Here's - PROLiNK

THE LAYMAN’S GUIDE
TO UPS TERMS
It can get really confusing when we come across a whole lot of technical
terms which we can’t understand whenever we read about UPS systems.
So here it is, a simple guide to aid in your understanding:
providing a secondary power supply
path in case the primary one fails.
Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR)
A device used to stabilise the mains
power to a load. Also known as
Automatic Voltage Stabiliser (AVS) or
Voltage Regulator (VR)
Blackouts
A term used to describe a mains
power supply failure, also referred to
as an Outage
Brownouts
Long duration decreases below
the nominal (normal mains power
supply voltage), which can last for
many cycles or longer.
Bypass
A power path arrangement normally
Common Mode Noise
A form of high-frequency electrical
noise which results from disturbances
between the supply lines and earth
(phase-to-earth or neutral-to-earth)
Current (A)
The ‘volume’ of electricity flowing in a
circuit and expressed as Amps
Direct Current (dc)
Where the electrons of the current are
only flowing in one direction
Distortion
A variation in a waveform from a true
wave shape
Harmonic Distortion or Total
Harmonic Distortion (THDi)
Distortion of a mains power supply
sinewave from its fundamental
frequency and wave shape.
THE LAYMAN’S GUIDE 16
FA PROLiNK UPS_MagQ2 28PP CS5 .indd 17
4/4/13 11:49 AM