Batteries for desktops

[n8mac]

Ive never owned a laptop, need the power of a desktop Mac. One thing Im jealous of them is they have a battery. Let me explain.

I have lived in this house for 5 years, and we get random power outages. Lately they are getting more frequent, usually just a second or two then back on. Its my neighborhood, usually when everyones running their heat or AC. I have no idea how often people deal with power outages worldwide, but wouldn't it be nice if Apple, or even all desktop manufacturers put a small battery in desktops for this purpose? Not a large battery, just something to keep the machine on for 3 or 4 minutes. Then the user can save anything open, close all apps, and safely shutdown. The OS can even have a mode if the user is not present so that all apps that save files can create a new save, and it safely shuts down on its own.

I save often, but I have been caught several times losing hours of work. Sometimes my autosaves load, sometimes they are corrupted. I don't think its too much to ask. Is there a technical reason this is not how they are built?

PS - I know about UPS units, but they are expensive and overkill. A simple battery would suffice.

 

[chrfr]

PS - I know about UPS units, but they are expensive and overkill. A simple battery would suffice.

That’s exactly what a UPS is. You can get relatively inexpensive ones.

 

[gymrat2k]

That’s exactly what a UPS is. You can get relatively inexpensive ones.

Yup. It's a solved problem.

With an UPS with several ports I can have my desktop computer, external display and hard drive keep functioning in case of a power outage for a short while. A battery in a desktop (Mac mini, Studio or Pro) would only keep the desktop going, without a monitor how would you save your work? Only an iMac would have a working display with an internal battery.

Some UPS also provide surge protection, as a bonus feature.

 

[russell_314]

You can get a decent sine wave UPS for a few hundred bucks. It’s well worth it

 

[MacCheetah3]

Yup. It's a solved problem.

With an UPS with several ports I can have my desktop computer, external display and hard drive keep functioning in case of a power outage for a short while. A battery in a desktop (Mac mini, Studio or Pro) would only keep the desktop going, without a monitor how would you save your work? Only an iMac would have a working display with an internal battery.

Unless you have a Thunderbolt Display.

Furthermore, if plausible, having network equipment (e.g., cable modem, router, wireless access point) also connected will help maintain Internet access, including interruption caused by the power blip requiring network equipment to reboot.

As a topic branch off...

You can get a decent sine wave UPS for a few hundred bucks. It’s well worth it

Any recommendations on brand?

APC has held the candle for consumer/home UPS products for a very long time. However, newer/changing tech implementations and corporate changes have (somewhat) redirected recommendations in recent years. For example:

Best UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) of 2024

Keep the power on

www.techradar.com

https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/10y3o27/ups_brands_whats_good_and_whats_not

 

[russell_314]

Unless you have a Thunderbolt Display.

Furthermore, if plausible, having network equipment (e.g., cable modem, router, wireless access point) also connected will help maintain Internet access, including interruption caused by the power blip requiring network equipment to reboot.

As a topic branch off...

Any recommendations on bran?

APC has held the candle for consumer/home UPS products for a very long time. However, newer/changing tech implementations and corporate changes have (somewhat) redirected recommendations in recent years. For example:

Best UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) of 2024

Keep the power on

www.techradar.com

https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/10y3o27/ups_brands_whats_good_and_whats_not

The last one I bought was Cyberpower but that’s only because I wanted it right away and it’s what Best Buy had in stock. I always look for reviews but it’s hard to separate paid advertisements from real reviews

 

[Chancha]

The last one I bought was Cyberpower but that’s only because I wanted it right away and it’s what Best Buy had in stock. I always look for reviews but it’s hard to separate paid advertisements from real reviews

For home / person use CyberPower is fine enough. I even use a 1500VA one for my small business, it is powering a network cabinet consists of firewall, 10GbE switches, an 8bay NAS, cameras, door access, and then a Mac Studio, while still only at like 25% load most of the time.

Most of the time when home / personal users want an upgrade they look at Eaton, that's my impression. APC is more like a safe bet when you don't want to research, or your location only has them available.

 

[maflynn]

I have lived in this house for 5 years, and we get random power outages. Lately they are getting more frequent, usually just a second or two then back on.

Yep, that's called an uninterruptible power supply, or as other's stated UPS. You plug it in between your wall outlet and computer. Depending on your equipment, it will allow you time to gracefully shutdown your computer. In some models, you can perhaps run the computer for a period of time.

 

[IllIllIll]

I don't understand how a UPS is considered "overkill". It solves the exact problem you're describing.

 

[haralds]

After years on APC, I now use CyberPower. Their USB signaling is recognized by macOS. You can automatically power down based on the time or the remaining battery power.

 

[haralds]

After years on APC, I now use CyberPower. Their USB signaling is recognized by macOS. You can automatically power down based on the time or the remaining battery power.

All of my systems, including the TV and network equipment, are on UPSs.

 

[wdhpgx]

I have my primary machine (and anything important that's connected to it) on a ups primarily for that reason -- covering for blips & flickers and other interruptions in power ie to prevent reboots etc. If you think that a ups is "expensive and overkill", I believe there are now some that are barely larger than a power strip and similarly lower cost.

While my primary purpose is for power flickers (rather than trying to power the desktop for long periods of time), I did also put a ups on the ISP box, which will power it for several/many hours and allowed me to continue to work (via laptop) when we had rolling power outages that were several hours long, a few years ago.

My most recent ups purchases are all APC BX1500m (when they occasionally drop to $160)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06VY6FXMM

 

[Smoke Bar]

I've transitioned from traditional lead-acid UPS systems to a lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) model, which integrates seamlessly with my MAC studio setup and has performed flawlessly during the few power outages we've experienced.

EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus | Reliable LiFePO4 UPS Battery | EcoFlow US | EcoFlow US

EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus offers a LiFePO4 battery with a 10-year lifespan, <10 ms UPS switchover, 1-hour recharge, and up to 4 days of backup for home and portable use.

www.ecoflow.com

 

[MacCheetah3]

I've transitioned from traditional lead-acid UPS systems to a lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) model, which integrates seamlessly with my MAC studio setup and has performed flawlessly during the few power outages we've experienced.

Interesting.

The Benefits of Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries in Modern UPS Systems - LiFePO4 Battery Blog

Traditionally, UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) systems have relied on lead-acid batteries for energy storage. However, the limitations of lead-acid batteries—such as their low energy density, large size and weight, narrow operating temperature range, and environmental concerns—have paved the...

www.lifepo4-battery.org

 

[BigMcGuire]

I have also transitioned to LiFeP04 batteries. I have an Anker C1000 with a BP1000 powering my office. It has replaced all the lead acid UPSs I used to have - and it can run my fridge and entertainment system (with extension cables) in the event of a large power outage.

I've used it for over a year and a half now and have actually programmed it to power my office from 3pm-12am (during peak power rates) as a hobby. I don't even notice power outages now because everything in my office runs off of it.

UPSs (Lead Acid) are still king at INSTANT switch overs in the event of a power outage if you have super sensitive electronic equipment, but can usually only run for 30 mins before running out. My setup runs my office for 24+ hours in the event of a power outage.

You can get the C1000 for $475 on sale on Amazon.

 

[Smoke Bar]

I have also transitioned to LiFeP04 batteries. I have an Anker C1000 with a BP1000 powering my office. It has replaced all the lead acid UPSs I used to have - and it can run my fridge and entertainment system (with extension cables) in the event of a large power outage.

I've used it for over a year and a half now and have actually programmed it to power my office from 3pm-12am (during peak power rates) as a hobby. I don't even notice power outages now because everything in my office runs off of it.

UPSs (Lead Acid) are still king at INSTANT switch overs in the event of a power outage if you have super sensitive electronic equipment, but can usually only run for 30 mins before running out. My setup runs my office for 24+ hours in the event of a power outage.

You can get the C1000 for $475 on sale on Amazon.

The latest LiFePO4 Ecoflows can switch over in less than 10ms, comparable to many modern lead-acid UPS systems.

I think the C1000 has a 20ms response time.

 

[xraydoc]

I have a couple of UPS units with a USB connections. They connect to my Mac and WFH PC so when the power goes out, they shut themselves down properly so risk of corruption is minimized.