Question about my battery backup (aka "UPS")

I have an industrial UPS- a Minuteman Enterprise E1100. The wiring/electricity in my apartment sucks (it was built in the 1930's and probably hasn't been inspected or upgraded since the mid 1970's). That's why I have an industrial UPS. During the summer months, all my neighbors and I run our air conditioners 24/7 and this causes HUGE fluxes in the power, including lights flickering heavily for 2-3 minutes at a time. With the economy being what it is, the property owners simply said "we'll look in to it" and I'm really not expecting any action from them until a fire starts. Anyway . . . my UPS is handling it very well, but occasionally drops in to "Buck/Boost Mode". What the heck is "Buck/Boost Mode"??? I did some quick Googling and read something at Wikipedia but it made no sense to me.... can someone with some knowledge in this area enlighten me? Is "Buck/Boost Mode" going to be OK? The user manual for my UPS says that the unit is "functioning as intended" when it enters "Buck/Boost Mode".
:confused

 

This link to the manufacturer web page explains it:

http://www.sizemyups.com/specs/1011/90000735/BR/0/

"Buck/Boost Voltage Regulation – Offers a more stable AC source during surge and sag events without constant use of internal batteries."

Since the wiring in your building is iffy, I'd also check the indicator lights to be sure you have a proper ground and/or no wiring fault lights lit. If a ground fault is indicated, you can improvise by connecting a (coated) wire from the green (ground) screw on the outlet at one end to a clamp connected to a copper or steel water pipe at the other end - I've had to do this before when setting things up in older buildings

 

Thanks for the info.... it took me awhile to get around to answering this :-o As to the lights on my UPS: I have only the green LED lit up, and it flashes when going to "Buck/Boost Mode"; I also get occasional beeps when the green LED flashes. Again, according to the manual, the unit is operating as it should. There are times, though, when it the green LED flashes and I get beeps almost constantly. During these times, NO OTHER LEDs light up or flash, ever- only the green LED. So I'll assume all is well with my PC (it stays on and runs fine) and UPS. A few days ago, I was in the middle of a heated gaming session and the PC shut off while the UPS beeped. After reading the manual, I saw that my particular unit is able to deliver a sustained 660w MAX for apprx 6 minutes. I think I was drawing more than 750w when the power fluxed and the UPS powered off the PC. So, I guess that was normal. If I remember correctly, I think my fridge kicked in at the same time my AC unit kicked it, these combined with the crappy wiring, my PC, and my neighbors AC units was too much, so the UPS did what it was supposed too. I now keep my gaming to to the wee hours (between 2-5am) when electrical usage is at its lowest overall.

 

Nah man, your battery must be running dry or your UPS is already toasted. All that 'action' on your electrical circuity should not affect your UPS in the slightest. It's like having a generator for a little bit, seek further padwan.

 

Only the item(s) plugged into the UPS should have an effect on it if trips off due to an overload. Add up the approx. wattage of the items connected to it. If you're running a PC with a 650+ watt PSU at full-throttle gaming mode plus a larger LCD monitor drawing +50 watts, it's possible you tripped the UPS' internal breaker (another example is people who attempt to connect a laser printer to a UPS - the initial startup draw of even a small laser printer is equal to that of a small window air conditioner!).

Any item not connected to the UPS (air conditioners, refrigerators, etc.) should not cause it to shut off - temporary voltage drops caused by such items are exactly what the "buck and boost" is designed to prevent damage from.

Final note: Test the battery condition on your UPS. If the device does not have a built-in USB or on-board diagnostic to monitor battery condition, use the monitor only as a test when you unplug the UPS - if it dies in just a few minutes drawing only +50 watts, the batteries and/or UPS should be replaced.

If you go the new battery route, open the UPS and check the number of batteries and the size. You can usually find good generic replacements from Top Rated Sellers on eBay for about 75% less than OEM battery packs.

 

The only things plugged in to the battery backup outlets on the UPS are my PC (900w power supply, GTX570 video card, 3.2ghz CPU, 3 HDD, 2 DVD), and my 23" LCD. I have my PC speakers plugged in to the surge-only outlet. Those are the only 3 things connected to the UPS. Everything else in the vicinity of my PC is connected to a 6 outlet surge protector on its own outlet (cable modem, desk lamp, etc).

That's a good idea. I haven't tested it since I first acquired it about a year ago, and back then it kept my PC and my previous 20" LCD on for 15min of light use (surfing, etc). After about 15min I figured "hey, good enough" and plugged it back in. Also, I have seen more activity on the UPS in the last 3 weeks or so than I EVER have before, so maybe it is time to check out the batteries. I don't want to replace 'em if I can help it. I don't have the $$$$$

 

If the batteries are almost or totally shot, you'll have to weigh the cost against the risks: Without batteries that will power the PC for at least a few minutes for an orderly shut down, your UPS is just a surge protector: If the power goes out, the PC may turn off through power loss resulting in lost data or a corrupted OS.

Again, check eBay: If you have a rack-mount style UPS, it will likely take either small 4 AH (Amp Hour) or medium (7-8 AH) batteries. Measure the dimensions of the old batteries and compare them against the eBay listings.

If multiple batteries are chained together, you can usually separate the old ones and reconnect the new ones using the existing wires. At worst, you'll have to buy a roll of thick double-sided picture hanging tape at the dollar store to stick them together to match how the old ones were.

 

Yes, it is rack-mountable, and can also be wall-mounted using add-on brackets.... I'll test it tonite when I get home from work, hopefully it's OK. (*dlb* crosses fingers)

 

OK - I unplugged the UPS from the wall, moved my PC speakers from the surge-only outlet to a battery outlet. Then I powered on my LCD and the speakers. I let 'em stay on for about 20 min (? I forgot it was unplugged while I was in the kitchen fixing bloody marys - uhhhh - I mean fixing dinner - yeah, I was fixing dinner :-o :innocent ). When I came back (maybe 25min max) the speakers and LCD were still on. I plugged the UPS back in to the wall and everything seems OK. So- I guess the batteries are still good. The next test will be to unplug it later tonight or tomorrow while the PC is on and see how (or if) it handles that test....

 

buck = the supply mains have surged and your ups is regulating/stabilizing the mains to a lower output voltage. Every time several appliances in your building or on your block switch off in rapid succession, the mains will surge until the local substation can switch taps or whatever to bring the voltage back down.

boost = the supply mains have sagged and your ups is regulating/stabilizing the mains to a higher output voltage. Every time several appliances in your building or on your block switch on...

Usually the power utility can get things back to the nominal 115-120V within milliseconds but sometimes one block of houses draws a lot of power and another connected in parallel to the same power lines draws much less. Sags on the high power side and surges in the low power side can get to be a regular occurrence and last for hours under these conditions.

It sounds like your battery is ok. However, I had to replace mine to get the ups to quit registering faults and beeping all the time. For the life of me, I can't find anything in particular wrong with the old battery. The amp-hour capacity has dropped a bit from the nameplate rating but that is expected after a few years. In any case, the ups balks at charging and/or discharging it for some unknown reason.

I know of hard to detect battery defects that can cause NiMH chargers to undercharge or overcharge or register faults. Could the lack of sufficient "cold cranking amps" be causing the buck/boost regulator to generate faults? I'm an EE and to be honest, I don't really know and don't want to spend a week reverse engineering a ups to find out.