and connect it to your Mac, your OS X Energy Saver preference will have a new UPS section, where you can control how the Mac will save work and shut down if the power goes out while it is unattended. Of course, you want to set it up so that the Mac safely shuts down before the battery runtime is exhausted.

Touching on your post, I noticed the question of Pure Sine Wave was not mentioned. You typically hear it brought up for Macs.

Actually you don't, because it's not needed.

Nonsense. It is commonly discussed, especially in regards to the iMacs. That discussion has been going on for years. Maybe you are too young to know that.

As expected you show up, once again, to troll.

Interesting take and hostile reply there JanePete. Some of us have been fairly long term members of this forum (longer than your 5 week registration under your username). I personally, in 9 years of frequenting this forum, cannot recall a "common discussion" occurring about this topic.

Try visiting a Mac forum that doesn't consist of just a few regulars, as this one does, on an actual Mac site.

Hostile? No, trolling is hostile.

In a way this is "an actual Mac forum", but I do occasionally flirt with other sites.

Obviously not if you are looking to get an in depth and wide ranging view of Mac related topics.

So in other words, you are implying that if one hasn't come across a discussion/ issue/ problem with a facet of a computer issue, of which there are a multitude (factual or otherwise operator-fault-based), that they are lying that they visit other mac sites?

I was referring to the first part of your statement.

I have a Cyberpower UPS that powers a few LED bulbs for emergency lighting. Works great, except that they make an awful clicking noise when powered by that UPS. I have no idea what it is doing for the life of the battery, but I doubt it's any good for the medium and long term. It's certainly not a UPS I would want to plug my iMac into. Something to consider. Besides, those Pure Sine Wave UPS's come with some nice options.

What do LED bulbs have to do with using a Mac? Nothing whatsoever.

Uhhh, they both have electronics in them??

Most computers will operate properly from a UPS with a stepped sine wave, including Macs. There is no need for one with a pure sine wave (and it isn't actually 'pure' anyway, just more pure).

Products with motors will have problems with a stepped sine wave, but computers do not have motors so that's not an issue.

OK Mr. Electrician, Mac users are covered, now that you have spoken.

What's the point of this sarcastic reply? This used to be a very helpful forum where people were able to discuss and defend their viewpoint with supportive evidence instead of abusive comments.

See above. He has not supported his comments, whatsoever, which also makes for very unhelpful advice. The fact that he says "most computers will operate properly, indicates he is simply guessing. When people have their Macs making a disturbing buzzing sound when they are running off of a cheaper UPS his type of advice will fall on death and skeptical ears, and rightly so.

I have admitted that I do not have sufficient electrical knowledge to detrmine the saftey of different UPS's for use with Macs, or more specifically iMacs. Unfortunately what you have in this case is someone that is always anxious and desperate to show his knowledge of computers to a particular person, and others, to the point of trolling, that sensible advice takes a back seat to personal whims and desires.

You should also allow people to reply for themselves.

How have I disallowed this?

You know what is meant by that.

If I knew, I wouldn't have posed the question. You are welcome to post a quote in my participation of this thread as to where I have allegedly disallowed people to reply!

Really? That actually needs explaining?

No, not explaining but a quotation would put things in context.

Clearly you have no ability to physically stop someone from responding, but that does't mean you should be speaking for them.

My comment was purely based on my personal observation as a long term member here, that personal attacks and sarcasm have degraded this forum. Merely pointing out that this is what you are currently doing in this thread.

Agreed, but then try doing it objectively and fairly.

What are you agreeing to here exactly? You quote me, agree and then counter with the infamous "but". Do you disagree that you have made a personal attack and have used sarcasm toward another forum member? Is my observation of this then not objective and unfair?

You are confused, or acting confused. We have now also gone off topic so I'll leave it at that.

No need to imply I am confused or acting as such. I have asked a simple question here based on your comments to me, asking to provide proof of your statements. Again, where was I not objective and unfair? If you choose not to answer this with in-text quotation, your replies have no substance what so ever and cannot be taken seriously. You assume and accuse where there was no such implication in existence. I have taken the liberty and goodwill to ask in terms of a quotation a multitude of times now.

 

[JanePete]

There is an additional benefit to using a good UPS like an APC. They filter and stabilize the power so that your computer electronics are not tortured by line noise, bad waveforms, and over voltage / undervoltage which can all happen even if the power is always on. Shielding your computer from bad power helps your components last longer or just to prevent failures.

If you get a UPS with a USB port and connect it to your Mac, your OS X Energy Saver preference will have a new UPS section, where you can control how the Mac will save work and shut down if the power goes out while it is unattended. Of course, you want to set it up so that the Mac safely shuts down before the battery runtime is exhausted.

Touching on your post, I noticed the question of Pure Sine Wave was not mentioned. You typically hear it brought up for Macs.

Actually you don't, because it's not needed.

Nonsense. It is commonly discussed, especially in regards to the iMacs. That discussion has been going on for years. Maybe you are too young to know that.

As expected you show up, once again, to troll.

Interesting take and hostile reply there JanePete. Some of us have been fairly long term members of this forum (longer than your 5 week registration under your username). I personally, in 9 years of frequenting this forum, cannot recall a "common discussion" occurring about this topic.

Try visiting a Mac forum that doesn't consist of just a few regulars, as this one does, on an actual Mac site.

Hostile? No, trolling is hostile.

In a way this is "an actual Mac forum", but I do occasionally flirt with other sites.

Obviously not if you are looking to get an in depth and wide ranging view of Mac related topics.

So in other words, you are implying that if one hasn't come across a discussion/ issue/ problem with a facet of a computer issue, of which there are a multitude (factual or otherwise operator-fault-based), that they are lying that they visit other mac sites?

I was referring to the first part of your statement.

I have a Cyberpower UPS that powers a few LED bulbs for emergency lighting. Works great, except that they make an awful clicking noise when powered by that UPS. I have no idea what it is doing for the life of the battery, but I doubt it's any good for the medium and long term. It's certainly not a UPS I would want to plug my iMac into. Something to consider. Besides, those Pure Sine Wave UPS's come with some nice options.

What do LED bulbs have to do with using a Mac? Nothing whatsoever.

Uhhh, they both have electronics in them??

Most computers will operate properly from a UPS with a stepped sine wave, including Macs. There is no need for one with a pure sine wave (and it isn't actually 'pure' anyway, just more pure).

Products with motors will have problems with a stepped sine wave, but computers do not have motors so that's not an issue.

OK Mr. Electrician, Mac users are covered, now that you have spoken.

What's the point of this sarcastic reply? This used to be a very helpful forum where people were able to discuss and defend their viewpoint with supportive evidence instead of abusive comments.

See above. He has not supported his comments, whatsoever, which also makes for very unhelpful advice. The fact that he says "most computers will operate properly, indicates he is simply guessing. When people have their Macs making a disturbing buzzing sound when they are running off of a cheaper UPS his type of advice will fall on death and skeptical ears, and rightly so.

I have admitted that I do not have sufficient electrical knowledge to detrmine the saftey of different UPS's for use with Macs, or more specifically iMacs. Unfortunately what you have in this case is someone that is always anxious and desperate to show his knowledge of computers to a particular person, and others, to the point of trolling, that sensible advice takes a back seat to personal whims and desires.

You should also allow people to reply for themselves.

How have I disallowed this?

You know what is meant by that.

If I knew, I wouldn't have posed the question. You are welcome to post a quote in my participation of this thread as to where I have allegedly disallowed people to reply!

Really? That actually needs explaining?

No, not explaining but a quotation would put things in context.

Clearly you have no ability to physically stop someone from responding, but that does't mean you should be speaking for them.

My comment was purely based on my personal observation as a long term member here, that personal attacks and sarcasm have degraded this forum. Merely pointing out that this is what you are currently doing in this thread.

Agreed, but then try doing it objectively and fairly.

What are you agreeing to here exactly? You quote me, agree and then counter with the infamous "but". Do you disagree that you have made a personal attack and have used sarcasm toward another forum member? Is my observation of this then not objective and unfair?

You are confused, or acting confused. We have now also gone off topic so I'll leave it at that.

No need to imply I am confused or acting as such. I have asked a simple question here based on your comments to me, asking to provide proof of your statements. Again, where was I not objective and unfair? If you choose not to answer this with in-text quotation, your replies have no substance what so ever and cannot be taken seriously. You assume and accuse where there was no such implication in existence. I have taken the liberty and goodwill to ask in terms of a quotation a multitude of times now.

 

[SUBY]

There is an additional benefit to using a good UPS like an APC. They filter and stabilize the power so that your computer electronics are not tortured by line noise, bad waveforms, and over voltage / undervoltage which can all happen even if the power is always on. Shielding your computer from bad power helps your components last longer or just to prevent failures.

If you get a UPS with a USB port and connect it to your Mac, your OS X Energy Saver preference will have a new UPS section, where you can control how the Mac will save work and shut down if the power goes out while it is unattended. Of course, you want to set it up so that the Mac safely shuts down before the battery runtime is exhausted.

Touching on your post, I noticed the question of Pure Sine Wave was not mentioned. You typically hear it brought up for Macs.

Actually you don't, because it's not needed.

Nonsense. It is commonly discussed, especially in regards to the iMacs. That discussion has been going on for years. Maybe you are too young to know that.

As expected you show up, once again, to troll.

Interesting take and hostile reply there JanePete. Some of us have been fairly long term members of this forum (longer than your 5 week registration under your username). I personally, in 9 years of frequenting this forum, cannot recall a "common discussion" occurring about this topic.

Try visiting a Mac forum that doesn't consist of just a few regulars, as this one does, on an actual Mac site.

Hostile? No, trolling is hostile.

In a way this is "an actual Mac forum", but I do occasionally flirt with other sites.

Obviously not if you are looking to get an in depth and wide ranging view of Mac related topics.

So in other words, you are implying that if one hasn't come across a discussion/ issue/ problem with a facet of a computer issue, of which there are a multitude (factual or otherwise operator-fault-based), that they are lying that they visit other mac sites?

I was referring to the first part of your statement.

I have a Cyberpower UPS that powers a few LED bulbs for emergency lighting. Works great, except that they make an awful clicking noise when powered by that UPS. I have no idea what it is doing for the life of the battery, but I doubt it's any good for the medium and long term. It's certainly not a UPS I would want to plug my iMac into. Something to consider. Besides, those Pure Sine Wave UPS's come with some nice options.

What do LED bulbs have to do with using a Mac? Nothing whatsoever.

Uhhh, they both have electronics in them??

Most computers will operate properly from a UPS with a stepped sine wave, including Macs. There is no need for one with a pure sine wave (and it isn't actually 'pure' anyway, just more pure).

Products with motors will have problems with a stepped sine wave, but computers do not have motors so that's not an issue.

OK Mr. Electrician, Mac users are covered, now that you have spoken.

What's the point of this sarcastic reply? This used to be a very helpful forum where people were able to discuss and defend their viewpoint with supportive evidence instead of abusive comments.

See above. He has not supported his comments, whatsoever, which also makes for very unhelpful advice. The fact that he says "most computers will operate properly, indicates he is simply guessing. When people have their Macs making a disturbing buzzing sound when they are running off of a cheaper UPS his type of advice will fall on death and skeptical ears, and rightly so.

I have admitted that I do not have sufficient electrical knowledge to detrmine the saftey of different UPS's for use with Macs, or more specifically iMacs. Unfortunately what you have in this case is someone that is always anxious and desperate to show his knowledge of computers to a particular person, and others, to the point of trolling, that sensible advice takes a back seat to personal whims and desires.

You should also allow people to reply for themselves.

How have I disallowed this?

You know what is meant by that.

If I knew, I wouldn't have posed the question. You are welcome to post a quote in my participation of this thread as to where I have allegedly disallowed people to reply!

Really? That actually needs explaining?

No, not explaining but a quotation would put things in context.

Clearly you have no ability to physically stop someone from responding, but that does't mean you should be speaking for them.

My comment was purely based on my personal observation as a long term member here, that personal attacks and sarcasm have degraded this forum. Merely pointing out that this is what you are currently doing in this thread.

Agreed, but then try doing it objectively and fairly.

What are you agreeing to here exactly? You quote me, agree and then counter with the infamous "but". Do you disagree that you have made a personal attack and have used sarcasm toward another forum member? Is my observation of this then not objective and unfair?

You are confused, or acting confused. We have now also gone off topic so I'll leave it at that.

No need to imply I am confused or acting as such. I have asked a simple question here based on your comments to me, asking to provide proof of your statements. Again, where was I not objective and unfair? If you choose not to answer this with in-text quotation, your replies have no substance what so ever and cannot be taken seriously. You assume and accuse where there was no such implication in existence. I have taken the liberty and goodwill to ask in terms of a quotation a multitude of times now.

 

[xpanded]

There is an additional benefit to using a good UPS like an APC. They filter and stabilize the power so that your computer electronics are not tortured by line noise, bad waveforms, and over voltage / undervoltage which can all happen even if the power is always on. Shielding your computer from bad power helps your components last longer or just to prevent failures.

If you get a UPS with a USB port and connect it to your Mac, your OS X Energy Saver preference will have a new UPS section, where you can control how the Mac will save work and shut down if the power goes out while it is unattended. Of course, you want to set it up so that the Mac safely shuts down before the battery runtime is exhausted.

Thanks graybalanced - I will definitely do that.

 

[xpanded]

I did live in an area where the grid lost power at least once per month. This prompted me to buy a UPS for a then G5 iMac, to have also connected to the modem/ router.

Unfortunately I also had to deal at times of mains power fault with an under supply of voltage or 'brown outs". The houselights would dim, mains power throughout would be lost and the UPS would immediately kick in. It was quite a while ago but I believe that APC also had models available that would compensate for this, albeit the price tag was a lot higher.