APC BR1600SI - A beastly UPS

Did you know APC are making UPSes right here in the Philippines?
Let’s take a look at the BR1600SI, a 1600VA/960W UPS which features a pure sinewave inverter.
A UPS is a battery backup, typically used to keep your computer running during a brownout, avoiding potential loss of data or data corruption.
Now days, with a lot of people preferring mobile devices, UPSes are commonly used to keep a WIFI router going during a brownout and to extend the runtime of a laptop and other gadgets.
The BR1600SI includes a USB cable which lets you connect the UPS to your computer, server or NAS and have them automatically shutdown upon sensing a power failure. This is especially useful if you're away from your home when the brownout strikes.
In this video, I showed two APC UPS. The smaller one I bought myself and the larger one is a used demo unit which was given to me for free by APC. Thanks to my friends at PCWORX for connecting me to APC after a bunch of my stuff got blown up by Meralco.
No money was paid for this video but the used demo unit of the BR1600SI was given to me by APC.
Note: Some desktop computers use a PSU with active power factor correction. Feedback suggests these PSU don't work well on modified sinewave inverters and instead prefer a pure sinewave

[@BruhTech]

Absolutely outstanding review…first person to talk about demonstrate the data port!!

[@jimreyes9810]

Thanks for the thorough review. I have ordered 3 units for my office. :)

[@brianhoward9217]

Bought this unit on your recommendation. Great video thank you. I now have 3 of these in our home - best UPS on the market for home/small business use. Just astounding value - in Jun'22 can get for $610AUD in Australia. Thanks again for the EXCELLENT and detailed vid - VERY much appreciated!

[@Mopsie]

Thanks for the review, this seems like a solid unit

[@EddisonWeldt]

we use the small one in our office, just gets a decent 45minutes to an hour of a desktop with 2 monitors. that beefy one tho, i would love to have one

[@devotee]

Thanks, great review! 03:15 if you have to change the batteries, remove the stickers from them and you'll see that APC uses "cheap generic" batteries (CSB). Two brand new CSB batteries like the ones APC use would cost like half the price of the "original" replacement. You will need the original module that connects both batteries, though.

[@Miggy0135]

Really curious on how your NAS setup looks like. Maybe a video showing your home network setup? That'd be pretty cool.

[@BillyPulido]

this is a beefy UPS, great overview. salamat!

[@bryanmendez2215]

I love it

[@Roverteevee]

wow nice

[@mikemaxwell5891]

Finally Gadget Addict is acting Gadget Addict

[@chesshooligan1282]

That's the most triangular pure sine wave I've ever seen.

[@masterdorbus]

I remember my first company.. We are a sub contractor of APC.

[@grapesofwrath1984]

I miss this kind of videos. You should create a separate channel for MMDA stuff. Would gladly subscribe.

[@aidanaguanta9662]

Cool

[@ClaudioContri]

hello! thanks for the beautiful video and explanations! when you have to connect a new battery, which pole is better to connect to avoid sparks ? connect first the red cable and then the black ? thank you very much !!

[@jserenity]

Got this as well last year. Looks big in lazada picture than it really is. Problem with this UPS is the replacement battery. The bettery seems to change in details (a small cut on the upper side) and cant fit universally making you buy a new set

[@Scy416]

that UPS looks modern ngl

[@vanzky102]

Hi! Can you please provide details where did you get the mini-oscilloscope? Thanks!

[@Alex11223l2]

Does it make any noise (especially when power is not out)? Does it have fans?

[@joseutooten3775]

lithium is far more expensive than lead-acid. not sure if you need that upgrade for home use only. unfortunately here in North America, our power supply is very stable so there is not much of a need for a UPS. it's still nice to know they are fabricated in the Philippines.

[@GadgetAddict]

Lead acid is cheaper but rarely lasts as long, especially in the high temps of Metro Manila. A common 12V 7Ah SLA barely lasts a year. An expensive branded one will last longer but then you're already in lithium pricing territory. I'll have a video coming soon that compares the cost of SLA vs. Lifepo4 and the pros/cons of each approach 👍

[@joseutooten3775]

@@GadgetAddict you can actually desulfate lead-acid batteries at a very low cost providing you want to do that kind of thing to give them extra life. i got a desulfator/charger for 24 dollars I think? on ebay. been using the same lead acid like the ones in your video for several years now. used it for my car batteries as well. had a lot of success with it.

[@Rt_domingo]

​@@GadgetAddict ive converted my apc ups to li-ion ive been using it for about 3 years now i extended the run time from 17 mins now it runs for about 2 hrs

[@juliuscesarcostales4402]

I bought the 900br pro and i noticed that it has a different socket. I wonder where can I buy an adapter to have it plugged in to a dual pin wall outlet. And the model that I bought is it single phase or three phase

[@GiorgioGrande]

which cable i need? i have 1 monitor (lg uk850), 1 corsair AX 760 and edifier s880.

[@grapesofwrath1984]

Interesting. I'm using the same NUC and Samsung monitor. But quite a lousy UPS. I guess I'm in the market for that. By the way, do you use Optane on your NUC?

[@grapesofwrath1984]

Oh... You're running Hackintosh.

[@princeperegrinezamora6667]

Do you have any idea why the normal sized plug doesn't fit at the back of the APC?

[@zeuszaku]

Hi G.A. Do you have any plans on reviewing Lifepo4 Solar Generators? I recently joined a local group that does DIY solar generators and figured since you used to cover solar stuff back in the days, you might do ones that are made here in the Philippines. :D

[@GadgetAddict]

Probably yes :) Not sure yet if I'll go the DIY route or buy one of the off-the-shelf units for review.

[@MarcRitzMD]

@@GadgetAddict I'd be cool if you could get a sponsored video.

[@peterm9893]

so here's some good news to those having this UPS WARNING: What I'm about to say could potentially void your warranty, so do this at your own discretion) If you're like me (despise SLAs) won't do the trick, their power density is way too low compared to LiFePO4 (Lithium-Iron Phosphate Batteries) and certainly won't hold your load for long But the good news is you can hook up LiFePO4 to this UPS. SLA have a nominal voltage of 24v and Boost charge @14.1v and Fully charged ~ 26v LiFePO4 has identically the same voltage with Full Charge capacity @28v (although not recommended) and 26v would be way better to extend LiFePO4 life span. Simply hooking up the UPS to 2 x 12v (rated LiFePO4) is more than sufficient to run off way more power storage for almost 4X the SLAs capacity. Do NOT invest in Lithium Ion batteries unless you experience regular blackouts (SLAs are fine for avg home/office use) for the most part

[@tgkhfgkr9729]

Does this UPS make any noise in normal operation, i.e. not charging or running off the battery?

[@richardaubin1951]

Getting mine in a few days. I'm also in the philippines... ANNOYING power outages.

[@scalpelsword2642]

I just bought one and I couldn't find an adapter to plug in into the socket. Doesn't it come with one?

[@kokotas67]

when time comes to replace worn batteries, you can replace with car batteries instead! super longer usage! or deep cycle boat batteries.

[@thesmashtvnetwork]

i gave up on apc thear cheaper and better way to do this

[@GadgetAddict]

I'm probably going to swap to LifePo4 when the batteries need replacing. But i'll start with my smaller UPS first.

[@thesmashtvnetwork]

@@GadgetAddict ups our not realy ment for long trerm power it more so you can shut stuff off if you whant that get a crash Tesla and salvage the bat from it

[@GadgetAddict]

Yeah that's always been the traditional use of UPS. But as more people turned to laptops and other battery powered devices, the use of UPS transitioned also.

[@deniserosalin8681]

hi GA where to buy it..i mean is it available in malls or do they have a physical stores..tnx

[@jimpgamingtv2158]

What if the ups got lowbatt will i need to repress mute button to silent it again?

[@gabrielangcao1171]

Their aftersales service is crap tho. Been waiting for a replacement UPS since November 2020.

[@ganeryhyperion8386]

i was using simillar like that, also apc brand form my nas, router and couple of AP and switch, same my ass several times

[@SolAcu009]

Is that intel NUC running macOS? A hackintosh build?

[@_zer09_]

nice hackintosh, wish they'd make one with a lifrepo4 instead (not just for servers)

[@GadgetAddict]

Yeah that would be nice. I'll be trying a lifepo4 mod soon. On the smaller ups 👍

[@arnigx]

Is that apc ups with pure sinewave or just another apc ups with semi sinewave ??

[@GadgetAddict]

it's pure sinewave

[@Fusions-xl3sh]

Does it smell like the cyper power ones has a horrible ordor that make me feel sick

[@Seele01]

Would you know how much power it consumes at idle (with battery fully charged)?

[@GadgetAddict]

I can test that and come back to you. Probably in the morning :)

[@richardaubin1951]

@@GadgetAddict so...

[@Spectre.007]

HM is this model?

[@nbien5059]

26k pero wla raw kasamang power cable. Anung klaseng power cable ba pwede dito?

[@reagentoo87]

Why should I prefer BR1600SI instead of BR1600MI for a gaming PC? Each model is new.

[@dank9561]

BR1600SI is pure sine wave whereas BR1600MI is modified sine wave.

[@jserenity]

I wonder if a lithium battery will ever hit a UPS usage

[@GadgetAddict]

APC already have some corporate UPS with lithium batteries. And a lot of people have been modifying their units with LifePo4 batteries. So it's only a matter of time before we see a larger transition.

[@ryancortes5211]

it cost Php 27k wow!

[@IDann1]

I thought they would be at least a lithium 🔋 batteries maybe lithium iron phosphate. (Edit:Ok I typed too soon)

[@arlan2008ph]

25k in lazada. i can make similar of this for 12k only, call it DIY portable power station... i will use lifepo4 battery which is better than lead acid.

[@GadgetAddict]

I've been thinking of doing something similar. Especially because lifepo4 batteries are so cheap right now. Maybe next year I'll get around to doing it.

[@arlan2008ph]

@@GadgetAddict you can watch some different capacities and features here in YT.. large lifepo4 battery is easy to assemble compared to those 32650. Currently im using 4 pcs 120ah Lifepo4 battery with PSW inverter can run my brother's desktop PC for 7 hours.. His desktop consumes 100 to 140watts, using it in engineering design with 2 large monitors..

[@GadgetAddict]

@@arlan2008ph yeah I've watched a lot of videos 👍 I already have some lifepo4 cells that I've been playing with. I also have a 12v sealed battery replacement which looks like a regular 12v 7Ah SLA but it has lifepo4 and a BMS inside. It's more cost effective to build your own and like you say it's easy to use the larger cells with bus bars. Probably if I make something next year I'll use the bigger cells 👍

[@koalaakabear]

Do people in the Philippines ask you if you are a "mistiso Filipino?"

[@ChocoAL14]

At 25k pesos, probably no

[@synkuk]

thats not a sine

[@chrisplusplus6232]

omg, 26k pesos, haha

[@richardaubin1951]

that is cheap for what you're getting.

[@lenovotab9471]

Yuck galing philippines