Specifications

depend on a cool-down cycle when the projector is turned off where the bulb is off, but the projectors cooling fans are
running for a few minutes to remove the heat from the bulb. With projectors, power failures are not cool, and a battery
backup system can allow the user time to shut off the projector after the end of the cool down process.
It is also common today to have hard disc-based components incorporated into an AV system, such as a media server or a
satellite receiver and Digital Video Recorder. Such systems also can benefit from an orderly shutdown procedure.
Surge, Spike and Over-voltage Protection
There is no question that it is prudent to protect your AV equipment from voltage spikes and surges due to lightning
storms, large appliances switching on and off, etc., and the APC S20 is specified to adsorb spikes of up to 4080 Joules.
Surge protection is certainly a case where it is better to be safe than sorry. Having all your AV components plugged into
a single well-protected source of reliable AC power is a good thing. Lightning happens.
Line Noise Filtering
As discussed above, chances are pretty good that if you are considering a power conditioner in the price range of the S20
you probably have pretty good components in you system already, and the power supplies in those components are
probably doing a pretty good job of filtering RF and other noise sources present on the AC lines. However in the case of
line filtering, more of a good thing can’t hurt, and could well help, unless, of course, the filtering is inappropriate for the
current demands of specific components.
The APC S Type Power Conditioners have four AC outlet banks with specific filters designed for different types of
components. These are labeled and described in the manual as:
Switched 1 – Digital Filter, for “digital” components such as CD, DVD, DVR and Satellite receivers etc: 6 outlets
Switched 2 – Video Filter, for devices such as TVs or VCRs: 2 outlets
Switched Delay 1, for analog based devices such as tuners, preamps and receivers: 2 outlets
Switched Delay 2, for high current devices such as amplifiers and subwoofers: 2 outlets
My contact at APC suggested that other than the outlets designed for high current amplifiers and subwoofers, that the
other outlets banks and their respective filtering were similar enough that I should not worry too much whether I plugged
my digital preamp into the “digital” or “analog” outlets. It should be noted however that the various outlets banks do vary
in their timing as the system is powered on, and individual banks can be are turned on and off separately. Use the various
outlets accordingly. The high current outlets will be discussed in more detail below.
Environmental Monitoring
One of the nice things the APC S20 provides is a way of monitoring the AV system environment. The front panel status
display can show a number of useful things about the system including the line input and output voltages, the total
power in watts being used at any given time, the remaining “fuel” in the battery and the remaining time battery backup
operation with the current system load.