Undoubtedly, Cyber Power Systems Inc, also known as CyberPower, is one of the most renowned brand names in IT power management products. The company was founded back in 1997 and has been exclusively focused on the development and marketing of IT-related power products ever since. Naturally, UPS systems are the company’s primary focus, but the company also produces other power-related equipment, such as power distribution units, solar-power inverters, or even mobile accessories, with availability varying by region. In fact, CyberPower is quite unique in that respect: due to its large size, CyberPower is one of the very few companies that have a true international presence, with similar power products available across the globe.

In today’s review, we are looking at one of CyberPower’s most popular consumer UPS systems, the VP1600ELCD 1600VA (EU). A similar version of the UPS is also available in the US with a 1500VA power rating (CP1500AVRLCD) and, obviously, different power outlets. This particular design by CyberPower is very popular globally due to its very high power rating coupled with its low retail price – a price that even competes with imported products of questionable quality. How does it perform though? We will soon find out.  

CyberPower ValuePro VP1600ELCD 1600 VA
Power Capacity 1600VA/960W
Output Voltage 230 VAC
Input Voltage 167-295 VAC
Type Backup
True Sinewave No
Battery Lead-Acid, 2x 12V/9Ah
Full Load Backup Time 2 min
Half Load Backup Time About 11 min
Battery-Backed Sockets 4 (Type F)
Surge Protected Sockets 1 (Type F)
USB-A Outputs No
Ethernet Surge Protection Yes
LCD Display Yes
Dimensions 100 x 281 x 355 mm
Weight 10.42 kg
Price €199
(US Variant: $185)

We should note that the AC conversion circuitry of UPS platforms differs depending on the region in order to cope with the different voltage and frequency, therefore there always are slight power differences between otherwise similar platforms depending on the input voltage, with the 120V versions usually being 5-10% less powerful.

 

The CyberPower ValuePro VP1600ELCD 1600 VA UPS

The CyberPower ValuePro VP1600ELCD UPS comes in a simple cardboard box, with thick packaging foam pieces protecting the rather heavy unit.

Inside, we only find the necessary AC power and USB cables, as well as a basic quick-start guide. There is no extensive manual or media with the software, which has to be downloaded online.

The CyberPower ValuePro VP1600ELCD is a rather typical tower-style UPS with an LCD screen at the front. It measures only 355 mm deep, 100 mm wide, and 281 mm tall (14 in × 3.9 in × 11 in), making it an extremely compact unit for that high of a power output. Less powerful models of the same series are shorter, with the least powerful being just 227 mm (8.9 in) tall. An LCD screen covers nearly half of the unit’s faceplate.

Once turned on, the LCD screen will display a summary of the unit’s load and battery capacity, as well as the estimated runtime with the current load and battery status. It stays off most of the time and the user needs to press the display button momentarily in order to turn it on. Pressing the display button again cycles through more information, such as the input/output voltage and frequency, the load in VA and Watts, and the exact charge of the battery.

 

At the rear side of this particular model, we found five power plugs. Four are for battery backup and one is for surge protection only. As we are testing the EU version, the plugs are Schuko (EU) plugs. Similar versions of the same unit are available with nearly all regional plugs and CyberPower also retails two versions (120V and 230V) with IEC plugs. The US version of the unit has a total of twelve available plugs (six connected to the battery, six just for surge protection).

This particular design offers two host data connectivity options: USB and Serial. Although a serial port is redundant for any home user nowadays, it still remains a necessary option for legacy systems or proprietary equipment that does not have a modern PC at its core. There is also a non-destructive circuit breaker and an Ethernet surge protection path (input-output plugs). An experienced eye will notice that something is missing and that is a cooling fan. Despite the considerable power output of the UPS and it having a fully functional AVR (automatic voltage regulation) mode, CyberPower designed this unit to rely on passive cooling alone.

The front fascia needs to be removed in order to access the battery compartment. It is held by two screws at the bottom side of the unit and can be easily pulled off when these are removed. Once removed, the user can see the two batteries of the unit, one horizontally at the bottom and one vertically secured above it. The plastic retainer must be removed in order to remove the top battery. If the batteries need to be replaced, the yellow wire must be transferred to the other set of batteries.

We found two Leoch 12V 9Ah batteries in the unit, connected in series (24V 9Ah output). Leoch is a Chinese battery manufacturer that is among the largest on the planet, and whose products are typically considered to be of fairly good quality. Their batteries are commonly found in consumer-grade UPS units.

Splitting open the UPS, we can see a massive transformer secured at the bottom of the plastic body. The circuitry board is attached to the top. There is no cooling fan and only a few vents allow for natural air circulation – this design is clearly not meant to be overtasked. The sizable transformer should be capable of handling a few minutes of heavy load but it would be a grave mistake to modify the batteries in order to increase the autonomy of this UPS.

 

The power circuitry is simplistic and greatly outdated by today’s power electronic standards. The relays are supplied by Golden Relays, a reputable manufacturer. The capacitors are a mix of Su’Scon and Jamicon, well-established companies whose products are considered just above mediocre.  

Eight CS3205 B8 MOSFETs generate the output when the unit switches to its batteries, creating a fundamental inversion circuitry. These particular transistors are not old but are designed to be cheap and relatively reliable, with mediocre performance characteristics.

Testing Results, Software & Conclusion
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  • ballsystemlord - Friday, October 28, 2022 - link

    Well, I don't think that should be called a sine wave -- modified or not.
  • DanNeely - Friday, October 28, 2022 - link

    It's an industry term of art, it means "less awful than a pure square wave"; and while it doesn't have to be as bad is this one is generally translates to square wave with a degree of slope (from capacitor discharge?).
  • jeromec - Friday, October 28, 2022 - link

    I just purchased an even cheaper, LCDless CyberPower UPS (UT850EG-FR).
    A few remarks:
    - it is natively recognized by macOS without installing CyberPower's software,
    - the CyberPower software has a Mac version, that works on Ventura,
    - the CyberPower software is not signed and insists on launching the app (and not only the daemon) at system start - it allows to setup "advanced" options such as muting alarms - I uninstalled it after setting them.
  • Samus - Friday, October 28, 2022 - link

    APC in my opinion has superior UPS software to Cyber Power and Tripp Lite, though APC does not have a native MacOS version. However, much like Tripp Lite, you can use the native MacOS shutdown feature with any UPS. Simply configure the OS to shutdown or sleep when battery power reaches a set %. I usually set it to 50%

    However, Cyber Power in my opinion makes substantially better UPS's than Tripp Lite at the consumer end. Since Schneider bought APC a decade ago, I've noticed all the models since float charge the batteries too high. This shortens their life. A lot. I'd research it because while it seemed the situation was being rectified years ago, it wasn't, and their UPS's still do it. My Back-UPS XS 1000 float charges the lead-acid battery to 13.6v. Sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries can NOT be charged beyond 12V. They can't vent. This causes them to eventually swell and fail. They don't typically explode as they are low-density power and valve regulated (so when the valve pops - like a fuse, the battery internally cuts off input\output.)

    I can't tell you how many APC Back-UPS products I've had to pry swollen SLA's out of to replace. Literally with a crow bar. Sometimes the case is even permanently deformed.

    When you start spending $1000 for production units, or even $300-$500 for rack mount models, Cyber Power starts to lose some points compared to some APC products and many Tripp Lite products, but they are still overall competitive and I've rarely ever had a problem with them.

    If I had a complaint about Cyber Power, it would be they are noisy. The coil whine from the charging\standby circuit is often noticeable in a quiet space. Their older products were not like this but all their new stuff has a buzz, hum, or occasional random noises.
  • Threska - Friday, October 28, 2022 - link

    UPSs can be a mixed bag much like hard drives. Have an APC going strong for years. Another two of their backup variety down for the count. Also have a cyberpower that died.
  • fmyhr - Monday, October 31, 2022 - link

    I switched from APC to Eaton UPS for this very reason. Batteries last much longer. And very well supported in Linux. (I can't speak to MacOS support.)
  • pjcamp - Friday, October 28, 2022 - link

    In my experience, switching UPS's do not work. My neighborhood has a ton of momentary outages due to a large number of trees. I've spent a few thousand dollars total on various brand UPS's and have yet to find one that can deal with these. They just don't switch fast enough. I pulled the plug from the wall and by the time it switched (and I believe it was a Cyberpower), my computer was off. In fact, when I just stopped using them altogether, my computer on its own was able to ride out the momentary outages so in fact a switching UPS was worse than useless.
  • Threska - Friday, October 28, 2022 - link

    One could always get a delta-conversion online UPS.

    https://www.thomasnet.com/articles/electrical-powe...
  • Samus - Saturday, October 29, 2022 - link

    That's very odd because the inherent design of a UPS is the load runs off the power conversion circuit regardless of live AC or not. When the power goes out, there should be no interruption because the load was already running off the battery before the power outage.

    Hence "uninterruptible." There should be no switch-over delay.
  • jeromec - Sunday, October 30, 2022 - link

    There are 3 types of UPS:
    - online, in which the battery is always on - when AC power is available, a double conversion (AC to DC to AC) s performed,
    - offline, where the battery is offline while AC power is available,
    - online interactive, where the inverter is on while AC power is available.

    For offline and online interactive types, there is a short amount of time required for switching, typically a few ms. This power break is absorbed by the devices behind the UPS.

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