Surely most of us use this useful device as an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). This device always comes to the rescue in situations where there is an unexpected blackout in the network, just at the moment when we are editing important documents, giving us about 15 more minutes of electricity to complete the work correctly. However, the UPS is not eternal and after a year or two, it starts to give us less and less time to complete the work with the PC. And one fine day, when the electricity is cut off again, we leisurely save everything important documents knowing that there are still about 10 minutes left, after a minute the uninterruptible power supply begins to beep frequently and turns off, leaving us at a loss.
Why does the UPS not work for the time specified in the characteristics?
It's all about the battery, which powers the PC during a power outage in the external network. Unfortunately, the battery eventually becomes unusable and loses its capacity. Why does the battery drain quickly? There can be many reasons. Intensive use (overloading) due to which the sulfation of the plates begins. Incorrect charging mechanism - often the batteries are constantly in recharging mode and the water that forms the basis of the electrolyte slowly evaporates, rendering the battery unusable.
Fortunately the most common cause loss of battery capacity in the UPS, is the drying of the electrolyte. Why fortunately? Because it can be corrected and the battery's previous capacity restored.
You will need:
- Distilled water (not electrolyte!!!);
- Scotch;
- Syringe with a needle.
We take out the battery from the UPS.
Remove the cover and see something like this. Rubber caps that close the openings of the jars. They probably serve to relieve excess pressure, which is formed due to water vapor, hydrogen and other substances.
Remove the caps and pour distilled water into each jar. You need to make sure that the water does not flounder in the jar. When illuminating the holes with a flashlight, be careful not to pour excess water.
After pouring, we set to charge the battery (you can charge it using the uninterruptible power supply itself). If you poured water, then excess water will flow out of the cans during charging. It must be collected and poured into the sewer.
After charging, I discharged the batteries a little with a car “carry”, about half an hour, measured the residual voltage, estimated the capacity. Charged again and again discharged a little.
After these manipulations, we return the cover to its place and, using adhesive tape, glue it to the battery case. We collect the UPS.
Battery Recovery Results
In 10 minutes at a load of 110VA, the batteries (there are two of them in this UPS) were discharged to 79 percent. The program reported 29 minutes remaining until the end of the work. 29 + 10 (already elapsed minutes) = 40 minutes. Impressive result.
Based on materials from the site: habrahabr.ru
Many owners of uninterruptible power supplies have been in a situation where, at the slightest power surge, the computer turned off, although it was connected to a UPS. The reason for this is the failure of the batteries, and their price is such that it is sometimes cheaper to buy a new source. Many immediately have questions: “How to reanimate an uninterruptible power supply? Can the UPS battery be repaired? We invite you to learn how to restore in this article.
Causes of battery failure
To begin, consider the main types of malfunctions and the reasons why the battery may become unusable. The reasons for the failure of the battery source can be many:
- systematic undercharging of UPS batteries is the most common reason, since budget sources are equipped with not very high-quality chargers. Also, the reason may be the quality of the input mains voltage, due to which the UPS often has to turn on the battery mode;
- deep discharge- also possible with poor quality input voltage;
- prolonged battery discharge - after a long battery life, try to leave the UPS on so that it can fully charge its batteries, there are also situations that the UPS itself discharges the battery, but this problem is associated with physical problems in the circuit;
- a decrease in the electrolyte level, which leads to the drying of the battery and the loss of its original qualities - this is due to the increased voltage during charging;
- battery operation in high temperature regime and its storage at temperatures below 0.
All of the above negatively affects the performance of the batteries in the UPS, and they work poorly or completely fail. The above reasons lead to the following battery failures:
- shedding and creeping of the active mass of positively charged electrodes, which is associated with a violation of uniformity and loosening;
- weak adhesion of the active mass or poor mechanical strength of the down conductors causes the active mass to fall off;
- electrode corrosion, which consists in the formation of electrochemical processes of dissolution and oxidation in the electrolyte, as a result of which the material of the down conductors crumbles;
- sulfation of plates, which consists in the impossibility of the occurrence of reversible current-generating processes as a result of the formation of large crystals of lead sulfate.
How to restore the UPS battery?
Now let's move on to the essence of the article - the revival of the uninterruptible battery at home. You should not expect 100% results, and recovery methods are only suitable for some types of breakdowns, but it’s still worth trying to restore the uninterruptible battery, since the prices for new batteries are quite high. Below we consider several ways to restore batteries.
1. We revive the uninterruptible power supply with distilled water.
First you need to buy necessary tools: syringe and distilled water. Distilled water is sold in any car shop. To restore batteries in this way, you will have to disrupt top cover batteries that covers the caps of the cans. Then remove the caps, which are also valves to relieve excess pressure that is created when the batteries are heated.
Draw distilled water into the syringe, no more than 2 ml, and squeeze it into a jar. Do this for each jar. Let the water soak in (it will take about half an hour), if necessary, add more. The plates should be lightly covered with water, if there is an excess, then it can be removed with a syringe.
2. Long loading
UPS battery recovery this way allows you to restore its original properties after drying. Initially, you can try it so as not to disassemble the battery. If prolonged loading did not help, then you will have to complete the first step. A dry battery will initially not consume current from the charger, so do not pay attention to the ammeter.
Before connecting, cover the battery with a lid and put a load on it, otherwise the caps will scatter throughout the room, as excess pressure will be released through them.
You need to charge with a voltage of at least 15 volts. And you have to wait a long time before the battery starts to come to life and take current. If within 15 hours of charging the battery did not begin to take current, then the voltage should be increased to 20 V. In this case, the battery must not be left unattended, otherwise both the battery and the charger can be damaged.
3. Cyclic charge
If the battery does not want to come to life, then you can try to "rock" it. It is necessary to alternately perform charge / discharge cycles, which will restore the original properties of the battery.
The first charge cycle should be carried out with a high voltage of about 30 V. Subsequent cycles will require a stepwise decrease in voltage to 14 V, for example, 30-25-20-14 V. If there are more cycles, then the voltage indicators will be different. The battery should be discharged with a small 5-10 watt bulb. When discharging, you should monitor the battery voltage and prevent it from dropping below 10.5 V.
The above methods describe how to restore the UPS, but if they did not help, then you will have to go to the store for a new battery. If you decide to throw away old batteries, remember that batteries contain lead, which is a heavy metal, and acid. Ask on the Internet or in any service center, where to take the batteries from the UPS in your city, so as not to damage the environment.
Uninterruptible and feeds all our hardware when the external network is turned off. But these batteries, alas, are not eternal, they degrade, their capacity decreases, and with it the time battery life. Down to zero.
Unfortunately, this process is often not controlled by anyone, the owner is confident that he is protected, and at this time the battery is no longer a battery, but a dummy.
Why do batteries degrade?
There are many reasons. From intensive use, sulphation of the plates occurs, from overloads, active substances crumble, and so on. IN UPS costs maintenance-free battery, but it still has electrolyte and this electrolyte is based on water. Being constantly in the buffer mode, in the mode of slow recharging, this water gradually evaporates and the electrolyte no longer performs its functions. The battery is failing.
How can this be avoided premature exit battery failure?
This can be avoided by correct battery charging mechanisms, by monitoring its characteristics, but this is the lot of UPS manufacturers.
It so happened that the Internet in my places is only wireless, for its operation a frightening-looking antenna is installed on the roof, and to reduce signal loss in the cable, its length is minimized. The server that then distributes the Internet (another server and a switch) is installed in the attic. This little bundle needs an uninterruptible power supply. Even without taking into account data loss - running to load the server at the slightest sneeze (and they happen often in our country) - there is little pleasure. Continuity should be and preferably more.
I bought a 1100VA uninterruptible power supply, not new (new one costs more than those servers) and of course I did not rely on batteries - they are often worn out. In the UPS control panel, they cheerfully showed me about almost an hour of battery life (the load was about 70 VA). I decided to check it out. Turned off the power and after two minutes, approximately, everything turned off safely. Batteries are dead. Just the case with false protection. There is nothing to do but buy new batteries. Put backup batteries(it so happened that there are electric bikes and they are inactive), 12VA each. And dead relatives lowered down.
I have heard that the electrolyte in UPS batteries often just dries out. What is not sulfation, not chipping of the plates, is the cause of the death of UPS batteries, namely the drying of the electrolyte. An attempt, as they say, is not torture. Batteries are still on the ejection, and the craving for picking did not give a chance.
For my experiments, I needed:
Distilled water (Never an electrolyte!). Sold in an auto shop.
- A syringe, better with a needle - it is easier to dose with a needle. Sold in a pharmacy.
- Knife for picking, stronger.
- Adhesive tape for assembly (for aesthetes, of course, ONLY blue electrical tape should be!).
- Flashlight.
- Accum itself.)
A lid is glued on the battery that closes the jars. Pry carefully with a knife. I had to walk in a circle - it was glued in several places.
Under the lid - jars covered with rubber caps. These caps are probably needed to bleed water vapor, hydrogen and other things that can create excess pressure in the bank during battery operation. Such a nipple that releases gas to the outside, but does not let anything in.
We pour water. It is better to shine a flashlight and look. The main thing is not to spill.
After pouring water, I covered the jars with rubber caps and put the battery to charge. And I charged separately, with a large charger, but I think this is not necessary - you can simply charge it in an uninterruptible power supply. If the batteries are discharged below 10V, then it will not be possible to charge them in this way. There is evidence that such batteries can also be “rocked”, but for this it is necessary to apply to them at the initial stages high voltage(about 35V per 12V battery) with current control. Haven't tried it so I can't say for sure. I can't recommend this method either.
The first moment - if you poured water - it will return from under the lid. It must be collected with a syringe and poured into the sewer.
The second point - if you covered the jars with lids, then during the charging process the pressure in the jar rises a little and the lids will scatter all over the room with a characteristic bang. It's funny, but only once. I checked twice - the second time is no fun :) I covered the lids with my own plastic lid, and put a load on it.
After charging, I discharged the batteries a little with a car “carry”, about half an hour, measured the residual voltage, estimated the capacity. Charged again and again discharged a little.
I did the same with the second battery - there are a couple of them in the uninterruptible power supply. After all, I sealed the otkovyryanye covers with adhesive tape, put the batteries in place.
The results are:
In 10 minutes at a load of 110VA, the batteries were discharged to 79 percent. The battery life changed somewhat, at the end the software spoke of almost 29 minutes + 10 already passed, almost 40 minutes. This state of affairs suits me. Enough to go and start the generator. When I have it :). And make some tea along the way. And drink it.
Based on 79%, that's 21% for 10 minutes or 47 minutes of battery life. Somewhere in the region of what the software promises.
Another calculation option is the total capacity of the batteries 12V * 7Ah * 2pcs = 168 Watt / hours. This is ideal. With a load of 110W, the charge should last for 1.5 hours. But in reality, even on new batteries, there will not be such an operating time - the discharge current is too large and the output capacity will be lower. It is difficult to say unequivocally how much the capacity has recovered, but it is very likely that up to 80 percent of the nominal one. In my opinion - not bad at all for one syringe, a can of distillate and an hour of time.
The moral of this fable is this:
- Check the battery life periodically. They can put a pig on you at the most unpleasant moment.
- At your own risk, even battered batteries can be restored little blood. But no, you always have time to buy new ones.
—> Near-computer —>
Battery recovery in uninterruptible power supply
I got an APC-420 uninterruptible power supply from the previous admin, all sniffy, it was lying in the closet, among other rubbish. When he asked what was wrong with him, he said: "The battery is dead, if you need it, then order new battery." Okay, lying around, and lying around, he doesn’t ask for food. Forgotten.
About six months later, I accidentally stumbled upon him, during another fruitless attempt to restore at least some semblance of order in my sharaga. I connected it to the outlet in order to see what they say and show uninterruptible power supplies with a dead battery. He blinked his lights, squeaked something, then they called me, and they ripped off somewhere ... In general, I found him again only after a couple of months. It stands peacefully, a green light is shining, they say, everything is in order with the voltage in the network. I disconnected it from the network, it got nervous, squeaked and buzzed hard, continuing to apply voltage to a non-existent load :). After waiting 5 minutes for control, I turned it off and connected my computer through it. I tried how it behaves in the event of a power failure - everything is clear, the computer plows, issues warnings (I slobbered it with a cable over the COM port), and after 7 minutes the computer is cut down, followed by UPS.
Once, they turned off the voltage, but did not warn in advance. Nothing terrible happened, Almost everyone had UPSs, completed the work and began to wait to be turned on. I did not cut anything, I decided to check in "combat conditions" how long the equipment will last on autonomous power. Along the way, it turned out that Cisco and the TAYNET DT-128 cable momed are connected directly to the network, without any filters or uninterruptible power supplies.
- After 8 minutes, my uninterruptible power supply died, without warning, and the correct termination of the work of Windows. (This is despite the fact that I hesitated to select a cable for it - APC has at least two possible pinouts for COM cables)
- At the 15th minute, two sideboards, powered by one UPS at 700W, went crazy.
- At the 15th minute, the proxy for FreeBSD died, which had a small Back-UPS 475, and on this model a cable for communicating with a computer is not provided in principle, so the work was not completed correctly.
- At the 22nd minute, they turned on the voltage and the experiment ended. Three 24-port switches remained in operation, and a server that was powered by Smart-UPS 1500.
As a result, after some combinations and machinations with rearranging UPSs, I got the 700th smart, and FreeBSD got mine, which was kind of dead, but with an RS-232 interface (COM port) for pairing with a computer. He fought for a long time, while under the fryuha he managed to ensure that she saw him. The result of the last of the experiments was that everything ended correctly, but after turning on the power on the APC-420, the red light began to burn constantly - like the battery was dead:
The first thing that surprised me after disassembling the UPS was that the radiators on transistors are so small, I got used to the old bass breakers with ordinary transistors, and here they turned out to be field ones - as a result, the size of the radiators decreased by more than an order of magnitude:
The second thing that is already good is the power of the transformer, which, judging by the marking on it, was equal to 430W, which is even more than the nameplate power of the uninterruptible power supply unit (it is believed that more powerful uninterruptible power supplies are also produced in such a case with minor differences in the circuit and more powerful key transistors):
Another interesting thing in the design, which I didn’t even notice before, is the ability to connect a network cable via Smart-UPS, in order to additional protection. Upon closer inspection, the circuit turned out to be quite simple, and only two pairs are protected through which data is transmitted (for a telephone pair, the protection is divorced, but not soldered):
To restore the battery (12V 7.0Ah, the banks seem to be intact, none of them swelled.), A simple circuit was assembled for charging with an asymmetric current (I previously discharged it to 10.8 volts with a 21W light bulb):
Charged up to 14.8 volts, then discharged again. And so three times. Charging current was about 0.5 A. The first time it was discharged very quickly - literally in an hour. From the second call - for two with a penny, the third time I did not discharge, put it in place. When his torment was over, he worked like new. Of course, he did not become new because of this, but he worked for a long time. In a good way - three times is not enough, it was necessary to drive him away like that 5 times, he would have worked much longer (a year later a similar story happened to him, but I didn’t work there anymore, and I don’t know how everything was decided ...).
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posted: 2005-10-04, |
Batteries in uninterruptible power supplies are the most expensive component in the entire device. From correct operation depends on durability and good work equipment. This includes charging the UPS battery: following the rules of this process can extend the life and maintain the efficiency of expensive battery modules.
Which batteries are suitable for the UPS?
Charging rules are directly dictated by the type of batteries used. All modern power supplies use lead-acid type batteries. That is, the question of how to charge an uninterruptible battery, implies the process of charging lead acid batteries. These batteries are like car batteries, but between them there is significant difference. For the most part, it is justified by the fact that in cars the battery is constantly blown by air passing under the hood. static and immovable.
Before you charge the battery from the UPS, it is worth understanding the structure and principle of operation of the batteries. The electrolyte inside the battery is in the form of a gel, so it does not spill or splatter. Due to this, some UPS models can be installed both vertically and horizontally (for example, under a monitor). The battery is sealed, therefore it does not require special user care, except for the timely charging of the uninterruptible power supply if necessary. Moreover, the UPS battery does not emit hydrogen or other explosive and harmful gases during operation, as it recirculates in the enclosure space.
Charging the UPS battery for the first time: what you need to know
When buying an uninterruptible power supply, it is important to figure out how to initially charge the battery in the UPS. As a rule, during the time from the date of manufacture of the equipment to purchase and commissioning by the user, the factory battery charge is discharged. That is, the new UPS will arrive at your home, office or enterprise in a discharged state. This means that the batteries will not be able to provide reliable power supply to the protected devices when the uninterruptible power supply is immediately installed under load. In addition, the device is programmed to self-test before each start. The self-test procedure will end with a battery module failure message and a request to replace it.
How to charge an uninterruptible power supply for a computer or other equipment after purchase:
- Connect the UPS to the mains without connecting the load. The first charge of the UPS will require more time than subsequent normal charging procedures. Leave the uninterruptible power supply connected to the network for a day - 24 hours.
- Charging will continue when the UPS is powered by utility power, whether or not the unit is turned on.
- In winter, before charging the uninterruptible power supply, after bringing it in from the cold, it is advisable to leave it in a warm room for several hours to warm it up.
After the first recharge cycle, it is worth turning on the load for the first discharge of the battery. A static load with a constant, non-jumping power is preferred. After such a complete discharge, it is worthwhile to complete the charge-discharge cycle of the battery again. Fully charge the UPS battery again - and after that it will be calibrated and ready to protect your equipment from power surges.
Basic Rules for Charging Lead Acid Batteries
To know how to charge the UPS correctly, it is enough to know only two rules for charging lead-acid batteries:
- The initial recharging current, according to its nominal value in Amperes, should not be more than 3-30% of the capacity of the battery itself in Amp-hours.
- Make sure the voltage on the charger matches the specifications of your battery.
In order for an expensive uninterruptible battery to last its maximum term operation without failure and loss of efficiency, the recharging current should be slightly less than recommended.
How much to charge an uninterruptible power supply, you can calculate yourself. To do this, divide the battery capacity in amp-hours by the current in the charger in amps.
How often should I charge the UPS battery?
How often and how to charge rechargeable batteries for the UPS so that it lasts as long as possible? The longest allowable service life of an uninterruptible power supply is achievable if the battery of the uninterruptible power supply is continuously charged from one charger with the same voltage: either constant or floating type. The period of simple storage is usually less than the actual life of a constantly used and recharged battery. So don't be afraid premature wear UPS batteries because of frequent charging. On the contrary, some of the natural processes of wear and tear of devices are slowed down and suspended due to the constant recharging of the battery.
When buying power supplies specialized companies the staff will explain in detail how to charge the UPS, what are the operating conditions and other specific features of the equipment. By following the recommendations of professionals, you will protect your equipment from premature wear and tear and breakdowns, and yourself from excessive expenses for repairs and replacement of elements in the equipment.
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