Posted: 2/7/2009 4:06:10 PM EDT
I am new to the forum (just joined today) however have been lurking for many months, don't think that counts though.
Just wanted to share my upgrade of a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) I will give credit where its due, this project was inspired by this UPS I liked this guys idea, however he was using the wrong batteries that will kill you if they are charged indoors (car batteries) not to mention they are starting batteries and not for deep cycle use. So heres what i got. I purchase four items: 1. APC BK500 = $2.50 2. APC BK200= $2.50 3. UNIVERSAL D5722 SEALED LEAD ACID BATTERIES (12V; 35 AH; UB12350) = $50.32 4. UNIVERSAL D5722 SEALED LEAD ACID BATTERIES (12V; 35 AH; UB12350)= $50.32 5. Shipping for batteries= $33.00 Grand total: $138.64 (this is the price of one brand new unit folks) + beer money I bought the UPS from a computer salvage store in my local area, the guy told me 5 bucks for both, he advised they were old, untested and probably had dead batteries. I bought them anyway. Sure enough the small 12v 7amp hour batteries were fried, so i went online to find replacements. Well turns out these suckers can get pricey. So instead of buying the 12v 7amp hour battery i bought much bigger ones. I bought two 12v 35amp batteries from http://www.electOtronics.com These batteries are generally used for wheel chairs and emergency lighting. They are SLA deep cycle batteries. so they dont give off fumes while charging, which makes them perfect for this application Once the batteries arrived, I lengthened the wires from the UPS to the batteries and connected them. I have found that these batteries fit nicely inside a 50 cal ammo box. This setup is not apart of my alt.energy setup and is soley for my computer and monitor. The 7amp hour battery's were good for about 10mins of backup, So far I have tested these at 45 mins. I will do some longer testing after my kill-a-watt meter arrives (I am not sure on the watts my compuer and large monitor require) I plan on installing a couple of small computer fans in the UPS case to allow for proper cooling as these units were not designed to run for longer that 10 minutes. By all means this is not a comprehensive guide but i feel it is a good FYI. I have since found these batteries on overstock.com for $60ish and the shipping is like 3 bucks. http://images.craigslist.org/3k33ma3p7ZZZZZZZZZ9271dc170491ce91b95.jpg http://images.craigslist.org/3n33k73ocZZZZZZZZZ927d0049c92a76411e2.jpg http://images.craigslist.org/3n33k43obZZZZZZZZZ92778699ed377a51d03.jpg http://images.craigslist.org/3n23ka3l1ZZZZZZZZZ9274da322e7f649156d.jpg So whatcha think? |
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OK,,OK
Here are some more pics and info, I don't have build pics,, so i will give you what i got. finished Setup: http://images.craigslist.org/3na3m93l4ZZZZZZZZZ927a38181ea28521909.jpg Battery in 50 cal box: http://images.craigslist.org/3k73pf3l5ZZZZZZZZZ927d42596ca5fce14c1.jpg Original UPS 7amp hr battery: http://images.craigslist.org/3nc3ke3pcZZZZZZZZZ927dfb6bd0e1d01174e.jpg Battery shipping box: http://images.craigslist.org/3k13o93l9ZZZZZZZZZ9277114a4be6f36184b.jpg Thats all the photos I have, the "build" was super easy, just get some extra wire and some connectors and crimp em down. Keep in mind I built two units, two batteries and two ups required, one for pc and one for monitor. If you have a larger UPS you can run both pc and monitor on one UPS. So far the run time is 45 minutes with plenty of time to spare (i am shooting for 1 hr before the battery gets to 50% draw), however because these are old UPS they are considered "dumb" which means they only relay basic info via serial cable to the APC powerchute software, which is the following, online, on battery, low battery, low battery shut down. The software is configurable and will shut down your PC at a predetermined low battery setting. Like i said earlier due to the much larger battery the run time is much more than the UPS are rated for which means they will get hot. In addition I am not sure if the built in charger will bring the battery back up to 100%. I may have to invest in a cheap smart charger to bring battery to 100%. This project is very simple. The MFR even provides instructions on battery replacement, just keep in mind the larger battery does not fit and thus requires the wire extensions. |
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I liked this guys idea, however he was using the wrong batteries that will kill you if they are charged indoors (car batteries) not to mention they are starting batteries and not for deep cycle use. I am curious why you think they might kill someone? I agree they are not ideal for deep cycle use, but even the deep cycle type batteries are not that great for deep cycle use. The batteries last a lot longer if you don't deeply discharge them. |
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Quoted:
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I liked this guys idea, however he was using the wrong batteries that will kill you if they are charged indoors (car batteries) not to mention they are starting batteries and not for deep cycle use. I am curious why you think they might kill someone? I agree they are not ideal for deep cycle use, but even the deep cycle type batteries are not that great for deep cycle use. The batteries last a lot longer if you don't deeply discharge them. Car batteries are not sealed unlike the SLA AGM batteries i am using. This means unsealed Lead Acid batteries give of Oxygen and Hydrogen while being charged and this is a very explosive combination. The amount of gases generated is very small but there is still the possibility of an explosion if sparks are generated at or very near the battery. This danger is amplified with a UPS setup as generally the PC is near the UPS and the PC power supply generates static electricity. You also have the danger of leaking battery acid, battery acid is very harmful when the fumes are inhaled, and can cause long term respiratory problems. I am not saying this guys setup with car batteries would not work, however your better off with the right batteries to begin with. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I liked this guys idea, however he was using the wrong batteries that will kill you if they are charged indoors (car batteries) not to mention they are starting batteries and not for deep cycle use. I am curious why you think they might kill someone? I agree they are not ideal for deep cycle use, but even the deep cycle type batteries are not that great for deep cycle use. The batteries last a lot longer if you don't deeply discharge them. Car batteries are not [span style='text-decoration: underline;']sealed unlike the SLA AGM batteries i am using. This means unsealed Lead Acid batteries give of Oxygen and Hydrogen while being charged and this is a very explosive combination. The amount of gases generated is very small but there is still the possibility of an explosion if sparks are generated at or very near the battery. This danger is amplified with a UPS setup as generally the PC is near the UPS and the PC power supply generates static electricity. You also have the danger of leaking battery acid, battery acid is very harmful when the fumes are inhaled, and can cause long term respiratory problems. I am not saying this guys setup with car batteries would not work, however your better off with the right batteries to begin with. There is a certain amount of truth to this, and a certain amount of urban legend. Lead acid batteries of modern vintage (regardless of sealed or not) don't outgas much, unless improperly charged. And the dangers of any kind of fire from the tiny amount of hydrogen outgassed is remote. Sealed batteries retain the oxygen and hydrogen so they can recombine but have vents in case of overpressurization. Battery acid is not something you want to inhale, but again, the dangers of leakage are much exaggerated, short of case rupture, and even "sealed" batteries have that problem. I agree with your suggestion on using deep cycle batteries for this application, but not because they are necessarily safer. |