Near continual Self Tests on new Smart-UPS 3000 RM XL

[Anonymous user]

We replaced a dead (malfunctioning) UPS yesterday with a Smart-UPS 3000 RM XL, and started apcupsd to monitor it about 7PM yesterday (It was powered up in the morning). Currently there is no load on the UPS. Today apcupsd started reporting near continual Self Tests.

I just tried APC's chat line, but they're not in the office today.

I was hoping someone here might be able to give suggestions as to what is happening.

I'm hoping there's a way to recover from this and that the UPS is not DOA.


Status at first test this morning:

Dec 24 10:38:20 U06FACVS apcupsd[19966]: 118.8,118.8,118.8,54.54,60.00,00.0,15.3,000.0,000.0,118.8,100.0,0
Dec 24 10:38:31 U06FACVS apcupsd[19966]: UPS Self Test switch to battery.
Dec 24 10:38:31 U06FACVS apcupsd[19966]: 118.8,118.8,120.1,53.46,60.00,00.0,15.3,000.0,000.0,118.8,100.0,1
Dec 24 10:38:37 U06FACVS apcupsd[19966]: UPS Self Test completed: Battery OK

...

Dec 24 11:55:02 U06FACVS apcupsd[31023]: 118.8,118.8,120.1,49.95,60.00,00.0,15.7,000.0,000.0,118.8,066.0,1
Dec 24 11:55:08 U06FACVS apcupsd[31023]: Mains returned. No longer on UPS batteries.
Dec 24 11:55:08 U06FACVS apcupsd[31023]: Power is back. UPS running on mains.
Dec 24 11:55:21 U06FACVS apcupsd[31023]: UPS Self Test switch to battery.
Dec 24 11:55:21 U06FACVS apcupsd[31023]: 118.8,118.8,120.1,50.22,60.00,00.0,15.7,000.0,000.0,118.8,066.0,0
Dec 24 11:55:32 U06FACVS apcupsd[31023]: 118.8,118.8,120.1,49.95,60.00,00.0,15.7,000.0,000.0,118.8,065.0,1
Dec 24 11:55:42 U06FACVS apcupsd[31023]: 118.8,118.8,120.1,49.95,60.00,00.0,15.7,000.0,000.0,118.8,065.0,0
Dec 24 11:55:52 U06FACVS apcupsd[31023]: 118.8,118.8,120.1,49.95,60.00,00.0,15.7,000.0,000.0,118.8,065.0,1
Dec 24 11:56:01 U06FACVS apcupsd[31023]: Running on UPS batteries.
Dec 24 11:56:03 U06FACVS apcupsd[31023]: 118.8,118.8,120.1,49.95,60.00,00.0,15.7,000.0,000.0,118.8,065.0,0

Currently:

APC : 001,053,1324
DATE : Fri Dec 24 12:06:45 PST 2010
HOSTNAME : U06FACVS
RELEASE : 3.14.2
VERSION : 3.14.2 (15 September 2007) debian
UPSNAME : ups06
CABLE : Custom Cable Smart
MODEL : Smart-UPS 3000 RM XL
UPSMODE : Stand Alone
STARTTIME: Fri Dec 24 11:19:05 PST 2010
STATUS : ONBATT
LINEV : 118.8 Volts
LOADPCT : 0.0 Percent Load Capacity
BCHARGE : 062.0 Percent
TIMELEFT : 176.0 Minutes
MBATTCHG : 5 Percent
MINTIMEL : 3 Minutes
MAXTIME : 0 Seconds
MAXLINEV : 118.8 Volts
MINLINEV : 118.8 Volts
OUTPUTV : 120.1 Volts
SENSE : High
DWAKE : 000 Seconds
DSHUTD : 090 Seconds
DLOWBATT : 02 Minutes
LOTRANS : 106.0 Volts
HITRANS : 127.0 Volts
RETPCT : 000.0 Percent
ITEMP : 15.7 C Internal
ALARMDEL : 5 seconds
BATTV : 50.0 Volts
LINEFREQ : 60.0 Hz
LASTXFER : Automatic or explicit self test
NUMXFERS : 25
XONBATT : Fri Dec 24 11:55:21 PST 2010
TONBATT : 685 seconds
CUMONBATT: 2454 seconds
XOFFBATT : Fri Dec 24 11:55:08 PST 2010
LASTSTEST: Fri Dec 24 11:49:31 PST 2010
SELFTEST : NO
STESTI : 336
STATFLAG : 0x07060010 Status Flag
REG1 : 0x00 Register 1
REG2 : 0x00 Register 2
REG3 : 0x00 Register 3
MANDATE : 09/18/10
SERIALNO : JS10380xxxx
BATTDATE : 09/18/10
NOMOUTV : 120
NOMBATTV : 48.0
EXTBATTS : 0
FIRMWARE : 691.19.D
APCMODEL : FWD
END APC : Fri Dec 24 12:06:46 PST 2010

[Anonymous user]

This apparently turned out to be a serial cable problem. We continued to use the previous cable (940-1524C) rather than the one that came with the new UPS (940-0024E).

Apparently the wrong cable worked ok initially. It seems like it behaved differently when the UPS decided to do a Self Test.

Some of the symptoms:

1. When I got to the UPS, it was on the battery. The online light was off. After a while, the online light would come back on and blink about 20 times before turning off again.

2. When I tried to turn off the UPS by holding in the power button, it would start back up when I released the button.

When I unplugged the 940-1524C cable, the UPS showed the online light and was no longer on the battery. When I plugged in the 940-0024E cable, everything seemed to work. Of course, there could still be another problem that shows up the next time it does a Self Test.

[BillP · Accepted solution]

yes, i agree. it was probably an older, faulty serial cable. we have seen this before.