Eaton 5PX 1500RT

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Preface

I've been wanting a rack mount UPS(un-interuptable Power Supply)  for quite sometime now, I have easily been looking at options for about 2 years.  It seems like the go to recommendation is an APC Smart-UPS 1500 LCD RM 2U 120V (SMT1500RM2U), from RefurbUPS.com.  Which on it's own is a great option, and boy oh boy, did I ever eye ball the hell out of one of those.  However, something somewhere inside kept me from pulling the trigger, I'm not sure what exactly what was holding me back but it did.  I'm so glad that I didn't pull the trigger on an APC Smart UPS, because about 2 years later the Eaton 5PX 1500RT hit NewEgg on sale for $249.99, what a freaking good deal.  MSRP for the Eaton UPS is about $1200 or so, sure you can find better prices online for between $600-$900 but I personally wouldn't spend that much on a UPS.  So, in short, had the Eaton UPS never hit the mean streets, I would have definitely purchased the APC 1500RM2U at some point.

A Little Back Story of Eaton

Eaton is a power management company, in truth however, they are known more as an acquisitions company.  They have been purchasing other companies in the automotive, electrical, industrial, and aerospace realm for quiet sometime.  While this can be a bit scary they have purchased some pretty well known and very big international companies.  For instance, they acquired MGE Office Protection Systems, who acquired APC.  They also acquired Cooper Industries (this one strikes close to home for me), which has massive manufacturing capabilities.  So while Eaton may not technically produce this UPS, they have many strong brands with years and years of experience to produce quality products (in my opinion).

Information and Specifications

Wow, where to begin with this thing...

Specs

  • Rating (VA/Watts) 1440/1440

  • Dimensions (H x W x D, inches) 3.4 x 17.4 x 20.6

  • Dimensions (H x W x D, mm) 86 x 441 x 522

  • Weight (lbs) 65

  • Weight (kg) 29

  • Audible Noise: ~<45 Decibels

  • Runtime: 100% Load @ 1440 Watts - 3 Minutes

  • Runtime: ~95% Load @ 928 Watts - 4 Minutes

  • Runtime: ~50% Load @ 720 Watts - 10 Minutes

  • Runtime: ~10% Load @ 288 Watts - 30 Minutes

General Information

  • 3 Year Warranty on Batteries and Unit

  • Connection: Nema 5-15P

  • Cord Length: 8ft

  • Input Voltage Range: 89–151 Vac (adjustable to 70–153 Vac)

  • Nominal Voltage: 120 Vac (adjustable to100/120/127 Vac)

  • Output Receptacles: 8, NEMA 5-15R

  • Switch to Battery: 1 to 4 milliseconds

  • Battery Type: 12V/7.2 Ah; sealed lead-acid batteries

  • Battery Replacement: EBP-1001

Contents of the Box

  • 5PX1500RT

  • Eaton Network Card-MS

  • Four-post rail kit

  • User manual CD

  • Tower pedestals

  • Intelligent Power Software Suite CD

  • Quick start guide

  • RS-232 serial cable

  • USB cable

  • Phillips head screw driver

Would you like to no more?

My Experience so far

How loud is the 5PX 1500RT? It is pretty loud on it's own, about 45 Decibels, but overall it didn't add any more noise than what I am use to having in my home lab.   I'm thinking of maybe swapping out the stock fan with a Noctua fan, but I need to do a little research first to see if it is relatively easy.  My runtime on battery at 300 Watts was about 29 minutes, which is about what I am used to seeing.  It also took about 4 hours to recharge to 100% (I actually didn't time it too well, expect an update here).

It was pretty straight forward to install and use, the rails are very sturdy and quite heavy on their own.  There was a neat feature during first boot where the UPS doesn't actually provide power to the servers, this allowed you to do battery tests without having the systems powered, probably not a big deal but it gives me a nice warm and fuzzy feeling.  Probably one of the most important questions that could be asked is, can you mute the Eaton 5PX 1500RT UPS? YES, yes you can and that is just fan-tastic.

I haven't tried connecting it to the network just yet nor have I used the included management software.  Eventually I will get around to do it at a later time and see what the full capabilities of this thing are, but for now, I imagine it is just like most other UPSi.  I still have to see if this thing works with unRAID, either via the network or direct connection.

Last thoughts, this thing is aesthetically pleasing and makes a great addition to the homelab.  I'm very happy so far with my purchase and I hope it continues to delivery me a great experience for years to come.

I'm not sure what else needs to be said or shown, so I suppose if you have any questions drop a comment and I will get back to you.