“Of Mice and Megabytes Supplement”

UNINTERRUPTIBLE POWER SUPPLY
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Finally! Snow. The forecasted three feet of snow for the Tahoe area was instead dumped into the Mammoth area leaving us with but a smattering of the white stuff. But regardless of what little did fall, with it came the inevitable power outages, which could be tolerable unless you’re working at your computer. However, a simple solution exists to avoiding problems created by a sudden blackout: A UPS.

No, not the delivery company, but UPS as in “Uninterruptible Power Supply.” In short, a UPS provides emergency battery backup in cases of electrical blackouts or over- or under-voltages. When your house is swathed in unexpected darkness, it supplies power to your computer and monitor providing enough time for you to save your work. And, if your computer is unattended, the UPS’ software automatically shuts down your computer in an orderly fashion.

There are various UPS brands and capacities and choosing the right one is not a difficult task thanks to Web sites served up by American Power Conversion (apc.com), Tripp-Lite (tripplite.com) and Sutton Designs (suttondesigns.com). Each provides assistance to help you match your power requirements to a UPS model. Another consideration in choosing a UPS is the type of connection required between UPS and computer (USB or serial port).

The APC model I purchased provides me 35 minutes of battery time and is connected via USB port. It affords me surge and spike protection, and the included software (for PC, Mac, and others) is easy to use. Cost: A skosh over $100.

Whether in the mountains or the flatlands, it takes only a short power outage to disrupt your computer. Open files are vulnerable to corruption if the computer is suddenly shut off. A small investment in a UPS is a good hedge against just such events.

Re-printed from the Rafu Shimpo, November 2002. Copyright©2002 Rafu Shimpo. All rights reserved.