Cyberpower OLS2000EC review - budget double conversion UPS

Today, double conversion UPSs are cheaper than line-interactive models were yesterday, so wherever noise and power consumption are not critical, customers choose these models. Firstly, you do not have to worry at all about the quality of the output signal: it is always sinusoidal, and secondly, you have no switching time between phases and rephasing. Thirdly, such UPSs clean the power line from any high-frequency interference, including sinusoidal curvature and the consequences of faulty equipment operation.

Today, few people buy UPS ''for centuries'', so in the mass sector manufacturers compete in compactness and low cost. We have tested Cyberpower products from the moment they began to be sold in Russia, and these uninterruptible power supplies have always received high marks from our editorial staff, therefore, taking into account the merits of our ancestors, we will have increased requirements for the new UPS.

Appearance and design

It is useless to wait for some design delights from the budget On-line model, because no one ever puts them in the workplace because of the noise generated by the fans, but in the back room or near the ATM, where these years usually live. UPS, it is enough to see from afar an indicator that "everything is normal" or "everything is bad".

CyberPower OLS2000EC is the very rare case when in 2019 the UPS does not have an LCD panel with a text menu, and the above indicator is an LED. In general, given that the top line-interactive LCD- that I have met, I absolutely do not understand this saving on matches, because the screen costs mere pennies.

Since we are dealing with a budget, it is fundamentally important for us what the manufacturer saved on, and how significant it is for the buyer, so let's list what is not here:

• The telephone socket/network cable is not protected.
• No support for SNMP cards (such things are added to budgets, as a rule, by order when delivered to special projects)
• No programmable outlet disconnection (load priority)
• No EPO connector for manual emergency shutdown

As you can see, there are mostly missing features inherent in server hardware. More importantly, what is:

• Energy saving technology
• Temperature compensated intelligent battery charging technology

Interestingly, the documentation states that the batteries cannot be replaced by the buyer, but you won't scare us with such statements: we take a screwdriver and open the case.

There are 4 lead-acid AGM batteries manufactured by Fujian Minhua Power Source Co., Ltd, or more simply MHB Battery. Each battery has a capacity of 7 Ah, the estimated service life is 5 years, and there will be no difficulties with replacing the batteries, and even if the batteries are swollen, you can unscrew the stiffener and pull them out.

As for the battery manufacturer, it is a large company that produces not only batteries for UPS, automobile and motorcycle, but also plates for batteries. And although the MHB company was founded in 1996, we have not met with its products before and can neither praise nor scold it.

The choice of capacitors for a budget model, frankly, is surprising: usually in this price range they put the most unnamed Chinese thing that can be found, but CyberPower uses capacities of the world's third largest manufacturer Jamicon, Taiwanese Su & rsquo; Scon and Chang. included in the holding Huawei. Moreover, Chang CP power capacitors have a temperature rating of 105 degrees Celsius and a service life of 5000 hours, that is, they are eternal.

Two fans are used for cooling: a front one with dimensions of 70x70x15 mm and a back one with dimensions of 80x80x25 mm, manufactured by Shenzhen Huaxia Hengtai with a sleeve bearing and a declared resource of 30 thousand hours.

Overall, the design is optimized for high temperatures: capacitors rated 105 degrees Celsius, ceramic-cement resistors, two fans and mounting with minimal airflow resistance. In general, the element base must withstand high temperatures when installed in a closed cabinet. From our point of view, the manufacturer should not have installed fans with a sleeve bearing here: again, this is saving on matches, which is not justified.

Soft

The UPS uses the versatile PowerPanel software platform that can be used by organizations to monitor their fleet. In fact, this is an analogue of PowerChute from APC, and what is nice, there are versions of this software for VMware ESXi, Linux and all versions of Windows.

Please note that the UPS can operate in network mode, shutting down other computers and virtual machines during a power outage.

In general, we recommend configuring Cyberpower OLS2000EC through the software - it is more convenient than through the front panel, especially when choosing voltage switching thresholds when using the eco-mode.

Testing

Let's start with a 400 VA (400 W) resistive load that we test all incoming UPSs with.

Autonomy time under load 400 VA (Minutes:seconds)

For a UPS with a rated load of 2000 VA, the results, let's say, are not so great, although this is not surprising, because small batteries with a capacity of 7 Ah are installed here.

The measured noise level at a load of 400 W was 42.7 dB, even less than stated by the manufacturer (45 dB), while the main peak occurs at a frequency of 316 Hz - the cooling fan, which runs constantly in double conversion models.

Conclusions

If price remains the determining factor for you when choosing a UPS, then CyberPower is not only a well-established brand, but also software that is compatible with any modern platform, including VMWare ESXi. To get centralized management of your UPS fleet today, you don't need to buy any expensive equipment: here you go, it's all in a budget double-conversion UPS.

As for the design, there are no frills here: you buy one of the cheapest On-Line UPS on the market, and the main thing for it is to work calmly through its warranty period, after which the uninterruptible power supply will most likely be disposed of. There were no flaws in the design, and the components were selected with a small temperature reserve to withstand the summer heat in a room where there is no air conditioning.

Mikhail Degtyarev (aka LIKE OFF)
11/04.2019