APC Back-UPS 1200VA, 230V, AVR, Universal Sockets

General

Output

Input

Batteries & Runtime

Communications & Management

Physical & Environmental

Specifications we do not publish for this model

SourceIT lists only figures confirmed by Schneider Electric's own documentation for this exact part number. The following are deliberately absent rather than unknown to us:

• Runtime at load — three mutually inconsistent sets of figures circulate for this model, so none is published.
• Replacement battery cartridge part number — only one source publishes one and it is unconfirmed. Ask us and we will confirm it with the distributor before you order.
• Which outlets are battery-backed and which are surge-only — Schneider does not itemise the split for this model.
• Input plug type and cord length — not confirmed by two sources.
• Communication ports and bundled shutdown software — the Schneider specification lists no USB or serial port for this build while the marketing feature list mentions shutdown software, so neither claim is repeated here.

If a missing figure matters to your specification, ask us and we will confirm it with the distributor rather than guess.

What you can plug into it

The BX1200MI-MS provides 4 universal + 1 IEC C13. Universal receptacles accept Singapore BS 1363 three-pin plugs as well as the common European and North American plug bodies, so a mixed desk of local kit and imported equipment plugs straight in without adaptors. Size the load in watts, not in the number of free sockets: this model is rated at 650 W of real power and that figure, not the socket count, is the limit.

Surge protection is rated at 273 Joules. That covers the switching transients and lightning-season spikes that a Singapore office sees on a 230 V supply; it is not a substitute for a properly earthed circuit.

Runtime

Schneider Electric does not publish a runtime table for this model, so SourceIT does not print one. Runtime depends entirely on the connected load. Tell us what you intend to plug in and we will size it against the published wattage rather than quote you a number we cannot source.

Recharge from a full discharge takes about 8 hours, so a unit that has ridden out a long outage will not deliver full backup again immediately.

Battery replacement

The battery in this unit is user-replaceable, but Schneider does not publish a replacement cartridge part number for this exact build and the part numbers circulating on third-party sites do not agree with each other. Rather than print one that might be wrong, we will confirm the correct cartridge with the distributor when you need it. Ordering the wrong cartridge is the most common and most avoidable return on a UPS.

Management, software and monitoring

No communication port is listed in the Schneider specification for this build, so SourceIT makes no shutdown-software or network-management claim for it. If unattended server shutdown or SNMP monitoring is a requirement, the APC Smart-UPS SMT and SMC ranges are the right place to look — ask us and we will compare them against your load.

Siting it

Footprint is 190 mm (H) x 140 mm (W) x 390 mm (D) at 7.6 kg, and the unit is rated for 0 to 40 °C ambient with a relative humidity range of 0 to 95 % non-condensing. It is a floor-standing or under-desk tower. Battery life is temperature-driven, so keep it out of direct sun and away from the warm side of a rack.

In the box

UPS unit, user manual.

APC Back-UPS BX range at SourceIT

Replacement battery cartridges

No replacement cartridge part number is published for this exact build. We will confirm it with the distributor when the battery is due.

What this range does not take

The APC Back-UPS BX range is a self-contained UPS. It has no SmartSlot, no external battery pack option and no rail kit — the battery inside it is the only battery, and extending runtime means moving up the range or moving to an APC Smart-UPS. If you need a rack-mounted unit, an internal network management card or an external battery pack, ask us about the Smart-UPS SMT, SMC and SMX families instead.

• Schneider Electric product page for the BX1200MI-MS — official product identity, feature list and document library (Singapore site)
• APC Back-UPS BX Series 500/750/950/1200/1600/2200 VA — User Manual (SPD_BU-UM-990-6291_EN)

Each link above was checked and resolved at the time this page was written. Schneider's own canonical datasheet download path blocks automated retrieval, so we link the product page and document library entries that do open rather than a URL that will fail for you. If you need the PDF datasheet attached to a quotation or a tender submission, email us and we will send it.

How do I size the BX1200MI-MS — is VA or W the number that matters?

Watts. The BX1200MI-MS is rated 1200 VA apparent power and 650 W real power, and it is the watt figure that limits what you can connect. Add up the wattage on the nameplates of everything you want backed up, then leave headroom — a UPS run at its ceiling gives you the shortest possible runtime and works its battery hardest. As a rule of thumb, aim to load it to about half its watt rating for comfortable backup.

How long will it run in a power cut?

Schneider Electric publishes no runtime table for this model, so we do not print one. Anyone quoting you an exact minute figure for it is guessing.

Runtime on any UPS of this class is measured in minutes, not hours. The purpose is to ride through the short dips and brief outages that are the common failure mode on Singapore's grid, and to give you time for a clean shutdown on a longer one — not to keep you working through an extended blackout. Tell us your actual load and we will size it with you.

What does the “-MS” suffix in BX1200MI-MS mean?

It identifies the ASEAN regional build, supplied with universal receptacles that accept Singapore BS 1363 plugs directly. It is a genuinely different build from the European “-GR” (Schuko), the UK “-UK” and the plain IEC-outlet variants of the same capacity — outlet types, cord and approvals differ, and specifications from those builds should not be read across to this one. SourceIT supplies the -MS build, which is the correct one for Singapore.

Does it produce a pure sine wave — will it run an active-PFC power supply?

No. This model's output on battery is a stepped approximation to a sinewave, not a pure sine wave. That is entirely normal for this class of UPS and it is fine for the vast majority of office equipment: desktop PCs with conventional power supplies, monitors, routers, switches, NAS boxes, POS terminals and phone systems.

It matters in one case. Some modern power supplies with active power factor correction — common in higher-end workstations, gaming PCs and some servers — can refuse to run or can shut down abruptly on a stepped or square waveform. If the equipment you are protecting has an active-PFC supply, choose a sine-wave UPS instead: the APC Smart-UPS SMT and SMC ranges are sine wave and we stock both. Ask us and we will check the specification of your PSU before you buy.

Which replacement battery does it take, and can I fit it myself?

The battery is user-replaceable, but Schneider does not publish a cartridge part number for this exact build and the numbers circulating on third-party sites contradict each other. We would rather confirm it with the distributor than sell you the wrong battery — ask us when the time comes. Expect three to five years of service life in a Singapore environment; heat and humidity are what wear a sealed lead-acid battery out.

Does it come with shutdown software or network monitoring?

No communication port is listed in the Schneider specification for this build, so we make no shutdown-software or monitoring claim for it.

If you need a UPS that closes files and shuts a server down cleanly when the battery runs low, or that an IT team can poll over the network, that is what the APC Smart-UPS SMT, SMC and SMX ranges are for — every one of them has a USB or serial port and most take an APC Network Management Card. We carry the full range and can quote the nearest equivalent by wattage.

How does the BX1200MI-MS compare with the BX1600MI-MS?

The BX1600MI-MS is 1600 VA / 900 W with 4 universal outlets, against 1200 VA / 650 W and 4 universal + 1 C13 outlets on this unit. Within the APC Back-UPS BX range every model is line-interactive with AVR and surge protection — what changes as you go up the range is the watt rating, the socket count and the size of the battery, and therefore how long it holds up a given load. Check the waveform row on each listing as well, because it is not identical across the whole range. If your load is close to the ceiling of one model, buy the next one up: you gain runtime as well as headroom. See BX1600MI-MS for the full specification of that model.

Is the BX1200MI-MS covered by a local Singapore warranty?

Yes. Every APC BX1200MI-MS sold by SourceIT comes with local Singapore warranty and a GST invoice; APC backs the BX1200MI-MS with a 2-year manufacturer warranty.

Schneider states this range's warranty as two years repair or replace, with no separate European Community figure — so the two-year term above is the correct one for a unit bought and used in Singapore, and it is what we honour here.