The long name for CyberPower’s upper-mainstream backup unit is easily broken down into brand (CP), VA rating (1500), PFC power supply support, and an LCD front-panel display.

Besides being the smallest, lightest, and cheapest unit in today’s roundup, the CP1500PFCLCD is also the only unit that has not fully replaced step-wave with pure-sine-wave circuitry, instead opting for a modified triangular wave that CyberPower calls “Adaptive Sinewave” to eliminate the zero power state that has so often prevented step-wave units from working with active PFC power supplies. This basically means that users get the enhanced compatibility of a sine wave unit at a low price similar to many step wave competitors.

A large LCD panel eases manual configuration from the unit itself, giving users one more excuse not to install the included management software. Enhanced front-panel capabilities also make the CP1500PFCLCD a better choice for non-PC power backup applications, such as home theater system protection, and CyberPower even lets you charge your USB-equipped cell phone from the front panel. If you’re starting to think this might be the perfect device for household emergencies, that’s probably the kind of thinking CyberPower is hoping to foster.

Unlike more expensive solutions that have configurable load-shedding outlets, the CP1500PFCLCD has five battery-backed and five surge-only outlets (two covered by the red warning label). PC users can plug unneeded peripherals like their speakers and printer to the surge-only connections for instant power-off, preserving the battery for their PC and monitor. Similarly, home-theater users can keep required devices, such as their TV, cable box, and radio plugged into the battery-backed side as they listen to emergency alerts, while unnecessary devices power off instantly to preserve the unit's limited battery life.

CyberPower surprised us by including a telephone and TV cables in its installation kit, along with the expected USB cable, manual, and software CD.
- Power Protection Or Rage Prevention?
- Why So Pricey?
- APC Smart-UPS SMT1500
- SMT1500 Management Software
- CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD
- CP1500PFCLCD Management Software
- Opti-UPS Durable Series DS1500B
- DS1500B Management Software
- Tripp Lite SmartPro SMART1500SLT
- SMART1500SLT Management Software
- Test Settings
- Benchmark Results
- Conclusion
Would recommend it although they might be a bit costly but they perform really well.
You've also made me want to test my non-pfc ups with my 850hx, but my gaming rig and my workstation are an hour apart....
wrong
No it's not wrong, a small UPS equipped with a bunch of low-cost standard deep cycle SMF/gel-cell batteries is a lot cheaper than a big UPS that comes factory equipped with that capacity. APC's Smart-UPS units come with ~2700 VAh and their price tags start at about $8000. Sure they are also able to provide up to 40 kW power from the batteries but this is far more than needed for home use.
The problems that may arise is that the inverter circuit may be too weak to operate for longer durations which is a problem among low-budget UPSes. It may not be able to run equipment for hours since its intended use to deliver power from batteries lies within a time-span of maximum half an hour. A sign to look for is if the UPS has cooling fans. Those that don't have that are probably not constructed for longer durations.
Another problem is that many of these UPSes are equipped with circuitry that monitor the health of the batteries. If you swap the original batteries with batteries that have higher capacity they will need more time to recharge and the circuitry may misinterpret this as that the batteries are "dead" since they don't take the charge at the same rate as is expected from smaller batteries.
The recharge voltage of the recharger circuit may not match the recommended voltage of the standard batteries if you use cheaper open-cell batteries. I've been told that the electrolyte of open-cell batteries tend to evaporate over time if you feed them with a higher than recommended recharge voltage. The solution to this is to make sure that the ventilation is good and keep refilling the cells with distilled water. Sealed gel-cell batteries should have the same recommended recharge voltages as those lead batteries that are used in the UPSes.
The solution to the last two issues could be to put on an additional (smart) recharger on the batteries that is connected to them 24/7 and let the battery/recharger circuit sit behind a rectifier just to be on the safe-side. This may of course confuse the battery health monitor circuitry of the UPS making it think that something is wrong with the batteries. If I had the budget I would definitely try these things out.
I looked at them and if you want 120V power, they are good but if you want 230V then there is a problem. The models that provide 230V and are not crazily big (6 kW is far beyond household needs ...) use 12V as input. It's much better to use 48V or at least 24V as these setups with serially connected batteries can use thinner wiring. But this is an interesting option indeed since they come with an automatic utility power pass-through switch and a recharger.
In a word, "wrong" was the right answer. Ignoring everything else, for the simple reason that charge management isn't where it needs to be; you will destroy the UPS trying to charge and float anything behind 2x or 3x the normal capacity. There are vendors (apc is one of them at the entry level position in the market) that offer expandable runtime UPS solutions; if you are going to be relying on your backup and not just using it as a hobby project (there is nothing wrong with that) you are going to need a properly engineered solution.
I'd like to see Tom's test an old square-wave UPS, see if they can actually trigger an Active-PFC PSU shutdown on a swap to battery power. I'm guessing it won't have anything to do with the waveform coming out of the UPS.
And before you come back at me, I have a degree in Electrical Engineering, I actually have an educated basis for my beliefs.