What is a UPS and how does it work – Types of UPS and what is it for

You may have one or have been recommended to buy one, but what is a UPS and what is it for ? Although their use can be applied mostly to industries or companies, they are also a good idea at a domestic level and here we explain why you should have one, what types there are and what advantages the use of a UPS has.

If you live in a house where the power usually goes out or if you live in a house where there are voltage spikes that cause your computer to suddenly disconnect, with the risks that this entails. In these cases, the use of a UPS is a good idea and we are going to explain what its advantages or functions are.

What is a UPS and how does it work

What is a UPS

UPS stands for Uninterruptible Power Supply . As its name suggests, it is a device or device whose mission is to provide current in the event of a power outage or electrical problem. If you live in an area where blackouts are common, for example. Provides power to appliances for a limited time during the blackout or prevents them from continually shutting down in the event of a fault. This would make it possible to avoid breakdowns in the devices when they are suddenly disconnected, among many other advantages.

We can also see these uninterruptible power supplies mentioned as UPS for its acronym in English (uninterruptible power supply) and there are many times of them that we will see in the next paragraphs. Each type covers specific needs or have specific missions depending on the failures in the electrical supply: if it is a voltage drop or current peaks or if it is a prolonged overvoltage or if it is undervoltage . Depending on the failures you have, we will have to bet on one type or another to avoid the error in the devices.

How does a UPS work and what types are there

You may think that a UPS only makes sense at the level of an office or a company where we want to avoid errors or sudden shutdowns, but the truth is that it is also an excellent device to have at home if we want to protect our equipment. It is very easy to use a UPS because we only have to connect to the current and to the different equipment. It works with a battery that is capable of powering what we have connected when there is a problem with the light. If the power goes out, the SI starts to work thanks to the fact that it is capable of detecting, through a relay, when this happens. The rest of the time we have it connected to the current but it is on standby until it is needed.

There are several types although the most basic is the standby model. As its name suggests, the device is on standby and when the power goes out or there is a voltage peak, the relay gives the warning. The UPS relay causes the current to pass through the battery of the device that produces direct current and converts it to alternating current.

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The second model is the UPS Line Interactive that has an autotransformer in charge of regulating the voltages. It is usually the most common in offices and homes and the usual ones that we use with a computer. It has a filter capable of stabilizing peaks, controlling and correcting energy fluctuations.

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Finally, another type of UPS is online and the most advanced. They are designed for industrial use and what they do is convert all the energy into direct current to convert it back into alternating current and ensure that the signal that comes out of the device is ideal in any case and at all times. It is the one that protects us the most because it not only protects us in case of voltage spikes but also short circuits or if there is a drop in voltage. They protect us much more and this means that they are designed for industrial environments where there is a lot of equipment that must work well.

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