Replacement battery for SMT1500C

[bohemianguitarguy]

I have the SMT1500C UPS  that I purchased back in 2018. The battery has reached end of life and I need a replacement battery. I did some checking and wanted to confirm the best recommended replacement battery.

I found this battery replacement on Amazon.

I also found this battery replacement option, which was significantly less. Would that battery work in the unit I have? Would the battery life not be as long considering the price difference? I'm curious on the why the price difference is so much less.

I found another battery replacement that was a few dollars more than the option at Amazon.

When replacing the battery is it similar to doing a complete brain dead battery hard reset procedure? The reason I'm asking is because I have been dealing with the lost connection issues with my USB connection to the battery. I read that doing a complete brain dead hard reset fixes the lost connection issue in some circumstances. Hoping that might fix my lost connection issue after the battery is replaced.

I'd appreciate any feedback on the replacement battery for my unit.

[JonPro]

Hi @bohemianguitarguy 

Thank you for reaching out to the SE Community, my name is Jon and I will assist you with this query.  Apologies for the inconvenience this has caused.  We recommend always using the APC Genuine Replacement Battery from authorized resellers/vendors.

Regarding your loss of communication issues, it is important that the UPS is running the latest firmware available.  You may refer to the FAQ article below for guidance.

How do I update the firmware of my CSH, SCL, SMC, SMT, SMTL, SMX, SRT, SRTL, XP, and XU series Smart... 

[bohemianguitarguy]

Hi @JonPro 

Thank you for your reply and the information you provided. I did get a replacement battery from an authorized vendor as you suggested. The battery is back up and running.

I logged into the apc smart connect dashboard and updated the firmware thru the smart connect dashboard interface. It now shows that the firmware is up-to-date. The release notes also indicates the lost connection issue being resolved in the firmware update.

However, I'm still encountering the lost connection thru the USB connection from my workstation to the the UPS. I have the APC SMT1500C Smart UPS with SmartConnect that I purchased back in 2018. I'm using a USB connection from my workstation to the USB connection on the UPS as my workstation does not have a serial port.

I can do a port reset by pressing the "enter" + "right arrow" keys simultaneously on the UPS and it reconnects the USB connection. The PowerChute Business Edition web interface status will go back online, but unfortunately the connection is dropped again after about 15 or 20 minutes. I have scoured the web looking for solutions and have tried a multitude of different solutions that have been suggested. I was hoping with the new battery it would be like a brain dead hard reset and potentially fix the issue.

The smart connect has remained connected and the dashboard notifications from smart connect have worked. It appears that only the USB connection is the problem. When I first purchased the UPS the USB connection worked seamlessly until about May of 2021 and then I started experiencing the lost connection. Any other possible suggestions on what I might try to fix this lost connection issue?

Regards

[JonPro]

Hi,

Have you tried changing the USB cable and disabling the Green Mode functionality?  Kindly refer to the Operations Manual provided below on how to do that, it can be found on page 19.

Operation Smart-UPS SMT 750C/1000C/1500C/2200C/3000C VA 120/230 Vac Tower/RM2U 

[bohemianguitarguy]

Hi @JonPro 

Yes, I've actually tried multiple USB cables and trying to different USB ports and none solved the lost connection. I did try disabling "green" mode on the UPS and then did a port reset to re-establish the connection. The connection lasted about 20 minutes before losing the connection. Not sure what else to try.

I really do appreciate your help and the suggestions. If you know of anything else I should try, let me know. I'll keep digging and see if I can find a solution to the lost connection. It's probably something simple that I'm missing on my end 🙂

Thanks again!

Regards

[JonPro]

@bohemianguitarguy 

What I could think of doing next is connecting the UPS to a different PC and installing PCBE on it.  By the way, what versions of PCBE and OS are you using?

[bohemianguitarguy]

@JonPro 

I could potentially test the UPS on another PC by connecting it and installing PCBE on it. See if I still get the lost connection. I'll look into that and give that a try.

My OS is Windows 10 Pro

and the PCBE version is 10.0.5.301 it had been an earlier version until I upgraded to the latest version.

I could upgrade my OS to Windows 11, but I do like and prefer Windows 10 Pro because some of the changes to Windows 11 doesn't allow certain task bar features that I use with HWiNFO64 app like adding the task bar icons for the CPU and GPU temperature and the battery estimated runtime. If I upgrade to Windows 11 those features are no longer available.

[bohemianguitarguy]

Hi @JonPro 

If I could run one more question by you. I've read a few different articles about the type of USB cable that is needed and also about the USB port being used that can cause issues. I saw this post about the USB port:

https://community.se.com/t5/APC-UPS-Data-Center-Enterprise/Communication-Lost-in-a-Smart-UPS-1500-wi... 

When I purchased the UPS battery the USB cable was not included. I purchase the UPS from Amazon. Here is the unit I purchased:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0762QJ6Y1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

As I mentioned, I have tried several different USB cables and my workstation only has USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports. Do you know the correct USB cable I should be using for this unit? I'm wondering if I'm using the wrong USB cable. If there is an official USB cable that I need to get, do you have a link to that product? I'll try a new cable to see if it works.

Thanks!

[JonPro]

Apologies for the delay in my response @bohemianguitarguy.

Yes, there are certain UPS that requires a special type of USB cable and upon checking the UPS that you have, it can use a regular USB A to A cable.

As far as I know, the USB cable should be directly connected to a USB port on the PC and not to a USB hub.  If possible, I suggest that you try removing other USB devices that you have connected to the PC and leave the UPS connected and observe.