A 6000 VA online (double conversion) rack-mountable uninterruptible power supply — for protecting the control system (not the LED modules) against power cuts.
CyberPower Systems · uninterruptible power supply (UPS), online (double conversion), rack build
CyberPower OL6000RT3U LED wall infrastructure
In a power cut, an LED wall's control chain (video wall processor, sending cards, network switch, sometimes the playback server) can shut down even in the middle of a live event (a concert, a conference, a sports broadcast) if there is no uninterruptible supply behind it — this does not refer to the DC system feeding the LED modules themselves, often tens of kilowatts (powering that from a UPS is typically not economical), but to the critical, relatively low-consumption elements of the control system. The OL6000RT3U is a rack-mountable UPS using online (double conversion) technology, which supplies the output voltage continuously, without interruption, rather than only by switching over to battery.
With an online UPS the output does not suffer a transfer time in a power cut, because the load takes its current continuously from the inverter — an important consideration for sensitive control systems that must not be interrupted (the video wall processor of a live broadcast, for instance) as against a simpler line-interactive UPS.
Where the CyberPower OL6000RT3U sits in an LED wall system
The UPS sits in the rack cabinet, after the supply and before the control equipment: the video wall processor, the sending cards' supply, the playback server, the management switch and the extenders go behind it. The LED modules' power supplies do not — those run on a separate branch in the cabinet, directly from the mains. This separation is deliberate: even on a medium-sized wall the modules' consumption is orders of magnitude greater than the few hundred watts of the control chain, and putting that on uninterruptible power would be disproportionately expensive.
WHEN IT IS THE RIGHT CHOICE
For protecting the video wall control equipment (processor, sending cards, switch, playback server) against power cuts at live events, where even a one-second outage is unacceptable.
WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR
The UPS is sized to protect the control system, not the LED modules' own, far higher-draw DC supply — powering a complete modular wall from a UPS is justified on most projects neither technically nor economically.
The CyberPower OL6000RT3U in practice
In a power cut the result is that the wall goes dark but the control equipment keeps running — when power returns the picture appears immediately, without a restart and reconfiguration. At a live event this difference is measured in minutes. Two things have to be decided in advance: how much bridging time you want (the VA figure alone says nothing about time; you have to look at the runtime table for the actual load), and what should happen when that time runs out — the UPS management software can initiate an orderly shutdown on the servers. The battery is a wear part and has to be replaced every few years: build it into the operating cost, and test annually under load rather than just looking at the display.
Alternatives to the CyberPower OL6000RT3U
On a smaller installation not serving live events (a shop window wall, an information board), a line-interactive 1-2 kVA UPS is also enough, at a fraction of the price — the few milliseconds of transfer time cause no trouble there. An online, double conversion UPS is needed where the incoming mains itself fluctuates (a generator-powered event, an industrial environment), or where even a momentary outage would be visible in the broadcast. If the aim is only an orderly shutdown, do not oversize the runtime.
CyberPower OL6000RT3U manual and datasheet
The documents live on the manufacturer's own site and open in a new window — so you always get the latest version. We do not copy or translate their contents.
Related signal transmission and mounting
LED wall infrastructure — but what does it go into?
On its own the CyberPower OL6000RT3U is a component. With us it works inside these displays — design, manufacturing and installation included.
