!@#%&* Ups....

[Toasty]

Re: !@#%&* Ups....

>>without taking the server down and taking the battery out of the UPS.<<

Chicken! bawk! bawk! bawk!




Toast

[pentium]

Re: !@#%&* Ups....

>>without taking the server down and taking the battery out of the UPS.<<

Chicken! bawk! bawk! bawk!




Toast

....
Fine!
Give me half an hour to go tear everything apart.

[pentium]

Re: !@#%&* Ups....

Okay, so I opened it up and inside were two 12 volt batteries set in series.
Both batteries were giving me 13.5 volts and in total they gave 27.1 V.
The entire UPS unit itself is capable of handling 1000VA.

[Wizard]

Re: !@#%&* Ups....

Nodding.

And that begs the question, how so critical for a HOME server? Business sure. But this?

And we don't have servers pe se here and at my work, too small to require full server so both places are on hubs accessing one DSL at each location.

Plus saves hydro big time.

Cheers, Wizard

[pentium]

Re: !@#%&* Ups....

I need it to share files across all my computers. I'm using NFS, FTP, Windows sharing as well as Appleshare to connect all my computers to it so I can easily move files around as well as for the other reason I mentioned which was so I could get access to files while on the road over FTP or even access my IP camera.
Also, I need an additional system to run Folding@home on so I can continue climbing the Badcaps rankings chart.

[Wizard]

Re: !@#%&* Ups....

You need to rethink this. Use FreeNas based on FreeBSD on a basic low power box, PIII 1GHz and 256MB suffices. This will serve all kinds of file protcols even apple's and have samba capability. Then no need to have server and decent hub.

Folding is not as wild as you think. I used to be SETI user for few years and decided to drop. Put Folding on your client PC (one or two) and turn off for the night, use the PC with folding running. You will save on cooling bill and hydro.

I turn on FreeNAS to share files and back up then other times FreeNAS is off or disconnected.

Cheers, Wizard

[pentium]

Re: !@#%&* Ups....

Yuo are talking to a person who will not take "downsize" as an answer.
I'm also very black and white in that if I need something to host files, it has to be a file server and not some cheap x86 pc.
Also, you are talking to someone whose house is poorly insulated and uses computers (SGIs) that require their own 20A breaker. Power consumption and heat output are the least of the things I have to care about.

[pentium]

Re: !@#%&* Ups....

Actually, how about we stop this before it turns into a scuffle and things go sour.
This was posted in the wrong section anyways.

[NxB]

Re: !@#%&* Ups....

it has to be a file server and not some cheap x86 pc.

specs?

I dunno, unless you have rack mount, the only real difference between an x86 pc and a "server" is noise.

[pentium]

Re: !@#%&* Ups....

specs?

I dunno, unless you have rack mount, the only real difference between an x86 pc and a "server" is noise.

One has two scsi channels and a six drive disk array built into the system, the other just has whatever the IDE and SATA bus can handle.

[i4004]

Re: !@#%&* Ups....

>Well the interface software only gives me a percentage so that's no good and I can't got and check with my DMM without taking the server down and taking the battery out of the UPS.

i asked toasty...

battery is full at 12.65v, so how can you have 13.5v?
was it measured while charging?

[pentium]

Re: !@#%&* Ups....

>Well the interface software only gives me a percentage so that's no good and I can't got and check with my DMM without taking the server down and taking the battery out of the UPS.

i asked toasty...

battery is full at 12.65v, so how can you have 13.5v?
was it measured while charging?

No, it was measured while the UPS was switched off, unplugged, and sitting on the kitchen table. The one thing I didn't do was disconnect the batteries from the UPS.

[Wizard]

Re: !@#%&* Ups....

Insufficient checks:

What you need is in use of this UPS charging voltage (that's above the battery voltage to confirm charging circuit is good). And discharge test using UPS to run computer as load to measure the battery under stress. Batteries drop too much voltage as battery get older, which trips the shut off prematurely.

Pentium, not all of us can have true server or a decent PC (not a cheap one!) on 24/7 due to hydro bill and some don't simply have space for that either or other people objections (can be wife, can be parents or friends etc). Insulate that house better and see bill drop and this will add value to the house.

I use a A21m for temp FreeNAS to back up files at my work once in while and disconnected and powered off.

At home, I do this same with a small PC as well with FreeNAS and each other.

In all cases, I rotate hard drives out every year for new ones now that hard drives are inexpensive now that new hitachi hard drives are readily accessible. One server on one exception had IBM 9GB HD & 98, PIII500 for 6 years straight 8 hours a day for each workweek and that HD was from my PII 350 box that I got in 1999. Was pulled out after backing up and put data back on the newer XP box to get away from unstable 98.

Cheers, Wizard

[hardwareguy]

Re: !@#%&* Ups....

I do know for a fact that the APC Smart UPS and BackUPS Pro charger is indeed clever.... it handles battery upgrades with ease.

The SmartUPS XL is just a regular SmartUPS with a 50A Anderson PowerPole type connector at the rear for attaching an external battery in parallel. (the smaller XL units are standalone....the XL750 is a SmartUPS 750 in the Smart UPS 1500 box with the 1500's batteries)

The BIG units have a 175A PowerPole connector.... think "fork lift charger plug" here.

Also, nearly every UPS I have encountered takes AGM batteries....not gelled electrolyte batteries. The charging profile is pretty much the same for AGM as for flooded so that simplifies things.

If you are near a Sam's Club.....they have 35Ah AGM batteries for like $50 each.

I've also seen the other spectrum of UPS devices....the cheap and nasty! Cheap and nasty UPSes may be built in such a way that adding a bigger battery could destroy the unit. Possible failure modes include charger overload and the fact that the heatsinks may be sized for just a few minutes of operation...a larger battery might allow a wimpy unit to operate long enough to overheat. Of course, as mentioned above, the nasty ones might use a timed cycle... this will result in a battery that never charges up.

If there is no fan, I would hesitate to enlarge the battery.

[kc8adu]

Re: !@#%&* Ups....

i just got a apc 1200 something free from the city.
its plastic,has a fan,and a fancy lcd display.
going to hook it to a pair of 100ah agm's and beat it up.
just checked my ncr rebadged exide under full load just in case.
we have tornado warnings being issued all around here.
it has 5 120 ah agm industrial ups batts on it.it can even run a nuker or ac unit as well as many other appliances.

[i4004]

Re: !@#%&* Ups....

>I've also seen the other spectrum of UPS devices....the cheap and nasty! Cheap and nasty UPSes may be built in such a way that adding a bigger battery could destroy the unit. Possible failure modes include charger overload and the fact that the heatsinks may be sized for just a few minutes of operation...a larger battery might allow a wimpy unit to operate long enough to overheat. Of course, as mentioned above, the nasty ones might use a timed cycle... this will result in a battery that never charges up.

If there is no fan, I would hesitate to enlarge the battery.


there you go.
concerns with smaller ups units are
1-can it charge?
2-for how long can it power when there's no power, without ending up in flames itself?

models you all seem to have seem like good choice, but if soembody was to try it on 350VA unit....heh...

[hardwareguy]

Re: !@#%&* Ups....

If its not a NICE unit, I don't fool with it. Batteries are a bit too expensive for me to play with nasty UPSes.

Specs I have to have:
Substantial input filtering (a minimum of one cap, two inductors and 3 20mm MOVs)
Fan cooled (or a VERY substantial heatsink)
Visual indications of high quality (fiberglass PCB, good caps, good craftsmanship)
AVR (multitap buck/boost transformer)
A microprocessor
At least line-interactive operation

Optional but really nice:
Load and state of charge bargraph indicators on the unit itself
Sinusoidal output
True online operation


I depend on my UPS to provide power for my ham shack computer and the core of my network.... having a guy on the radio looking at radar is useful!

[Hugh Chardon]

Re: !@#%&* Ups....

Well. let me tell ya'll about my latest...and CERTAINLY not last. I'm going over (and over...) a Dell 18" LCD screen for troubleshooting. The problem is intermittent video, and odd signal to output (V fluctuations pin 12, 15 and ground) So I pop the board out and lo and behold...a cap isn't tacked down with solder (helpful). That seems to be the problem, so I fire up my 25 watt iron, and try to (re)flow the cap (SMT).
I touch the iron to the pad on the NON-CONTACT side and then lift the iron to see my results...
Hmm...where's the cap???? and what's that SMELL???? Cap was stuck to the iron.
Yep...fried the cap. FumDucker


BTW replaced the cap with a standard SMT, monitor works fine now DOOOOHHH!!!