APC Matrix 5000 question(s)

Hi:

I've had this APC Matrix 5000 with 3 XR battery packs for
almost 6 years
now, and it's generally been rock solid, with lots of
uptime when
needed...the average laod is only around 24%, which probably
helps.

At around 1am last night, my network had a power event which
brought
everything down...everything came back up on its own except
a customer's
colo server, which has a dead power supply and one of my
servers, which
had a dead drive in its RAID 1 (the other was ok).

I looked at the UPS menus...status, etc and everything
looked 100%, with
"BAD BATTS 0", 12 hours+ of est runtime, etc.  I
then decided to run a
battery test, which I stupidly did without going into bypass
mode first
(kinda thought it would do that automatically), power was
interrupted and
the alarm started beeping with a "BAD BATT"
light, after which power came
back on and it eventually quieted down and looks the same as
it did
before...still "zero bad batteries" in the
status menu, 100% etc.

Any clues what the problem is here?  Is it the UPS itself,
or one of the
battery packs?  If the latter, is there a way to find out
which one?

TIA!

James Smallacombe		      PlantageNet, Inc. CEO and Janitor
up3.am							    http://3.am
============================================================
=============

Hi,

i am very sure that the batterys are dead. APC recommends to
change the
batterys every 3 to 5 years. I'd change them every 3 years
to be sure.
Its very unlikely that your 6 year old packs are still fully
functional.
I had the same symptoms at a customers APC (3000VA) and the
battery
packs were dead. Try to locate the packs on ebay, can save
quite a bunch
of money (but beware of low quality packs).

Regards,
Jonas Frey

On Thu, 2006-07-27 at 16:07, up3.am wrote:
> Hi:
> 
> I've had this APC Matrix 5000 with 3 XR battery packs
for almost 6 years
> now, and it's generally been rock solid, with lots of
uptime when
> needed...the average laod is only around 24%, which
probably helps.
> 
> At around 1am last night, my network had a power event
which brought
> everything down...everything came back up on its own
except a customer's
> colo server, which has a dead power supply and one of
my servers, which
> had a dead drive in its RAID 1 (the other was ok).
> 
> I looked at the UPS menus...status, etc and everything
looked 100%, with
> "BAD BATTS 0", 12 hours+ of est runtime,
etc.  I then decided to run a
> battery test, which I stupidly did without going into
bypass mode first
> (kinda thought it would do that automatically), power
was interrupted and
> the alarm started beeping with a "BAD BATT"
light, after which power came
> back on and it eventually quieted down and looks the
same as it did
> before...still "zero bad batteries" in the
status menu, 100% etc.
> 
> Any clues what the problem is here?  Is it the UPS
itself, or one of the
> battery packs?  If the latter, is there a way to find
out which one?
> 
> TIA!
> 
> James Smallacombe		      PlantageNet, Inc. CEO and
Janitor
> up3.am							    http://3.am
>
============================================================
=============

Hi,
> i am very sure that the batterys are dead. APC
recommends to change the
> batterys every 3 to 5 years. I'd change them every 3
years to be sure.
> Its very unlikely that your 6 year old packs are still
fully functional.
> I had the same symptoms at a customers APC (3000VA) and
the battery
> packs were dead. Try to locate the packs on ebay, can
save quite a bunch
> of money (but beware of low quality packs).
>
>   
http://s
tores.ebay.com/Gruber-Power-Services

I've used them multiple times and been very happy.

Malcolm

up3.am writes:

> I've had this APC Matrix 5000 with 3 XR battery packs
for almost 6 years

As others on the list have noted, your batteries are almost
certainly
ready to head off to the battery recycler.

In terms of what to put inside the XR packs, they're Group
24 AGM
batteries, 12v, 75 AH, and if my recollection is correct
they have lug
style terminals not threaded studs like a marine battery
(verify
before you buy).  Others (hi, Steve) have reported success
with the
PRC-1290S.  If you are handy enough with a wrench to change
the
battery in your car, you can change the batteries in the UPS
too
(powered off, of course).

You can get these from your local industrial battery
supplier (in the
yellow pages under "batteries").  If you have
them shipped to you,
you'll earn the emnity of your UPS man (no pun intended)
since their
shipping weight exceeds 60 lbs and you need a bunch of them.
 If
you're an amateur radio operator be sure to mention this to
the guy at
the battery store; a lot of the proprietors seem to be hams
and since
hams are big battery users they'll often give fellow hams a
discount.

                                        ---rob

> up3.am writes:
>
>   
>> I've had this APC Matrix 5000 with 3 XR battery
packs for almost 6 years
>>     

Do you have the little telephone cables connecting the
battery packs 
properly connected?  Does the UPS think is has three cells? 
If no to 
these questions, it could indicate why the UPS doesn't show
bad batteries.

There are also little red "bad battery" lights
on each cell that are 
powered by the telephone cable.

Also one other thing.  There is a special procedure for
resetting the 
bad battery lights on the cells.  Its a real pain.

Roy




 

On Jul 27, 2006, at 12:25 PM, Robert E.Seastrom wrote:

>
>
> up3.am writes:
>
>> I've had this APC Matrix 5000 with 3 XR battery
packs for almost 6  
>> years
>
> As others on the list have noted, your batteries are
almost certainly
> ready to head off to the battery recycler.
>
> In terms of what to put inside the XR packs, they're
Group 24 AGM
> batteries, 12v, 75 AH, and if my recollection is
correct they have lug
> style terminals not threaded studs like a marine
battery (verify
> before you buy).  Others (hi, Steve) have reported
success with the
> PRC-1290S.  If you are handy enough with a wrench to
change the
> battery in your car, you can change the batteries in
the UPS too
> (powered off, of course).

[non-operational anecdote AKA: Looking for any excuse to
avoid  
writing documentation]
Be careful when doing this...

A few years ago I was working for a company that had a small
 
enterprise datacenter. We ran out of space and so got a new,
better  
space made and then started migrating into the new space. We
shut  
down the UPS in the old space, pulled all the batteries (so
we could  
move it) and moved all the bits on a pallet-jack to the new
space. I  
showed someone how to hook up a battery and slid it into the
bay  
closest to the ground (no fool I!), then let him get on with
 
reinstalling the rest of the batteries while I cabled up the
network  
gear.

After a while I hear some cursing and turn around -- he has
managed  
to get the one of the sets of DC cables between the battery
casing  
and the sheet metal and is sitting on the floor trying to
force the  
battery in with his feet! Before I can say anything he
pushed really  
hard and the sheet metal casing slices through the
insulation,  
shorting out the battery.... I never did figure out how much
current  
the battery could supply into a direct short (a good car
battery can  
supply 1000 CCA), but it was enough to vaporize a chunk of
metal  
around 8" x 8" from the side of the UPS, blow a
large piece of  
plastic out of the side of the battery and warp the
plates....


Also from the same place:
Pointy Haired Boss type reads an article in NetworkWorld on
physical  
security and hires some consultant who comes in and sells
some really  
expensive proximity card reader system. They install the PC
that runs  
the whole system (running Windows 98!) inside the new
datacenter  
space -- entry to with is protected by, you guessed it, the
proximity  
card system.....

After a few months, the proximity card machine locks up...
Of course,  
by then no-one can find the keys to the lock on the door
("Why would  
we keep that? There is a proximity card reader on that
door..").  
Apparently there was an option for a master card, but it was
"too  
expensive"....

There are countless more similar stories from this
particular place....
W

>
> You can get these from your local industrial battery
supplier (in the
> yellow pages under "batteries").  If you
have them shipped to you,
> you'll earn the emnity of your UPS man (no pun
intended) since their
> shipping weight exceeds 60 lbs and you need a bunch of
them.  If
> you're an amateur radio operator be sure to mention
this to the guy at
> the battery store; a lot of the proprietors seem to be
hams and since
> hams are big battery users they'll often give fellow
hams a discount.
>
>                                         ---rob
>
>

-- 
Never criticize a man till you've walked a mile in his
shoes.  Then  
if he didn't like what you've said, he's a mile away and
barefoot.