Re: [PLUG] Battery Backup Beep

[Dick Steffens]

On 04/12/2018 02:35 PM, Neal wrote:

The manual for your specific model is the ultimate authority, but I did
find this for APC BE450G/550G models that mentions adjusting sensitivity
without having to run their PowerChute software (windows only). I wasn't
aware of it so I'm sharing with others who many not have read all their
friendly manuals.


Interesting. I've never looked for anything like that. I'll have to 
crawl on the floor and see what my APC and my CyberPower model #s are.



<...>

Also, startup current for a motor can cause quite a dip in line voltage.
Anything longer than 1 cycle should be picked up by the UPS but you might
not notice the flicker. Do you have a fridge and/or freezer?


Yes and yes. But I've had all of them for years. I'm still favoring the 
old battery idea and will try to find the time to visit one of the 
battery shops in the near future.


--
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Dick Steffens

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Re: [PLUG] Battery Backup Beep

[Neal]

>
> The manual for your specific model is the ultimate authority, but I did
> find this for APC BE450G/550G models...
>

In the interest of accuracy make that BE550G/650G models.

NealS
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Re: [PLUG] Battery Backup Beep

[Neal]

On Thu, Apr 12, 2018 at 11:46 AM, Dick Steffens 
wrote:

> On 04/12/2018 11:40 AM, Ben Koenig wrote:
>
>> At this point you should write down the model number and google it. Find
>> the manufacturer's website and grab the manual for your particular model.
>> Since the manufacturer decides what the beeps indicate,
>>
>
> As I said before, it's just the alarm beep. It's not a beep code, like
> from a motherboard. It's just a continuous beep until it stops, which
> is within a second or so. There's no series of beeps.


The manual for your specific model is the ultimate authority, but I did
find this for APC BE450G/550G models that mentions adjusting sensitivity
without having to run their PowerChute software (windows only). I wasn't
aware of it so I'm sharing with others who many not have read all their
friendly manuals.

Voltage Sensitivity Adjustment (optional) The Back-UPS detects and reacts
to line voltage distortions by transferring to battery backup power to
protect connected equipment. In situations where either the Back-UPS or the
connected equipment is too sensitive for the input voltage level it is
necessary to adjust the transfer voltage.
1. Connect the Back-UPS to a wall outlet. The Back-UPS will be in Standby
mode, no indicators will be illuminated.
2. Press and hold the ON/OFF button for 10 seconds. The OnLine LED will
illuminate alternately green-amber-red, to indicate that the Back-UPS is in
Program mode.
3. The Power On/Replace Battery LED will flash either green, amber, or red
to indicate the current sensitivity level. Refer to the table for an
explanation of the transfer voltage sensitivity levels.
4. To select LOW sensitivity, press and hold the ON/OFF button until the
LED flashes green.
5. To select MEDIUM sensitivity, press and hold the ON/OFF button until the
LED flashes red.
6. To select HIGH sensitivity, press and hold the ON/OFF button until the
LED flashes amber.
7. To exit Program mode wait five seconds and all LED indicators will
extinguish. Program mode is no longer active.

Also, startup current for a motor can cause quite a dip in line voltage.
Anything longer than 1 cycle should be picked up by the UPS but you might
not notice the flicker. Do you have a fridge and/or freezer?

NealS
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Re: [PLUG] Battery Backup Beep

[Rich Shepard]

On Thu, 12 Apr 2018, Ben Koenig wrote:


Yes, that makes it a beep code. Beep codes don't have to be from a PC
motherboard, its just a way for headless devices to tell you what is
wrong. Whatever that sound is should be documented by the manufacturer.


Ben,

  These are the 'beeps' that the UPS makes when it transitions to battery
mode. It's not an error, just a notice that the AC is not charging the
battery, but the battery is powering whatever is connected to it. This lasts
a couple or so seconds every now and then.

  This happens her when the lights and radio don't show interruption in
their operations. Infrequently, the surge protector into which the WAP is
plugged will trip off, otherwise there's no indication of a power glitch.

  Apparently the APC backups are more sensitive to voltage changes than are
other electrical devices.

  Similar quirks occur here with my cell phone (a Treo 700p). It's sitting
next to me on a rubber pad on top of a 2-drawer file cabinet. Every now and
then it generates its 'lost signal' sound, followed a short time later, with
its 'network found' signal. Why this happens with the unit sitting in one
place is unexplained. Weather seems to not be a factor. It happened when I
was on the cell phone with a Verizon tech and she could not explain why.
Strange things, these computers.

Rich
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Re: [PLUG] Battery Backup Beep

[Ben Koenig]

On Thu, Apr 12, 2018 at 11:54 AM, Dick Steffens 
wrote:

> On 04/12/2018 11:50 AM, Ben Koenig wrote:
>
>> Oh, so you are saying its more like an electrical sound and not a speaker.
>> So not a beep, but a failing capacitor or fan or something. That sounds
>> more serious, I would replace the unit immediately.
>>
>
> No, it's not squealing capacitor. It's the sound the unit makes when it
> does its thing, switching to battery or whatever it's doing when it senses
> a problem with the line voltage.
>
>
> --
> Regards,
>
> Dick Steffens
>
>
Yes, that makes it a beep code. Beep codes don't have to be from a PC
motherboard, its just a way for headless devices to tell you what is wrong.
Whatever that sound is should be documented by the manufacturer.

Granted, not every company bothers to document the stuff their products do,
but thats the risk you take as a consumer. Like others have already
mentioned, it probably means the battery needs to be replaced, but if you
want something more specific then you need to read the manual.
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Re: [PLUG] Battery Backup Beep

[Tony Schlemmer]

I have few Back-UPS SX 1500 models that I have had for over 10 years. Just 
replaced the one battery pack a few years ago when the orange “replace battery” 
light came on.

> On Apr 12, 2018, at 10:52, Rich Shepard  wrote:
> 
>> On Thu, 12 Apr 2018, Tony Schlemmer wrote:
>> 
>> Is there any lights on the UPS that says replace battery or anything? I
>> have on older one the has 3 lights and the yellow one is replace battery.
>> My newer ones have an LCD display. But they cycle is there is voltage drop
>> sometimes or if storm is hitting my neighborhood, .etc.
> 
> Tony,
> 
>  My APC SmartUPS 1500 has a vertical string of 5 lights that show battery
> charge state. There's also a separate light that comes on when the battery
> is dead. That's happened once in the approximately 20 years I've had this
> unit.
> 
> Rich
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Re: [PLUG] Battery Backup Beep

[Dick Steffens]

On 04/12/2018 11:50 AM, Ben Koenig wrote:

Oh, so you are saying its more like an electrical sound and not a speaker.
So not a beep, but a failing capacitor or fan or something. That sounds
more serious, I would replace the unit immediately.


No, it's not squealing capacitor. It's the sound the unit makes when it 
does its thing, switching to battery or whatever it's doing when it 
senses a problem with the line voltage.


--
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Dick Steffens

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Re: [PLUG] Battery Backup Beep

[Ben Koenig]

At this point you should write down the model number and google it. Find
the manufacturer's website and grab the manual for your particular model.
Since the manufacturer decides what the beeps indicate, the only way you
will figure it out is if

A) the device exposes human readable diagnostic information.
B) you find out by Reading The Friendly Manual.
C) you find someone with the same exact model who happens to know the
answer.

For all I know, that beep could indicate some internal maintenance timer.
You should look into obtaining a list of all diagnostic codes for your
device since the purpose of a backup battery unit is to avoid unexpected
failures. This makes for a good excuse to do some preemptive research.

-Ben



On Thu, Apr 12, 2018 at 10:55 AM, Dick Steffens 
wrote:

> On 04/12/2018 10:48 AM, Tony Schlemmer wrote:
>
>> Is there any lights on the UPS that says replace battery or anything?
>>
>
> No. Only one light on one of the units.
>
> I have on older one the has 3 lights and the yellow one is replace
>> battery. My newer ones have an LCD display. But they cycle is there is
>> voltage drop sometimes or if storm is hitting my neighborhood, .etc.
>>
>
> No obvious cause of a voltage drop, either. While rainy, there hasn't been
> any lightning, or high wind during the beeping episodes.
>
> --
> Regards,
>
> Dick Steffens
>
>
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Re: [PLUG] Battery Backup Beep

[Dick Steffens]

On 04/12/2018 10:48 AM, Tony Schlemmer wrote:

Is there any lights on the UPS that says replace battery or anything?


No. Only one light on one of the units.


I have on older one the has 3 lights and the yellow one is replace battery. My 
newer ones have an LCD display. But they cycle is there is voltage drop 
sometimes or if storm is hitting my neighborhood, .etc.


No obvious cause of a voltage drop, either. While rainy, there hasn't 
been any lightning, or high wind during the beeping episodes.


--
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Dick Steffens

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Re: [PLUG] Battery Backup Beep

[Rich Shepard]

On Thu, 12 Apr 2018, Tony Schlemmer wrote:


Is there any lights on the UPS that says replace battery or anything? I
have on older one the has 3 lights and the yellow one is replace battery.
My newer ones have an LCD display. But they cycle is there is voltage drop
sometimes or if storm is hitting my neighborhood, .etc.


Tony,

  My APC SmartUPS 1500 has a vertical string of 5 lights that show battery
charge state. There's also a separate light that comes on when the battery
is dead. That's happened once in the approximately 20 years I've had this
unit.

Rich
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Re: [PLUG] Battery Backup Beep

[Tony Schlemmer]

Is there any lights on the UPS that says replace battery or anything? I have on 
older one the has 3 lights and the yellow one is replace battery. My newer ones 
have an LCD display. But they cycle is there is voltage drop sometimes or if 
storm is hitting my neighborhood, .etc.

> On Apr 11, 2018, at 17:03, Rich Shepard  wrote:
> 
>> On Wed, 11 Apr 2018, Dick Steffens wrote:
>> 
>> For the last few days I've had occasional beeps from one of my battery
>> backup units. Because they are under the table and next to one another, I
>> have yet to determine which one it is. There have been no obvious light
>> flicker situations and we haven't lost power. Could this beep be an
>> indication that I might need a new battery?
> 
> Dick,
> 
>  I get this on infrequent occasions with no apparent reason. It's probably
> a frequeny or voltage transient too small for most appliances to notice but
> the UPS responds to it. I ignore it.
> 
> Rich
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Re: [PLUG] Battery Backup Beep

[Rich Shepard]

On Wed, 11 Apr 2018, Dick Steffens wrote:


For the last few days I've had occasional beeps from one of my battery
backup units. Because they are under the table and next to one another, I
have yet to determine which one it is. There have been no obvious light
flicker situations and we haven't lost power. Could this beep be an
indication that I might need a new battery?


Dick,

  I get this on infrequent occasions with no apparent reason. It's probably
a frequeny or voltage transient too small for most appliances to notice but
the UPS responds to it. I ignore it.

Rich
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