Audioholics On Location: APC AV

Over the last 20 years, APC has been a pioneer in the development of new power protection technologies, resulting in countless industry awards, design patents and an installed base numbering in the tens of millions of units. Multiple R&D centers, along with APC-owned and controlled factories, have helped ensure that APC solutions are the safest, most advanced, and reliable available. When you buy APC, you buy "peace of mind".

With the growing presence of power sensitive products (media servers, DVRs, projectors, etc.) in the AV market, APC recognized the need for power protection for home theater and automation applications. There were no high quality reliability solutions in market. APC determined the unique needs of the market and in response, spent years researching and developing engineered power solutions specific to these application. The APC AV products are not simply computer surge protectors/UPS's with attractive faceplates. Instead, the AV line is engineered solely for high-performance audio/visual systems and benefits from the support of a $2 billion company and its power experts and dedicated research facilities behind it.

Outside Pic of West Kingston Facilities (located in Rhode Island) which is APC's corporate headquarters

Company Financials & Quick Facts

• APC celebrates its 25th year in business

• Vision - APC products ensure availability wherever data is created, transmitted, or stored
• World's largest consumer of sealed lead acid batteries
• Approximately 32,000 miles of power cords sold in 2006, enough to circle the globe
• $2 billion / year in revenues, over $700 million in cash, 7900 employees, no debt - a business model all of corporate America should strive for.
• APC reported sales of $2 billion for the year ended December 31, 2005, and is a Fortune 1000, Nasdaq 100 and S & P 500 Company.

APC AV Staff Biographies

Emanuel E. Landsman - Vice President; Director Since 1981

Emanuel Landsman is Vice President and Director Emeritus of American Power Conversion (APC).

Dr. Landsman is one of three founders of APC, and is currently an active leader within APC's research and development effort. Dr. Landsman is a recognized expert in the field of power electronics. In 2002, he was awarded the IEEE PELS - William E. Newell Award. Awarded annually since 1977, this award is presented by the Power Electronics Society for outstanding achievement in power electronics and has come to represent recognition by one's peers as an outstanding contributor to the field of power electronics. Prior to founding APC, Dr. Landsman was a member of the technical staff at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory, where he was in the Space Communications Group from 1966 to 1977 and the Energy Systems Engineering Group from 1977 to 1981. He received a BS from MIT in 1958, a MS from MIT in 1959, and a Doctor of Science from MIT in 1966.

Fred W. Rodenhiser - Chief Engineer

David Reilly - Senior Staff Design Electrical Engineer

Dave Reilly is currently a Senior Staff Design EE with APC's AV and CNS divisions. He has 26 years experience as a power conversion designer of custom power supply products. He has been awarded four U.S. patents and one E.U. patent for power conversion related innovations. Dave attended Northeastern University and is a current member of the IEEE. He is also a practicing musician and audiophile. In his spare time, he enjoys playing lead guitar in his band, recording in his home studio and woodworking.

Michael Schenck - Electrical Design Engineer

Michael Schenck is an Electrical Design Engineer for APC AV. With a BSEE and MSEE* in power electronics from Virginia Tech, he brings a unique perspective to APC. In his studies, Mike primarily researched alternative energy systems and high efficiency power conversion systems. He is an avid audiophile with a preference for tubes and little patience for AV mythology. Previously, Mike owned a professional audio/video/lighting business and brought this no-nonsense attitude to APC's products. In his spare time, he currently moonlights as the sound engineer for a local band and an occasional video segment.

Steve Williams - Regulatory Compliance Engineer

Steve Williams is a staff regulatory compliance engineer at APC and has over 15 years experience of product safety and EMC/EMI testing against US, Canadian and International regulatory standards.

Patrick Donovan - CNS Senior Product Manager

Patrick Donovan is a Senior Product Manager for APC's Consumer Networks Group. Patrick began his career at APC eleven years ago as a Technical Support Engineer. Later he managed the Technical Support and Field Service teams for APC China in Beijing . After returning from Asia , he managed APC's North American Escalation Team and from there he went into Product Management. In his current role, Patrick is responsible for the development and marketing of APC AV power protection solutions.

APC - A Master of All Things Power

Over the past couple of years, we've watched the AV division of APC break into the AV marketplace with products that are seemingly far ahead of their competition. Sadly most AV enthusiasts are unfamiliar with APC as a name for consumer audio and video power products. Those not familiar with APC's past may be dumbfounded by this, but it all makes sense when you recognize that they are the leaders in the IT marketplace and it's no surprise that they would want to extend their expertise to audio & video applications.

The APC mantra has been " to protect data wherever it is transferred or stored ".

I can't think of anything that better exemplifies this than their portable mobile unit which is capable of supplying power, data services and more for extended periods of time to whole cities if needed (think New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina).

  

Their vision of the future is to standardize data centers to save the industry money since, according to their research, the cost of electricity will soon exceed server costs in the near future. If anyone can do this, I am confident APC is up for the challenge. Their engineering talent and resource pool seems almost limitless.

APC AV

So why would a company that has primarily focused on the IT market get its feet wet in the consumer AV market? Global Domination is the answer. No seriously, with the explosion of HDTV and new display technologies driving the industry, APC recognized the need for well-engineered power solutions for the growing AV marketplace. Of course they also recognized the need for it to be done correctly , which unfortunately most companies in the A/V business haven't quite figured out yet.

APC defines power conditioning much differently than most A/V manufacturers. In order for a product to be considered a power "conditioner" by APC standards, it must provide the following:

• Surge suppression
• EMI/Noise filtration
• Line (voltage) regulation

Taking a quick inventory of the power "conditioner" industry today, you'll find that most companies provide the first two - at best - and neglect the third item which is extremely important, especially for newer display products.

APC UL Certified and Engineered Products

ALL APC products are UL certified and not simply "designed to" or "meets" UL certification like so many of their competitors claim.

In one of the more comical industry revelations, one of APC's closest competitors actually recommends that you unplug their power conditioners during a lightning storm.

See: CES 2006 Blunders Deceptions and Other Goofs

This is somewhat disheartening to wary consumers thinking they purchased a "guarantee" to keep their equipment safe and immune from surges and power faults when instead they purchased a product that isn't UL certified NOR engineered to do that for which it is designed. Buyer BEWARE!

Simply put if you don't see the UL marking on the back of your power conditioner product, it is not UL certified. If you're a Professional Installer you could be held liable by your client's insurance company for installing a non UL certified product in a residential home. If you are a consumer, your insurance company can nullify your claim if your system was the cause of a fire in your home and the gear you used was NOT UL listed. Check your policy or contact your agent for more specifics. These are important considerations when assembling a home theater system that one should not take too lightly.

During my tour of their facilities, APC engineering gave me a demo of simulated lightening strikes and how the surges from such events wipe out capacitors and electronics until you block them with UL certified power devices such as APC power strips and power conditioners. Seeing caps frying is one thing, watching your new $4000 DVD player go up in flames during a lightening storm is (gasp!) another.

When speaking with the APC Regulatory body on this topic, I asked them why so few companies have UL approval on their products. Truth be told, although it's the law to have it, it isn't strictly enforced, at least until a claim is filed against the company for liability. In addition, most companies don't allocate the budget to submit their products through UL's stringent testing and certification processes. Not only can it be cost prohibitive, but it is very time consuming as well. APC is such a large user of UL services they actually have a UL lab on-site at their facility.

UL testing is more than just ensuring hazard free surge immunity. EMC testing includes immunity to surges, Electrostatic discharge and RF interference. EMI testing verifies how much RF interference is escaping from the unit either through air or conductively through the power cord and into the building's 60Hz wiring system.

  

UL Drop Test (left) and Impact Results on Failed Product (right)

Typical tests performed in any Safety Evaluation (this is not a complete list) include heating tests which check that components are used within their ratings and are not a fire risk, Leakage Current which determines if hazardous currents could ever become available to the product user by simple contact with the enclosure, Electric Strength which verifies the effectiveness of the isolation barrier between hazardous voltages and safe voltages, and Ball Impact which simulates normal mechanical abuse of a product.

The Ball Drop is one of my personal favorites and I could see it was one of Steve's favorites too. What better way to take out your daily frustrations then by dropping a 5 lbs steel ball a few feet from the floor to attempt to crush the product under test? Self restraint is an important lesson here; else you may find many disgruntled employees placing the accursed copy machine that happens to break down (think Office Space ) minutes before a meeting in the crosshairs of the test path. I couldn't help but imagine the sounds of Beavis and Butthead laughter in my head each time Steve demonstrated the drop test to me. Yea that was cool.

For more info on APC testing and UL Certification, see: APC AV Interview on Power Conditioners