Is a UPS needed for computers on a Trawler ?

I'm a computer guy and I'm getting ready to move on board full time in the next 90 days and will doing my computer work for a few months onboard. Afterward my computer addiction will not change. Today I run UPS's for my systems and as much direct DC as possible. My new to me 1990 Carver Californian has has 4 8D batteries and it make me wonder why would I need several UPS systems. I'm thinking about ditching the UPS systems and just running some 6 or 8g wire to my computer closet and connecting everything up there. Anyone tried this?. What about voltage drops when you fire up the big cat's (3208s)?. Battery chargers running around 13v floating causing problems?


The Brockerts

If you have an inverter or intend to install one (to achieve 120v), then you will most likely already have UPS. I have a Victron multi-plus charger/inverter and it has a UPS feature. Granted, we run laptop computers with their own batteries, but I've noticed plenty of other devices which are sensitive to power interruptions are never impacted when shore power goes out. The lights never so much as flicker. The inverter also protects against power surges/variations...and I think this could be a risk if you connect the PC directly to the batteries.

UPS is not a bad idea. I bought a small inverter just for our nav computer, but soon after installing had a loose DC ground issue in the wheelhouse that had the computer cutting out until I found the problem. Voltage drop from starting the engine would be similar.

I was thinking this direct connection might be a problem. I'll go to plan B, get several AC to 12VDC converter's and wire them into a breaker on the Inverter side of the panel. This will cut down on having those little bricks/transformers all over the place.

Those bricks typically take 120V AC and transform and rectify it to the 18-19V DC that your laptop's power jack needs. Maybe they will also run on 12V DC. Don't know. But if not powering directly from 12V DC is not possible.

A UPS has several functions: surge protection, ability to run continuously with no blip whatsoever and the ability to keep running as long as its DC supply holds up. With the bricks acting as a surge protector and the internal battery in the laptop acting as a source of continuous power I don't think you need the first two or even three for several hours until your laptop's batteries die.

A 1,000 watt inverter will extend your no AC power running time to days as long as your house batteries stay up. It can be a simple one where you plug your bricks in directly and run 12 gauge wires from your batteries to power it.

David

I've run an "all in one" desktop computer for navigation since 2016. It lives on one of my inverter circuits and flawlessly switches from shore to generator to inverter power. Definitely want a pure sine wave inverter.

Ted

Just install an inverter that functions as a UPS. Check the transfer time. Also you'll want pure sine wave.

The higher quality units will have both of these features. 16ms is the generally accepted transfer time for computer equipment. Basically 1 cycle at 60 hz

The Brockerts said:

I'm a computer guy and I'm getting ready to move on board full time in the next 90 days and will doing my computer work for a few months onboard. Afterward my computer addiction will not change. Today I run UPS's for my systems and as much direct DC as possible. My new to me 1990 Carver Californian has has 4 8D batteries and it make me wonder why would I need several UPS systems. I'm thinking about ditching the UPS systems and just running some 6 or 8g wire to my computer closet and connecting everything up there. Anyone tried this?. What about voltage drops when you fire up the big cat's (3208s)?. Battery chargers running around 13v floating causing problems?


The Brockerts

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I found that the UPOS switching from AC power pass through mode to inverted power sometimes casused things like computers routers, etc... to reboot.

So... I added a UPS

One thing many good UPS's do is robust surge protection as well. I brought the two I had at home with me when we moved onto the boat for that very reason. Aside from that my Magnum inverter had a very fast transfer time, but as they say, you never know, it's a boat after all. Critical things require redundancy IMO.

I wouldn't hook up electronics to starter batteries myself. People like NewMar make a form of UPS to mitigate voltage drop on systems where they are.

Might want to consider a way that will provide 120v for the monitor also. Probably an inverter.

Perhaps I’m missing something, but I run my NUC and it’s monitor directly off the boat’s 12VDC system. We haven’t had any problems so far, fingers crossed.

As far as a voltage drop when starting engines, we have a starter battery that is not connected to the house system. Similarly the thruster is isolated from the house bank.

Jim

O C Diver said:

I've run an "all in one" desktop computer for navigation since 2016. It lives on one of my inverter circuits and flawlessly switches from shore to generator to inverter power. Definitely want a pure sine wave inverter.

Ted

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Me, too, for 10 years. Never lost a computer or component.

Look at the spec sheet on the computer itself for dc requirements. I have seen some of those nuc computers have working ranges between 6-48v
volts and are supposed to run everything in between just fine. So no you shouldn’t have any problems hooking up and running off your battery’s and in fact will continue working long after you no longer have enough power to even turn over an engine. Here is some specs for dc-dc power regulating boards for nuc’s

DCDC-NUC, 6-48V automotive power supply for NUC, 12V or 19V output