Ugh! My flaky UPS.

[Silencio]

So my 3 year-old APC Back-UPS ES500 has been acting up lately. Three times in the past two months, it spontaneously powered down on its own and started emitting the solid tone alarm. We got woken up by it at 5am this morning; I had to turn the unit off for a bit, then turn it on again without powering on any of the equipment attached to it.

The first time this happened, I turned on my computer (Dual 2GHz PowerMac G5) just a few seconds after powering on the UPS again, and that made the alarm go off again, though the UPS didn't lose power. I had to shut down the computer and turn off the UPS again.

Is this a symptom of a dying battery? Or is something else wrong with my UPS?

I have my G5 tower, 19" LCD, and wireless router hooked up to the UPS portion of the unit. I usually leave my computer on 24/7.

If a new battery ($20-something from APC) fixes it, great. Either way, I am strongly considering an upgrade to my UPS to get more run-time, real AVR, a USB connection, &c. My under-desk space is at a premium, so I would prefer something as compact as possible. I've zeroed in on the APC Back-UPS RS 900VA: anyone got that model, or have any better suggestions in the >$150 price range?

[elmo3]

First, see if you can get a higher capacity battery inside your current model. We have a Batteries Plus right down the street, and they do wonders for things like that.

[Robert M]

Silencio,

You're overloading the UPS. That's one of the problems. A G5 Dual 2 Ghz with an LCD display shouldn't be on a UPS with just 500 va. You need a UPS with more juice than that. I'd say 800 va as a minimum.

Don't waste money buying another battery for your existing UPS. It wouldn't be cost effective under normal circumstances given the age and model. Dependiong on sales and rebates, you can get the equivalent brand new for about $20 to $50.

However, given your usage, you need a more capable model. So, the money would be better served on a unit with more juice. Try and get your hands on a unit that has at least 1000 va, with AVR. That'd be my minimum.

Robert

[tortoise]

Robert M has it correct, a back 500 will not handle a G5. You can get much stronger APC units of RS-1000 or RS-1500 va capacity for reasonable prices on sale. They have true AVR, eight outlets and USB connection for connection to computer. I replaced two of my three older and smaller models when the batteries crapped out. I paid about $160 each some eight months ago to replace mine for the RS1000 models, but have seen occasional sales at Frys's & CompUSA on both the 1000 & 1500va models for less. The G5's suck a lot of amps so I would probably go for the 1500va model to give yourself some expandability for future needs.

[Robert M]

Tort,

I have the APC 1500 va XS model, with I got for $99 from Comp USA on sale. Definitely like the unit and would make it or a similar model the UPS of choice if funds permit.

Robert

[tortoise]

Hi Robert:
I agree, in retrospect I should have bought the 1500 models myself but since I run three the load is spread fairly well and they will hold me for now. Hopefully the new G5 models with the new Intel chips will start lowering the total power draw as it is getting a bit ridiculous IMO. Have two of my UPS monitored by PC's that I run with my macs and the Powerchute software really shines on the PC with a history of events including why the system was brought online for a surge, under or overvoltage, etc. The Mac version is very rudimentary. Hopefully this is all going to start changing with the Itel revolution.

[Ken Sp.]

Killer deal at Staples this week--$20 485VA and Mac compatible

http://www.staples.com/webapp/wcs/stores...dCatType=1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&productId=141888&cmArea=SEARCH
Yopu just have to refresh your browser for it to show up--you may have to enter you zip

http://www.cyberpowersystems.com/CP485SL.asp

[Silencio]

I'm not too surprised about the diagnosis of overcapacity. However, it did manage to muddle through for two years after I upgraded from the old G4 -- including a couple of blackouts -- without complaint. I will also up-sell myself from that 900VA model; I'll have to see if there's any good deals around in the 1000 or 1500VA range.

Elmo: BatteriesPlus doesn't look like they carry any batteries for UPSes. I came up snake-eyes looking for replacement batteries for my particular model from some of the other battery-related websites, too. But, like I said, I'm really needing to upgrade to something with much higher capacity, AVR, and a USB connection.

[Robert M]

Silencio,

You got lucky. I'm vey surprised the UPS handled the load even if onyl for a few minutes. Definitely move up to a more capable model.

Robert

[rexrzer]

Gentlemen, there's also a very nice Belkin UPS out these days, the F6C1500-TW-RK, which has 8-Battery/AVR/Surge protected outlets. I have one of them protecting my G5 2.3Ghz Dual Core, twin LCD displays, router & cable modem, and Logitech Z-5300 speaker system. The Belkin UPS is the highest-rated 1500VA UPS there is in terms of surge protection, also, which I consider to be a very, very important item: 1000 Joules. While the APC 1500VA is only rated at 420 Joules for surge. It also has a 3 year warranty, while APC products only have 2 years.

The Belkin is natively recognized by Mac OSX Tiger, any variety, and can be controlled by Energy Saver, without having to install the Belkin Bulldog software package. USB connection, of course, along with a serial connector if you wanted to hook up a 2nd PowerMac to it (primary, slave configuration) via a serial to USB connector. Another thing in the Belkin's favor over the APC is there is NO FAN in the unit...it cools by convection like the old iMacs did, so that's another thing that won't go wrong over the long haul. The APC 1500VA has, as I recall not one but two fans. The Belkin is virtually silent because it has no fan.

I shopped around for a couple of weeks before I settled on the Belklin over the APC, and then I had to find the right price. I've heard of them at Comp USA for $109 to $129, but at the time of purchase I paid $135 from the Nerds, who I do NOT recommend as an etailer.

You can read about the Belkin here:
http://www.pagecomputers.com/store/Produ...+Equipment&category%5Fname=21g21c145s2263&product%5Fid=700153

I encourage anybody to compare the Belkin, feature by feature, with the APC 1500VA unit. The Belkin wins every time.

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