# Office Depot has APC 1500VA UPS for $99.99



## A J Ricaud (Jun 25, 2002)

http://www.officedepot.com/textSearch.do?uniqueSearchFlag=true&Ntt=481872&x=26&y=14


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## temp357 (Feb 18, 2004)

I bought one already, great deal. Too bad the 20% off coupons don't work with this item though


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## Paul_PDX (Nov 12, 2002)

It's interesting that the replacement battery for this model runs $125. it is also strange APC doesn't mention this model without major searching.


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## Dssturbo1 (Feb 23, 2005)

$125 is not for the replacement battery for the unit.

the $125 is for a different addon/accessory battery unit that helps extend the power on run time


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## mattn2 (Mar 23, 2001)

I have all my TiVo's plus the multiswitch tied to one of these w/ the extender battery installed. It'll run over an hour without power.

# Matt


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## Bai Shen (Dec 17, 2004)

Anybody know if this unit also handles cable and/or cat5?


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## bsnelson (Oct 30, 1999)

That's an awesome unit. I've been running one for years, and it's as solid as a rock. Great price as well. 

Brad


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Bai Shen said:


> Anybody know if this unit also handles cable and/or cat5?


It handles CAt5e but I'm not sure if it protects all pairs. When i tried it a few years ago i couldn't use it with my gigabit network since it only passed two pairs. gigabit uses all four pairs. I haven't tried either of the ones I bought recently to see if it protects all four pairs now. they have a black one for entertaiment systems that probably protects coax but it costs alot more. I've been protecting my equipment for years with the 1500Bx models without any problems. I also like fact that you can set it so the alarm never comes on. That way I never have to hear any incessant beeping every time the power goes out.


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## Bai Shen (Dec 17, 2004)

aaronwt said:


> It handles CAt5e but I'm not sure if it protects all pairs. When i tried it a few years ago i couldn't use it with my gigabit network since it only passed two pairs. gigabit uses all four pairs. I haven't tried either of the ones I bought recently to see if it protects all four pairs now. they have a black one for entertaiment systems that probably protects coax but it costs alot more. I've been protecting my equipment for years with the 1500Bx models without any problems. I also like fact that you can set it so the alarm never comes on. That way I never have to hear any incessant beeping every time the power goes out.


Ah, okay. I'm currently running one of the 750W models that protects coax an' cat5. I'm only running 100M, though, so I dunno if it'll handle gige.


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## tivoboy (Jan 14, 2002)

nice price, I'm in for one, pickup. I was JUST about to buy a differant one, for 50$, but nothing this smokin!


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

You can get the extended battery pack from Amazon for $127. I just received mine today to go with the Office Depot unit I picked up on Sunday.. $3.99 for overnight shipping with Prime Membership. That extra battery pack extends the runtime by several hours depending on the load. Now I'm all set in my computer room. That makes three 1500BX units with extended battery packs in that room. I should be able to use my PC and watch HDTv for several hours in that room during a blackout now. Before I could only get around 1.5 hours since the TV and TiVos shared a UPS with some other components.


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## Barryrod (Mar 17, 2006)

I have a 350VA that had a bad battery, would only hold for about 30secs. I took out the battery and hooked up leads to a 12V 38AH sealed lead acid battery. It took >2 days to charge up but now it holds forever it seems. I have not taken the time to see exactly how long it holds but may do that soon. It is all open back under my corner unit desk but plan to fabricate a case for it all.


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## drew2k (Jun 10, 2003)

I have one of the APC 1500 UPS models, and I find that it's sometimes quite noisy, giving a very faint cyclic ping sound, almost like a submarine's sonar ping. Anyone else experience this?


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## Jeproks (May 2, 2002)

$10 off Printable Coupon


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Hmm, I just orderd another Bx1500. Maybe I can use that coupon this evening when I pick it up.


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## coachO (Nov 26, 2004)

I have the 550VA unit and it works fine. I have a friend who says he runs a surge protector before the battery backup. Any one else do this? I thought the Power backup was also a surge protector?

He also uses the surge for the coax cable; I thought the risk of a problem with cat5 and surges was quite small? Comments?


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## websthetics (Nov 4, 2004)

coachO said:


> I have the 550VA unit and it works fine. I have a friend who says he runs a surge protector before the battery backup. Any one else do this? I thought the Power backup was also a surge protector?


It is a surge protector. You are not supposed to plug a UPS into anything but a wall outlet.

Many people do it but it's also a bad idea to plug a power strip into an outlet on the UPS. It's a good way to overload it.


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## stevel (Aug 23, 2000)

That coupon says "must present Worklife rewards member number at time of purchase"


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

websthetics said:


> It is a surge protector. You are not supposed to plug a UPS into anything but a wall outlet.
> 
> Many people do it but it's also a bad idea to plug a power strip into an outlet on the UPS. It's a good way to overload it.


You can't overload it unless you have too many things connected that exceed the wattage rating. A couple of my BX1500 units have several power strips connected to each, but the components are only using a few hundred watts. No where near the 865 watts max of the unit.

Half of my BX1500 units are connected to a surge protector. They have been this way for years with no problems. The other half has a surge protector plugged into the UPS. Those have never had a problem either.


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## websthetics (Nov 4, 2004)

aaronwt said:


> You can't overload it unless you have too many things connected that exceed the wattage rating. A couple of my BX1500 units have several power strips connected to each, but the components are only using a few hundred watts. No where near the 865 watts max of the unit.
> 
> Half of my BX1500 units are connected to a surge protector. They have been this way for years with no problems. The other half has a surge protector plugged into the UPS. Those have never had a problem either.


I know people plug their UPS units into surge protectors and many have no issues (or if they caused a problem they are simply not aware of it) but you are still not supposed to use them that way.

It really depends on the quality of the surge protector. The cheaper one's have MOVs only between live and neutral. Plugging a UPS into that can blow out the MOVs on the UPS.


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## DaveSchott (Nov 10, 2002)

Is it possible to wire in a big honkin' external battery (not the factory add-on) . to these types of bacups, to extend the time or service more devices? any experiences? Anyone ever successfully used a tractor or small car battery?


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

DaveSchott said:


> Is it possible to wire in a big honkin' external battery to these types of bacups, to extend the time or service more devices? any experiences?


APC BR24BP Battery Pack for BR1500 UPS 

You can add this external battery pack to get a few hours extra of runtime. I have several with this external battery pack.


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## Mark Lopez (Jan 1, 2000)

DaveSchott said:


> Is it possible to wire in a big honkin' external battery (not the factory add-on) . to these types of bacups, to extend the time or service more devices? any experiences? Anyone ever successfully used a tractor or small car battery?


Yes, you can add a larger capacity battery to just about any UPS. However, keep in mind that all you will be doing is increasing the run time and not the load capability. I've done this many times. Also, I would not use a car type battery as they create gasses when charging and also can do a lot of damage if they leak. Only use sealed gell cell type batteries.


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## tivoboy (Jan 14, 2002)

This might sound like a silly question, but does a bigger ups draw more power than a smaller ups? once the battery is charged, does it require say, five times the power of a 300va unit? I don't really NEED 1500va, but this was a nice deal.


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## websthetics (Nov 4, 2004)

tivoboy said:


> This might sound like a silly question, but does a bigger ups draw more power than a smaller ups? once the battery is charged, does it require say, five times the power of a 300va unit? I don't really NEED 1500va, but this was a nice deal.


The power draw is determined by what is plugged into the UPS.


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## A J Ricaud (Jun 25, 2002)

A larger UPS will only draw more power when it is recharging after it's battery is depleted during an outage.


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## dminches (Sep 29, 2001)

What's the main reason people use a UPS, protection or continuance of power?


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## Bai Shen (Dec 17, 2004)

dminches said:


> What's the main reason people use a UPS, protection or continuance of power?


Yes.


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## AccidenT (Oct 25, 2004)

dminches said:


> What's the main reason people use a UPS, protection or continuance of power?


It's a combination of:
a) "clean" power, meaning the voltage is much more steady than when plugged directly into the wall or a surge protector
b) protection against brief power outages
c) added protection againts extended outages, in that you have an opportunity to gracefully shut things off before the battery runs out.


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## smarsh66 (Apr 17, 2004)

yes, most people will use it to minimize the power interruptions.... However, some people think that it will also make a difference for "power quality"..... it does not.... some may have additional filters (and such) which can help, but only sine-wave regenerators give you full time power isolation.... the UPS is not designed for that, it's designed mostly to minimize power interruptions (and also give you time to bring things down gracefully!)


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## jpeckinp (Apr 9, 2006)

dminches said:


> What's the main reason people use a UPS, protection or continuance of power?


The clean and steady power is great if you have a RPTV that has an expensive bulb. The fluctuations in the voltage can damage these bulbs very easily along with the fact that a power outage gives you the time to shut down your TV and allow the fans to continue running to cool the bulb.
Before I added my UPS I lost two bulbs at $180 each because of brown outs. Just this year my UPS has been used at least 4 times so if that saved me just one bulb the UPS paid for itself twice.


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## smarsh66 (Apr 17, 2004)

jpeckinp said:


> The clean and steady power is great if you have a RPTV that has an expensive bulb. The fluctuations in the voltage can damage these bulbs very easily along with the fact that a power outage gives you the time to shut down your TV and allow the fans to continue running to cool the bulb.
> Before I added my UPS I lost two bulbs at $180 each because of brown outs. Just this year my UPS has been used at least 4 times so if that saved me just one bulb the UPS paid for itself twice.


one thing is a black/brown-outs and another is "power-fluctuations", which are normal, and the UPS will do nothing against.... again, you only get protection from fluctuations if you have isolation/regeneration..... UPS only comes into play when you loose power (unless you have the super high $$$$ ones)...... I'm sure the reason the UPS helped your situation is because it did not shut-down abruptly and therefore did not cool down the bulb as it is suppose to...same as if you pulled the plug.... not because it provides "better" power. the filtering can help, but the filter is not any better than any other inexpensive filter on a UPS....


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## GBL (Apr 20, 2000)

smarsh66 said:


> one thing is a black/brown-outs and another is "power-fluctuations", which are normal, and the UPS will do nothing against.... again, you only get protection from fluctuations if you have isolation/regeneration..... UPS only comes into play when you loose power (unless you have the super high $$$$ ones)...... I'm sure the reason the UPS helped your situation is because it did not shut-down abruptly and therefore did not cool down the bulb as it is suppose to...same as if you pulled the plug.... not because it provides "better" power. the filtering can help, but the filter is not any better than any other inexpensive filter on a UPS....


People around here use the term UPS loosely - it probably includes APC's Smart UPS line which DOES claim to regulate power output. These units are, however, more expensive then the one featured by the OP.


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## stevel (Aug 23, 2000)

There are many mid-priced UPS units with Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR). These are also known as "Line Interactive" models. When the AC power is still there but the voltage is outside a good range, the voltage is reduced or boosted (with battery help). Units without AVR will just switch to battery power when the voltage drops (or goes too high).

Continuous power is the primary advantage, especially for hard disks and projector bulbs.


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## Paul_PDX (Nov 12, 2002)

GBL said:


> People around here use the term UPS loosely - it probably includes APC's Smart UPS line which DOES claim to regulate power output. These units are, however, more expensive then the one featured by the OP.


This unit does have AVR according to its manual (and also the FAQ at APS). This unit is an XS model.

From APS FAQ:
"2. The Back-UPS RS models have both Boost* and Trim** as features of Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR), where as the Back-UPS XS only has Boost. When the input voltage increases above the high transfer point of a Back-UPS XS model it will only go to battery.

*AVR Boost: The UPS is compensating for a low utility voltage. While the UPS can run in this mode indefinitely without any negative impact on the UPS, the circuit should be checked by a qualified electrician if the utility voltage is consistently low.

**AVR Trim: The UPS is compensating for a high utility voltage. While the UPS can run in this mode indefinitely without any negative impact on the UPS, the circuit should be checked by a qualified electrician if the utility voltage is consistently high."

(BTW -- the sale price is over as of today)


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## jamoke (Oct 5, 2003)

Great site for deals on refurbished APC Smart-UPS as well as replacement batteries.

Highly recommended.

http://www.refurbups.com/

No affiliation, just a happy customer.


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## smarsh66 (Apr 17, 2004)

Paul_PDX said:


> This unit does have AVR according to its manual (and also the FAQ at APS). This unit is an XS model.
> 
> From APS FAQ:
> "2. The Back-UPS RS models have both Boost* and Trim** as features of Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR), where as the Back-UPS XS only has Boost. When the input voltage increases above the high transfer point of a Back-UPS XS model it will only go to battery.
> ...


cool, then that's a heck of a price on that unit!


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

You can also adjust the voltage level that the UPS will switch to the battery. I have my nine BX1500 units set at 104V on the lower end(that is the highest you can set it) And 134v on the upper end(I think the lowest setting is 132v). I've had seven set like that for years without any problems. I purchsed the other two last week for the $99 along with the extended battery($127) for one of them. I have an S3 and an HR10-250 with a 32" LCD connected to that unit. That's good for over 2.5 hours of TV watching when the power goes out. In my main system if the power goes out I will power down the TV and receiver instead of running it off the UPS.


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## Paul_PDX (Nov 12, 2002)

Special from 2/15 thru 2/17 in-store only.

http://officedepot.shoplocal.com/of...px?action=browsestorelocation&storeid=2478172


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Paul_PDX said:


> Special from 2/15 thru 2/17 in-store only.
> 
> http://officedepot.shoplocal.com/of...px?action=browsestorelocation&storeid=2478172


  

Now there is a $50 rebate on top of the previous price! I guess I should have waited, although at that price I might as well just get another to have around as a backup. I need to go by there tomorrow night. I wish I would have seen this earlier. I could have gone by this evening.


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## drew2k (Jun 10, 2003)

Paul_PDX said:


> Special from 2/15 thru 2/17 in-store only.
> 
> http://officedepot.shoplocal.com/of...px?action=browsestorelocation&storeid=2478172


You shop in Alpharetta, GA? That's where my aunt and uncle live!


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## Paul_PDX (Nov 12, 2002)

drew2k said:


> You shop in Alpharetta, GA? That's where my aunt and uncle live!


I originally grabbed the GA link from a different site -- thats why I had navigated to the zip code page. Actually I am on the far coast in the wonderful Portland metro where we picked up two of these...


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## altan (Jan 5, 2003)

I cannot find this guy on the APC web site... I'm interested in more tech specs. Is this an old model? bx1500 doesn't appear anywhere!

... Altan


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## Paul_PDX (Nov 12, 2002)

It has similar specs to this one http://www.apcc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=BR1500
the manual is the same -- the XS version has only phone line protection. The RS has both phone and ethernet protection.

Post 37 in this thread describes the only other differences I could find.
http://nam-en.apc.com/cgi-bin/nam_e...2U9MSZwX3NlYXJjaF90ZXh0PXhz&p_li=&p_topview=1
(note they use the same batteries and both can use the same secondary battery).


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## Mark Lopez (Jan 1, 2000)

Well, I didn't really need another UPS, but I couldn't resist the $49 after rebate price. For those who don't like to listen to the piezo buzzer, the case comes apart easily. Some electrical tape over the piezo will quiet it down. After the warranty runs out, pliers will permanently silence it.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Mark Lopez said:


> Well, I didn't really need another UPS, but I couldn't resist the $49 after rebate price. For those who don't like to listen to the piezo buzzer, the case comes apart easily. Some electrical tape over the piezo will quiet it down. After the warranty runs out, pliers will permanently silence it.


You don't need to do any of that to silence it. Just load up Powerchute on the PC and connect it with the USB cable included with the BX1500. You can set it so the alarms never come on. I have all nine of my BX1500 units set that way. I never hear a peep from them. You can also adjust the sensitiviy of it for voltage fluctuations and the upper and lower voltage ranges that the UPS will switch over to battery. You connect it to the PC, adjust the settings and disconnect it. The settings are saved and they stay there until you connect a PC again and change them.

On another note I tried to get a 10th unit but both stores were sold out. Reps from both of them told me they've been trying to get rid of these units since they have a newer vesion. I saw some in the store, It's black with an LCD on the front of it showing voltage info and battery charge(it's also $200). But it's also low, and wide. I like the older ones better becasue they are tall and thin. ALthough I really would have liked another one. For $50 they are a steal considering they are normally $200 each at other stores. And for around $130(Amazon) you can add the external battery pack and get several hours of runtime during a power outage.


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## Richard Chalk (May 13, 2004)

For anyone (emphasis on ONE) interested in a better unit at a steal of a price, I have a Liebert GXT2000 UPStation to sell. These are industrial grade units, and do offer truly continuous power protection, since the inverter runs all the time, and the AC line input serves to charge the batteries, and drive the inverter input. This means that the output is completely independent of the input.

I am using two of these at home. One powers my three HR10-250 DVRs, and will run for several hours without AC power (also powers the multiswitch, and my antenna preamp, for obvious reasons) The second powers a 60" CRT Projection TV, the stereo receiver, various preamps and switchers, as well as two computers. This one has two external battery cabinets connected.

The unit capacity is 2000 KVA, or about 1300 watts. It needs a total of eight 12-Volt, 7-AH gel batteries, which are not included, but which can be purchased on line for about $80 delivered.

I also have one external battery cabinet for this unit, which would take the same eight batteries, for a total of 16. Doing the math, 16 batteries in two banks of 8 gives 96 Volts DC at 14 AH, for a total of 1344 WH. if the power used is for one HR10-250, this is about 75 watts, so if the efficiency is 75% (a guess) this combination would run for about 14 hours before the batteries are completely discharged. Obviously without the second battery box, this would be about 7 hours.

The external battery cabinet may need slight repair to replace a corroded connector, but these are readily available at any auto parts store.

If anyone is interested, please PM me, and we can discuss off-line.
Thanks


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