Hi,
Will a cheap filter clean up an AC waveform (remove most if not all noise) or do I need a real power conditioner?
Any comments on the quality of the APC LE-1200I, which seems to be a real power conditioner at a reasonable price?
I know I can buy one and look at the waveform to see if it's much improved, but I thought I'd run it past you experts. (Thanks again for your help on my other posts.)
The background is as follows.....
I've bought a diesel Generator Set for backup power, and today we actually had a 2 hour power failure. It was a great asset to have!
I mainly use it for supplying our online (double conversion) UPS which power our computers.
One UPS (the smaller one, of course!) handles the GenSet output fine.
The main (larger) UPS goes into fault condition when I plug it into the GenSet.
I've worked with the UPS manufacturer and still have no resolution for this problem. I do have a workaround, which worked fine today, but it's an annoyance (I have to remove all load from the UPS - switch off the computers - then apply the input power then apply the load once the UPS has switched the inverter on).
I know what *is not* causing the problem. It's not the voltage, it's not the frequency, and it's not the floating earth.
I now believe it is the noisy waveform that the GenSet supplies. It provides a reasonably steady 54Hz and 240V, but the waveform is quite noisy. In particular, at peak voltage there is a 10-20% short-lived voltage drop. Thru the rest of the waveform there are notches or jitters.
The theory is that the UPS tries to match the frequency between the inverter and the the mains (GenSet). The noise looks like very erratic frequency and this confuses the UPS and it goes into fault.
All I want is a cheap filter or conditioner that I can place between the GenSet and the UPS and have it remove enough of the noise so that the UPS doesn't go into fault condition.
The UPS manufacturer has been very helpful, but the conditioners they supply cost 6 times the APC one mentioned above.
tia, RR