The AmazonBasics Aurora Vista 1500 UPS Review: Passable Power

AmazonBasics is a private label for products owned by Amazon. The subsidiary was founded in 2009 and initially offered only basic products such as cables and office supplies. More and more products are added daily under the Amazon Basics label. Today, Amazon sells thousands of products under the Amazon Basics label, from paper clips to living room sets. The only thing that all these products have in common is that they are very aggressive and are usually sold at significantly lower prices than other competing products of established brands.

This review looks at the very popular low-cost UPS that Amazon distributes on the Amazon Basics label Amazon Basics Aurora Vista 1500VA. As the name implies, it’s a very basic design with minimal features, but it’s still very affordable. Taking into account the well-known Amazon customer service, that kind of output seems like a surprising deal.

AmazonBasics Aurora Vista 1500 VA UPS

The Aurora Vista 1500 VA UPS came in a very simple cardboard box with only the Amazon logo. Inside the box, the unit is protected by a thick packaging foam slab. Inside the box were only an AC power cable, a USB cable, and a manual.

The external design of the Aurora Vista 1500VA is modest. With a size of 139 mm x 364 mm x 195 mm (W x D x H), it is relatively compact for a 1500VA unit. Due to the low power factor of this unit, the actual power rating output is only 900 watts.

The Aurora Vista 1500VA’s LCD screen is always on, regardless of whether the UPS is off or not, as long as the UPS is connected to a running power source. When not connected to a power source, the LCD will continue to be on while the UPS is active, but when the UPS is off, the LCD will be off. Otherwise, continuous power consumption will destroy the battery in a few hours.

The Aurora Vista 1500 VA screen is basic and has a very poor viewing angle. It is almost impossible to read the screen unless you are directly in front of the unit. The information displayed is the unit’s current status, input and output voltages, and battery / load status in 25% increments.

Since we received the EU / DE version of the unit, there are three standard Schuko output plugs. Some output plugs only act as surge arresters, and unlike some products that are not connected to the battery output, all three Schuko plugs are connected to the battery backup. The number and type of output plugs depends on the region / country where the UPS is sold, and Amazon also offers a version with a C13 output plug. All versions have a common IEC C14 input plug, USB port, and RJ45 surge arrester. A simple and effective recoverable circuit breaker is located in the lower left corner of the back.

The unit’s fan turns on only while the unit is charging the battery or operating with battery backup. There is only one speed and you can hear it clearly. If grid anomalies occur frequently, it is not advisable to place this unit in a bedroom or where noise is a concern. Air intakes are small openings at the top and bottom of the unit. This is a simple but very effective design.

You can remove the front fascia of the unit to access the battery compartment. However, it cannot be easily pulled out because it is fixed with the screw on the underside of the fascia. By removing the screws, you can remove the fascia from the main body with just a considerable amount of force. Behind it are two batteries secured using metal braces. The metal brace is not fixed and can be removed by simply pulling it up.

After removing the metal brace, you can easily remove the battery from the unit. The wire is not very long and must be removed before the battery can be fully pulled out. Only the top and bottom connectors need to be removed to pull out the battery, but the center bridge must be moved to a replacement battery before reinserting it into the unit.

The two battery manufacturers are Leoch, one of the largest manufacturers on the planet in China. Leoch batteries are considered to be at least above average quality, making them ideal for low cost UPS. Two 12V 9Ah batteries are connected in series to the AmazonBasics Aurora Vista 1500 VA unit (24V 9Ah output).

When you open the UPS, you will see a considerable transformer fixed in the lower half of the body while the circuit is mounted on top. The parts are strategically placed to accept the flow of air coming in through the side air intakes. The OEM of Aurora Vista 1500 VA is Lian Zheng Electronic Co Ltd, an OEM of industrial electronic products in China. The name probably doesn’t mean anything to most readers, but Lian Zheng is actually one of the largest and most reputable UPSOMEs on the planet. Many products sold under the premium brand name are actually manufactured by them.

As expected, the circuit is very basic. All capacitors are electrolytic capacitors and are sourced from the well-known but mediocre manufacturer Jamicon. The eight major MOSFETs are IRF3205. They are so cheap and reliable that they are very common in low cost power electronics devices. These were released over 20 years ago, so their performance and efficiency aren’t very high. A single 7812CT voltage regulator is also on the heatsink, which itself is too large.

The relays are supplied by Song Chuan, a very reputable Chinese manufacturer with a large presence worldwide. They aren’t the best relays available, but they’re definitely better than what we expected with products in this price range and design philosophy.

Last but not least, the fans are sourced from Sunon. Sunon is one of the most reputable fan makers in the world, if not the most reputable. What’s more, the fan inside the Amazon Basics Aurora Vista 1500 VA UPS is the Maglev MB60251V1 with a magnetic levitation engine, designed for a very long life. We rarely see such fans in top-notch products, and we never expected to find them in entry-level UPS.