Built a super UPS

At most, the UPS I own are only designed to run one PC and hold sufficient battery backup to give me 7-10 minutes of power – enough time to save my work or game and switch the computer off. This may suit most people who wish to prevent that dumb-struck moment when you find yourself staring at your reflection in a black screen, sick with the knowledge that whatever you were busy with is lost forever.

My application, however, demands a bit more. I have a fully kitted-out office at home with a workstation that runs two PCs, a 4-in-1 digital scanner/printer, an inkjet printer, a DSL broadband router, a wireless network router, and two sets of speakers. There are also a fax machine, and a mobile handset that is useless when its base goes dead.

This space is used by my wife during the day, who runs a busy bookkeeping business. I invade it in the evenings. Having no power for half the day or night is no fun for anyone, least of all for somebody trying to run a business.