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About Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS)
Sinewave vs Simulated Sinwave - Which is Best?
A sinewave output is the optimum waveform for electronic equipment. The incoming AC line is a sinewave, thus electronic equipment expects to see this type of waveform. A sinewave is the most expensive output form for UPS manufacturers to produce due to more complex circuitry and components. All Minuteman UPSs that produce a sinewave output go one step further by producing a synchronized sinewave. This feature eliminates the problem of an out of phase wave at the output. The Continuous Power, XRT, and PowerMind series from Minuteman provide a true sinewave output.
A pulse width modulated squarewave (also called simulated sinewave) is considerably easier to produce in a UPS. This type of waveform is quite suitable for virtually all electronic business equipment. Minuteman's Pro series produces a simulated sinewave output.
Waveform Comparison Chart
Waveform
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Description
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Sine wave |
Sine Wave - Utility Power & High End UPSs
The pure sine wave is the ideal wave form
for both equipment performance and longevity,
and the form you typically receive from utility power
providers. Electrical
energy smoothly alternates between negative and positive, allowing
equipment to operate without undue stress at a consistent voltage with
few high frequency harmonics. High end UPSs such as Minuteman's Endeavor
series produce true sine wave power through an AC-DC-AC
conversion process, while the EnterprisePlus
Series use automatic voltage regulation to produce it. |
Pros:
Great performance
Safe for sensitive equipment
No effect on equipment longevity
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Cons:
Increased cost
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Simulated Sine / Modified
Square Wave |
Simulated Sine or Modified Square Wave Form
The
modified square wave is a compromise between cost and power
quality.
While not ideal, the modified square wave has peak voltages close to a
pure sine wave, and an overall shape which closely resembles this ideal
form. This allows the modifed square wave to behave favorably
with
connected equipment, while keeping manufacturing costs close to that of
square wave equipment. Many of Minuteman's standby and line
interactive UPS models make use of this architecture to maintain a
balance between performance and cost.
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Pros:
Similar performance to utility power
Close overall voltage output
Manufacturing cost significantly less than true sine wave
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Cons:
Can cause irregular operation on highly sensitive equipment
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Square wave |
Square Wave - Low End Power Equipment
Square
waves are typically produced by lower end power equipment, and by
nature put greater strain on connected equipment. Peak voltage of
this
wave is lower than a sine wave of the same total power output, and the
waves can also contain dangerous high frequency harmonics not
present in a sine wave. Equipment running on square waves can
experience operational problems, including heat build up, and possible
premature failure,
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Pros:
Significant manufacturing cost savings
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Cons:
Decreased equipment longevity
Equipment operation problems
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