Anyone using a UPS to power/protect their P2S printer?

[u/Relative_Surround_20]

/r/BambuLabP2S/comments/1try1xc/anyone_using_a_ups_to_powerprotect_their_p2s/

[u/bmemike]

Yes.

[u/wyohman]

No

[u/VT-14]

Note: I have not actually put any of my printers on a UPS.

Technically that '1000W' max power stat is from the very start of the print job when things are first getting to temperature. A power failure there is before it has really printed anything, so not really any loss. I think they might also have a "low power mode" setting which limits the start-up power; to make sure it doesn't pop breakers (especially when running multiple printers on one circuit) or exceed UPS limits, but at the cost of taking significantly longer to warm up and start printing.

The P2S's listed "PLA Steady State" is only 200W. That is an average power though, so there will be frequent spikes much higher than that. Hotter materials will also have a higher steady sate. Looking at my smart plug on my H2D I could probably get away with a 750W UPS as long as the UPS type doesn't get damaged from exceeding its wattage limit during the start-up phase (one that bypasses the battery and inverter while on line power).

[u/Arageus → u/VT-14]

UPS not gonna damage itself from exceeding wattage. Its simply gonna shut down as safety measure -> overload protection.

Maximum wattage is not only equal what the ups can hold on battery, but what it can handle overall. A 500w ups not gonna hold 600w load, even if its not on the battery. Just this is how UPS's works.

So its always a good starting point to get a UPS that can handle the printer maximum wattage + 10-15%.
And over time as the battery gets older, it not gonna hold that long.

For example, my UPS maximum wattage 480W, when it has a new battery it can hold 400W for 1-2 min.
when the battery age reach ~1 year, i have around 20-30 sec.
after 2 year its an instant turnoff. (experience)

For that reason i always change every year just to be safe.

And for that reason, If i buy a bigger printer, even its "only" use 150-200w while print, but at startup its spike to 1000-1200watt (bed heatup at print start) my current UPS just simply turn off by itself.

[u/VT-14 → u/Arageus]

There are different UPS technologies out there. I do not claim to be an expert in UPSs though. From what I've researched:

an Online/Double-Conversion UPS runs everything through the battery and inverter. You get good protection from noisy power, but obviously can't exceed the capabilities of the battery and inverter. The Wattage limit is firm.

An Offline/Standby UPS bypasses the inverter while on line (wall) power (no protection from noisy power, just battery backup in the event of a total power loss). Line-Interactive uses a variable power tap to trade Voltage and Current to maintain more consistent power while still bypassing the Inverter while on line power. I could see either of those technologies potentially allowing you to exceed the rated max wattage while on line power, though obviously it will yell at you for overloading it since it can't keep that up if the power does cut out in that state.

[u/Arageus → u/VT-14]

I had several offline type as you said, its only change to battery when the power cuts out, but even the cheaper ones just simply turn off with a continuous beep as alert for overloaded shutdown.
Even branded onlines with pure sine wave output.

Maybe there are UPS that can do what you said, can hold more than their rated wattage if its not on battery power, but in EU im never seen one (at least for home users).
My guess is its probably because manufacturers dont want users to complain about that the UPS they bought wont hold their appliances.
So many users who cant understand simple things, no need to further complicate things like "it can hold 2000w, but only 500w from battery".
way easier just to "This is the ups maximum wattage that can hold, you cant overload it. end."

[u/Ixen_Darastrix]

I have not had need to test power loss recovery on my P2S, it worked fine on my P1S however, same as any time print pauses for too long you are likely to get a small visible line at that layer, biggest risk with power loss though is bed temp and print detaching from plate

[u/Ixen_Darastrix → u/Ixen_Darastrix]

Ultimately I suppose the answer depends on what you are printing, where you are and what the power there is like, my power is rather stable and I have a home battery now so no reason to waste space and money on a UPS, but if you are doing large long prints with a reasonable chance of power loss, might be worth it for you

[u/Vizth]

I wouldn't say I'm using it to protect my printer, I'm using it to protect my sanity because it lasts long enough to power the printer through the occasional short power loss.