On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 22:55:36 +0000, SoT wrote:

Jeff Folloder (TES) wrote:

Martin 53N 1W wrote:

Miaowara Tomokato wrote:

the outside world, helped by a very generous sponsor. I very much 
doubt they've got the high profile or funding required to also get 
their own dedicated redundant power supply.

150 dollars at Best Buy?  If I had money I could buy one.

For their setup, they need something much more substantial than that to 
stay up for any length of time through a mains power failure.

They run something more than just a 200W PC...

Can we stop this cross-posting crap?

Some of us can, some of us can't.

some of us won't
 

Yeah, we're talking about something on the order of a Liebert system. 
Not cheap.  Probably not funded, either.  People can complain all they 
want, but this is the nature of educational institution-driven research 
and implementation.  It's not a corporation driven by profit.  It is a 
"project" that is run by students with oversight from professors. 

It appears from the news updates that they have the hardware and are
now having problems getting the UPS to communicate so it can shut
the system down when the power fails.

yes; ups's typically use a non-standard cable to attach to the serial
port. available only from the manufacturer.  won't adapt to USB.
 

Tenuous budgets, bubble gum, tie wraps, spit, and a prayer.
Occasionally some big company dumps some really cool iron on the
project and assumes that the students can make it all work.  Sometimes
it does.
  Sometimes they need help.

And they now need help.  Here's hoping they ask for help instead of
trying to make those professors think everything is fine.

I gave them help.  they need a special serial cable.