Review: How the NODKA UPS Supercapacitor Works – a Test by Jaroslav Blažek

In his review, Jaroslav Blažek (blaja.cz) focused on the UPS Supercapacitor from the manufacturer NODKA. Did it protect a connected device during a power outage as it should have? And for how long did it supply the device with power? Find out in the video below.

The Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) stabilises the 12/24 V DC supply voltage and protects connected devices from power fluctuations and failures. In the event of a power failure, it can keep the connected devices running for tens of seconds and control the shutdown of the devices during this time. Let's see how it works.

This model features DIN rail mounting. A wall-mounted version is also available. Inside there are four capacitors with the total capacity of 1080 Ws and control electronics. The dimensions of the NODKA UPS Supercapacitor are 180 × 43 × 125 mm. On the bottom you can find the 9-pin CANON RS232 / RS485 interface with Modbus RTU protocol.

The UPS is extremely versatile. It can handle both 12 and 24 V DC. It can therefore also be used for PLC circuits. The UPS is controlled and set using the serial port or the digital I/O on the front panel and the rotary mode switch. It also features signalling LEDs.
Note that the I/Os are sinking I/Os (NPN), as is common with eastern manufacturers, so the digital input does not react to +24 V DC but to 0 V DC, as does the digital output.

The parameters of the UPS and the modes of its rotary switch are described in the manual. Even if you supply the UPS with 12 V DC, its digital interface works with 24 V DC.

The manufacturer also offers a downloadable UPS Manager software application (available in the product downloads) which provides information on the status and settings of the UPS via serial communication and Modbus RTU protocol.

First, we let the UPS charge, which was a matter of a few tens of seconds, basically immediately, and then we connected it to resistive load. Its active capacity was indicated by the five LEDs in the column on the right.

An output current of 0.66 A, i.e. approx. 8 W. The battery power mode was indicated by both the red LED and the digital output.

Of course, we measured how long the UPS lasted. It was less than two minutes. The remaining capacity was then close to zero.

And that was it. The output switched off in less than two minutes, which was not bad at all. You can do a lot of work in that time. Of course, with a higher load, this time would have been shorter.

In the video at the end of this review, you can also see the charging mode. When there is load on the output, it takes some time to charge the UPS before it starts to supply output power.

We connected a NODKA industrial computer to the UPS and found out that starting the PC consumed much more power than running it.

The NODKA industrial computer needed less than one ampere to "live" and operate, but the computer's CPU was under minimum load.

We only had a basic installation of Windows running with the computer's graphics card in idle mode.

The NODKA industrial computer also consumed some power when idle – less than 2 W. 😊

Watch this one-minute video on how to use and charge the NODKA UPS Supercapacitor: 

Conclusion:
UPSs are essential for industrial PCs and PLCs for more demanding applications. SCADA systems and PLCs in production lines do not like uncontrolled disconnection from the grid.
NODKA offers a wide range of products and accessories in the field of industrial PCs.

Jaroslav Blažek (blaja.cz)

Related Links:
Download the NODKA product catalogue  
NODKA Supercapacitor – details and manuals  
More about NODKA Automation Technology CO.