UPS and Surge Design for Outdoor Cash Terminals

Power events outdoors are a sequence, not a moment: brown-out, blackout, then the surge that arrives when grid power returns. Each stage damages differently.

What each device actually protects

• Surge protection clips the fast spikes that destroy power supplies and communication ports. Without it, a UPS battery simply delays your funeral.
• UPS rides through sags and outages so transactions close cleanly and the machine can shut down in order — its real job is graceful exit, not hours of runtime.

Sizing without overbuying

Runtime target: the time a graceful shutdown needs, plus margin — often minutes, not hours. Choose capacity by the machine’s measured inrush, not nameplate watts, and prefer units carrying the ENERGY STAR efficiency mark for always-on duty.

Installation truth

• Batteries age in heat; a UPS tucked beside a warm cabinet will fail years early. Give it its own cool compartment.
• Ground quality decides surge-device success; an unverified ground turns protection hardware into decoration.
• Log outages with cause notes — repeat weatherless events point at the feeder, not the machine.

Heat placement and battery aging are covered in the cabinet environment guide; the drain-and-log runtime check belongs to the preventive calendar, alongside the rest of the RMG Knowledge Base. RMG ships tested UPS and supply modules for embedded platforms with inrush figures documented.