Low quailty from days of old

The Junk Drawer is for those Off Topical discussions where we can ask questions of the community that we feel might have the ability to help out.

Moderator: Harold_V

SteveM
Posts: 7763
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 6:18 pm
Location: Wisconsin

Re: Low quailty from days of old

Post by SteveM »

rrnut-2 wrote:We bought the new washer and then found out about Speed Queen which is built the old fashion way, with mechanical timers and no microprocessors. But, they are a little noisier.
Exactly what a friend of mine (who owns an appliance store) said to me a few weeks ago. He said that Speed Queen is what Maytag used to be.

When the washer goes, we are getting Speed Queen.

Steve
User avatar
Steggy
Posts: 1973
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2011 9:19 pm
Location: JB Pritzker’s Hellhole
Contact:

Re: Low quailty from days of old

Post by Steggy »

warmstrong1955 wrote:We had a 2000 watt APC, with an additional 48V battery pack, at a job I worked a few years ago. At least 200 lbs all total.....a lot of batteries. Bought it to back up all our computers & electronic goodies that go with it.
Our problem there was low voltage....generally caused by two many welders running at once, or some serious air-arcing going on. Low voltage can be murder on computers & electronic gear.

Lucky we didn't have a lightning problem. The surge protection was only rated for 450 joules. Pretty puny for a big beast like it was.
That Eaton UPS of which I spoke weighs 200 pounds with only one battery. Even after removing the battery, which is what I do when I have had to move it, it's still well over 100 pounds. Much of that weight is in the ferroresonant transformer, which looks big enough to power a Lincoln buzz-box. :D

The only clients of mine who ever lost equipment to lightning strikes were on APC UPSes. Those who are on Powerware or BEST units have never had any problems. APC is a consumer grade product. BEST and Powerware are commercial grade. As always, you never get more than your money's worth.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Music isn’t at all difficult.  All you gotta do is play the right notes at the right time!  :D
User avatar
tornitore45
Posts: 2077
Joined: Tue Apr 18, 2006 12:24 am
Location: USA Texas, Austin

Re: Low quailty from days of old

Post by tornitore45 »

My office is protected by an Eaton ferroresonant UPS,
Yap, a ferroresonant may give you a hernia but no transient can pass thru, they ate inherently overload and short circuit protected.

Volume and weight are nearly proportional to power though.
Mauro Gaetano
in Austin TX
User avatar
Steggy
Posts: 1973
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2011 9:19 pm
Location: JB Pritzker’s Hellhole
Contact:

Re: Low quailty from days of old

Post by Steggy »

tornitore45 wrote:
My office is protected by an Eaton ferroresonant UPS,
Volume and weight are nearly proportional to power though.
No kidding! It is a really big sucker and if dropped into the Atlantic, would make a hell of a splash and go down ten times faster than did the Titanic.

That said, its output is very clean—less that 0.5 percent THD at full load—and stays within a few tenths of 120 volts. I know from an extended power outage a few years back that it is good for about one hour on battery at 60 percent load. In fact, it is powerful enough to run the outboard sump pump (1/2 horsepower) in the closet in my office. :D That could be useful the next time we get heavy rain and the power goes kaput.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Music isn’t at all difficult.  All you gotta do is play the right notes at the right time!  :D
User avatar
BadDog
Posts: 5131
Joined: Wed May 17, 2006 8:21 pm
Location: Phoenix, AZ

Re: Low quailty from days of old

Post by BadDog »

Too bad it looks like the entry point is over $1k. Too steep for me. I've got larger APC units that seem to have done well for me. My computers (and associated equipment) run 24-7, and I've had no electrical issues in spite of a few brown-outs, outages, and surges (based on other damage). I've got 2 of the big ones, one on my computer(s), the other on the DVR/TV/etc stack. So far, I've never had a related (noted) failure of anything attached. I've also had good luck (so far as I know) with Belkin and Woods surge protected power strips for cases where I don't care about battery. If I did a detailed analysis of everything I might find some signs of problems, but I haven't seen a problem yet.

It's really too bad that there is not a better continuum from "cheapest possible and hope they don't return too many" to "over built themselves out of the market so gotta make it all up front". When I was just starting out flat broke, I/we "inherited" a number of old appliance that I refinished and painted in some cases (rusty ancient refrigerator in particular). These things had served their initial owners for decades, then served us well in turn for many more years. Now, I do the best research I can and try to buy at a "good value" price point. Never the cheap garbage you have to expect to fail just outside warranty, but often in the top 80%+ of the price range (which usually rises exponentially from there), and still it's all crap that barely lasts out the warranty (if that, an likely "prorated" even then!!!). Just like my current fridge. Top rated every way I could find, went out of my way to find the least "solid state" with the least "features", paid more than most main stream bells-n-whistles touch screen models, and I still have no expectation that it will last 10 years. Sad...
Russ
Master Floor Sweeper
User avatar
Steggy
Posts: 1973
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2011 9:19 pm
Location: JB Pritzker’s Hellhole
Contact:

Re: Low quailty from days of old

Post by Steggy »

BadDog wrote:Too bad it looks like the entry point is over $1k. Too steep for me.
Cost is an unfortunate reality with ferroresonant units. In this case, the requirements of my business justified the cost, space consumption and bulk. As always, you only get your money's worth, never more. That said, I wouldn't recommend that someone get one of these beasts for home office use, even if they can afford it. In most cases, that would be too much like sending out a battleship to sink a canoe.
Ferroresonant UPS
Ferroresonant UPS
Ferroresonant UPS w/Scale
Ferroresonant UPS w/Scale
Above are pics of the 1.4 KVA ferroresonant UPS that sits on the floor between my desk and the wall. The second picture shows a 12 inch typesetting ruler leaning against the UPS to give an idea of its size.
Ferroresonant UPS Front Panel
Ferroresonant UPS Front Panel
The front panel of the UPS. These UPSes are "intelligent" and have a conversational command processor that can be access through a TIA-232 link. The unit also has a real-time clock so it can time-stamp log entries.

We change the battery at four year intervals, which isn't a whole lot of fun. The battery is about 25 percent larger than a large automobile battery and weighs about 90 pounds. Getting it out of or into the UPS is an exercise in avoiding getting one's fingers squished. Naturally, you have to be careful when wrenching the connections, as a direct short produces something akin to a bomb blast. :twisted:
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Music isn’t at all difficult.  All you gotta do is play the right notes at the right time!  :D
dirtcrasher1
Posts: 112
Joined: Sat Oct 15, 2011 6:45 pm

Re: Low quailty from days of old

Post by dirtcrasher1 »

I had to replace mine which was no longer available.

I got a no name one for about 100$ new, chinese on Ebay.

Lasted 4 years; Last week something died and in 5 minutes it soaked my 1st floor and gallons in the whole basement.

Thank god I heard something or it would have been worse. Took 5 hours to clean everything up including the stuff that was on the floor of up and downstairs.

I don't want that model again!!
Glenn Ford
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Dec 24, 2013 10:57 am
Location: Markham Ontario

Re: Low quailty from days of old

Post by Glenn Ford »

I have an item that was new in 1947. Operating instructions have changed over the years and I have spent quite a lot on maintenance. Today it is a bit sluggish and creaks a bit but I am hoping to get at least another 20 years out of it.
User avatar
BadDog
Posts: 5131
Joined: Wed May 17, 2006 8:21 pm
Location: Phoenix, AZ

Re: Low quailty from days of old

Post by BadDog »

Yeah, I've got equipment from 1966 that was abused quite a bit when it was newer, so it's already creaking pretty bad, maintenance cost going up rapidly, and duty cycle has really taken a huge hit the last 5 years or so. My wife says it may be time to upgrade to a newer model, but I keep telling her they don't make 'em like they used to...
Russ
Master Floor Sweeper
TRX
Posts: 162
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 7:30 pm
Location: Central Arkansas

Re: Low quailty from days of old

Post by TRX »

My Campbell-Hausfeld upright compressor blew a head gasket. It had been in continuous service for only 21 years. People kept warning me that C-H was junk, but I thought I knew better...

And my Mitutoyo electronic caliper, which cost two weeks' wages in 1985, bit the dust a couple of years ago. Danged Jap trash...
Post Reply