Voltage Stabilizer, UPS, battery backup recommendations please?

anandlakra07

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Navi Mumbai
I need a voltage stabilizer/regulator and battery backup for our live portable sound setup.
Reason: I go to multiple venues, where the power and voltage situation can vary wildly.

My setup:
  • QSC active speakers
  • Digital mixer, DI boxes, wireless microphone receivers
  • Headphone amplifier units, passive speaker amplifiers
  • Musical instruments (keyboards, guitars, etc.)
  • Furman PL-8C Power Conditioner
  • Wifi routers, access points
  • 4-5 Laptops, Dell Projector
My requirement:
  • Voltage stabilizer (Static IGBT PWM based):
    • To setup up/down the voltage during consistent under voltage and over voltage situations.
    • To protect my precious equipment during wild voltage fluctuations.
    • Servo/relay based is out of the question. I already have those. The voltage correction speed is very less, my equipment has already gotten damaged.
  • UPS Battery Backup:
    • To continue to deliver power supply when there is power outage.
    • To continue to deliver power supply when the voltage stabilizer cuts-off outside 175-275V range.
    • Capacity:
      • Battery: 150 Ah approx
      • UPS: 5 to 7.5 kva approx
My doubts:
(Can you guys please advice me)?

  • Option 1) Line-interactive UPS allegedly provides both of the above. Can anyone suggest brands/models/products which provides voltage stabilizing capability?
  • Option 2) Online UPS provides complete power and voltage protection due to double conversion. However, since the battery and inverter are always on. I want to know it's life, maintenance cost, servicing cost of owning Online UPS (5 kva, 150 Ah battery).
  • Option 3) Offline/Standby UPS is cheaper. However, there is a lag to switch to battery. Can somebody advice me if the lag is acceptable for live digital audio equipment?
  • Option 4) Anything else that I have not not considered? All kinds of suggestions are welcome.
 
Static stabiliser and/or an online ups would be your best bet, IMO. Doesn’t the power conditioner stabilise current output?
 
Static stabiliser and/or an online ups would be your best bet, IMO. Doesn’t the power conditioner stabilise current output?
Thank you for your response.

Regarding the power conditioner, I don't know about other products, but this specific model only has EMI/RFI filtering, extreme voltage shutdown and surge protection due to the use of MOV. It doesn't regulate the input voltage when it fluctuates.

I will consider the stabilizer and Online UPS combination.

Can you let me know:
  • How often does it require maintenance and servicing since the inverter and battery are "always on"
  • What is the quality of regenerated sine wave? Will it affect the life of my audio equipment?
  • Does the regenerated sine wave introduce noise, harmonics, etc?
 
Thank you for your response.

Regarding the power conditioner, I don't know about other products, but this specific model only has EMI/RFI filtering, extreme voltage shutdown and surge protection due to the use of MOV. It doesn't regulate the input voltage when it fluctuates.

I will consider the stabilizer and Online UPS combination.

Can you let me know:
  • How often does it require maintenance and servicing since the inverter and battery are "always on"
  • What is the quality of regenerated sine wave? Will it affect the life of my audio equipment?
  • Does the regenerated sine wave introduce noise, harmonics, etc?
I have very little idea about the questions asked. Let other forum members chime in.
 
Regarding the power conditioner, I don't know about other products, but this specific model only has EMI/RFI filtering, extreme voltage shutdown and surge protection due to the use of MOV. It doesn't regulate the input voltage when it fluctuates.
There is no regulation on what a 'Power Conditioner' means. So most power conditioners exist to help make your wallet lighter.

Most power conditioners have just the EMI/RFI filters plus the MOV for surrge protection and they will charge you a bomb for just putting the "power conditioner" label. Then there are very few power conditioners that do AC to DC and again DC to AC and they will charge you a ton to have one of them. You will do better without having any one of them.
 
I need a voltage stabilizer/regulator and battery backup for our live portable sound setup.
Reason: I go to multiple venues, where the power and voltage situation can vary wildly.

My setup:
  • QSC active speakers
  • Digital mixer, DI boxes, wireless microphone receivers
  • Headphone amplifier units, passive speaker amplifiers
  • Musical instruments (keyboards, guitars, etc.)
  • Furman PL-8C Power Conditioner
  • Wifi routers, access points
  • 4-5 Laptops, Dell Projector
My requirement:
  • Voltage stabilizer (Static IGBT PWM based):
    • To setup up/down the voltage during consistent under voltage and over voltage situations.
    • To protect my precious equipment during wild voltage fluctuations.
    • Servo/relay based is out of the question. I already have those. The voltage correction speed is very less, my equipment has already gotten damaged.
  • UPS Battery Backup:
    • To continue to deliver power supply when there is power outage.
    • To continue to deliver power supply when the voltage stabilizer cuts-off outside 175-275V range.
    • Capacity:
      • Battery: 150 Ah approx
      • UPS: 5 to 7.5 kva approx
My doubts:
(Can you guys please advice me)?

  • Option 1) Line-interactive UPS allegedly provides both of the above. Can anyone suggest brands/models/products which provides voltage stabilizing capability?
  • Option 2) Online UPS provides complete power and voltage protection due to double conversion. However, since the battery and inverter are always on. I want to know it's life, maintenance cost, servicing cost of owning Online UPS (5 kva, 150 Ah battery).
  • Option 3) Offline/Standby UPS is cheaper. However, there is a lag to switch to battery. Can somebody advice me if the lag is acceptable for live digital audio equipment?
  • Option 4) Anything else that I have not not considered? All kinds of suggestions are welcome.
Keep it simple buddy. Go for static voltage stabilizer, there is no better option for taming wild voltage fluctuations. You may optionally add small UPS to gracefully shutdown the equipment in case of power outages.
 
There is no regulation on what a 'Power Conditioner' means. So most power conditioners exist to help make your wallet lighter.

Most power conditioners have just the EMI/RFI filters plus the MOV for surrge protection and they will charge you a bomb for just putting the "power conditioner" label. Then there are very few power conditioners that do AC to DC and again DC to AC and they will charge you a ton to have one of them. You will do better without having any one of them.
Your message is so true, it made me laugh. Then I was reminded again about how my equipment has died, it made me cry.

I do not wish to purchase a power conditioner of any kind.
I would love your advice on the 3 different kinds of UPS (mentioned above) and/or Static Voltage Stabilizer to tame those damaging voltage fluctuations.
 
Your message is so true, it made me laugh. Then I was reminded again about how my equipment has died, it made me cry.

I do not wish to purchase a power conditioner of any kind.
I would love your advice on the 3 different kinds of UPS (mentioned above) and/or Static Voltage Stabilizer to tame those damaging voltage fluctuations.
Static voltage stabilizers are fast and there is lot of work happening in our country. Your 5kva requirement is high. At 230 volts the current drawn at max consumption will be > 20 amps. So you will not have a problem getting a static stablizer that can supply that load. But at 12 volts the current drawn will be 5000 / 12 ~ 400 amps. That's what will be required if the power comes from a 12 volts batttery. If you want a UPS to supply that much power it will be a bank of lead acid batteries to reduce the current drawn. The cost of making a UPS to draw that much power will be very high (thick wires going from the battery, bank of batteries in series to make it 24, 48 volts, etc). You will be better off with just a static voltage stabilizer. If there is any computer with hard disks, etc you can have a small normal ups just for the devices that require uninterruptable supply. Rest of equipment like amp, etc can be connected to the voltage stabilizer. Equipment like amps (non-computer) devices will be ok if the power goes off and comes back later. But computers have a OS and a filesystem that has to maintain integrety. Sudden shutdown can often result in filesystem corruption. This is what I do

1. Have a high voltage cut off in the incoming board. There are many that come with a replaceable surge protection fuse which will have an indicator and cut off the supply in the eventuality of a high voltage surge
2. Next line of defence is a static stabilizer from to which you will connnect a UPS and also rest of the equipment.
3. Connect things like computer, etc to the UPS. You can connect as many as long as total power consumption is below the rated power output of the UPS.
4. Connect things like amplifier, pre-amps, avr, graphic equalizer, dacs, etc to the stabilizer. When power goes off, the computer will keep on running.

You can connect everything to the UPS as long as they not electrical guzzlers. I'm not sure from where the 5kva requirement has come. If you could spell out it will make things clear. I see that you are from Chennai. At Citibank Chennai we used UPS from a guy named Chellapan who made numeric brand UPS with insane power output. I may have his business card. Let me search for it. You could speak to him. He was a very helpful person and could guide you. But I suggest you go for a hybrid approach unless you cannot tolerate few minutes of downtime.
 
Last edited:
I need a voltage stabilizer/regulator and battery backup for our live portable sound setup.
Reason: I go to multiple venues, where the power and voltage situation can vary wildly.

My setup:
  • QSC active speakers
  • Digital mixer, DI boxes, wireless microphone receivers
  • Headphone amplifier units, passive speaker amplifiers
  • Musical instruments (keyboards, guitars, etc.)
  • Furman PL-8C Power Conditioner
  • Wifi routers, access points
  • 4-5 Laptops, Dell Projector
My requirement:
  • Voltage stabilizer (Static IGBT PWM based):
    • To setup up/down the voltage during consistent under voltage and over voltage situations.
    • To protect my precious equipment during wild voltage fluctuations.
    • Servo/relay based is out of the question. I already have those. The voltage correction speed is very less, my equipment has already gotten damaged.
  • UPS Battery Backup:
    • To continue to deliver power supply when there is power outage.
    • To continue to deliver power supply when the voltage stabilizer cuts-off outside 175-275V range.
    • Capacity:
      • Battery: 150 Ah approx
      • UPS: 5 to 7.5 kva approx
My doubts:
(Can you guys please advice me)?

  • Option 1) Line-interactive UPS allegedly provides both of the above. Can anyone suggest brands/models/products which provides voltage stabilizing capability?
  • Option 2) Online UPS provides complete power and voltage protection due to double conversion. However, since the battery and inverter are always on. I want to know it's life, maintenance cost, servicing cost of owning Online UPS (5 kva, 150 Ah battery).
  • Option 3) Offline/Standby UPS is cheaper. However, there is a lag to switch to battery. Can somebody advice me if the lag is acceptable for live digital audio equipment?
  • Option 4) Anything else that I have not not considered? All kinds of suggestions are welcome.
For stabiliser
1. Static - No moving parts, Expensive and high repair/service cost.
2. CVT - No moving parts, conventional, fix and forget type.
3. SERVO - Cheapest per kVA, moving parts needs service. Cheap spares.

For power backup
1. Ordinary Line interactive UPS is sufficient.
 

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I need a voltage stabilizer/regulator and battery backup for our live portable sound setup.
Reason: I go to multiple venues, where the power and voltage situation can vary wildly.

My setup:
  • QSC active speakers
  • Digital mixer, DI boxes, wireless microphone receivers
  • Headphone amplifier units, passive speaker amplifiers
  • Musical instruments (keyboards, guitars, etc.)
  • Furman PL-8C Power Conditioner
  • Wifi routers, access points
  • 4-5 Laptops, Dell Projector
My requirement:
  • Voltage stabilizer (Static IGBT PWM based):
    • To setup up/down the voltage during consistent under voltage and over voltage situations.
    • To protect my precious equipment during wild voltage fluctuations.
    • Servo/relay based is out of the question. I already have those. The voltage correction speed is very less, my equipment has already gotten damaged.
  • UPS Battery Backup:
    • To continue to deliver power supply when there is power outage.
    • To continue to deliver power supply when the voltage stabilizer cuts-off outside 175-275V range.
    • Capacity:
      • Battery: 150 Ah approx
      • UPS: 5 to 7.5 kva approx
My doubts:
(Can you guys please advice me)?

  • Option 1) Line-interactive UPS allegedly provides both of the above. Can anyone suggest brands/models/products which provides voltage stabilizing capability?
  • Option 2) Online UPS provides complete power and voltage protection due to double conversion. However, since the battery and inverter are always on. I want to know it's life, maintenance cost, servicing cost of owning Online UPS (5 kva, 150 Ah battery).
  • Option 3) Offline/Standby UPS is cheaper. However, there is a lag to switch to battery. Can somebody advice me if the lag is acceptable for live digital audio equipment?
  • Option 4) Anything else that I have not not considered? All kinds of suggestions are welcome.

On a lighter note.
My work Documentations dose not look like this. :)
These formatting will come in handy.
Requirements well-put!
 
For stabiliser
1. Static - No moving parts, Expensive and high repair/service cost.
2. CVT - No moving parts, conventional, fix and forget type.
3. SERVO - Cheapest per kVA, moving parts needs service. Cheap spares.

For power backup
1. Ordinary Line interactive UPS is sufficient.
I am no expert on stabilizers but have read that CVT is not very accurate. The electrical experts in the forum can throw more light on this.

Servo stabilizers have moving parts which may perhaps need to be serviced after prolonged periods. They are not as fast as static stabs. Besides they make a short belching/beeping kind of sound during voltage correction. Certain servo stabs come with the emi/rfi filters.

IGBT static stabilizers are the fastest in correction with no moving parts and very silent. But the flip side is that they are very expensive. They are generally used for sensitive equipments. Certain static stabs come with the emi/rfi filters.
 
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How much would a 1kva static voltage stabilizer cost?!..

Thank you sir!
I recently got one from NKB Technocrats after reading good feedback about them. It is a 5KVA model as that was their smallest capacity available. Cost was just north of 40k including shipping, however this depends on the exact customisation parameters (e.g. tolerance range, accuracy, etc.). It is dead silent but quite heavy (approx 30kgs).

The proprietor is a very approachable and nice person. He reached out to me to understand my specific needs and suggested some customisations.
 
I recently got one from NKB Technocrats after reading good feedback about them. It is a 5KVA model as that was their smallest capacity available. Cost was just north of 40k including shipping, however this depends on the exact customisation parameters (e.g. tolerance range, accuracy, etc.). It is dead silent but quite heavy (approx 30kgs).

The proprietor is a very approachable and nice person. He reached out to me to understand my specific needs and suggested some customisations.
He is good but extremely expensive with minor fluctuations. Any alternative guys in hyderabad? Static is better than servo but most folks use servo.
Am looking for a regular backup UPS while the generator kicks in. APC smart UPS is very expensive.

Any suggestions? It needs to be compact and fit in a rack.
 
How much would a 1kva static voltage stabilizer cost?!..

Thank you sir!
You can contact Mr. Manan, owner of NKB Technocrats mob 096600 61987.

I bought a 5kva static stabilizer more than a week ago. The standard 5kva stabilizer was big for my room with 22 inches in depth . So he customized it for my needs and made it smaller in depth to 16 inches in depth, 14 inches height and around 9.5 inches width which was great for my needs.
He is a very patient person and listens to your needs. It was a very good experience dealing with him. Plus his packaging of the stabilizer was great and reached safely from Jaipur to Mumbai.
 
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