Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

APC UPS/Surge Protectors work for a mac?

T

thingamajigidid

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 9, 2007
67
0
i just found a link in dealsea.com for an apc which i find useful when i had a pc for graceful shut downs, but it keeps talking about pc..

dumb question but does it work with a mac?:confused:
will it shut down your mac when the lights go out?
 
M

Makosuke

macrumors 604
Aug 15, 2001
6,663
1,244
The Cool Part of CA, USA
Yes.

First, just in case this wasn't obvious, any UPS will of course keep the computer from going down (it's just power), the only compatibility question is whether the Mac can AUTOMATICALLY soft shutdown when on UPS.

And at least with my slightly older APC UPS, yes--APC actually makes some Mac software, but I haven't installed it and the MacOS recognizes the UPS just fine.

It shows up in the Energy Saver system pref, and allows me to set a soft shutdown based on time on, time left, or battery capacity remaining.

Go for it--great investment.

[Edit: I just checked, and their PowerChute personal edition claims to be intel-mac compatible through at least 10.4.5; may work through 10.4.11, but they haven't certified it; I doubt it's compatible with 10.5 yet, but again it's also not necessary to soft shutdown.]
 
Mindflux

Mindflux

macrumors 68000
Oct 20, 2007
1,987
1
Austin
Makosuke said:
Yes.

First, just in case this wasn't obvious, any UPS will of course keep the computer from going down (it's just power), the only compatibility question is whether the Mac can AUTOMATICALLY soft shutdown when on UPS.

And at least with my slightly older APC UPS, yes--APC actually makes some Mac software, but I haven't installed it and the MacOS recognizes the UPS just fine.

It shows up in the Energy Saver system pref, and allows me to set a soft shutdown based on time on, time left, or battery capacity remaining.

Go for it--great investment.

[Edit: I just checked, and their PowerChute personal edition claims to be intel-mac compatible through at least 10.4.5; may work through 10.4.11, but they haven't certified it; I doubt it's compatible with 10.5 yet, but again it's also not necessary to soft shutdown.]
Click to expand...

Powerchute Person 1.3.4 works to the best of my knowledge with Leopard. The preference panel runs for me and shows applicable info.
 
T

thingamajigidid

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 9, 2007
67
0
Makosuke said:
Yes.

First, just in case this wasn't obvious, any UPS will of course keep the computer from going down (it's just power), the only compatibility question is whether the Mac can AUTOMATICALLY soft shutdown when on UPS.

And at least with my slightly older APC UPS, yes--APC actually makes some Mac software, but I haven't installed it and the MacOS recognizes the UPS just fine.

It shows up in the Energy Saver system pref, and allows me to set a soft shutdown based on time on, time left, or battery capacity remaining.

Go for it--great investment.

[Edit: I just checked, and their PowerChute personal edition claims to be intel-mac compatible through at least 10.4.5; may work through 10.4.11, but they haven't certified it; I doubt it's compatible with 10.5 yet, but again it's also not necessary to soft shutdown.]
Click to expand...

thanks..
 
Flyinace2000

Flyinace2000

macrumors 6502a
Sep 28, 2004
666
0
i just picked up a used model for $15 off Craigslist and i installed the software on my 10.5.6 server fine. Detected the batter as soon as i plugged it in and all is well.
 
M

Makosuke

macrumors 604
Aug 15, 2001
6,663
1,244
The Cool Part of CA, USA
Wow, this thread is a blast from the past.

And yes, a SmartUPS (or any other true-sinewave UPS from another manufacturer) is the best choice for a Mac, as it would be for a computer from any other manufacturer. When a non-sine output UPS kicks in you can hear the power supply of the attached computer buzzing, but under normal circumstances they should be able to handle the couple of minutes of this without issue.

Personally, I've had my first-gen G5 tower (with their somewhat finicky power supplies) hooked to a less-expensive APC UPS since I got it, and despite having poor power I've never had an issue at all, either when on UPS or otherwise.

I do, however, use a SmartUPS for the server at work, because that's far too critical to cheap out on ugly power. (Also, due to the light-industrial grid it's on, the UPS is running in voltage trim mode literally half the time--line voltage usually sits at around 135V--and thus far no issues with it or the computer.)

You can get really good deals on older UPS hardware on eBay and such--I've done it at work with big rack-mound models--but do keep in mind that shipping is a fortune, and that if the batteries are old they will most likely not last long at all, and may be quite expensive to replace.
 
T

TonyDigital

macrumors newbie
Oct 25, 2009
3
0
Makosuke said:
Wow, this thread is a blast from the past.

And yes, a SmartUPS (or any other true-sinewave UPS from another manufacturer) is the best choice for a Mac, as it would be for a computer from any other manufacturer. When a non-sine output UPS kicks in you can hear the power supply of the attached computer buzzing, but under normal circumstances they should be able to handle the couple of minutes of this without issue.

Personally, I've had my first-gen G5 tower (with their somewhat finicky power supplies) hooked to a less-expensive APC UPS since I got it, and despite having poor power I've never had an issue at all, either when on UPS or otherwise.

I do, however, use a SmartUPS for the server at work, because that's far too critical to cheap out on ugly power. (Also, due to the light-industrial grid it's on, the UPS is running in voltage trim mode literally half the time--line voltage usually sits at around 135V--and thus far no issues with it or the computer.)

You can get really good deals on older UPS hardware on eBay and such--I've done it at work with big rack-mound models--but do keep in mind that shipping is a fortune, and that if the batteries are old they will most likely not last long at all, and may be quite expensive to replace.
Click to expand...



What kind of a small UPS do you have running your home machine? How much load does the Mac G5 place on it and how much run time do you have?



T
 
Sun Baked

Sun Baked

macrumors G5
May 19, 2002
14,937
157
Refurbed a dead Smart 1400 with a set of new batteries, using Batteries Plus, pricey for the two big batteries. But they did come with about 50% more Ah capacity (2x18Ah replacing 2x12Ah) than the original APC battery pack it had, and took forever to charge the first time. But was worth the cash to put a new battery in.

Also if the machine is asleep, the APC 1400/1500 will likely run on this low power level until you get home through an entire 12 hour shift.

If you can find a dead one in need of batteries for $100 or under, it'll be worth picking up.
 
M

Makosuke

macrumors 604
Aug 15, 2001
6,663
1,244
The Cool Part of CA, USA
TonyDigital said:
What kind of a small UPS do you have running your home machine? How much load does the Mac G5 place on it and how much run time do you have?
Click to expand...
Back-UPS XS 1000 (it's the lower-end version of the RS1000) hooked to a first-gen G5 DP2.0 and 20" aluminum ACD. I can't seem to find the power measurements I took, but I seem to remember it being around 150W at idle, 250W full-bore. When new I want to say it got about 10 minutes of runtime, but my memory sucks.

The battery actually needs replacing about now; it will still run the computer, but it started failing the self-test on startup about half the time a couple months ago, meaning it's borderline. Meaning I got just a tad under 6 years out of it before needing new batteries.

I also, to note, have a 2009 mini plus a couple of external drives, an AEBS, a DSL modem, and an answering machine hooked to one of the new "Green" APC UPSes (there's a brick covering up the model number, but whatever the bigger one is--750, I think). That shut itself down smoothly after five minutes on battery with no additional software on Snow Leopard during a recent outage, and the UPS kept the internet and wireless up and running for another half hour until the power came back on.

The XS1000 provided enough power to shut down the G5, at least, so it's still doing its job.

I haven't done any careful measurements of how much power a "Green" UPS saves versus an older one or the big dogs we use at work, but based on how much heat some of the 4U rackmount RS series or TrippLite ones put out I'm guessing it's nontrivial. Depending on the particular model, how much power you use, and the efficiency/phantom load to keep the batteries floated, you could be spending a LOT on electricity with bigger hardware.

I should probably do some real measurements so I can give more concrete statistics on that, though.
 
T

TonyDigital

macrumors newbie
Oct 25, 2009
3
0
Makosuke said:
Back-UPS XS 1000 (it's the lower-end version of the RS1000) hooked to a first-gen G5 DP2.0 and 20" aluminum ACD. I can't seem to find the power measurements I took, but I seem to remember it being around 150W at idle, 250W full-bore. When new I want to say it got about 10 minutes of runtime, but my memory sucks.

The battery actually needs replacing about now; it will still run the computer, but it started failing the self-test on startup about half the time a couple months ago, meaning it's borderline. Meaning I got just a tad under 6 years out of it before needing new batteries.

I also, to note, have a 2009 mini plus a couple of external drives, an AEBS, a DSL modem, and an answering machine hooked to one of the new "Green" APC UPSes (there's a brick covering up the model number, but whatever the bigger one is--750, I think). That shut itself down smoothly after five minutes on battery with no additional software on Snow Leopard during a recent outage, and the UPS kept the internet and wireless up and running for another half hour until the power came back on.

The XS1000 provided enough power to shut down the G5, at least, so it's still doing its job.

I haven't done any careful measurements of how much power a "Green" UPS saves versus an older one or the big dogs we use at work, but based on how much heat some of the 4U rackmount RS series or TrippLite ones put out I'm guessing it's nontrivial. Depending on the particular model, how much power you use, and the efficiency/phantom load to keep the batteries floated, you could be spending a LOT on electricity with bigger hardware.

I should probably do some real measurements so I can give more concrete statistics on that, though.
Click to expand...


At the end of the day, I think what's most important is that the UPS does it's job and protects the required hardware as it's supposed to. It's really easy to get wrapped up in all the technology and keep up-selling yourself to a bigger and fancier model. Very much like regular shopping. I think especially with UPSs you need to size them out and get exactly what you need, not bigger and not fancier. If you don't size right, not only is your cost of purchase greater but so is your maintenance. Bigger batteries, fancier components and of course expensive replacement modules. Size it right at the beginning and it should be smooth sailing. As long as it protects the hardware and does it's job, I am happy.



Tony
 
T

TonyDigital

macrumors newbie
Oct 25, 2009
3
0
Sun Baked said:
That was the right battery, it was one of the first batch that came in the old SU1000NET boxes.

They didn't have their own battery catridges for it so you could still see the original stickers of the two batteries APC built their battery pack from with their sticker slapped on the side.
Click to expand...


This must have been quite an old unit. How old is the 1400, how many years have you had it?


T
 
Sun Baked

Sun Baked

macrumors G5
May 19, 2002
14,937
157
TonyDigital said:
This must have been quite an old unit. How old is the 1400, how many years have you had it?


T
Click to expand...

Looked the only dates on the box are 1999, the shipping sticker doesn't even have a man date ... and the SU1400NET is simply a bar code sticker on the side of the box.
 
M

MacJon

macrumors newbie
Feb 11, 2010
1
0
Answers what software is needed to use APC's UPS on Mac OS X above version 10.4.8

From APC's PowerChute® Personal Edition
Operating System & Processor Compatibility Chart

PowerChute® Personal Edition v1.3.4 (See Note 2)

Note 2: PowerChute Personal Edition support stops at Mac OS X 10.4.8. Any OS X version above that should use the Macintosh built in native shutdown,
which is found under System Shutdown > Energy Saver. For further information, please see Knowledge Base Answer ID 3580 at http://www.apc.com/support.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom