Slashdot Mirror
Do-it-yourself UPS
Giampiero writes "Over at dansdata.com some guy named Dan creates a UPS out of some spare parts. To sum it up, "if you're looking for an industrial-capacity UPS solution, and don't like the prices of the off-the-peg options, it might be easier than you think to roll your own."" Of course you can mentally substitute U.S. 110 volts for Australian 220 volts wherever necessary...
Oh ... um ... never mind.
I've been doing this for years. I have a big brown truck, and whenever I want to send something to someone else, I just put it in a box, hop in the truck, and drive it over to them. I've even got a little portable touchpad for them to sign on, so it feels like the real thing.
TheFrood
If you say "I'll probably get modded down for this..." then I will mod you down.
On the other hand, would I get to wear the little shorts? Chicks seem to dig those.
---- El diablo esta en mis pantalones! Mire, mire!
When I did tech support for Gateway I got a guy who worked for APC, he had a UPS on his Fridge, his microwave, his TV, his stereo, and his pc but forgot to protect his phone line, Lightning struck by his house and took out his modem, along with his mobo. After he told me all that I laughed so hard he hung up, I wonder what ever happened to him, hehe
It's not the OS it's the user that sucks. If it's user friendly, you get stupider people. - clinko
Note to MOCs (Moderators On Crack): not offtopic, as comment is based on a rather uncreative allusion to what I originally thought was the story's topic after first reading its subject line, before reading the body.
(Note - driving around the city with a passenger who's pointing a 240 volt disco strobe at unsuspecting pedestrians is neither condoned, nor encouraged, by the author. And even though it makes rain look really cool, please do not stand in the rain holding the strobe.)
It looks like he's tried this before. I wonder if he'll have an article on how to take apart your UPS and use it to scare pedestrians with a strobe.
D/\ Gooberguy
Karma: Meh (Mostly from meh.)
My friend once made a UPS out of some furbies and a big-ass fishtank... it was sort of cool, although it didn't really work, at all. But it was cool, ie: when we cut the power, one of the furbies blew up, and the water started bubbling... but the computer still shut off, o well.
My story:
A well-known power accessory company which shall, for obvious reasons, remain nameless* recently released a new model of their networked rackmount UPS, thereby necessitating a price reduction for the previous model. After some calculations by representatives of the nameless power accessory company*, it became evident that the exorbitant "official testing and certification" taxes charged by the state govt would, when the price reduction on existing stock was taken into account, mean that the company would barely break even on sales of the older, but just as fantastic, UPS units.
Outcome: the units got "misplaced".
Some quick emails and phonecalls went out, and guys-who-knew-guys-who-knew-guys made a series of surreptitious visits to the warehouse. Along with many others, I walked off with a direct-from-factory, unopened, 1400VA, DHCP-addressable, http-serving, rackmount UPS. Insane.
God bless bureaucracy!
*APCC
-----
PGP Key ID 0xCB8FF658
I bet he used to set fire to ants with magnifying glasses too. Not that I'd ever do anything like that. No-sireee. Stop looking at me!
>> Of course you can mentally substitute U.S. 110 volts for Australian 220 volts wherever necessary...
Holy S#!t! And I thought the Canadian exchange rate was bad!
I've even got a little portable touchpad for them to sign on, so it feels like the real thing.
If you really want it to feel like UPS Ground, shouldn't you kick the box around the back of the truck en route?
"We returned the General to El Salvador, or maybe Guatemala, it's difficult to tell from 10,000 feet"
"Of course you can mentally substitute U.S. 110 volts for Australian 220 volts wherever necessary"
Godamnit, not everyone on the internet is a f**in American!! You know this whole global network thing, actually spans the globe, oh damnit nevermind.