Running H2/J off of a UPS

tennisnut

SatelliteGuys Family
Original poster
Pub Member / Supporter
Nov 1, 2010
53
5
Houston area
We live in an area where power outages occur several times a year, sometimes multiple times in one week. To avoid receiver (622) disruptions until I can get a generator started, we run the receivers off of uninterruptible power supplies (UPS). The cheaper modified sine wave (stepped) type of UPS work just fine; no need for a pure sine wave output. I understand that some modern computers are cranky and need a pure sine wave for power.

1. Does anybody have actual experience with powering a hopper w/ sling or joey with a UPS? If so, please post which type or the brand/model number so I can determine the quality of power it supplies.

2. If you unplug a joey, as in a power failure, with the HWS still running, does that interfere with the hopper operation in any way? If not, I would only put the hoppers on UPS, not the joeys. If power loss to a joey interferes with the hopper, I would need to put the joey on UPS also.
 
1. No, but as you said the cheaper square wave units should be just fine, especially for temporary operations via UPS.

2. No, no issues at all.

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I have two very expensive APC line conditioner/UPSes, one for each HT, including ViP722s.

Definitely saves wear and tear, but are overkill. I use UPSes widely throughout my home.
 
1- no problems at all, i'm using APC XS 1500, after the generator is started and the transfer switch completed the cycle to generator power, you don't see anything that indicates that the transfer occurred, if you're using a DPP44 switch, remember to connect the power injector to the UPS to avoid signal interruption
2- the joey is not connected to the UPS and not a single issue
 
I have been powering up my DISH receivers with the same APC UPS box for many years now. I currently have Hopper with Sling box on my old APC BACK UPS 650. I've replaced the battery in the UPS about every 5 years. It has served me well during power outages. Shows keep recording during power failures which occur very occasionally around here and are usually short lived (< 1 hour).

I do not have my Joey connected to a UPS since my only concern is that the hopper keep recording during a power outage. I haven't had a power outage since getting my Hopper and Joey so I don't know if the Hopper operation is affected. I would guess no.
 
Hopper with Sling on a APC Back UPS Pro 1000. Works great during a power outage and the transfer to generator.
 
I use an APC ES 650 or ES750 - it powers my 50" LED, Hopper, and PS3. I get occasional power outages (usually just 1-2 seconds of outage, then comes back on). It works fine and shows no signs of overloading.

I'm getting a Joey installed tomorrow, it will also be on a UPS with a 32" LCD. It will be on an ES 550. I see no issues with this either, as the Joey's use less power than the Hopper, and I also ran the 32" LCD off of a ES 350 before I upgraded it.
 
7 years now and no problems. We don't have a UPS per say but the electrical system is like a UPS with the inverter cutting in whenever the power goes off. We use a Modified Sine Wave inverter. Electronic devices tend to not have problems with MSWs because the power bricks or the inside power supplies quickly convert input AC to DC voltages.

Dumb devices, like our refrigerator had problems with the ice door circuit board because the board have a very simplistic rectifier circuit.
 
Thanks to all. That's the confirmation I was hoping for. Plus, I never thought of a DPP44 switch being an active device. That may be what the last technician said they would probably use with a 2H2/2J configuration. I've never messed with that part of the system. Getting UPS power to a DPP44 switch is doable but not convenient. Are there some reasonable passive alternatives?
 
For legacy devices or earlier Energy Star products I use the APC BR1500G. Yes, this is a stepped sine wave UPS, but this is not an issue for devices that are below Energy Star 5.0 and Dish equipment is not, to my knowledge, Energy Star 5.0 compliant. I settled on this because, at the time I first purchased them, the CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD "Pure Sine-wave" (really simulated) UPS, was significantly more expensive and I bought the cheaper stepped sine-wave UPS for legacy devices to save on costs.

However, for my very new PC's, HDTV's, and audio receivers (Energy Star 5.0 compliant), I use the CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD "Pure Sine-wave" (really simulated) UPS. This can be critical and if one has an Energy Star 5.0 product, the stepped sine wave UPS won't prevent many PC's connected from losing power and can even damage other connected devices they power for too long. HP, as one example, lists a number of its PC's that will lose power (and cause other problems) if connected to stepped wave UPS and main power is lost.

Further, if you've got an Energy Star 5.0 HDTV and your stepped wave UPS kicks in, you may well hear a popping noise from the HDTV and the longer it is getting stepped wave power, the more you are damaging it. Also, it is wise not to rely on stepped wave for decent audio receivers, for they can damage the receiver. Of course, it is all a matter of time: the more frequent and longer the Energy Star 5.0 device relies on the stepped wave UPS in active mode for power, the greater the likelihood of damage. A few minutes here and there are not likely to cause problems, but how would any of us know how long our device would need to rely on the stepped wave UPS if we lose main power often enough. I suppose it is a judgement call for most CE devices, but you are SOL if your device is a PC or Mac with Energy Star 5.0 compliance: you are almost guaranteed to lose power using a stepped wave UPS.

Fortunately, today, the cost of the CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD "Pure Sine-wave" (really simulated) is just about as low as APC's stepped wave UPS, so I now get the CyberPower exclusively. Although replacing APC's batteries are a much easier task than changing out CyberPower's. I won't go to a true sine-wave, which also provides power from the batteries at all times (yes, an ideal situation), because of the high cost. The latest standby UPS's such as the two I use switch from standby to active faster than it takes for there to be a troubling dip in power. Loss of main power does not occur instantly; it takes time, and the two I use switch to active faster than it takes for the drop in power to be of any consequence to the device's internal power supply. Unless one is depending upon medical equipment in the home, I just no longer see the need for the huge expense of the true sine-wave UPS for consumer electronics. The CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD "Pure Sine-wave" (really simulated) not only has worked as it should for me, but has been confirmed on forums and consumer reviews to do the job for Energy Star 5.0 home CE devices, and at a substantial savings.

CE companies could have met Energy Star 5.0 in a way that would allow us to use the less expensive stepped sine-wave UPS, but that would have been a more expensive power supply for their products. Now, there are countless people experiencing the pain of losing power to their PC, especially Macs, and possibly damaging other devices because their stepped sine-wave UPS can't do the job for Energy Star 5.0 as implemented by the cheapskate CE manufactures. Too many stories of lost data and damaged products. Very sad.

Best of luck protecting your expensive devices. A proper UPS for your uses is among the best investments one can make.
 
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I've had good luck with APC Smart UPS, which I think is close to a pure sine wave. I don't buy them new, but look for a good refurbished deal, one one without batteries. Put in new batteries, and voila. No worries.
 
I have a 2H/3J system but have been with dish since the 90s and I have always kept my main TV and Receiver locations protected with a UPS. By 'Main' TV locations, I mean each TV location that has an actual receiver (not just a Joey). I also have a UPS providing backup power to my wiring cabinet that contains my network switch, DSL router and my powered DPP44 switches.

A Hopper and a 32”-46” LCD/LED will run very happily on a UPS with a 550VA rating (APC Backups 550 for example). And you can pick those up for right around $50-$80 depending on the store and brand. On average, you should be able to get about 10-15 minutes on battery with that.

For specific UPS brands, I personally use all APC equipment but primarily because that is what my company uses and when the batteries in our office units die, they would give them to me and then I would refurbish them with replacement batteries so I'm in for very little cost. Brand means much less than function in the cheaper UPS units (sub-$120 range)..Basically, try to get the most runtime (usually rated in VA) for the cheapest price and you’re in pretty good shape.

My network switches, router and DPP44 switches run with an APC SmartUPS 400 (because that's what I had available), My 2 Hoppers use the APC XS lines - an 800 and an 1100 (the 1100 is providing backup power for an AV receiver and the larger LCD screen so it got the higher capacity unit). One of my other TV locations that uses a Joey and also has a HTPC, I have a basic APC Backups 550 but I have two other TV viewing locations with Joey's only that I do not use UPSs on.

Now, for those that want to scream about how bad the cheap UPSs are; I don’t disagree with the merits of the better UPS units. I want to protect my AV equipment with slightly better than average surge protection and provide basic temporary battery backup power for the equipment in power outages.. I'm not trying to provide protection for my priceless computer data, just a TV and a Media playback device. As an example, I find it ridiculous to buy a $300 UPS to protect a $700 LCD TV in much the same way that it's ridiculous to buy the $19.99 extra warranty to protect a $50 radio from Best Buy or Walmart. I just can't see paying 40% of the nominal replacement cost for a warranty or surge/battery backup protection... So I don't buy retail extended warranties nor do I buy expensive UPSs for AV equipment. The cheaper UPS units do a fine job of providing backup power; especially since most of the devices being protected are already doing AC/DC conversion with some form of basic filtering tolerance designed into the power supply.
 
I agree with everything you said except for this.

Basically, try to get the most runtime (usually rated in VA)...

"VA" stands for exactly what it looks like: volts X amps which of course equals watts. I have a ridiculously small 1000VA unit which, apparently, can source 1KW. Briefly! Any useful measure of runtime would be something like watt-hours (which every physicist knows is a unit of energy). Then, once you know what kind of energy is in the battery, then you can calculate run time if you know the load, e.g. in watts.
 
I agree that the VA rating most of the consumer brands use is not a true or accurate measure of runtime *BUT* it is the marketing the manufacturers typically use and the average consumer doesn't want to know or care about the volts x amps calulations and battery chemistry in the UPS. So my point was [for the general non-electronic engineer/physicist consumer] in general the higher the VA rating of the consumer grade UPS, the longer runtime they will typically get.

I agree with everything you said except for this.



"VA" stands for exactly what it looks like: volts X amps which of course equals watts. I have a ridiculously small 1000VA unit which, apparently, can source 1KW. Briefly! Any useful measure of runtime would be something like watt-hours (which every physicist knows is a unit of energy). Then, once you know what kind of energy is in the battery, then you can calculate run time if you know the load, e.g. in watts.
 
I have a APC Smart 1500 that powers my TV and my Hopper. Its been this way since I've been with a receiver with a DVR without issues. During power failures I'm the only house without power but watching TV. :)
 

No more dish for me.

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