UPS, and i don't mean shipping


Hi folks! i got my hands on an old big UPS that was used for a computer server. It's the old kind that had batteries on line full time. If i'm not mistaking it first converts AC to DC, feeds it to the batteries and the output of the batteries is converted to AC again. Wouldn't this unit make a great power supply noise filter?

Has anybody tried it? The batteries in it are dead and i'm wondering if it's worth replacing them. The damn thing is quite noisy but i plan to install it in the garage and run a cable to my living room.

Thanks for any advice!
lacayen
Be careful because most UPS output waveforms are quite messy from what I have seen in the lab. They are designed for unknown loads and so the DACs are not what you are used to from CD players. Computers have a regulated power supply in them so the input waveforms need not be perfectly clean and I can tell you that there is no design effort really spent on correcting this "problem" in UPSs. I wouldn't bother using it. Arthur
Well he could also have it that he runs only on batteries and switches the power supply off when listening. Not quite sure how long you might have without running into some money and a big row of batteries, and regulation as Mr. Aball has said. Then again with just the batteries I don't see it very difficult to convert your system to accept the DC. It is that DC/AC thing that is the tricky part.
Thanks for the info, folks! I gues i'm gonna throw it in the garbage. It's a shame though. There's a very big transfo and big capacitors in there. Maybe i'll keep the capacitors. Thanks again for saving me some trouble.
Mario
Sounds to me it does the same as the PS audio stuff. Check it out and see if works and let us know
snook2, i used to think the same, but having switched from an APC smartUPS 1000 to a Panamax MAX 5300 it was.... astounding. video looked better (remember how dependant NTSC is, clocking on 60hz) and i would say a general 15% improvement on sound (this coming from a skeptic who didn't buy into the speaker cable / power / ic thing for years). the problem is, computers like things REALLY clamped down and exact and that's what you get with these UPS units. audio, often you're best off plugging stuff into the wall (esp. with a hospital or audio grade outlet) unless you're worried about protection, but even good units like the panamax only offer like 5-10k of insurance which wouldn't cover many of the systems i've read about here).