Smart-UPS 1500 (Dell DLA1500) Won't Power On

[Anonymous user]

So I have an older DLA1500 UPS that was working when taken out of service (approximately 1 year ago, maybe 18 months).  The older batteries had been used up and were removed, the rear plug (for the battery) popped out and left to sit in a closet.  Wanting to resurrect the old work horse, I purchased a new RBC7 battery and plugged it in, then plugged the UPS in.  Long story short, nothing, no power, no lights, nada.  If I plug it into an outlet without a proper ground I do get the red ground fault light on the back so that is at least responding but otherwise it won't turn on.   I've tried holding the power button (top Test and bottom power each, together, etc) for at least a minute.  The battery voltage shows as fine when tested by a volt meter and I've unplugged and replugged the battery in to make sure the connection was solid.  Any other ideas how to resurrect or test this guy?  Can the capacitors be ruined from sitting unplugged or will leaving it plugged in for an extended period "recharge" them to operational?  It's not going to protect vital equipment but I did just pop a fair amount for the battery so I'd really like to get it working if possible and am not afraid to get my hands dirty to do so.  The overload is also not popped out in the back, fyi.  Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

[Terry_Kennedy_apc]

This is one of the problems with trying to get an older UPS working - you don't know if the UPS itself has a problem until you replace the batteries. If it doesn't work, many sellers will not accept returns of batteries so you're stuck with batteries and no UPS.

Is it possible that someone unplugged (or completely removed) the battery jumper on the rear of the unit? It is a triangular cap to the right of the SmartSlot, labeled "Battery Connector" in the attached picture. It disconnects the batteries so the unit can be shipped via carriers that require the batteries to be electrically disconnected during shipping.

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[Anonymous user]

Hi Terry,

Thank you for your reply.  Unfortunately in this instance that's not the case.  When I put it away I did unplug the battery connector (even though the battery was removed) but plugged it back in before attempting to turn it on this time.  I even went as far as to bypass the external connector and pulled the 2 connectors from the inside plugging them directly into the external cap just to verify they were solidly connected.  I just don't understand what can fail on a previously working unit like this.  It worked when it was put away, just had a failing battery.  No water or anything got to it (stored in an environmentally controlled closet).  I put in a new, known good battery and nothing but the ground fault light if I plug it into an outlet with an improper ground works.  No beeps, lights, nothing.  I've verified the ribbon cable to the front is securely connected at both ends.  No capacitors are leaking (visually).  I *think* this unit should be able to start without a battery but I'm not positive.  The reason I say that is because it is capable of hot swapping the battery in and out without turning it off (when it works of course).  Any other thoughts or ideas to try?  I hate buying a random one off ebay since if it arrives DOA I'll be out even more to ship it back.

[Terry_Kennedy_apc · Accepted solution]

At least on these older units, the UPS needs to see a minimum voltage from the batteries to turn on. Once it is on and running, you can disconnect the batteries without dropping the load (as long as you don't have a power failure or other event that would make the UPS try to switch to battery operation).

That's one of the reasons I suggest a new(er) UPS to most people who have problems trying to revive an older unit. If you don't have a bunch of the appropriate batteries to test with, you can waste a lot of time / frustration trying to get the unit going. Out-of-warranty repair from places like CoastTec simply isn't economically viable for the Back-UPS and smaller (< 5KVA-ish, at a minimum) Smart-UPS units.

I've had pretty good luck buying used units on eBay. They (and PayPal) definitely favor the buyer when there's any sort of problem, and sellers know it so they'll generally cover return shipping or refund-without-return in order to keep their ratings up. In the one case I encountered where the seller was completely non-responsive, eBay sent me a prepaid UPS label to ship the unit back to the seller. Immediately after UPS showed it as delivered, eBay refunded the complete purchase price + shipping.

Of course, buying a used anything from eBay runs the risk of inheriting somebody else's problem. The seller might be truly unaware of any issue, depending on how they acquired the unit and how much they tested it before selling it. If the UPS is going to be used in any sort of business-critical (or even business-important) use, it might be simpler just to purchase a new unit as you get a warranty and multiple levels of support to deal with any issues. If it is for home use or some type of business use where 100% uptime isn't paricularly important, you can save money (at the cost of some potential aggravation) by buying used units. I've written some guidelines for sellers which you can read here and here.

Another alternative would be local classified ads (for example, Craigslist) where you can go to the seller and see the unit working before you buy it. You'll get a unit that at least appears to be mostly-working and don't have to pay for shipping, but with the potential of not having a good way to get a refund from the seller if problems develop.

Whatever you do, don't try to Frankenstein a unit together from a bunch of non-working units, even if they're the exact same model. The UPS is calibrated as an assembled unit and swapping boards can give you a unit with wildly incorrect charging parameters and boil (swell) the batteries or have other problems which are not immediately apparent. Older units were calibrated by changing physical components on the board(s), newer ones use software calibration for most things but can still have incompatible boards.

Some of the above may sound like an advertisement for APC. I don't work for them, I just have a lot of experience with their products as well as buying used units, replacement batteries by the ton (literally), and so on.

[Anonymous user]

All good advice, thank you.  I've ended up crossing my fingers and ordered a cheap(ish) used one on ebay that is supposedly pre-tested.  It's only for my test server(s) and nothing critical or production so that's why I'm trying to keep costs down.  I was just curious as to what could fail like that when it's sitting, climate controlled and unplugged.  Guess it will remain one of life's mysteries! 🙂  Thanks again for your help!