APC smart ups

[Russell]

I have a APC Smart UPS 1500va backup power supply about 3 years old.

It is giving a failed battery error. In fact the battery is ok.

I have removed the cover and inspected the pcb etc and no burnt or damaged
components found.

Has anybody seen or know a reason that can cause this problem.

Any help would be gratefully receiver.

Russell

 

[Hugh Prescott]

I have a APC Smart UPS 1500va backup power supply about 3 years old.

It is giving a failed battery error. In fact the battery is ok.

I have removed the cover and inspected the pcb etc and no burnt or damaged
components found.

Has anybody seen or know a reason that can cause this problem.

Any help would be gratefully receiver.

Russell

OK How do you know the battery is OK? Woltage checks, run time test etc.

These units put the battery under load and check for ability to deliver
power.

You may have batteries that are OK voltage wise but have been cooked
overcharged untill they lack capacity to sustain a load any length of time.

They are not nice to batteries, always keep them topped off and do a
very high rate charge after any discharge.

Three to five years is max life we get on APC UPS batteries is you want
good response to power probllems.


Hugh

 

[JANA]

The batteries have to be load tested to know if they are good or not. The
UPS charging system is designed to know if the batteries are due to be
changed.

The expected lifespan of UPS batteries is about 3 to 5 years max. Most of
the time, they stop working at about or after 3 years.

--

JANA
_____


I have a APC Smart UPS 1500va backup power supply about 3 years old.

It is giving a failed battery error. In fact the battery is ok.

I have removed the cover and inspected the pcb etc and no burnt or damaged
components found.

Has anybody seen or know a reason that can cause this problem.

Any help would be gratefully receiver.

Russell

 

[larya]

How old is the battery?...
How did you test the battery?...
A simple voltmeter test doesn't work....
My suggestion....
Remove the battery.....
Leave the ups off for a hour or so....this will help clear the
capacitors in the ups...
Test the battery under some kind of load... perhaps as little a 1/2 amp
or so....
If the battery's voltage drops more that a volt or two, you should
consider a new battery...
Larry ve3fxq

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

I have a APC Smart UPS 1500va backup power supply about 3 years old.
It is giving a failed battery error. In fact the battery is ok.

Assumption, the mother of all screwups. I've been fooled by what
looks like a good battery, but turns out to be defective. Just
measuring the terminal voltage is not a sufficient test. If I'm not
sure, I use an automobile headlamp across the battery and see how long
it will run. The runtime varies with the battery size and type, but a
dead or dying battery will be very obvious as the bulb will not last
very long (usually a few seconds).

Other sloppy ways to test a battery is to just substitute a known good
battery (or batteries). If that works, it's a good assumption that
the previous set are bad. This is my favorite "test" method.

Also, a physical inspection of the battery is handy. A bluging gel
cell battery is almost certainly a dead or dying battery. It will
eventually burst and leak caustic goo all over the UPS.

I have removed the cover and inspected the pcb etc and no burnt or damaged
components found.

It's easier to just smell the board to look for dead parts. UPS's
have difficult to access PCB's. If there is a fried component, you'll
smell it before you'll see it.

Has anybody seen or know a reason that can cause this problem.

I've repaired a substantial number of APC UPS's. In the overwhelming
majority of cases, it's a dead or dying battery. The dying variety
are difficult to detect. They look good, "test" good, but don't last
very long on backup. I have some known good battery packs on the
shelf which I substitute. (It's also a good idea to keep gel cells
charged when in storage, so this test is a good way to recharge my
inventory). Same as before. If the new batteries work, by
implication, the old batteries are bad.

 

[Nelson]

[snip]

I've repaired a substantial number of APC UPS's. In the overwhelming
majority of cases, it's a dead or dying battery.

Hmm, then maybe you can help me I have the opposite problem, ie
the APC UPS (BP 1400) switches to battery within minutes of being
plugged in (sometimes immediately) and never switches back. There's
nothing wrong with the AC as far as I can tell. I've pulled the PC
board but it looks like a major project to trace it out and it looks
like there are some custom chips on there anyway. Of course you can't
get a schematic from APC and of course they want more to fix it than a
new one would cost.

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

[snip]

I've repaired a substantial number of APC UPS's. In the overwhelming
majority of cases, it's a dead or dying battery.

Hmm, then maybe you can help me I have the opposite problem, ie
the APC UPS (BP 1400) switches to battery within minutes of being
plugged in (sometimes immediately) and never switches back.

Hmmm... I have no idea what that can be without first looking at a
schematic of your BackUPS 1400. I'm looking at the BackUPS 600
schematic. There's an LM339a comparator section that determines if AC
power has been lost or restored. A big capacitor on the inputs for
noise reduction. Kinda sounds like the initial time delay in going
into battery backup operation is the charge time on these caps. My
guess(tm) is that the cap is leaking.

There's
nothing wrong with the AC as far as I can tell. I've pulled the PC
board but it looks like a major project to trace it out and it looks
like there are some custom chips on there anyway. Of course you can't
get a schematic from APC and of course they want more to fix it than a
new one would cost.

Can you read Russian?
http://www.eserviceinfo.com/
Try "APC" in the seach box. Hmmm... only the Backup 250, 400, and
600. I don't know how close these are to BackUPS 1400 but they might
offer some clues. I suggest you grab all of the APC schematics and
dig through them for clues.

 

[Nelson]

[snip]

I've repaired a substantial number of APC UPS's. In the overwhelming
majority of cases, it's a dead or dying battery.

Hmm, then maybe you can help me I have the opposite problem, ie
the APC UPS (BP 1400) switches to battery within minutes of being
plugged in (sometimes immediately) and never switches back.

Hmmm... I have no idea what that can be without first looking at a
schematic of your BackUPS 1400. I'm looking at the BackUPS 600
schematic. There's an LM339a comparator section that determines if AC
power has been lost or restored. A big capacitor on the inputs for
noise reduction. Kinda sounds like the initial time delay in going
into battery backup operation is the charge time on these caps. My
guess(tm) is that the cap is leaking.

There's
nothing wrong with the AC as far as I can tell. I've pulled the PC
board but it looks like a major project to trace it out and it looks
like there are some custom chips on there anyway. Of course you can't
get a schematic from APC and of course they want more to fix it than a
new one would cost.

Can you read Russian?
http://www.eserviceinfo.com/
Try "APC" in the seach box. Hmmm... only the Backup 250, 400, and
600. I don't know how close these are to BackUPS 1400 but they might
offer some clues. I suggest you grab all of the APC schematics and
dig through them for clues.

Yeah, I found those a while back but they don't look much like mine
(which is kind of old). It's been sitting in the closet... maybe I'll
haul it out and try again. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Russell]

Thank you gentlemen for you help. I have down loaded the schematic you
mentioned and I will study them.
The battery is being charged when the mains is connected but there is no
load on the battery when you remove the mains. Thank you gentlemen for you
help. I have down loaded the schematic you
mentioned and I will study them. The battery is being charged when the mains
is connected but there is no load on the battery when you remove the mains.
The battery stays at about 26 + volt and no output.

Regards

Russell

[snip]

I've repaired a substantial number of APC UPS's. In the overwhelming
majority of cases, it's a dead or dying battery.

Hmm, then maybe you can help me I have the opposite problem, ie
the APC UPS (BP 1400) switches to battery within minutes of being
plugged in (sometimes immediately) and never switches back.

Hmmm... I have no idea what that can be without first looking at a
schematic of your BackUPS 1400. I'm looking at the BackUPS 600
schematic. There's an LM339a comparator section that determines if AC
power has been lost or restored. A big capacitor on the inputs for
noise reduction. Kinda sounds like the initial time delay in going
into battery backup operation is the charge time on these caps. My
guess(tm) is that the cap is leaking.

There's
nothing wrong with the AC as far as I can tell. I've pulled the PC
board but it looks like a major project to trace it out and it looks
like there are some custom chips on there anyway. Of course you can't
get a schematic from APC and of course they want more to fix it than a
new one would cost.

Can you read Russian?
http://www.eserviceinfo.com/
Try "APC" in the seach box. Hmmm... only the Backup 250, 400, and
600. I don't know how close these are to BackUPS 1400 but they might
offer some clues. I suggest you grab all of the APC schematics and
dig through them for clues.

Yeah, I found those a while back but they don't look much like mine
(which is kind of old). It's been sitting in the closet... maybe I'll
haul it out and try again. Thanks for the suggestions.