Have you ever had sewing machine act like it was possessed?
It probably was just not receiving a consistent electricity supply from the outlet. When it comes to electronic and computerized sewing and embroidery machines, there are things we can do to protect them. Electrical disturbances and power outages caused by wind, storms and accidents can happen anytime. Eliminate the inconvenience of lost sewing settings or sewing machine circuit board damage with a UPS power supply battery backup system. All types of electronic equipment is vulnerable to finicky or sporadic power supplies and sometimes deadly voltage jolts.
Minor symptoms may include selection buttons not activating, screens not changing, or even erratic stitching. Though this does not happen often, it can be remedied easily by purchasing a battery backup. For those of you using embroidery machines, the most common symptom is that the design seems to jump and continue to embroider about 1†away.
Take time to evaluate how many items are drawing electricity in the sewing room. Most standard rooms have a 20 amp circuit. Sewing machines and embroidery machines draw 1 – 3 amps, but an iron draws close to 15 amps!!! Being that an iron is a heat source, it is continuously drawing lots of electricity to stay heated to the set temperature. Plug in a TV or a computer within the same room and before you know it you are about to max out the room’s 20 amp limit!
How do I know if I need a battery backup?
Battery backup products features premium surge protection for all outlets and phone/modem connections and a comprehensive connected equipment warranty.
1. Walk around your home or office and list the equipment you would like to plug into a UPS. Many items can be grouped in an area near one outlet where the UPS device will plug into the wall. For example, your home computer area might include the computer, external modem and the monitor. Another area might be your television, DVD player and stereo receiver (home theater equipment).
2. On the back of each piece of equipment is a nameplate that lists its power requirements in amps. For each item or group of items you’ve listed, total the number of amps for all the items that will be plugged into each UPS.
3. Multiply the amp total by 120VA (which is your input voltage). The result is the VA requirement you’ll need your UPS to supply for that item or group of items. For example: a computer is 2 amps, the modem is 0.3 amps and the monitor is 1 amp (a total of 3.3 amps), 120VA x 3.3 amps = 396VA.
4. Choose the UPS product with a VA rating that supports at least that total (or more if you want to add another piece of equipment later).
Note: The larger the gap between the VA requirement and the VA capability of a UPS product results in longer battery run-time in the event of an extended power outage.
Have you taken time to protect your sewing machine investment?
At Heirloom Creations we have our 50+ demo sewing machines and embroidery machines plugged into battery backups. And when you attend a class, every student is provided with a battery backup to plug into for safety. Battery backups can be purchased at local office supply or electronic stores.