Find the perfect 1U 10" Mini Rack UPS

[geerlingguy]

...since one doesn't exist, maybe someone should make one!

The space constraint is real, but you could definitely build a UPS with one or two AC outlets on the back, supplying something like 60-140W of total power, with an integrated Li-Ion battery—and still have enough room for decent power filtering.

Right now, the three commercial products I've seen that might fit the bill are:

• ZeroKor Portable Power Bank with AC Outlet - 65W / 24 Ah - $57
• Goal Zero Sherpa 100AC - 100W / 25.6 Ah - $177
• Krisdonia AC Outlet Portable Charger - 130W / 60 Ah - $229

I really would like an AC UPS, because that'd be compatible with most anything... however, if you have an adequate PoE switch, maybe a 12V/19V/24V DC UPS would be adequate, with just a barrel-jack output (or multiple barrel jack outputs...?).

The trouble is, some people will build racks with USB-C powered devices. Some will build racks entirely powered by PoE, and yet others will require AC adapters... so being able to serve everything would be ideal.

I've ordered the ZeroKor, since the price is right, and I intend to see if it'll fit at the bottom of my RackMate T0 and serve power to my PoE-powered Pi rack setup, which consumes 17W at idle, and probably 40-50W max.

[geerlingguy]

There's also the fully custom built solution... Reddit user u/ThatsMyUsernameDear built a DIY Backup power supply for 10" rack at home, building it with a Pulsar PSU, battery, fuse, and DC-DC converter (learning some lessons in the build from alarm systems).

[geerlingguy]

Apparently Eaton makes the 3S, but it looks like it's not available in NA yet, only Europe? It powers a single device at 12+V, I think (so not AC power, but still useful).

[geerlingguy]

Also the Acumentrics Half Rack UPS, which is a bit beefy, probably pretty expensive... but does exist (also only DC out?). Thanks to @leomonty for finding it.

[geerlingguy]

Schneider Electric also makes the HMIYMUPSKT1, which comes in at a healthy $614.23 in a single-unit purchase!

Unfortunately it's discontinued—and also only had DC in and out, which limits it's ease of integration (besides the price)!

[geerlingguy]

X-Treme Power Conversion makes the J60, which is built for digital signage (thanks to @j3b.in‬ for pointing that out.

200W or 360W options, 1.25" housing, LiFePo 2.4 or 4.4 Ah.

[geerlingguy]

ZeroKor

The ZeroKor is 48mm tall, so just a bit too tall to fit in 1U.

It also will hold it's charge while powering a device, and if I unplug it from the wall, it cleanly transitions to battery power (drawing about 24W from the wall the entire time).

However, it will not charge at all (at least in my testing so far) if the AC power outlet is switched on.

It only starts charging once you switch AC power off :(

[geerlingguy]

Goal Zero Sherpa 100AC

I've ordered one... but need to figure out how to adapt the round solar charging port (is that "8mm"? I would need to adapt it to the output of my portable Ecoflow panel, which has USB-C output (maybe could just use that) or XT60/XT60i...

Maybe one of these adapters (be careful to pick the right ends!).

[GregM54]

Jeff,

What would be the exact specifications required for an ideal 1U 10” UPS?

One option would be to repackage an existing offering into a container that fits the dimensions. This would likely maintain the engineered safety of the original device, within reason.

The second option I could consider is combining or upgrading an existing offering into the ideal UPS.

Did you contact any manufacturers of similar devices?

Thank you for the content!

[geerlingguy]

@GregM54 - I didn't contact GoalZero, but have talked to DeskPi.

Something like the Goal Zero's guts, but wired up into a 1U case, with a larger fan (or two fans that can run more slowly) would be ideal. Especially if you could stick on multiple outlets, and put all ports on the rear, and status display on the front.

[matthope-qc]

@geerlingguy

The perfect 1U 10" UPS would output proper AC (sin wave or at least triangle) at a reasonable power output (100W+) while being available and cheap. Things is that is not likely to happen, if you want to sell a device that is using AC you need to certify it and it is quite costly to certify AC products in US/CA. On a low-volume product, it would increase the cost quite significantly.

Also for the DIY route, I personally wouldn't be comfortable creating a project that instructs people that might not have a lot of experience playing with AC. As it could be a fire hazard and could lead to potential electrocution.

That said, if we were to create a DIY project that uses only low-voltage DC that could be quite interesting. Using something like this :

https://www.mini-box.com/OpenUPS2
https://www.mini-box.com/12v-7A-AC-DC-Power-Adapter

I used mini-box product in the past for a custom solution for a client and I was impressed by the build quality and software support. The only thing left to do is design a nice 3D printed case and a power distribution PCB that would split the power into 12V barrels and 5V USB.

You could sell a kit on your website that includes the needed cable and hardware for the project. If this is something that could be of interest to you, we could work together to design the PD PCB and case.

[geerlingguy]

@matthope-qc - If the market is big enough (units in the thousands instead of dozens or hundreds), I think we could convince a manufacturer to design a 1U device that wouldn't break the bank too badly.

And there are ways to design a box that is DIY and safe, especially if you use an off the shelf power supply and inverter, install it into a metal box with adequate cooling and isolation, and then connect a battery with built-in protections (or stick to older batteries that are safer than a LiIon) externally; just providing the breadcrumbs for a DIY setup would be enough, though no warranties or safety implied!

Regarding 12V / 5V DC — that would indeed make the whole setup simpler and not have to deal with the same amount of AC conversion and filtering. It would be nice to have a box that provides PoE++ output, plus has multiple 12V barrel jacks and/or USB-C PD outputs.

[proegssilb]

• I wonder how many 18650s or 21700s you could fit in 1u.... I've seen some that can do 10A out...
• How about a large pile of USB-C instead of just straight 12V? Is 5A at assorted voltages really a limiting factor? It can't be that hard to make a(n ugly) cable that negotiates for 12V/5A...

[hybridlinux]

Found this fancy guy after watching your Project MINI RACK video.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2PD734C

It says it's 10.04". Has anyone tried this?