SURT LED Diagnostic Definitions

[wayne_i_apc]

Where can I find the meaning of the fault (diagnostic) codes displayed by the "Battery Charge" LED column on my SURT2000XLI?

[BillP]

No problem.

So your battery bar graph shows this, correct?:

0

1

0

0

0

This is a DC Bus Overvoltage. How often does it happen and how often will it run after you reset it? Either way, most if not all of these faults (besides overload) typically require some type of repair or replacement since the system is designed to try and auto-recover from them on their own. So, if they don't recover, it is usually not good news.

[wayne_i_apc]

Where can I find the meaning of the fault (diagnostic) codes displayed by the "Battery Charge" LED column on my SURT2000XLI?

[BillP]

I can decode it for you but this is not something we have publicly available and is given by technical support or authorized service partner usually.

[wayne_i_apc]

Yes, that is what I've seen on the bar graph. But having no utility input makes it curious for the DC bus (AKA the batteries?) to be "overvoltage"... Could it be related to having a step-down transformer connected to the output at start-up? It only happens maybe 1 in 10 cold boots, and has (so far!) always started normally after a restart.

[BillP]

Hi again,

I learned when it says DC bus, it isn't just talking about the batteries, but rather than bus between the rectifier and inverter. Some stepdowns present a huge inrush current, and have never been tested for use with a UPS this small (since this SKU is international only). It's possible that the transformer is causing a momentary collapse of the bus voltage.

Can you provide the model of stepdown transformer so we can understand the details of that?

Another thought is to investigate the age of the UPS and batteries, especially if they've been replaced and are not the originals. I can go by the first six characters of the UPS serial number to determine manufacture date on either the UPS or any batteries you may have swapped into it.

[wayne_i_apc · Accepted solution]

Hi Angela,

To be polite, let's say I have a "custom" configuration here, one that I strongly suspect APC will NOT endorse... I have cobbled together this SURT 2000XLI with 4 surplus (un-named competitor's) 200 W/Cell batteries in 1 string (including an appropriate fuse), and a surplus Xentek EIT 1.0 (1KVA "Extreme Isolation Transformer") wired for 240VAC in / 120VAC out. It has worked quite well for me as an emergency power source when the utility power fails, and I want easy, CLEAN power for household electronics, and even to occasionally run the refrigerator or (240V) well pump!

The UPS reports MFG Date of 09/16/2005, and I periodically charge the factory original batteries that I keep in reserve. If this leads to any available updates or ECOs to resolve this issue, I'm open to suggestions!

The surplus batteries are, of course, not as good as new, but seem to have plenty of life left in them...

The transformer is a traditional E-I laminated core, which I understand creates lower inrush currents than a toroidal core, and with a rating of 1 KVA, I expect it should be compatible / acceptable with this UPS.

Any insights / feedback is appreciated!

Wayne