APC UPS is crock of crap

  • Thread starter Thread starter Anonymous
  • Start date Start date
Anonymous said:
shortly after ya replace the batteris,
it will shit itself
Click to expand...

One trick with UPS boxes, is making sure the
batteries match what the UPS is expecting.

The UPS has a "target voltage" for the battery.
It will attempt to charge the battery to that voltage.

If substituting a battery, it is possible for the
battery to be "full" at a different voltage, than
the original battery. This can lead to an "over-full"
or "under-full" condition.

The UPS printed circuit board, could have potentiometers
on it, for adjusting that. The necessary information
for using those pots, won't be on any APC web site.
The controls are not intended for end users, but
allow factory staff to precisely set each unit
as it leaves the factory.

*******

If you put a 6 volt battery in a 12 volt UPS, or
a 12 volt battery in a 6 volt UPS, then there'll be
trouble.

Some UPS, that take multiple batteries, leave open
the possibility that (somehow) the user will apply
a gross mismatch, and then it'll smoke.

*******

I replaced the RBC4 in my 650W APC UPS, in December, and
it took the replacement without any fuss at all. The warning
sign it needed replacement, was the odd "random beep". Since
the new RBC4 was installed, it's been quiet as a mouse.

Paul
 
Anonymous wrote:








One trick with UPS boxes, is making sure the
batteries match what the UPS is expecting.
The UPS has a "target voltage" for the battery.
It will attempt to charge the battery to that voltage.
If substituting a battery, it is possible for the
battery to be "full" at a different voltage, than
the original battery. This can lead to an "over-full"
or "under-full" condition.
The UPS printed circuit board, could have potentiometers
on it, for adjusting that. The necessary information
for using those pots, won't be on any APC web site.
The controls are not intended for end users, but
allow factory staff to precisely set each unit
as it leaves the factory.
If you put a 6 volt battery in a 12 volt UPS, or
a 12 volt battery in a 6 volt UPS, then there'll be
trouble.
Some UPS, that take multiple batteries, leave open
the possibility that (somehow) the user will apply
a gross mismatch, and then it'll smoke.
I replaced the RBC4 in my 650W APC UPS, in December, and
it took the replacement without any fuss at all. The warning
sign it needed replacement, was the odd "random beep". Since
the new RBC4 was installed, it's been quiet as a mouse.
Paul
Click to expand...

Most UPS I have seen use bog standard 12 V 7.2 Ah batteries, which you
can buy at local hobbyist store. APC use odd sizes bonded together with
some specific connector, so you probably have to buy replacements
off APC.

What I am curious about is what test does the UPS control board do
to decide that the battery needs replacing. Since the battery will
be at various states of charge during operation, it must be tricky.
 
Most UPS I have seen use bog standard 12 V 7.2 Ah batteries, which you
can buy at local hobbyist store. APC use odd sizes bonded together with
some specific connector, so you probably have to buy replacements
off APC.

What I am curious about is what test does the UPS control board do
to decide that the battery needs replacing. Since the battery will
be at various states of charge during operation, it must be tricky.
Click to expand...

I don't know what kind of test it does. The circuit board itself,
looks to be full of jelly-bean logic, and doesn't look like a fancy
processor-based design at all. So whatever it does as a test, it
must be pretty simple.

Paul
 
What I am curious about is what test does the UPS
control board do to decide that the battery needs
replacing. Since the battery will be at various
states of charge during operation, it must be tricky.
Click to expand...

Some cheaper APCs without any LCD readout just
periodically apply a load of about 0.2 - 0.5 A to
their 3-8 A*H 12V batteries for almost 10 seconds.
I don't know what minimum voltage they allow, but
apparently it and the load don't estimate battery
condition well enough, judging from the 30-second
run times I've gotten from
a few 3-7 year old batteries that always passed that
test, including some that measured 10.x volts no-load
(i.e., one bad cell). I didn't see any adjustment
pots in those backup supplies but did notice several
1% and 2% resistors that probably substituted for them,
and every unit had a microcontroller, including an old
all-metal 300VA APC with just 2 AC sockets.
 
I don't know what kind of test it does. The circuit
board itself, looks to be full of jelly-bean logic,
and doesn't look like a fancy processor-based design
at all. So whatever it does as a test, it must be
pretty simple.
Click to expand...

I don't know what tests the more expensive backups do,
but my lower priced APCs and Belkins (by Delta or
Central Lion) with 3-8 amp*hour batteries do the load
test at about 0.2 - 0.5 amp for about 10 seconds.
Several 3-5 year old batteries that passed this test couldn't run my computer system for more than 30
seconds, including 1 or 2 that measured under 11
volts, meaning each battery had one dead cell.

I don't think these backups contained adjustment pots,
but they did have some 1% and 2% resistors instead, including around an LM324 comparator (sets thresholds?). All the units had microcontrollers in them, including
my old all-metal APC BK300.
 
Yep.

I suspect the OP had a dead UPS and figured it was just a dead battery

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Click to expand...


Has anyone noticed the Kodak Rechargeable Digital-Camera. It is AA size,
1.2v., 2100mah. Made in China :-(
These batteries drastically outlast any other AA battery that I have
ever seen. I use them for radios, flashlights and much more.
I haven't seen them for sale for a long time.
 
Loony wrote:

Has anyone noticed the Kodak Rechargeable Digital-Camera. It is AA size,
1.2v., 2100mah. Made in China :-(
These batteries drastically outlast any other AA battery that I have
ever seen. I use them for radios, flashlights and much more.
I haven't seen them for sale for a long time.
Click to expand...

There are a couple different formulations of NiMH.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel-metal_hydride_battery

"Low self-discharge cells"

They trade capacity in amp-hours, for storage retention time.
It means they can make a battery with a slightly smaller
capacity, but it stays charged for a whole year.

Paul
 
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