power conditioner PLUS UPS backup?

[jinsc]

In a home recording setup with a computer and interface (Mine is a mac mini and a presonus interface), does anyone plug a UPS (Uninterrupted power supply) battery backup to their computer, and then plug the UPS into a power conditioner? I'd like some sort of battery backup connected to my mac mini in case i lose power and i have time to save my files and properly shut down. Right now it's just hooked up to a power conditioner and so is the recording interface i use. Is a power conditioner unnecessary for the computer? However, if it is necessary, how can i have both a UPS hooked up and power conditioner? without spending a fortune on a high-end all-in-one unit.

 

[miroslav]

.... how can i have both a UPS hooked up and power conditioner?

Ahhhh.........you plug the power conditioner into the wall socket...and then plug the UPS into the power conditioner.

 

[ecc83]

If you are feeding your rig from a UPS you don't need a power "conditioner" (I type it thus " " because there is no solid evidence that the things do any good at all, especially here in UK where the mains is very clean and stable. There is SOME evidence that they can put line noise onto the earth rail). The UPS will have its own filters and surge suppression and there is no need to "condition" battery power by definition!

Buy the best UPS you can afford and do bear in mind that the batteries must be seen as a consumable. You will get 3-5 years out them. Follow the instructions to the letter, Some makers recommend you run the battery"flat" every 6months or so, some don't.

Dave.

 

[jinsc]

Dave - thanks for the info.

Mirslav - heh yea i thought about just hooking it up to the power conditioner but didn't know if that was redundant/ineffective/unsafe/unnecessary/just plain dumb.

 

[miroslav]

If all you're plugging in is computer gear...then just get the UPS.

Thing is, if you are plugging in audio gear (preamps, processors, etc)...I personally wouldn't plug them into your typical home/office grade UPS, as those things put out weird AC (not a pure sine wave).

Also, when I talk about power conditioners, I always also include voltage regulation, which is important for audio gear, and not just AC noise reduction...so in that case, for audio gear, I would have them too, and I actually have a pretty robust power conditioner/surge protection box, followed by a voltage regulation box, followed by surge power strips....for all my audio gear. Yeah, several layers and some redundancy...but, I got a lot of gear, and don't want any of it fried by power spikes and brown-outs, or have my audio effected by voltage fluctuations.
My computer-only gear goes into a UPS, which goes into the wall outlet...that's it. The UPS has built-in surge/spike protection.

But don't go by my setup....I have too much invested, so the power I use is equally important.

 

[Ethan Winer]

Is a power conditioner unnecessary for the computer?

I'm with Dave, I don't think "power conditioner" products are useful for computers, or audio gear, or anything else. Of course, an UPS is needed for computers! But that's a different class of "power" product.

--Ethan

 

[miroslav]

If you mean the home-grade "AC noise" conditioners....mmmmm, not sure of their value...
...but as I mentioned....to me, voltage regulation is also a part of "power conditioning", and for analog gear, voltage swings do have an effect (not much for computers or devices that have their own form of voltage regulation)....
....so I've been using voltage regulations boxes for the last 20+ years in my studio rigs.

Also....with *quality* conditioners, there is also ample protection against surges/spikes, which CAN fry your gear.
I run I high-end, "non-sacrificial" surge/spike protection unit in front of my voltage regulation. I've seen my house voltage swing all over the place at times when area demand is high or when there are storms or other issues....and the units I use keep the AC steady and safe.

I've considered adding a balanced power unit, but my AC is not really plagued by "noise"...there's no industry or radio stations, I'm in a rural residential area...so I've not bothered, plus the balanced power units are the most costliest devices in the "power conditioning" family.

I mean, if you run mainly a computer as a "studio" with only a couple of external audio devices....it's not as critical to go power conditioning crazy, but I've got too much rack gear to take a casual view of AC power.