Question : is it a good idea to use Uninterruptible Power Supply(UPS) to power a laptop? extend battery time?
Hi!
im planning on using UPS as an EXTERNAL BATTERY for laptop…
plug the Laptop’s power adapter to the UPS :
UPS > ADAPTER > LAPTOP

-is it true that a 600watt UPS can power a laptop to 10hrs?
-is there a way to calculate battery time by using the UPS’ VA rating and my laptop’s wattage ?
ex: in a 520Va UPS , How long can the laptop run if it uses 40watts(example)

-any personal experiences on UPS ?
Thanks a lot for your time !
uninterruptible power supply

Best answer:

Answer by Tequila_mike
It won’t necessary extend your laptop battery life unless you run without your battery installed. When you install a UPS, there is usually a USB or serial cable that will connect to your computer/laptop. Software from the UPS will tell you generally how much backup power you have left incase of an outage. Maybe I am wrong on this but if your computer battery is in, it will run off that in an outage. The UPS would continue to trickle charge the battery, so maybe there is a possiblity it could power the laptop for 10 hours. I haven’t tried this though.

I recommend a UPS because it protects your machine from blackouts, brownouts, under and over voltages.

In my area where I live, I don’t go a day without my UPS kicking in because of poor power quality in my area.

I have one on all my computers expensive stereo equipment.