About the battery capacity of UPS?

Problem: The battery capacity indicator on Smart-UPS flashes together, and the PowerChute plus software also reports that battery discharge is not a sign that UPS or PowerChute plus is out of order.

Solution:

When running online, the remaining running time (calculated by the microprocessor of Smart-UPS) must be at least 2 minutes longer than the alarm time of low battery signal. Otherwise, the battery LED will flash.

Option 1

Adjust the low battery signal time to a lower value. The total running time of intelligent UPS under full load is about 15 minutes. The low battery signal alarm time is set to 7 minutes. If the remaining running time is 8 minutes or less due to battery discharge, the turned-on battery LED lights will start flashing together. Try to set the alarm time of low battery signal to a lower value through the configuration menu and UPS shutdown submenu in PowerChute plus. The minimum value that can be selected in the setting options is 2 minutes.

Option 2

Reduce the load or replace the battery. The firmware in Smart-UPS is designed to last for many years, but the battery is a consumable. With the aging of the battery, the retention capacity of the battery will also decrease, resulting in a gradual decrease in running time. Once the remaining running time is less than 2 minutes of the low battery signal alarm time, the battery LED light will start flashing, and PowerChute plus/SmartSlot will report "UPS is discharging". If the battery running for a long time is overloaded, try to reduce the connection load. If your UPS is old, please try to replace the battery. Battery life is usually 3 to 6 years.

Option 3

Perform runtime calibration. This is a manual process, so please don't confuse it with runtime calibration through PowerChute plus. The battery inside the intelligent UPS is controlled by the microprocessor inside the UPS. Sometimes it is necessary to reset this microprocessor, especially after installing a new battery. Stop running PowerChute plus software and disconnect all connections. In this process, at least 30% of the load must be connected to the UPS, but this process will turn off the UPS and cut off the power supply. So, connect a non-critical load to the UPS, then disconnect the mains, and let the UPS work in the battery state until it is completely shut down. Make sure there is 30% load! Plug the UPS back into the wall socket for charging (charging is faster when it is turned off and empty). When UPS is charging, the calculation of "remaining running time" should be more accurate.

Background:

APC intelligent UPS has a microprocessor to calculate the running time, which is mainly based on the load connected to the UPS and its battery capacity. On the right side of the display panel of the front panel, there are five vertical indicator lights, and each LED is the display of battery power. This display is at 20% intervals: 20, 40, 60, 80, 100% (from bottom to top). For example, if the battery is charged to 99%, four of the five LEDs will light up.

To ensure that the operating system can shut down correctly when using PowerChute plus or SmartSlot accessories, Smart-UPS will generate an alarm to remind UPS that it has reached a low battery state. The alarm prompt can be heard (quick beep), seen (battery LED flashing) and read through the graphical interface of PowerChute plus software. In order to calculate this "low battery state", all Smart-UPS products have a preset low battery signal alarm time of 2 minutes (this is the factory default setting). * * * There are four settings that users can change: 2, 5, 7 or 10 minutes. If the total running time of UPS is set to 2 minutes, the alarm indication will be activated 2 minutes before shutdown. Similarly, if the total running time of UPS is 30 minutes and the low battery alarm time is set to 10 minutes, UPS will run in battery state for 20 minutes before the low battery alarm prompts.

The total running time mainly depends on two factors, battery capacity and UPS load. The load of UPS is inversely proportional to the running time of battery power supply: the load increases, the running time of battery decreases, and vice versa. When the main power supply fails, the UPS battery begins to discharge to support the connected load. When the main power supply is restored, the intelligent UPS will automatically start charging the battery.