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Poll: Do you have an uninterruptible power supply (UPS)?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Nov 12, 2011

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you have an uninterruptible power supply (UPS)?".

This poll was originally submitted by MartinPorto. View the poll results »



 
Patricia Charnet
Patricia Charnet
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:47
Member (2009)
English to French
yes Nov 12, 2011

and it saved me a few times at my old address and at this one - I would recommend it for translators, a few times with a power cut, I was able to save my work on the desktop, transfer it to a memory key, and carry on working on the laptop with the batteries waiting for the power to be restored. It saved me a couple of jobs, and without it, I would have probably lost a couple of clients. Also it protects the hard disks against surg... See more
and it saved me a few times at my old address and at this one - I would recommend it for translators, a few times with a power cut, I was able to save my work on the desktop, transfer it to a memory key, and carry on working on the laptop with the batteries waiting for the power to be restored. It saved me a couple of jobs, and without it, I would have probably lost a couple of clients. Also it protects the hard disks against surgesCollapse


 
Mary Worby
Mary Worby  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:47
German to English
+ ...
Yes Nov 12, 2011

Well, technically I have one on our server and I work on a laptop. We don't get many power cuts but we do get the odd blip where it goes out for a couple of seconds. Which would be very annoying without a UPS.

 
Emma Goldsmith
Emma Goldsmith  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 07:47
Member (2004)
Spanish to English
Other Nov 12, 2011

I used to when I had a desktop, but now I use a laptop.

I also have a mobile internet connection for my laptop when there's a power cut and broadband drops as a result. But I suppose a UPS would solve the broadband problem too?


 
Michael Harris
Michael Harris  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 07:47
Member (2006)
German to English
No Nov 12, 2011

and in Europe, what for?

Over the past 10 years, I have never experienced a power cut that stopped me from working and, worse case, I have 2 laptops, but, without .... Internet ... do you want to work anyway?


 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 06:47
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Yes, I do Nov 12, 2011

as a precaution, but I can't remember the last time I had a power cut, either in Belgium or in Portugal (the 2 countries where I usually work)!

 
Alma de Kok
Alma de Kok  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 07:47
Member (2006)
Polish to Dutch
+ ...
Yes, and I need it Nov 12, 2011

In Poland (which is also in Europe!) in the countryside power cuts are a rule (at least twice a month), especially when the wires are all above ground. The power is also unstable, my UPS saves my computer and other device from power surges.
Internet comes to my home by satelite. I can work with my UPS for almost an hour. Apart from that I have a laptop, on which I can work an additonal 5-6 hours and mobile internet.
Last winter however, we got snowed in and lost power. When I run out
... See more
In Poland (which is also in Europe!) in the countryside power cuts are a rule (at least twice a month), especially when the wires are all above ground. The power is also unstable, my UPS saves my computer and other device from power surges.
Internet comes to my home by satelite. I can work with my UPS for almost an hour. Apart from that I have a laptop, on which I can work an additonal 5-6 hours and mobile internet.
Last winter however, we got snowed in and lost power. When I run out of all my reserves I couldn't even get in the car to drive to town to find a socket....

Kind regards,
Alma
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neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 07:47
Spanish to English
+ ...
Needs must Nov 12, 2011

A translator colleague here gave me an old one several years ago and it eventually got left behind (used as a doorstop) the last time I moved house.

I bought a new one when I moved into my current place, as brownouts and powercuts are a common occurence in this semi-rural part of Spain. It is much more efficient than its predecessor. I only have it on the main PC though, as I tend to only be working with one at a time. The backup PC has a surgebreaker to prevent any serious damage
... See more
A translator colleague here gave me an old one several years ago and it eventually got left behind (used as a doorstop) the last time I moved house.

I bought a new one when I moved into my current place, as brownouts and powercuts are a common occurence in this semi-rural part of Spain. It is much more efficient than its predecessor. I only have it on the main PC though, as I tend to only be working with one at a time. The backup PC has a surgebreaker to prevent any serious damage and after considering buying another UPS for it, I decided that it wasn't crucial so that is on the backburner for now.
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neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 07:47
Spanish to English
+ ...
Same all over Nov 12, 2011

Mary Worby wrote:

We don't get many power cuts but we do get the odd blip where it goes out for a couple of seconds. Which would be very annoying without a UPS.


These "odd blips" are the brownouts I refer to in my post. We get them at least a few time weekly in my area, and NOBODY I have approached, official or otherwise, seems able to explain exactly why this happens. They are much more common outside of towns or cities. You do eventually get used to it as a fact of life when a large percentage of your regional capital city's traffic lights stop working whenever there is heavy rainfall.

I'd say UPS is a must for anybody working in these circumstances.


 
Paula Hernández
Paula Hernández
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:47
English to Spanish
+ ...
I used to and pland to again Nov 12, 2011

When I lived in Japan, my house was old and the fuses tripped all the time in winter, therefore I had no other choice but to buy one.

Now I live in a normal house and not once have I had need of it, however, since there are so many lightening storms, I will need one pretty soon.


 
Interlangue (X)
Interlangue (X)
Angola
Local time: 07:47
English to French
+ ...
No Nov 12, 2011

I may need one when they close down the 3 nuclear power plants 4km down the road

I have extensive surge protection and my latest computers have some sort of integrated short term UPS, long enough to save, not to continue working.


 
m_temmer
m_temmer  Identity Verified
Local time: 00:47
English to Dutch
+ ...
bought a small generator Nov 12, 2011

In the rainy season, we can go without power for up to a day or so.
So I really needed a generator. So far, I have used it twice this year. Works like a charm.


 
DianeGM
DianeGM  Identity Verified
Local time: 08:47
Member (2006)
Dutch to English
+ ...
Yes Nov 12, 2011

I live in Greece (Europe) and we frequently have power cuts. It's indispensable.

 
MikeTrans
MikeTrans
Germany
Local time: 07:47
Italian to German
+ ...
APC from Back UPS Nov 12, 2011

Hi,

no, only for a limited time but then without delays. The most important is that it will at all time save me from LIGHTENING DESEASES which I feel is a must if you work for hours a day with any computer system, even a laptop! I can go on working for about 40 minutes on battery power in the case of a power cut.
I must say here that I already have lost a computer due to a lightening shock, fortunately my backup systems were at high level and have prevented data loss.
... See more
Hi,

no, only for a limited time but then without delays. The most important is that it will at all time save me from LIGHTENING DESEASES which I feel is a must if you work for hours a day with any computer system, even a laptop! I can go on working for about 40 minutes on battery power in the case of a power cut.
I must say here that I already have lost a computer due to a lightening shock, fortunately my backup systems were at high level and have prevented data loss.

The APC from Back UPS comes with a reasonable price from about 150 $ (more for sophisticated models of the same company). I've been using it for 4 month and I can warmely recommend it.

Mike

[Edited at 2011-11-12 15:50 GMT]
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Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 06:47
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Essential in the rural areas of the south of France Nov 12, 2011

neilmac wrote:

Mary Worby wrote:

We don't get many power cuts but we do get the odd blip where it goes out for a couple of seconds. Which would be very annoying without a UPS.


These "odd blips" are the brownouts I refer to in my post. We get them at least a few time weekly in my area, and NOBODY I have approached, official or otherwise, seems able to explain exactly why this happens.


I don't know why it happens, either, but I do know that my IT contact told me that my last hard disk got 'fried' by these split-second cuts. You may never notice them, as they are often too short to make light-bulbs flicker etc, but the heads on the disk have often just had time to come into contact with the disk itself when the disk starts moving again, causing worse damage than if you repeatedly turn off your computer by pulling the plug out.

Sheila


 
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Poll: Do you have an uninterruptible power supply (UPS)?






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