Refurbished, 2nd hand SUA1500, how to check condition.

[Anonymous user]

I'm possibly buying a 2nd hand SUA1500I. How can I check the overall condition of this UPS and of the batteries?

[Anonymous user]

I'm possibly buying a 2nd hand SUA1500I. How can I check the overall condition of this UPS and of the batteries?

[BillP]

This is a tough one - will you be able to do full testing on the unit or just visual inspection? You should somehow verify the batteries are new and if not, have been stored properly - some have a date code stamped on them. You could also measure voltage with a voltmeter but that is not necessarily going to tell you the overall condition of the batteries.

Basic operation would be to make sure you can plug it and turn it on and it passes its "self test" which transfer the UPS to battery briefly and then back online. For this test, ideally you'd want some devices attached to make sure the UPS provides good output voltage while doing the test and while back to online operation.

Not sure if anyone else has any ideas - it'd be good if it came with a warranty of some sort.

[Anonymous user]

In addition to the excellent suggestions Angela made , given that this ups could be 5 or 6 years old you want to make sure that it has been purged of dust buildup inside and the cooling fan(s) is in good condition. The first two numeric digits of the serial number tell you the year of manufacture. If the ups has a network card (AP96xx model) you can hook a laptop up to it via its APC Serial cable 940-0024C (which I hope it comes with ?), log in via hyperterminal at 2400 baud and then see the UPS internal stats, date of last battery change, estimated run time under load (don't go by what it tells you with zero load), etc.

[Anonymous user]

Thanks for the answers. The unit comes with a 9618 management card and the proper serial cable 940-0024. I can see it working and hook up my laptop. I need to locate hyperterminal though. Is it available for Windows 7? I hope the batteries have some runtime left, is there a way to check this. APC branded batteries are very expensive in Holland, about 200 Euros for the RBC7.

Another question: Can this or any UPS be operated from a non-grounded wall-outlet? Is ground only needed for safety and surge-protection?

[BillP]

Windows 7 can have hyperterminal installed (I think maybe off a Windows CD) or even easier, get a free utility such as PuTTy and it will do terminal emulation for you. There is really no way to get a true, accurate figure for runtime in my mind besides doing a runtime calibration or power outage simulation to see how long it lasts. The UPS will report a runtime to you which gets more accurate as the UPS is actually on battery but online it is designed to be a really good estimate. That should be the first thing you check though at least - the estimate reported in the AP9618 management card.

As for your ground question, yes, it is required for safety and surge protection. With a missing or loose ground, your UPS will constantly report a site wiring fault to you. This will void any equipment protection policy on the unit.

[Anonymous user]

Thanks Angela,

I will see if I can negotiate a try-out period or something.  I can get the UPS for a little more than a quarter of the latest listed price on the Dutch APC site.

[Anonymous user]

I was at the seller's place and left a bit confused. The SUA1500i was there but had rather old batteries. He also showed me a DLA1500i and a IBM1500HLV. They all look the same, just another sticker on the back side. SUA1500i, DLA1500i and that IBM1500HLV. Are these the same units inside. The SUA1500i and DLA1500i have the same front just a different sticker on the back. I was told it is in fact a Dell OEM. Im very confused at the moment. Can any of you share some more info regarding this?

[Anonymous user]

The DLA1500i would give a 90 min runtime on a 20% load. the battery change date was early 2011.

The SUA1500i would give a 45 min runtime on a 20% load. the battery change date was early 2010.

Don't know if that is plausible.

Both units have a 9617 management card. Would it be possible to get email notification working? I like to be notified when the UPS switches to batteries on a power outage. What else is needed to get this working?

[BillP]

It could be considering battery age and battery use. with new batteries though in each unit, they should provide identical runtime.

Yes, AP9617 provides email notification. You won't need anything else assuming you have a local mail server available or you can use the methods listed in our knowledge base http://www.apc.com/site/support/index.cfm/faq/ for using services like GMail, Yahoo!, etc - look for article ID FA164769 and you can also verify the AP9617 is up to date with firmware too.

[Anonymous user]

Thanks Angela,

I check this article as I don't have set up a mailserver myself.

What would be the current/latest firmware for these cards? Is this the same firmware for the 9618?

[BillP]

Yes - same as AP9618. The latest is on the website - AOS 3.7.3/sumx application 3.7.2. The part number you want is SFSUMX372 for the download.

[Anonymous user]

I got a system error when I asked to resend my login info. I there another way to download the firmware?

[BillP]

I will attach it to my post.

[Anonymous user · Accepted solution]

Thanks Angela, for all your help and tips. I bought the DLA1500i with 9618 management card for less than a quarter of the new price of the UPS alone, It shows a few scratches but thats OK.