Norstar power problems

[mycotel]

Was just handed this job. customer has norstar 0x32 rls. 1.1 with NAM. Units(ksu & vm) are plugged directly into wall outlets, & customer says they are experiencing phone problems. They want a newer system, so sales dept. sold them Norstar 0x32 MICS 7.1. w/ CP. 3.0 My question is: even with a new system, without a proper UPS installed they will still have problems. So what would be a good UPS for their system...



Thanks

 

[Multimedium]

Have a look at FAQ799-2232. This will give you an idea of your power requirement. You will also need to think about any other requirement. For instance, it can be budget, number of outlets and run time.

You customer doesn't have a UPS, so any UPS will be a huge improvement. Personally, I keep it simple and choose basic models. They are compact and not very expensive, but they work just fine.

The Norstar system tolerates some current fluctuations, so there is no need for a high-end UPS with sophisticated features.

 

[curlycord]

Check this out:

http://www.apc.com/tools/ups_selector/CA/en/server/device

I used to sell something along the lines of an SUA750 as a common one.

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curlycord

http://www.curlycord.com

Toronto Canada

http://www.telcopc.ca

 

[mycotel]

Thanks Curlycord~

I called our sales rep. he said they're not available anymore(SUA750VA). I saw an APC smart-ups 2200VA lcd 120v. for about $900.00 the cheapest I could locate. Your thoughts?



Thanks

 

[Sam173]

Just the phone and voicemail, hard to beat Cosco APC 1500 for $150

 

[nessman]

Assuming a single cabinet (no modules) a APC SmartUPS 1500 should hold them for about 2-3 hours. Cheap? $400-500. Next step up is a SmartUPS 2200 with about 4-5 hours runtime for around $800-900. Remember the more modules - the less run time. Not cheap - but how long can they afford to be without a phone system until the power comes back up (that is if they didn't lose programming during the outage... especially in an older system)?

 

[curlycord]

I forgotten they discontinued....here is the new #:
SMT750

As people mention, affordability , length of up time and system size matters.
You could also get "Online" protection but costly to the small users.










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curlycord

http://www.curlycord.com

Toronto Canada

http://www.telcopc.ca

 

[nessman]

FWIW... today I replaced a UPS for a CICS (8x24 configuration), Startalk Flash and cable modem (telco's FXO breakout). Load 27 watts total - 6% of the load for a BackUPS 700 I just put in. About 2 to 2-1/2 hours runtime on a good battery. UPS costs ~$150 USD.

 

[Phonehed]

I can't think of a single electronic telephone system that doesn't need clean, steady, filtered power at all times and most of them they can't take a joke about it either, not even for a few milliseconds!

We don't even warranty systems without power protection, nor do we waste our time troubleshooting all of the weird little problems that the lack of same entails until they wise up and provide adequate power protection.

The sales team made a good call by bringing them up to 7.1 and dumping the NAM but they definitely get an F if they sold that system with no power protection! The tech who installed it gets an F too unless he did his part by at least mentioning that power protection is mandatory if you want it to function correctly!

APC is a great brand but each system configuration and each customer is different. If your customer is just flippin' burgers for a living, they just need enough back up protection for the average thunderstorm outage.

On the other hand a customer that's doing a billion a year in real estate for example could easily lose millions of dollars during one extended power outage so they would be a good candidate for 8 or more hours of back up time.

Add up all of the wattage ratings for each device or module you want to protect, then help them determine an adequate amount of back up time for their specific application, then you'll probably have to help them select the best model to meet those needs.

If all you want to protect is the MICS & the Call Pilot and you only want 30 to 60 minutes of back up time, you could probably get by with a little APC 1000 from Office Max or Office Depot and I think they're still only around 200 bucks. You might even get a couple of hours out of one of those depending on the load.

Most customers never realize just how important that back up time really is though until they have an extended power failure that causes them to lose money or worse yet, their entire phone system.

Phonehed in Dallas

 

[Phonehed]

I'm sure most of the real techs out there already know this kind of basic stuff but while we're on the subject and for the benefit of those who don't already know, let's not forget how important it is to have the entire telephone/aa/vmail system on it's own, dedicated electrical outlet, which also means it's own, dedicated breaker/switch and nothing else wired into that circuit or plugged into that outlet!

All it takes is for one idiot to come along behind a great tech and plug a vacuum cleaner, a microwave, a refrigerator (or a whole power strip full of stupidity) into the dedicated telecom outlet and it's crash city unless you're properly protected! That's also a great way to work a poor little old back up unit right into an early grave.

Anytime I walk into a switch room (especially if it's the first time,) I always like to step back and try to take in the big picture before I ever get down to the nitty gritty. Proper power and environment can make all the difference no matter what kind of system we're talking about.

Unfortunately these kind of warnings often fall on deaf ears so CYA in writing amigos! Anytime I find myself in a switch room from hell, I not only inform my contact about any potential problems, I fill my work order up with all of the necessary recommendations it will take to get that site back up to par so that it never comes back on me for not having enough sense to mention or even notice a potential disaster in the making!

Ok, off of my soap box and back into the trenches.

Good luck soldiers!

Phonehed in Dallas

 

[nessman]

In my case - it was a small non-profit time & materials customer who had a UPS that died, they bypassed it some time ago, then called us after they realized a power outage took out their voicemail (an old StarTalk Flash from 1999). Told them the risk they would continue to carry if they didn't replace it (i.e., another expensive service call). So I had sales send a quote for a new UPS and a CallPilot 100 (they only had money for the UPS). I'm just glad the capacitors in the StarTalk held long enough for me to switch the unit from the power strip to the UPS. Hate programming those things.