Do I Need A UPS For My Projector? A Beginner’s Guide

Answering the question “do I need a UPS for my projector” is an easy one when you think about the purpose it serves. Some remain on the fence about purchasing a UPS because it is an optional component that they think may not be necessary.

Some projector owners would rather spend money on the projector and other electronic devices than incur an additional cost behind a projector – especially if their circumstances do not warrant a projector right away.

Depending on the amount of money invested in technology and equipment, some will forgo buying a UPS. But, if you’ve invested a lot of money in your projector and have been the unfortunate victim of a number of power outages (both personally and professionally), you just may value it more than most.

There’s no denying that purchasing a UPS for your projector is an important decision that requires some consideration and budget. No decision should be made in haste.

For those who are still on the fence about purchasing a UPS for your projector, we offer some advice to help ease the decision process.

What is a UPS?

“UPS” is short for “uninterruptible power supply.” An uninterruptible power supply is a device that keeps you connected on the internet and with a proper battery supply in the event of a major power outage at your home or business.

The UPS backup for the projector provides a surge protector, battery backup, and a power inverter in the same device. The UPS’s surge protector shields the projector from power surges. The UPS battery backup powers the device should the main power source go out.

The power inverter converts the battery power of the UPS from incoming power or alternate current (AC) to direct current (or DC) to power the backup battery. The backup battery’s direct current is then reconverted to alternate current (AC) to power the projector when the current goes out.

In a power outage, a projector adapter won’t work without an external battery source. The UPS serves as that power source (battery) in such a circumstance.

Though this article covers the UPS backup for a projector, keep in mind that you can purchase a UPS for all your other electronic and digital devices as well.

What is a UPS for?

A UPS is designed for providing power to an electronic or digital device such as a projector, should your home or company’s power go out.

Your home runs by way of electricity, which you pay to use every month. Your lights, water, air conditioner, heat, and even TV are powered by electricity. In the event of an outage, these things cease to function on their own. They will need a UPS.

As said above, “UPS” stands for “uninterruptible power supply.” The word “uninterruptible” refers to something that has no interruptions.

In a power outage, your devices will likely experience something of a loss of power where they could cease to work for a few minutes. The UPS allows these devices to reboot and restart.

The uninterruptible power supply is ideal for not only power outages, but also power surges. Power surges occur randomly, but the one effect they have on a power supply is that they cause the power output to rise.

Power surges in your home can result in the light bulbs in your home blowing – though the light bulbs are newly installed. When power surges happen, they can lead to possible electric shock and cause other electrical problems in your home or company.

Last but not least, you may find that your projector declines in power output as it ages. The uninterruptible power supply (UPS) also counteracts the aging power decline in projectors.

So, in a situation where your projector’s electrical output just doesn’t run like it once did, the UPS compensates for the power decline and supplies the necessary power to keep the projector running smoothly.

How does a UPS protect a projector?

An uninterruptible power supply (or UPS) protects a projector by allowing lamp-based projectors to cool down, thus saving the lamp from wearing out so quickly. The lamp on a lamp-based projector gets hot when the projector is in use.

When a projector’s owner or a user shuts down the projector, the projector takes a set amount of time to cool off before shutdown. This allows the lamp and the projector to cool off from the heat that arises as a result of use.

Even non-lamp-based projectors (such as a number of smart projectors) have a heat output when in use. In the absence of a UPS and a random or unexpected shutdown, the projector cuts off without cooling down.

The end result is that the lamp can get too hot. Should the lamp in a lamp-based projector overheat, the device could explode and the lamp could completely die and need replacement.

The UPS allows the lamp to cool down before shutting the device down. This allows you to keep the projector lamp cool and prevents fast decline.

The more you can sustain a projector lamp and maintain it, you can avoid having to buy a new one so soon.

Even in the case of a non-lamp-based projector such as an LED projector, heat that doesn’t get to cool down can cause problems. When one uses an LED projector, for example, he or she can still find heat output when using the device.

When a device goes off without properly shutting down, the device could overheat and a fatal or harmful explosion could result. This is why all manufacturers encourage users to shut down devices the right way, rather than abruptly unplugging the device from the wall or pressing and holding the power button on a device.

You can think of projectors in the same way as you think of smartphones. When a smartphone is in use, it can turn warm or hot on the back cover where the battery sits. If a device isn’t allowed to cool off and shut down so that it can cool, it can explode. The screen can explode and send glass everywhere.

The battery can explode and cause harm to the smartphone user. A projector lamp that is allowed to run without cooling down at some point can not only die down but also cause harm to the projector and the user or owner.

The potential danger that unexpected outages and shortages can cause projectors is easily apparent in the summertime. As temperatures reach a certain melting point, outages can cause the air conditioner in your home or business to go out.

Take a hot projector lamp in a hot environment (your home without A/C, for instance) and you have a recipe for disaster. So, even without a projector lamp, your projector is still at risk should it stay hot and not have time to cool down and perhaps, shut down.

While many think of the UPS as just a surge protector to protect against voltage surges and dips, it also functions as a backup battery for the projector.

In the event that your projector’s battery source goes out, the UPS keeps your projector running so you can quickly carry on with what you’re doing. With a UPS, an outage doesn’t have to interrupt your presentation, party, workflow, or leisure gathering.

Do I need a UPS for my projector?

If “need” is defined as necessity, then no, you do not need a UPS backup for your projector. Your projector can function whether you buy a UPS for it or not.

The projector comes with its own power supply and, in most cases, that’s enough to operate your projector without trouble. The UPS is not a built-in component to a projector. It’s an optional attachment or component for a projector, but not as necessary to a projector as a projector lamp.

And yet, experience teaches us that it is better to not need something and have it than to need something and not have it. In other words, you may find yourself “needing” a UPS backup for your projector if you find yourself the unfortunate victim of an electrical storm or an unexpected outage.

You never know when electricity will let you down. You may live in an area where you experience few electrical outages, but you could find yourself watching something on your home movie projector and witness your screen go blank. It happens in the most normal situations.

You may find yourself in the middle of a business presentation when the power goes out. In such hard moments, you will be thankful for a UPS – and you will certainly find it useful when you need it.

Again, it’s better to have a UPS and not need it, than to need a UPS and not have it.

You may feel that you “need” a UPS for your projector, however, if you own an expensive projector that you do not have money to replace.

And in such a case, it is better to keep the projector lamp running than to have to replace it on a small budget. Whether or not you need a UPS backup for your projector is subjective, based on your own personal needs. You may lack the funds at the moment, or, you may just feel it’s an unnecessary expense for now.

If you live in a rural area where summer storms could threaten your tranquillity and pose harm to the device, you may see a UPS as a need rather than a luxury purchase.

In which case should I use a UPS for my projector?

You should use a UPS backup for your projector in a number of circumstances pertaining to natural disasters, adverse weather events, power outages, power surges (especially in hot weather), and in aging devices, among other things.

When it comes to natural disasters, hurricanes, tornados, and earthquakes are good examples of circumstances necessitating a UPS. Snow, sleet, and hail are not natural disasters, but these adverse weather events cause power outages. In a power outage, without a UPS, you will find yourself without a working home movie projector.

Other adverse weather events pertain to power surges that can occur in hot seasons such as summertime. As temperatures climb up to 90 degrees and 100 degrees Fahrenheit, outdoor heat can have an effect on power lines and transformers.

Hot temperatures can cause burning power lines and electrical shock. Hot temperatures outdoors can also lead to power surges and outages indoors.

Power surges will affect not only your projector’s charger but also your projector’s battery supply. Power surges will diminish your projector’s battery supply over time as well as the condition of the projector. Depending on the price of the projector, you may not want to have to afford a new lamp.

Projector lamps are expensive. Owners of lamp-based projectors are encouraged to upgrade their projectors quickly to avoid the expensive cost of replacing the projector lamp. Even with quick upgrades, however, a surge protector for your projector is still a wise investment option.

If you don’t own a lamp-based projector, you may still not be able to just toss out your projector for a new one. In such a case, you would want to do everything you can to avoid spending hundreds of dollars on a new projector.

Projectors can cost thousands of dollars (fancier models, that is). Buying a UPS to keep your projector in optimum shape is the more financially feasible option.

Aging devices struggle to perform at the same rate of electrical output that they did when they were new. An outage could completely drain a projector and force you to either buy a new lamp (if it is lamp-based) or buy a new projector.

In some cases, power outages may not kill your projector but could cause it to malfunction.

You may notice after a power outage that the LED projector lighting is dimmer than before. Projector lighting dims over time, but it’s usually an indication that the projector is aging and will eventually need replacing.

Conclusion

Do you need a UPS for your projector? It depends on how you view the role of a UPS and whether or not it fits your budget or long-term investment in a projector.

The UPS is a life-saver, time-saver, and money-saver when it comes to the effects that volt surges, dips, and random outages can have on your projector. Adverse weather and electric storms can further wear down your projector.

Volt surges or outages work on your projector in a similar way to how notifications work on your smartphone battery.

The more “pings” and notifications you receive (even text messages), the more battery decline you experience – and the faster the battery declines. At some point, you may find that, in the absence of a UPS backup for your projector, you may need to replace your projector.

Whether a business owner or leisure buyer, you don’t want your projector to die out sooner than it must. If buying a UPS sustains your projector for a few additional years, then it’s worth the cost.

While the UPS backup for your projector sustains and protects the projector, it also protects your money, time, and peace of mind. These benefits make the all-in-one UPS a worthy purchase.