UPS: NOT JUST A SHIPPING METHOD

By Kenny Bergle
Sweetwater Sales Engineer

UPS is an acronym for Uninterruptable Power Supply. This is a unit that provides clean, constant power to your very expensive, very sensitive electronic devices. If you knew how much the power supply fluctuates from your local utility service it would scare you into a possible solar energy generator frenzy! Seriously, ask any qualified electronics person what the single most common cause of electronic failure is. They would most likely reply that it's inconsistent or "dirty" power. In fact, theoretically, if you had completely clean and constant level power, most of your electronic gear would never fail (at least not in your lifetime!). Computer people have known this for years, so most of the UPS units manufactured are sold in the computer arena.

We musicians and studio owners need to wake up to the fact that most of the instruments we use, from keyboards to multitracks, are either full-fledged or at least mini-computers! We must bear the responsibility of providing clean and constant power to the tools of our trade. It is a small investment to protect a much larger one! We can no longer just slap a two-prong adapter on a unit and plug it into the wall. This is me telling you that eventually (usually sooner than later) you will find out that the power coming out of your wall is not what the unit really requires to perform and continue performing for a long time. What UPS units do is provide a constant source of clean power.

There are many ways your local power company can play havoc with your gear. Some examples:

1) A Sag, also know as a brownout, is a short term decrease in voltage levels. This is the most common power problem and is typically caused by the startup power demands of many electrical devices in the vicinity. Sags are also the utility companies' means of coping with extraordinary power demands. In a procedure known as a "rolling brownout," the utility will systematically lower voltage levels in certain areas for hours or even days at a time. Hot days, when air conditioning usage is at its peak, will often prompt rolling brownouts. The final effect: a sag can "starve" a unit of the power it needs to function, causing unexpected system crashes and reducing the life span of components and electrical motors.

2) A Spike is an instantaneous, dramatic increase in voltage. Akin to the force of a tidal wave, a spike can enter electronic equipment and damage or completely destroy components. Typically spikes are caused by a nearby lightning strike, but can also occur when utility power comes back on line after having been knocked out by a storm. Effect: potentially catastrophic damage to hardware and loss of data!

3) A Surge is a short term increase in voltage, usually lasting no more than 1/120th of a second. The cause: high-powered electrical motors such as air conditioners, and household appliances in the vicinity. When this equipment switches off, the extra voltage is dissipated through the power line. Effect: Stress on delicate components and premature failure. 4) Noise, more technically referred to as Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI) and Radio Frequency Interference (RFI). Electrical noise disrupts the smooth sine wave your gear expects from utility power. Many factors and phenomena, including lightning, load switching, generators, radio transmitters and industrial equipment can cause noise, either intermittent or chronic. Effect: Introduction of glitches and errors into audio and data paths.

5) Blackouts, a total loss of power. The cause is usually excessive demand on the power grid, lightning storms, ice on power lines, car accidents, backhoes, and on and on. Effect: Just randomly turn all your gear off at the same time while you are trying to record that next hit! You'll see...

Okay, I'll admit I am paranoid, and possibly overly so, but I have learned the hard way that I must protect my studio devices. I have had everything from intermittent distortion to total failure (having to replace a mother-board) because of power problems. When I finally learned of UPSs, I knew that there was a crucial need for them in our industry!

With the goal of being a complete solution for all your studio needs, Sweetwater is proud to announce that we are now stocking the American Power Conversion (APC) line of UPS units. APC has won more awards for performance than all the other UPS manufacturers combined and are the clear leaders in UPS technology and power protection. The great thing is that the APC line protects against all the above problems in one unit. But there's an added benefit that's just as important: now you can even finish that Number One hit during a complete power blackout since the onboard battery can keep your gear running long after the lights go out! That's right - APC modules give you peace of mind plus an uninterruptable source of power when everyone else is looking for candles. It's affordable peace of mind, considering there are APC units starting at around $300 retail.

Look on our Web Site for detailed APC info ("www.sweetwater.com/apc/"). There are several levels of protection, depending on your needs, so call your Sweetwater Sales Engineer now to determine which is best to protect your gear, before you have to call our Service Department to fix it! It's not a question of if your electricity service will cause you problems, it's merely a question of when!

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