Back up generator

[angelosart]

Does anyone know how many watts the Buddy draws? I am planning to get a back up generator for power outages and I am trying to decide on what size

[scottp55]

Similar question as Angelos. Does anyone take their Desktop to Fairs or shows where power may not be reliable or existent, and what do they use for a gen and cleaning their power supply? Sorry Angelo,good question.

[myxpykalix]

I can't answer your main question but for me, when there is a power outage the last thing i want to do is work in the shop.
However if i had to I think i would invest in some type of surge protection between the generator and the bot.
(and don't forget to fill the tank before you start!) I'd hate to see a 3d carving stop after 6 hours

[Ken Sully]

A buddy PRS Alpha with Porter Cable router requires 220V and 25amp disconnect.
So 220 volts x 25 amp = 5,500 Watts or 5.5KW
The only problem is the "Bump" when you loose power. It is the time from loosing power until the generator takes over. Pretty sure the Bot will be lost. You may also need to add a UPS that would buffer the time between the power drop and the generator pick up. The UPS would have to be sized to handle 5.5KW for a certain period of time. Most UPS'S are rated by KW/Time. If you only loose power for a short period of time the UPS may be the way to go. A UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) does require some maintenance and battery replacement.

[Ken Sully]

One final note.
The power spec is from the manufacturer and is the typical start up or in rush when the unit is first started. I am sure the unit will not draw 25 amps when you turn it on, but it is fused at a higher rate to keep it from blowing the breaker when you first turn the system on. There is a current draw when the unit is cutting and can vary with the load (type of wood and how hard you are "pushing " the unit.
If you would like I can amp probe my unit and see what the typical KW draw is during operation or I bet Shopbot support has that number
Just let me know

[rb99]

What about a script that when the power goes out and the UPS kicks in the bot is automatically paused, and the router is shut off.

This way the UPS can keep the pc and controller on with the file right where it needs to be when the power comes back on.

[cip]

A 5500 watt UPS would be $2500 plus, seems like a bit much for the occasional power outage.
If the outages are frequent enough to be an issue then maybe just power the Bot with the generator all the time.
Or not.

[tlempicke]

Where are you? I am near to Cape Canaveral and will be having a 6.5KW propane powered backup generator for sale. The magic of this unit is that you can run it and then just shut it down and it will not get all gummed up by fuel that is left in the carb.