UPS Failure Quirk, how worried should I be?

[Steve Guttag]

The line interactive units we've used from Tripplite and APC are not that much cheaper than the double-conversion ones. In fact, the APC line interactives are about the same price as the Trippllite on-lines. The APCs don't drop out on low batteries like the Tripplites do, however. With UPSes, I've taken to also using an ATS to avoid a single point of failure.

[Ryan Gallagher]

I do use a standard 1500 VA APC UPS here at home.

Same. I've had an old school 1500VA "SmartUPS" model for at least 12 years at home, and was probably 4 years old when I got it 2nd hand. I only service it when it starts to alarm about the batteries, it's had 3 sets of batteries since I've owned it. The battery module is hot swappable if I had a 2nd module. And it does periodic self tests... it is after one of these tests that it will start alarming about batteries being out of range. I guess it was naive to expect all similar 2U rack mount UPS units to have the same feature set.

Had a computer motherboard die in a storm after college... i'm sure this has saved me from a repeat experience many times.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Same. I've had an old school 1500VA "SmartUPS" model for at least 12 years at home, and was probably 4 years old when I got it 2nd hand. I only service it when it starts to alarm about the batteries, it's had 3 sets of batteries since I've owned it. The battery module is hot swappable if I had a 2nd module. And it does periodic self tests... it is after one of these tests that it will start alarming about batteries being out of range. I guess it was naive to expect all similar 2U rack mount UPS units to have the same feature set.

Had a computer motherboard die in a storm after college... i'm sure this has saved me from a repeat experience many times.

Yea, they are pretty good devices. If you had had it when the storm hit you may have lost the UPS, but likely not the motherboard. The outlets on mine are mainly UPS outlets, but it has an extra pair that are surge protected only. I automatically replace the batteries in my own stuff about every three years, so it is on it's second set as of last November.

[Ryan Gallagher]

Like clockwork my ancient APC 2200VA at home started alarming for battery condition at 5 years and 3 months. It however remained powered on... unlike my Middle Atlantic units at work which just ghost you when the batteries become bad. One other thing to put on the wish list for the eventual booth upgrades.

Edit to add we also no longer cycle the christie via the pedestal unless doing a lamp change (and may not even be needed then). We simply soft reboot the TPC from the System Access UI before most shows to reset the TPC and avoid those UI/automation lag issues.

[Ryan Gallagher]

Like clockwork my ancient APC 2200VA at home started alarming for battery condition at 5 years and 3 months.

Correction. Posted that based on my last amazon battery order, apparently last time I found a better deal direct. Upon opening it my note on the batteries was they were new in Aug 22. So 3 years and two months before two fell below the testing threshold. Was thinking 5 years sounded like a lot. ;-)

[Marcel Birgelen]

As an update to wonky power equipment: I recently had my first-ever ATS/STS failure.

I noticed that when I switched it from A feed to B feed that it would essentially power-down the protected feed for a second or two, sufficiently long to cause all equipment with non-redundant PSUs connected to it to fail. I'm pretty sure it didn't use to behave that way. It was an MGE branded unit. I'm not sure if Schneider Electric still produces anything under the "Merlin Gerin" brand anymore... When I removed it from the rack, the asset tag indicated I had put it in production back in 2001. I guess I can't complain too much...