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battery powered plotter??
- Thread starter amw
- Start date
SignosaurusRex
Active Member
This is the unit(s) we use.
www.bestbuy.com/site/APC+-+750VA+Ba...ci_sku=8540322&ref=06&loc=01&id=1188559784051
www.bestbuy.com/site/APC+-+750VA+Ba...ci_sku=8540322&ref=06&loc=01&id=1188559784051
tcorn1965
New Member
Marsha,
Unfortunately battery backups are designed to allow you to shut off you equipment safely when the power goes out, or keep them up if it is a very short power outage. Here is a link to select the correct one for FC8000
http://www.apc.com/tools/ups_selector/
In order to run for a half hour it would literally cost you thousands of dollars to get a battery backup robust enough to allow you to work a 1/2 hr without power.
A generator might be more of a solution for you.
Terry
jiarby
New Member
You have to know how much juice the thing draws..... Get a "Kill-A-Watt" meter and plug your plotter into it. Then you can see what it draws so you can match it up with the right sized battery using the APC link above
Besides... in the event of a power outage you are going to have lots of other devices to protect than the plotter.
Lights, Computer, Monitor, Ethernet Switch, Router, Cable Modem, printer(s), Cordless Phones, etc...
For me, I use 4-5 of the 750's that SARex posted... one for each PC (Design, RIP, Accounting, Sublimation, LaserEngraver), and one for the Mutoh.
The Mutoh has 3 plugs, two for heaters and one for the printer. The heaters pop the breakers on the 750VA UPS so I just protect the printer itself. The heaters get regular old city electricity.
My disaster scenario is to protect things long enough to finish whatever job is running, save my open files, and get things shut down. To stay up & running longer than 10minutes we'd have to add a generator and a transfer switch. Many K's of money!
Besides... in the event of a power outage you are going to have lots of other devices to protect than the plotter.
Lights, Computer, Monitor, Ethernet Switch, Router, Cable Modem, printer(s), Cordless Phones, etc...
For me, I use 4-5 of the 750's that SARex posted... one for each PC (Design, RIP, Accounting, Sublimation, LaserEngraver), and one for the Mutoh.
The Mutoh has 3 plugs, two for heaters and one for the printer. The heaters pop the breakers on the 750VA UPS so I just protect the printer itself. The heaters get regular old city electricity.
My disaster scenario is to protect things long enough to finish whatever job is running, save my open files, and get things shut down. To stay up & running longer than 10minutes we'd have to add a generator and a transfer switch. Many K's of money!
Last edited:
Dice
New Member
Why 1/2 Hour?
A 1500VA unit should do you. Anything above that and your talking $400+ Avoid Cyberpower units go with an APC.
http://www.amazon.com/1500VA-Battery-Backup-with-LCD/dp/B002UUTCNE
You can get a Portable Generator $200-$300
http://www.homedepot.com/Outdoors-G...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
Or you can go the redneck way, get a Car Battery + an inverter.
A 1500VA unit should do you. Anything above that and your talking $400+ Avoid Cyberpower units go with an APC.
http://www.amazon.com/1500VA-Battery-Backup-with-LCD/dp/B002UUTCNE
You can get a Portable Generator $200-$300
http://www.homedepot.com/Outdoors-G...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
Or you can go the redneck way, get a Car Battery + an inverter.
A 1/2 hour was just a guess...just want to let it finish cutting then shut it off. Or if it only goes out for a min our two, it keeps going so we dont waste the vinyl.
We use APC Back-UPS XS 1500 LCD on our pc's. (gives us about 25-35 mins depending on which pc/etc)
We also have a 8000 watt portable generator, but that wont help the job on the plotter when the power goes out.
Just trying to figure if one of these would be ok, or not "big" enough for the plotter.
We have everything on UPS's except the printers and plotters.
Thanks!
Marsha
We use APC Back-UPS XS 1500 LCD on our pc's. (gives us about 25-35 mins depending on which pc/etc)
We also have a 8000 watt portable generator, but that wont help the job on the plotter when the power goes out.
Just trying to figure if one of these would be ok, or not "big" enough for the plotter.
We have everything on UPS's except the printers and plotters.
Thanks!
Marsha
J Hill Designs
New Member
maybe have a UPS that runs long enough you can change power over from supply to generator? (don't know how you would do it, just a thought)
tcorn1965
New Member
signage
New Member
If the UPS will run the plotter for a short amount of time, and if this time is long enough to get the generator running all you would need to do is unplug the UPS and plug it into the generator and it will supply the plotter! To calculate how much wattage you need to run your plotter you need to know what the VAh (volt*amp - hour) ratting is! 1500 VA is 1500 watts that does not tell you how long it will supply the 1500VA!
G-Artist
New Member
I live in the Lightning Capital of North America and let me tell you that all my computers and the plotter (plus the phones) are on a UPS. I don't really care all that much about an outage but you really need something to condition the juice in this geographic area. Spikes and surges as well as brownouts can harm if not kill your stuff.
A good UPS is by and far the cheapest insurance investment you'll ever make.
I have lost a TV and a fridge, but never any valuable electronics.
There are commercial sized UPS's and they are a bit pricey. Many years ago we got a cast off (freebie) from a local hospital which was upgrading. That unit was about the size of a 2-drawer filing cabinet and heavy as all get out. But it ran 8 computers and 5 monitors for over 3 hours for us once during a power outage.
A good UPS is by and far the cheapest insurance investment you'll ever make.
I have lost a TV and a fridge, but never any valuable electronics.
There are commercial sized UPS's and they are a bit pricey. Many years ago we got a cast off (freebie) from a local hospital which was upgrading. That unit was about the size of a 2-drawer filing cabinet and heavy as all get out. But it ran 8 computers and 5 monitors for over 3 hours for us once during a power outage.
G-Artist
New Member
@rm25x
There is a guy in my area that does do on-site vinyl cutting. I have seen his rig in various parking lots. He has a box type truck with a gas generator attached to the back. Never saw the inside. I'd think that the heat inside a box truck would raise hell with vinyl in short order unless he AC's the entire rig.
There is a guy in my area that does do on-site vinyl cutting. I have seen his rig in various parking lots. He has a box type truck with a gas generator attached to the back. Never saw the inside. I'd think that the heat inside a box truck would raise hell with vinyl in short order unless he AC's the entire rig.
Just Another Sign Guy
New Member
i have two clients that have converted old box style ambulances into mobile sign shops both of them have banks of golf cart batteries and i have been on site with one of them on a working project where they were running twp computers, plotter and printer, illuminated work table, a/c , shop radio, etc...i know both of these guys have invested top dollar into their mobile work shops.
i don;t know how to go about figuring out what your electrical needs are but i have seen many threads about other sign people creating either dedicated battery systems or battery back up systems to operate their equipment. so i would search the various sign sites and see what you can turn up because it has been discussed in depth by multiple ppl who have successfully been through it.
i don;t know how to go about figuring out what your electrical needs are but i have seen many threads about other sign people creating either dedicated battery systems or battery back up systems to operate their equipment. so i would search the various sign sites and see what you can turn up because it has been discussed in depth by multiple ppl who have successfully been through it.
Sorry for the late reply.
No...Not $40 worth.
When we do reflective (which is a lot) it is much more then $40 we are wasting. Also when contour cutting things. Besides time wasted.
Marsha
CheapVehicleWrap
New Member
I would think you'd want it on your printer minus the heaters more than the plotter. Does your plotter often run for 1/2 hour? I have my printer on a pretty big UPS in case of blips. I just inherited a very modern VERY expensive unit. It was used on a bank of servers. 240v, several BIG boxes and about 15 "car type batteries". VERY heavy duty stuff and it was all running when removed. Gotta lug it all upstairs soon. Our industrial park is going all solar shortly too.
Sublimefly
New Member
Ok I didn't read all the replies here but I do know we have battery backups on all our systems as well as our printer and plotter. Our printer and plotter both have Cyberpower 1500AVR's on them and we had no problem continuing to print til the power came back on. I hadn't installed them with plans to print through a power lose but it worked out that way. We got them very cheap from Staples during a big sale last year. They have now saved our butts at least 4 times since then and saved us at the very least their own values in un-wasted material.
Sublimefly
New Member
Also all our Cyberpower units give us up to date readings on how long they can run for without power and keep very good records of all power loses and surges.