60 W 12 VDC / 5 A Bicker UPS backup power supply, supercapacitor

Modern and reliable protection against short-term power failures with supercapacitors

Are you dealing with short-term power interruptions or voltage drops in control cabinets? Avoid costly downtime and data loss. The industrial DC-UPS UPSCI-1205D with integrated supercapacitor-based energy storage reliably bridges short-term outages and power disturbances and ensures an uninterrupted 12 VDC power supply at the output.

Key Features

• Stable power supply: Ensures uninterrupted 12 VDC power with a load of up to 5 A (60 W), even during a mains failure.
• Extremely long service life: Supercapacitors withstand up to 500,000 charge and discharge cycles and have a service life of up to 15 years.
• Maintenance-free operation: Thanks to supercapacitors, regular maintenance as required with conventional battery-based solutions is not needed.
• Smart power management functions:
  • Power Sharing: Intelligently distributes input power between the connected load and the supercapacitors. There is no need to oversize the AC/DC power supply.
  • Switching time: from normal mode to backup mode < 600 µs.
  • Mounting: easy DIN rail mounting and robust, durable design.
  • Operating temperature: From -20 °C to +65 °C.
  • Warranty: 3 years.

• Advanced management and diagnostics for programmers and maintenance engineers:
  • UPScom software (free download): Enables comprehensive configuration and real-time monitoring of the DC UPS system.
    • Controlled shutdown and restart: In the event of a power failure, the software ensures controlled shutdown of connected devices (e.g. an industrial computer) to save data and prevent damage. Once power is restored, it automatically restarts the system without the need for manual intervention.
    • Script support: Custom scripts (batch) can be executed before system shutdown for specific processes in your application.
    • Communication: USB and RS232 interfaces for configuration and data acquisition.
    • E-mail notifications: Automatic alerts in the event of UPS connection loss, system shutdown, or power failure. These preventive measures help reduce downtime or eliminate it entirely.
    • Configurable parameters: Load sensor, shutdown delay, maximum backup time, minimum charge capacity, and more.

Long service life of supercapacitors – maintenance-free energy storage

Completely maintenance-free supercapacitors are available for uninterruptible DC power supplies. They serve as highly efficient and exceptionally durable energy storage with a service life of up to 500,000 charge and discharge cycles for short- and medium-term bridging times.

Unlike batteries, which store energy through a chemical reaction, supercapacitors work on an electro-physical principle and can be charged and ready for use within a very short time. Under comparable operating conditions, supercapacitors have up to a ten times longer service life than conventional lead-acid batteries.

Supercapacitor-based storage systems also stand out due to their high current capability, power density, and reliability. Long-life supercapacitor-based energy storage operates in an extended temperature range and is equipped with integrated cell balancing.

Key advantages of supercapacitors over lead-acid and LiFePO₄ batteries

Service life and cycles

• Supercapacitors: up to 500,000 charge and discharge cycles, practically without wear.
• Lead-acid batteries: approx. 500–1,000 cycles, degrade quickly.
• LiFePO₄: approx. 3,000–7,000 cycles, much better than lead-acid, but still significantly less than supercapacitors.

Charging and discharging speed

• Supercapacitors: charge within seconds to minutes, immediately ready for use.
• Lead-acid batteries: charging takes hours.
• LiFePO₄: faster than lead-acid, but still tens of minutes to hours.

Temperature resistance

• Supercapacitors: operate across a wide range of -40 to +65 °C (sometimes more).
• Lead-acid batteries: problems occur already around 0 °C and above 40 °C.
• LiFePO₄: better than lead-acid, but charging below 0 °C is problematic.

Maintenance and reliability

• Supercapacitors: completely maintenance-free, contain no liquid electrolyte.
• Lead-acid batteries: may require maintenance (electrolyte level monitoring) and also degrade due to sulfation.
• LiFePO₄: maintenance-free, but require a BMS (Battery Management System) to protect the cells.

Power and load capability

• Supercapacitors: very high current capability, ideal for short-term outages and peak loads.
• Lead-acid batteries: lower current capability, discharge quickly under high load.
• LiFePO₄: better than lead-acid, but still not as extremely robust as supercapacitors.

Disadvantages of supercapacitors compared to batteries

• Lower energy density: they cannot store as much energy, so they are not suitable for long backup times in hours.
• Higher cost per Wh than lead-acid and LiFePO₄.
• They are typically used for short-term bridging of power failures in the range of seconds to minutes, not for long-term power supply.

Summary

• Supercapacitors = extremely long service life, fast charging, high reliability, but small “energy reservoirs”.
• LiFePO₄ = the best compromise for longer backup times, longer service life than lead-acid.
• Lead-acid batteries = inexpensive, but heavy, with short service life and low efficiency.

Power Sharing with intelligent input current detection

Thanks to the intelligent Power Sharing function, the input AC/DC power supply does not need to be oversized. The input power is kept constant and intelligently distributed between powering the load and charging. At low output load, more energy is directed to the charger, and conversely, at higher load, more power is supplied directly to the load. This saves energy and costs.

Minimum load detection

Thanks to the integrated load sensor, the DC UPS automatically switches off as soon as the load value falls below the set threshold (no-load state). This prevents unnecessary energy consumption.

Configuration via UPScom software

UPScom software (free download) enables controlled shutdown and disconnection of connected devices during a power failure to prevent data loss or damage. The responsive web user interface (WEB UI) opens in an internet browser and is used to configure and pre-program all parameters of the DC UPS system, as well as for real-time monitoring with a battery charge status indicator. Configurable parameters include, among others, load sensor (mA), shutdown delay, maximum backup time, minimum charge capacity before system startup, and e-mail notifications.

Safe shutdown and restart function for IPC systems

In the event of a power failure, the UPS signals voltage loss via the integrated USB or RS232 interface, so that controlled shutdown of the computer system can be initiated and valuable data saved. Before the system itself shuts down, a script (batch) can also be executed to perform processes required by the specific application. The integrated restart function of the DC UPS automatically restarts the powered IPC after voltage is restored, without the need for time-consuming on-site intervention by a service technician – for example, in fully autonomous computer systems in inaccessible locations.

E-mail notification service

UPScom sends an e-mail message in the event of UPS connection loss, system shutdown, or power failure. These preventive measures can reduce downtime or eliminate it completely.