JNIOR Built-in UPS

A controller depends on the availability of good clean and stable power. Unfortunately with the JNIOR any small interruption or glitch in the power source results in a reboot. Applications need to be written to handle unscheduled restarts.

The recommended solution is to place all critical systems on an Uninterruptible Power Source (UPS) like those available from APC.

Things like air conditioner compressors can cause momentary dips in local power. The amperage of the power circuit and distance from the subpanel come into play here. The voltage available at the end of wiring that operates near its rated current or that may be lengthy tends to be easily affected by current surges. The voltage drops very briefly. That minor drop can be significant enough to reboot a JNIOR located on that circuit. And, the addition of a separate UPS means extra cost.

The 412DMX model of JNIOR is being developed and here we are testing the new internal power circuit. This JNIOR will incorporate “ride-thru” power supply technology. Regardless of the selection of buzz words that we use to describe it, the basic function is to store enough energy to keep the JNIOR powered through a momentary loss of external power. The implementation will flash the blue power LED to indicate the loss of external power. If power is restored before the stored energy runs out then the JNIOR continues unaffected. The loss of external power and its restoration are logged in the system log. Here we let it run out to see how long we really have.

Can you do that? Does it work? Well observe the first prototype: