As industry specialists with many years of experience, the team at UPS Solutions knows a lot about the internal workings of uninterruptible power supplies. And they’re committed to helping customers like you get educated about power. Once you know how the different UPS parts work together to provide your equipment with a continuous and stable supply of electricity, you’ll have a keener understanding of how important it is to maintain your systems in excellent condition at all times.
So let’s take a closer look at the 4 UPS main components you will find in any modern system and break down exactly what they do.
The main UPS system components
Not all uninterruptible power supplies are built the same way, but they all follow basic design principles. Accordingly, the same four main components of a UPS system can be found in every modern system.
- Rectifier — Together with the inverter, the rectifier performs the double conversion process (from AC to DC and back to AC) that filters out spikes, sags, electrical noise and surges from the mains power supply. It handles the first stage of the process: converting from AC to DC. The DC power is used to recharge the battery when necessary and then sent to the inverter. Depending on the system, the rectifier and battery charger may be in the same module or separate from each other.
- Inverter — The inverter converts the DC electricity from the rectifier back into AC electricity, which is then used to power anything that is plugged into the system. This AC power supply should now be a pure sine waveform, making it suitable for delicate electronic equipment that could be damaged if connected directly to the mains power supply.
- Batteries — Of all the parts of UPS systems, the batteries need to be monitored the most closely. An otherwise well-performing system will be of little use in the event of a power failure if the batteries are in poor condition. The batteries provide power to your critical equipment when needed via the inverter. Smaller systems may have internal batteries, while large commercial UPS systems usually have strings of batteries that are housed in their respective cabinets. You can check out the different types of batteries available on our website.
- Static bypass switch — One of the smallest parts of computer UPS systems. The static bypass switch routes the mains electricity supply directly to your attached devices — bypassing the rectifier and inverter — in the event of a critical failure in the UPS system itself. Whilst this means the power supply will not be as clean, it does give you time to power down sensitive equipment in an orderly manner before having your system repaired.
If you require any assistance with your UPS systems, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We work with companies in various industries across Australia (from Brisbane and Sydney to Melbourne, Perth and beyond), supplying new systems and providing professional installation, maintenance and repair services.
