PC shuts down and restarts (UPS problem?)

[ochho87]

Hello,

First of all, let me say that I do not have 24/7 electricity and we have to use a power generator that automatically switches on whenever we lose power (I live in Lebanon).

My problem is that it seems that almost every time the power goes off (Regular electricity or generator) my PC will shut down and restart while the UPS seems to be still running (for example, I can hear the UPS beep and the PC will turn on again after initial shutdown, even though there is still no power; so obviously running on UPS current)

I tried changing the battery of my UPS, also tried a new UPS. Problem persists.

Now my question is:

-Is it possible that my UPS's have a problem? (Maybe a different type of UPS would work?)

-Is it possible the current switch from regular electricity to generator itself is the problem? (Even though other PC's in the house have zero problem with it)

-Is it possible that this is a PSU or motherboard problem?

And last but not least, how the heck do I find out what the problem is? Going crazy here.

PS: I have also tried plugging the UPS into one of the outlets where my other PC/UPS works fine, and I still have the problem.

 

[ko888]

Some power supply's APFC circuit requires the use of a pure sine wave UPS or the UPS will not properly switch to battery operation during a power interruption event.

Does your current UPS output a simulated sine wave or even a square wave while on battery backup mode?

What is the make and model of the power supply unit in the computer that is experiencing the problem?

 

[ochho87]

Hi ko888,

Sorry for the late reply, but I was under the impression that I would get email notifications if this thread ever got any answers.

Anyway,

I've done some testing and here's what I found out:

-Currently using a 1200VA UPS. with 600W rating. It's a "Protec UPS-1200". I tried looking up info on the net but couldn't find anything. I do have a leaflet with some specifications on it if that's of any help. My PSU has a 450W capacity, and I've never had any trouble with my PC apart from these restarts once UPS kicks in (see details below)

-It seems that my PC resets (when I turn off power to the UPS) only on applications that are demanding on my graphics card (Geforce GTX 560) so anything above the 90% mark for GPU Load (like Farcry 3 for example, or just MSI Kombustor).

-With my other UPS's the PC would reset (when UPS lost power) to almost anything, from desktop to very low taxing 3d applications. So, I concluded that upgrading from (700VA and 800VA) to this 1200VA UPS did improve my situation. So, I'm wondering: Is it possible that my 450W PSU is demanding more than 600W at full load?? And thus, the UPS not being able to supply that much, will make my PC reset to avoid any damage to the hardware?

Any help would be much appreciated!

PS: Will get make and model of PSU for you next thing in the morning. Currently 5am and going to sleep Thank you!

 

[ko888]

My guess is that your UPS outputs a simulated sine wave when operating on battery power.

What is the age of the batteries in your 1200VA UPS? Are they still able to sustain battery operation for 10 minutes or longer?

 

[ochho87]

Well the UPS is brand new, so I assume the batteries should be brand new as well. Yes, I haven't had the UPS die on me yet, so you could say they hold out for 10 minutes or longer.

Sorry, I'm a total newb when it comes to electronics. Is a simulated sine wave a good thing or a bad thing?

Quick question: Any way to measure what kind of power my PSU is demanding/consuming at peak load?

Will grab the PSU details in the morning! (in 8~9 hours). Thanks again!

 

[ko888]

All of the UPS' that I've purchased have always come with monitoring software that tells you the current total power draw of all of the devices plugged into the UPS and the estimated runtime available when operating on battery backup based on the batteries' current charge state.

Did your UPS come with its own application?

 

[ochho87]

No I'm afraid not, it's probably some kind of generic brand. Hard to come by quality supplies over here. There was only the UPS unit included with a very small leaflet and 1-2 diode looking things.

By application, you mean software that I install on the PC? Could I possibly find that kind of software somewhere on the net?

 

[ko888]

No I'm afraid not, it's probably some kind of generic brand. Hard to come by quality supplies over here. There was only the UPS unit included with a very small leaflet and 1-2 diode looking things.

By application, you mean software that I install on the PC? Could I possibly find that kind of software somewhere on the net?

If your UPS didn't come with a communication port built-in and communication link cable (i.e. USB cable or RS-232 Serial Cable), to connect the UPS to the PC for monitoring purposes, then there is no software utility/application that will work.