Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with UPS

UPS and battery reference on the large scale

thewalrus — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:04:11 -0800

I would like to learn more about large-scale UPS systems, particularly the battery strings used in traditional RBOC/Telco applications. These are the sort of beasts that use huge strings of 6V 220aH deep cycle batteries, or even large numbers of 2V 400aH batteries on very strong earthquake-resistant shelving wired up to create a 48V mega-battery. Can anyone point me to the most definitive reference materials on the subject?

If love is a battlefield, have I become a conscious objector?

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:34:34 -0800

Heterosexual male in his early 30s after a long-term relationship finds himself not really interested in the opposite sex. Is this normal? Some Background: It's been about a year since amicably ending a 10+ year relationship[1]. I decided to do the 'smart thing' and not rush into dating or random one night standards, which I managed to keep to, other than 6 months ago I had a small fling with a female friend[2] (who I have known for a few years) that lives in another country. Barring that, in the past year, I've found myself not really 'interested' in women, dating or nsa-wise.

I'm still sexually attracted to women, I've not suddenly become sexually attracted to men. I do miss having sex, but every women I've met since the relationship ended just doesn't seem to 'pique my interest', so to speak. I've meet some beautiful, smart and funny women in the past year, but all of them just don't interest me in anyway more than friends or acquaintances.

My friends have tried to 'hook me up' with ladies from time to time, usually ending in semi-disaster usually caused by me not being interested and sometimes complete oblivious. While it all makes for funny stories at the pub, they are[3], as am I, starting to wonder what is going on.

I am happy going through life right now as things are, my work is great, challenging and feels really fulfilling. I don't pine for someone/anyone to be with me. But I do wonder, is this a normal reaction for most people out of a long term relationship to go through?
Questions can be asked at throwaway email account (thatyarrthere[a-t]googlemail.com) if required.

1. We have no intention of getting back together. Nor am I in a desperate search to find her exact replacement.
2. While we enjoy each others company, neither of us are interested in a long distance relationship.
3. They aren't pressuring me to get back in the 'game'. They are just being good friends and are 'concerned'.

I need more power!

lockedroomguy — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 07:45:42 -0800

How do I connect the replacement batteries in my UPS? I have a Belkin f6c1500-tw-rk UPS. It needs two replacement batteries, which I have. But the original batteries were removed by someone else, so I don't know how they were connected.

I do have the manual. See Figure 3 for my model. The directions say to connect "red to red and black to black."

There are 4 battery terminals (2 on each battery) Each battery has one red and one black terminal of course.

There are 4 cables. Two (one red, one black) are connected to the UPS itself, that means I have 6 cable ends free.

The diagram shows that two of the cable ends are plugged into each other.
At first I thought I would do this for a series connection:

Red end from UPS to red (positive) terminal on Battery 1
Black (negative) terminal on Battery 1 to red (positive) terminal on Battery 2
Black (negative) terminal to black (negative) end coming from UPS

That uses up 4 of my cable ends, with two left over. So it seems that, as in the diagram, I need to plug two ends in to each other. But how would that work? Should one cable just be an extension?

I don't think I can hook them up in parallel because there aren't enough terminal connectors, plus if I hook it up in parallel then I need all 6 cable ends for the terminals, and wouldn't have two cable ends plugged together as in the diagram.

Uninterruptable Wifi Supply

mccarty.tim — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:41:08 -0800

What's a good, small and basic UPS for just backing up up my T-mobile VOIP/wifi router device and possibly a cable modem? My family recently decided to switch from Comcast Digital Voice and AT&T cell phones to T-mobile's @home service. Our home gets almost no cell phone reception, so it's nice that the router (a Linksys WRTU54G) allows us to make VOIP calls over both the wired phones and our cell phones. However, this means that our calling is basically coming down to just one electronic box, with only a sketchy 1-bar cellular connection in the event we lose power. The max DC draw of the antenna is 1.5 A at 12 volts, but it's probably much less in practice. I don't have anything to measure it, though.

Realizing this, I think it's important we get a UPS that can keep our router online for 6 hours to a day. Our modem comes with its own 12 hour battery, because it used to be the VOIP hardware for our Comcast VOIP service, so I could keep it off of the UPS to save power, although Comcast is liable to take it back. In my dream product, this UPS could also charge from a car's 12V socket in the event of a very long power outage, but we've never had a long one over a few minutes in our relatively new (~20 years old) NJ suburb.

I really don't want or need the UPS to keep our desktop computer up and running. I have a laptop, and my mom and sister know to save as they go along when working on a desktop. What I really need is something inexpensive and reliable so that we can still call 911 in the event of a power outage. Preferably, the solution doesn't end up being something too bulky or hacky (ie "Just wire up some car batteries in parallel!").

Please hope me keep cool AND entertained!

Osrinith — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:24:17 -0800

Old building with old wiring + AC compressor = flickering lights. A question about electronics and possibly using an uninterruptible power supply to even out the electricity supplied to sensitive electronics. Details and question inside. I live in an old apartment building in Chicago that doesn't have any kind of AC so window units are the norm. I was given a fairly powerful window unit as a gift (read: so can't exchange) to keep the large living room cool. It works really well and is perfectly sized for the room, but the power draw when the compressor kicks on causes the lights to briefly dim before the power draw stabilizes. The flickering doesn't bother me (but let me know if it's a dangerous sign, please), but I'm a little worried about keeping expensive electronics (like a stereo system and an LCD HDTV) plugged in with those power fluctuations. Unfortunately, fully half of the apartment is on this circuit, so it's not possible to just run a line to a different circuit. All we've got plugged in are 2 lamps, the overhead light, the entertainment center, and the AC. Even if it's just the lamps on, they still flicker when the compressor starts, so it's pretty clear that this AC compressor is just a tad too powerful for the circuit wiring as it stands now.

Which brings us to the meat of the question. The idea I'm toying with right now that might solve the problem is buying a UPS for the entertainment center so that the battery provides the extra power for the electronics when the compressor starts pulling on the room circuit. The only other solution to the problem (as the situation currently stands) that my googling has turned up is installing an AC compressor motor capacitor. That's a little too intense for something that's only going to be a problem for the next month and a half. Can a UPS can react to a power drop fast enough for it to not register on the electronics? Is there something I haven't thought of? Will the power fluctuations even hurt the expensive electronics? Are my only two options either A) sweat and watch TV or B) be cool and read a book to flickering lamp light? Thanks, Hivemind!

Alternatives to running a ground wire?

nitsuj — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:39:17 -0800

Will a surge protector or UPS plugged into an ungrounded outlet do anything to protect my electronics in the event of a power surge? There are conflicting answers to this question online.

Is there anything I can plug my computer/tv/electronics in to to protect them from power surges on an ungrounded outlet, or is the only solution to actually ground the outlet in question?

Seeking a lost hat from my lost youth

JonnyRotten — Tue, 19 May 2009 08:00:17 -0800

I used to have a brown UPS drives hat. It was the old style with the plastic buckle. It was given to me in 1998 or so by a UPS driver that I randomly asked if he knew where I could get a hat from. I was doing a school project where I wore a different style of hat every week for the entire school year. Anyway. At some point I lost the hat. I would like to get another one. Anyone know where I can get it, or just really sturdy hats with the nice plastic snap buckles any more? The ones with the holes and pegs in them. I had asked a friend that worked at UPS a few years back if he could get me one, but he said that after 911, they tightened control of that (not sure if its true or not).
So any information would be helpful.

Thanks!

Will this overload my UPS?

lpctstr; — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:15:44 -0800

I have a 850va 425w UPS battery backup with only 2 outlets. There is a small server, speakers, home theater projecter, lcd monitor, and router connected to a power strip. The power strip and a desktop plug into the UPS. Is this setup safe? I am concerned about short 1-second interruptions caused by bad electrical connections rather than power outages.

OS X and UPS?

xmutex — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:59:37 -0800

OS X and a APC UPS - clever solutions? I have this UPS and I would like to configure my 10.5 machine to handle interruptions intelligently. The UPS has a USB out, so I assuming it sends signals that I can work with. I'd like the computer to eject the two Firewire drives whenever it loses power, etc. I'd like more options (I'm thinking scripts as opposed to a GUI), if possible.

Anyone have any clever OS X UPS solutions?

L.A. IT peeps, help!!

brent_h — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:01:10 -0800

Hey all, I need to find 4 rackmount kits for 4 APC SURDT5000XLT ups's today in the Los Angeles area. Does anyone have a line on somewhere that might carry these in stock so I can pick them up today? I have a 5 am install time, so the morning is no good. HELP!

Take My Stuff - Please!

lunasol — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:29:06 -0800

Which is the best shipping service to use for moving? USPS, Fedex, or UPS? I would like them to come to my house. Specifics: I'm moving most of my non-furniture stuff about 1200 miles.

- Time is not an issue. I won't need this stuff for a month or so.
- I will have about 6-8 boxes holding clothes, books, and some kitchenware.
- I have one larger item - a TV - which I'd like to have someone come to my house, pack it up and ship it for me. I'll pack everything else myself.
- Budget: I'm willing to pay for pickup, but I'd rather not pay for speed, since I don't need the stuff to get there quickly.

A lot of the info I've found about these options online is sort of confusing and assumes a basic familiarity of shipping classes that I don't have. From what I can tell, USPS only does this for express and priority mail, which is more expensive than I need. Fedex picks up, but all fedex shipping is super-pricey. It seems like my best bet is UPS but I'm wondering if I might be missing something.

Also, will any of these entities send someone to pack up my TV?

how much fuel does a diesel generator consume?

thewalrus — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:51:34 -0800

Diesel generator question: What is the typical fuel consumption rate of a 5kW, 10kW or 20kW unit at various load factors? How much does this vary (in litres per hour, or per day) between the same sizes of unit from different manufacturers? I am doing the math to calculate the yearly operating costs for a telecommunications system to be installed in a third world nation.

The city has reliable 230V power approximately 75% of the time, which can be filtered and passed to equipment via a heavy duty voltage regulator and UPS system. That's not a problem.

The other 25% of the time, occurring randomly throughout the day there is no power whatsoever, frequently for extended periods in the middle of winter, or peak hours during summer when people are running their air conditioning. Thus the requirement for a generator.

The power budget for the whole system fits within 3/4 load factor on a 5kW generator. However we may end up with a larger unit such as 10kW to provide future expansion capability.

This Approximate Diesel Generator Fuel Consumption Chart found on Google provides basic info, but I don't know how much I can rely on it for accuracy. It covers 20kW units and above, but I don't know if a 10kW unit at 0.50 load would consume the same as a 20kW unit at 0.25 load factor...

I'm searching for a formula or chart from a major generator manufacturer saying something like "If you have a 10kW generator and operate it at Y percentage load factor for N hours, it will consume approximately Z litres of diesel per hour". The price of diesel fuel here is relatively stable, but I intend to estimate pessimistically for the price to rise 15-20% over the next 12 months.

Does anyone know how much the fuel consumption rate formula would vary between competing manufacturer's 5kW or 10kW units?

Help with MS Outlook 2002

CollectiveMind — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 13:23:52 -0800

I am using a computerized telephone management system called Advanced Call Center. One of its features is it emails me whenever I receive a call at my business. That feature needs and uses the Telephone Applications Programming Interface (TAPI) feature within Outlook to function. But Outlook generates a popup on the host PC that requires that I allow or disallow the message before it will allow ACC to reinitalize the modem and return to answering mode. If I'm not there, I can't turn off the window, so ACC doesn't answer anymore calls. Is there a way to turn this notification function off in Outlook 2002, or have it automatically send without notification?

Getting the blahs in blackout land.

Gordion Knott — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 06:11:56 -0800

Frequent power-outages are harshing my computer mellow. A reliable, battery-equipped UPS sounds like the answer. What brands and models should I be looking at? I don't need a lot of umph in the power department, because I'll only be attaching my 24" iMac and my router and cable modem to the device. No laser printers, speakers, or other power-hungry equipment.

Preferably, I'd like a UPS with a post-blackout runtime of thirty minutes to an hour. Will I be able to buy such a device without cashing in my IRA? And if so, what model would you recommend? What makers should I steer towards or away from?

Can I fit a bigger battery in my UPS?

PowerCat — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 09:35:24 -0800

Can I fit a bigger battery in this UPS? I got this ups from work, but the battery is dead.
It's a 12v, 7.2 Ah Lead-acid battery.
Can I use a bigger battery, custom-fit the wires to the big battery and have it work?
For example, this battery .
Thanks.

How to best protect electrical equipment in a underground utility room?

colecovizion — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:26:34 -0800

How to best protect electrical equipment in a underground utility room? There is a small utility room underneath the house. It can get slightly damp, dusty and cold. Nothing too extreme.

I would like recommendations for protecting my electrical equipment in this area. I don't have much, just a small UPS, modem, 16port switch, and router. All equipment is on a shelf that is 4 feet off of the floor.

I'm thinking of a box or cover that is both antistatic and waterproof. Is this the right logic? I don't need industrial grade, just something basic. Links to stores online would be a big help!

A real live person at UPS?

blaneyphoto — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 16:03:15 -0800

Can someone point me to a phone number for UPS where I can get a real person on the line? I've tried navigating their annoying phone menus and sent an email (easier to ignore than a phone call), but can't get to a real person. I'm in NJ, if that matters. And its a customer service issue - paid for 2nd day shipping and now my tracking indicates it won't be delivered today. I watched the UPS truck go flying by my house around 3pm today, so I'm pretty confident it was driver error... and of course, its equipment that I need first thing tomorrow morning. Murphys Law, I guess...

Any help will be appreciated!

Yet Another Empty Box for Christmas

Skwirl — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 11:11:35 -0800

What more can I do to maximize my chances of recompense with regards to an eee pc stolen during shipment from Newegg via UPS? So, I was eagerly awaiting my first major electronics purchase in four years, a shiny galaxy black eee pc 4G 701. According to UPS it shipped on 12/27 and the clearly tampered and more or less empty box arrived yesterday. Grumble. Grumble.

I wasn't the person who signed for it and I haven't talked to that person yet, but my dad saw the delivery and did notice that the box looked askew at the time of delivery. When I retrieved the box, the tape was removed, but haphazardly put back, the box was waaaay lighter than the 5 lbs. listed on the tracking label and all the box contained was packaging paper and an empty eee pc box. To top it off, the package arrived significantly after business hours to an office address. Sheesh.

I immediately called UPS and sent an email to Newegg. The UPS person I talked to said that I would be contacted by an inspector today. I haven't heard back from UPS or Newegg yet today.

If the contents were stolen while it was in UPS's possession, are they likely to refund the value? What more can I do to get this resolved quickly? Should I file a police report through my city PD? Contact the BBB? I paid for the purchase with my VISA Platinum card, which has fraud protection, but I don't think it has purchase or theft protection. I recently signed up for USAA Renter's Insurance, which I figure is the worst case scenario. What steps do I need to do to get that rolling, or should I wait until I hear more from UPS and Newegg? Should I contact Asus?

I'm no Veronica Mars, but Newegg shipped my eee pc from La Puente, CA and a brickload of the eee pcs on eBay right now are shipping from right next door in Walnut, CA. I suppose somebody could just be getting a good deal on shipping by picking them up directly?

I know I'm drawing at straws, but this purchase is a majority chunk of a month's income for me, which means I've got more time than money to work the problem.

UPS delivery stolen from porch--what to do?

Kat Allison — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 13:48:10 -0800

UPS delivery apparently stolen off my front porch. Ideas for next steps, from anyone else who's been through this? The package contained some RAM I'd ordered from Amazon. The estimated delivery date was 1/8, but when I checked "Track Packages" this morning it showed that the package had been delivered to my address, front door, at 10:30 this morning. Though I was not in at that time, my roommate was, continuously for the entire morning, and he heard no knock or ring. (This is a single-story single-family home.)

I've put in a call to UPS, who say they will check with the driver and verify that delivery was actually made. If he/she does so verify, what are my options? Has anyone had any luck going back to seller (esp. Amazon in particular) in such situations, and getting them to replace the item? I could do a credit card dispute, I guess, but damn it, I was using a $30 gift certificate toward the purchase, so even if Visa took off the charge I'd still be out that money.

Also, is there any way to make UPS require a signature on deliveries?

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.........

Hargrimm — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 16:52:15 -0800

What is wrong with my surge protector??!! My surge protector/UPS may be malfunctioning. Whenever I turn my computer that is plugged into it on, it gives out a shrill, continuous beep. I think LED flashed, but I was too busy being freaked out and shutting down to observe it well. I looked in the manual for it, and a continuous tone + LED flash means the battery needs to be replaced. However, the UPC is plugged into the wall, so it shouldn't be using the battery, should it? The manual also said that continuous beep + no LED means an overload, which really, really freaks me out.

The most recent thing I've installed are a GeForce 7800GS graphics card and 512MB of RAM, but they were both a number of months ago now. The UPC is an APC Back-UPS ES BE350U, and may be getting somewhat old, but I'm not certain.

So, what can I do? Get a new battery, new UPC? I can't afford to be without my main PC for more than a day or so; please help!

Cross-border shopping the lazy way

reformedjerk — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 07:17:35 -0800

Has anyone living in Canada bought cameras from B&H? If so, did you choose the cheapest shipping (UPS Expedited) and get slapped with a heft customs brokerage fee from UPS? With the dollar at parity, it is much cheaper buying from the US and having it shipped up, but I don't want to burn all the savings with a steep fee from UPS.

Can I influence how Amazon ships to me?

lorimer — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 00:07:52 -0800

There seems to be no pattern at all re. whether Amazon ships to me via UPS or USPS. Since USPS is much, much more convenient for me, is there any way to influence this in the future? I'm talking about items sold by Amazon itself, the ones eligible for Free Super Saver Shipping, so this is not an Amazon vs. third parties issue.

Googling seems to just show other people confused by this issue. There is an AskMe question sort of about this but that person needed a way to get UPS not to ask for a signature, since she was never at home daytimes.

I have the opposite problem, I am always home during the day because I work overnight and need to sleep daytimes. Therefore the UPS delivery guys wake me up. But USPS just leaves a note in my mailbox, and I get the box at the post office at my convenience.

(There is no way UPS could leave a box outside my apartment, it would get stolen. I don't have another person in the building I'd trust to accept a package who's home daytimes.)

Electrical/UPS Consultants/Engineers in NY-Metro ?

hboogz — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 08:03:38 -0800

Looking for Power Consultants for Data Centers that service the NY-Metro Area. Can anyone make any recommendations on 15-25 kva UPS systems and engineering firms/contractors who can help implement this from end-to-end ? Or even point me into the right direction so i can code call myself. I'd appreciate any feedback from anyone who has had any personal experience working with a consultancy or engineering firm. I've had a tough time finding a place that will do the complete end-to-end work. e.g electrical work ; design; engineering;installation.

I know of the big guns: APC, Liebert, MGE. But does anyone recommend Toshiba or other "lesser known" UPS providers in North America ?

Mail at my expense?

tiamat — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 15:18:40 -0800

Pre-paid international shipping? I'd like to have someone drop something off in Germany and have the item shipped to me in Canada at my expense. Simpler is better. I understand the best carrier to use from Germany to Canada is DHL (as per a previous Ask.Me question).

How do I go about arranging an account where my friend in Germany can mail me things at my expense? Just get DHL labels and put my CC# on them? Or setup a DHL account and get billed? Other?

I'm talking about a very low volume, maybe once or twice a month each way.

Suggestions of other carriers are welcome, but I've heard bad things about UPS and FedEx in Germany, and I want to use the same shipper going both ways.

_{[I don't have regular 'net access right now, so please be patient if asking for more info.]}

Help keep my computer from frying.

BrotherCaine — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 21:39:28 -0800

I need to add grounding to an outlet. How bad an idea is it to chain the ground to the ground of another outlet that is on a different circuit a few feet up from that one? Basically I live in an apartment in California. The kitchen and bathroom outlets are grounded. All other outlets have open ground. No outlets have hot/neutral or hot/ground reversed. On the opposite side of the wall that my computer's UPS is plugged into is the kitchen outlet that is grounded. These outlets are on different circuits. I'm thinking about running a wire between the ground terminals on each outlet as a cheap and dirty fix which I will remove when I move out. All outlets are three prong, none GCFI. I intend to do any work with all circuits in the circuit breaker set to off, and will check for voltage in each outlet before starting. I am obviously not an electrician. There does not appear to be any metal conduit around the wires that could be used as a ground.

I found out about the problem because my UPS said I had a wiring fault, but the computer seems to work fine for now.

Also, the circuit breaker is wired oddly (from my limited perspective) in that you need to turn multiple circuits off to cut power to the bedroom outlets.