APC SMC1000-2U UPS Backup Arrived

[jdandy]

Like a kid waiting for Santa Claus, I was watching out my office window all morning waiting on FedEx to deliver my new APC SMC1000-2U UPS. I walked down and opened the electric gate at 8:00 AM just in case FedEx was super early. Finally I saw the delivery truck come up the drive just before 11:00 AM. Gotta love morning deliveries.

This new APC SMC1000-2U backup power supply replaces an older APC Back-UPS ES 650 that sat on the floor behind my left channel speaker in the living room for 10 years. I had used it as backup power to support my McIntosh MS750 music server, then the Olive 04HD music server, and most recently the Aurender N100H music server. I made the move to the newer UPS because I wanted to take advantage of its pure sine wave output when on battery, and also because I was looking for a UPS that could be installed in my audio rack.

I unboxed the new UPS and discovered that it was not painted, rather it was silver metal on all sides. The only thing black was the removable front face plate. Everything else was bright silver. Not good because I did not want to be looking at a base metal cabinet with stickers on it in my audio rack.

First things first, I peeled off the stickers, removed the rack clips from the side panels, wiped the metal surfaces with isopropyl alcohol, masked
off the front and rear panels, then spray painted the top cover and side panels with Valspar quick dry satin black. Looks much better in black.

Next I discovered that since the UPS is designed primarily for rack mounting it had no feet, nothing to raise it off the shelf for ventilation. Digging around in my shop I found four rubber self sticking feet that I had tucked away and long forgotten. After a bit of measuring for locations I had the feet installed on the bottom of the UPS.

I had to reverse the position of the battery pack that allows it to mate with a quick connect plug in the battery bay, then snap the front face plate on and the UPS was ready for my audio rack.

The APC SMC1000 weighs nearly 40 lbs. so it is a bit of a chore to handle, but it did not take me long to get it installed in the audio rack. I adjusted the shelf heights on the left side of the rack last night to provide a perfectly spaced opening for the UPS. After that it was only minutes to make the power connection to the PS Audio P10 AC regenerator and then plug in the Aurender N100H, NetGear WiFi repeater, and the Sonos zone player to the UPS. I took a minute to cycle through the menu to ensure the various settings were to my requirements and the installation was complete. I like that the LCD display screen when set to Eco-mode goes dark after 60 seconds of no use. I am also pleased that this new UPS allows for the alarm beep to be silenced when on battery.

All together this APC SMC1000-2U is a compact and robust UPS that I expect to get many years of great service from. Battery packs are user replaceable and hot-swappable from the front of the UPS once the front face panel is removed. This can be accomplished without removing the UPS from the rack. The UPS is completely silent. Always a good thing.

 

[jdandy]

I've always had the gumption to take on tasks that aren't necessarily my expertise. I think we all can handle a can of spray paint, but painting a component and hoping it will look like a factory job when complete takes a bit more attention to detail.

The top cover of the APC UPS had three stickers on it, one with the Schneider logo, one warning of sealed lead acid batteries, and one reminding the owner to turn the battery pack around in the compartment before use. Only the battery installation sticker came off the cover without leaving glue residue behind. The other two stickers left sticky glue on the metal. I used paper towels sprayed with WD40 to soften and remove the glue, then isopropyl alcohol to remove the WD40, finger oil, and dust from the surfaces before finally laying down two coats of satin black paint.

I actually sprayed the case black before I ever turned the UPS on. As I was painting the case I thought that I sure hope this UPS works because there is no way B&H Photo would take it back once I removed the various stickers on the cover and painted the top and sides a different color. Once the paint dried and I removed the masking tape from the front and back panels I plugged it in, held my breath and pressed the power button. Thankfully the APC UPS came right to life. I think if there's a next time I will check that it works before I change the color just to be safe. Whether or not I can be commissioned for other paint projects is a whole different thing, but I am please with the the final results of this project.

 

[jdandy]

The APC SMC1000 UPS got put to the test this morning. A serious thunderstorm with high wind rolled through here and I lost power four times. Each power interruption was less than 10 seconds each, but that would have been four power losses the Aurender N100H would have had to recover from, reboot its operating system, and hopefully not lose power again before it had recovered. No worries. The UPS did its job perfectly, immediately transferring to battery backup that kept the Aurender music server powered without any issues. As soon as the utility power came back on the UPS transferred back and all is well. I am pleased to know I can rely on this new UPS to perform its job supporting my Aurender N100H with AC power. That's what this whole project has been about. Color me happy!

 

[Sean]

Great to hear, Dan. Glad the APC is fitting in nicely.


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[jdandy]

Great to hear, Dan. Glad the APC is fitting in nicely.

Sean.......Thanks. The morning thunderstorms have turned into a day of continuous thunderstorm. Momentary power losses have happened on and off all day. I am feeling smug and secure with the new APC UPS backup protecting my Aurender N100H music server.

I realize a UPS is not some sexy audio component like a new DAC or fancy amplifier. That is most likely the reason no one seems interested in this topic, but the peace of mind that having backup power affords me for my music servers makes it mighty cheap insurance for protection from possible data corruption of the operating system or my music files on the server hard drive. For me it makes sense to maintain clean power on my music server despite what the utility power may be doing.

 

[Sean]

For sure. I imagine living in Florida, it’s even more important to have battery backup. Did you notice any chance in performance when power pulled from the battery vs the wall?


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[jdandy]

For sure. I imagine living in Florida, it’s even more important to have battery backup. Did you notice any chance in performance when power pulled from the battery vs the wall?

Sean.......I haven't been listening to the sound system today with the thunder cracking and lightning flashing all day. It is still carrying on outside. This has been a heck of a stormy day here.

I wouldn't be able to determine if the sound of the music server changed while on battery backup because the rest of my living room system would be off during a power outage. The APC UPS only provides backup power to the Aurender N100H, a NetGear WiFi repeater, and a Sono zone player.

 

[Sean]

Dan, sorry to hear about the storms that prevent you from enjoying your systems. After my last post, I thought about the rest of your gear, namely pre and power, that likely aren’t hooked up to UPS. Still, protecting your front end is a tremendous and reassuring benefit. I’m glad to hear it’s giving you what you need.


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[joeinid]

Awesome job Dan. Looks great and makes you feel good about not losing power to sensitive electronics.

 

[CPP]

Sean.......I haven't been listening to the sound system today with the thunder cracking and lightning flashing all day. It is still carrying on outside. This has been a heck of a stormy day here.

I wouldn't be able to determine if the sound of the music server changed while on battery backup because the rest of my living room system would be off during a power outage. The APC UPS only provides backup power to the Aurender N100H, a NetGear WiFi repeater, and a Sono zone player.

Yep Dan it was a butt kicking stormy day yesterday. My generator kicked in 3 times ( 9 sec delay) within a 3 hour window. Not sure of the audiophile capabilities when its running, but that is the furthest thought in my mind.

 

[jdandy]

Yep Dan it was a butt kicking stormy day yesterday. My generator kicked in 3 times ( 9 sec delay) within a 3 hour window. Not sure of the audiophile capabilities when its running, but that is the furthest thought in my mind.

Chris.......I hear you, no stereo listening for me during storms, either. You got the same long line of thunderstorms that crossed us here in Suwannee County. At 3:00 PM yesterday it looked like night time outside. My dusk-to-dawn pole lights came on. So far today things are calm and the weather radar is looking relatively clear. We need a break from all this rain.