|  When
it comes to power backup, Tripp Lite is a name that often comes to mind. The company
has a great reputation for providing power protection for PCs and Audio/Video
equipment. Tripp Lite has recently introduced the SMART1500LCD Rack/Tower UPS
that features 1500VA/900W power capacity and is capable of providing nominal 120V
output over a wide input range thanks to the AVR (Automatic Voltage Regulation)
circuitry. Should the input fall out of this range the unit switches to the battery
backup and uses the AC inverter to provide power. This is great news for those
with a fluctuating line power. The UPS comes with a 2 year product warranty /
$250,000 Ultimate Lifetime Insurance (USA, Puerto Rico & Canada only).
 Display
The
display on the SMART1500LCD UPS is easy to read and provides important information
for the user. The line voltage is displayed on the top with large numbers. Just
below this is the 5-segment battery capacity level. Should the incoming line voltage
become unstable, the AVR (Automatic Voltage Regulation) will kick in and indicate
so on the display. The unit also indicates when the UPS is running on batteries
should the line voltage deviate outside of the 75V to 147V range. In the event
the batteries fail, a Replace battery indicator will illuminate. Should
a fault occur in the UPS, the Fault light will illuminate.
 The
SMART1500LCD includes rackmount ears allowing the unit to be installed in a standard
19" equipment rack and occupying a standard 2U (3.5") space. There are
many instances where placing the UPS vertical would benefit the user. Depending
on the orientation of the unit, the display can be moved 90 degrees to make it
readable in either position.
There
are only two buttons near the display. Holding the Power button down for
one second will turn the unit on. In the event no power is connected to the unit,
it will cold start and provide AC power to the connected equipment. Holding the
Power button once the unit is on will shut-off the UPS. Briefly pressing
the Mute/Test button will mute the alarm (unless it is a continuous alarm).
Holding the Mute/Test button for more than two seconds will place the UPS
in a Self-Test mode. A small slider control on the side of the display adjusts
the backlight level from full brightness to off. Rear
Panel
 The
rear panel of the SMART1500LCD unit has a total of eight NEMA 5-15R protected
outlets. All of the outlets are connected to the UPS battery backup in the event
of a power problem. A long heavy-duty non-detachable power cable is provided. Interfaces
The
SMART1500LCD has two interfaces for communicating to the unit. The built-in USB
and DB9 serial port interfaces (cables included) enables optional unattended system
shutdown without data loss in case of extended power failure. The HID-compliant
USB interface enables integration with built-in power management and auto shutdown
features of Windows and Mac OS X. A pair of RJ-45 jacks are also provided for
protecting connected network equipment. A small control that can be adjusted with
a screwdriver is provided to set the sensitivity level of the unit to waveform
distortion. PowerAlert, a free program designed to manage the UPS, is available
for free from the Tripp Lite website (www.tripplite.com).  PowerAlert
Software
We downloaded the latest PowerAlert software (Version 12) from
the Tripp Lite website and used our laptop to gain access to the SMART1500LCD
unit through the USB connection. PowerAlert allows the user to define customized
alert parameters for a variety of different events and choose the actions accordingly.
The software supports multiple-devices and allows one computer system to manage/monitor
more than one UPS per system. The IP based interface allows for network power
control from any web-browser. According to Tripp Lite, this is the first software
package to support a redundant UPS setup without any extra components.
The
Event Log keeps a history of the events that have occurred. All events
are logged to PowerAlert's log database with the date, time and description. The
system allows for easy review of the power events by date and/or category. Performance
The
SMART1500LCD is a heavy unit mainly due to the lead-acid batteries. The design
appears solid with an internal fan to keep the electronics cool. I would recommend
placing the unit away from listener to avoid audible distractions. Once the battery
backup becomes active, the fan level increases to cool the inverter electronics.
The run-time on batteries is completely dependent on the amount of power being
consumed by the connected devices. When fully charged the UPS can provide a small
amount of power (20 Watts) for as long as 294 minutes while larger loads (900
Watts) will expire in 3.5 minutes. We placed a 300W load on the UPS and it ran
for about 20 minutes before the warning alarm sounded.  AVR
The
SMART1500LCD has the ability to correct for non-ideal voltage levels from the
utility power and provides stable output voltages over a wide input range. The
Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR) circuit handles voltages in the range of 75V
to 147V. The great part about this design is that the circuits are at work without
having to use battery power. In the event the input voltage deviates outside of
the AVR range, the UPS (inverter) kicks in and provides battery backup power to
the connected components. The graph shows the measured output voltage as a function
of the changing input voltage when the AVR is working. The unit's response time
from line votage to battery backup is about 2-4 milliseconds. Given the cycle
time of AC power (60Hz) is about 16.7 milliseconds, this is impressive.
Conclusion
Tripp Lite's SMART1500LCD Digital Uninterruptible Power Supply offers voltage
regulation, surge suppression and long-lasting battery support during blackouts
thanks to the high 1500VA/900W capacity. The advanced Automatic Voltage Regulation
corrects for line voltage irregularities without having to resort to the battery
backup. Eight protected outlets are provided to keep your components online and
protected. The large LCD front panel is easy to read and provides important unit
status. With a street price of less than $200 and a full 2-year product warranty,
the SMART1500LCD is relatively inexpensive and provides peace of mind. -
Kevin Nakano | 
