Matrix 500 VA UPS

This UPS comes with an interesting assortment of goodies, including free gifts like wristwatches, table clocks, domain-name registration, audiocassettes, and waterproof bags. Its front panel has four LEDs for indications of normal AC mains, battery operation, low battery indication, overload/no-load shutdown and a power on/off switch. The rear panel has three output sockets for the load, a fuse, an RJ-11 surge protected port for telephone lines, a serial interface for connecting to a computer and an option to connect external batteries. For connecting these, however, you will need to open the UPS casing and wire accordingly. It also has a low battery alarm and a no-load cutoff.

On checking it out, we found that the input voltage range was 150.2-275V AC. While this is good, it would’ve been better if the lower cutoff was lower. It can handle 80 percent of its rated load.

Though the UPS comes with a serial interface cable, no software is supplied to manage it through the PC. Overall, considering the price and decent gift bundle, the UPS is worth buying.

Ashish Sharma at PCQ Labs