Symettra LX XR Frame errors

[BillP]

We have an XR Frame giving errors E7 and EA.  At first the main unit was reporting errors however the XR frame display was only displaying its number (02).  I have completely disconnected the unit to power down and bring it back up, no luck.

I've racked the main card and inspected, nothing obvious.  I've found information here on the E7 fault but cannot find anything on EA fault.  Shame on APC for not even putting a user manual on the website, just a quick-start guide which is useless for problems like this.  Data from the unit is

I2cExternalBusFault E_7

RemoteOnCircuitFault E_A

[BillP]

We have an XR Frame giving errors E7 and EA.  At first the main unit was reporting errors however the XR frame display was only displaying its number (02).  I have completely disconnected the unit to power down and bring it back up, no luck.

I've racked the main card and inspected, nothing obvious.  I've found information here on the E7 fault but cannot find anything on EA fault.  Shame on APC for not even putting a user manual on the website, just a quick-start guide which is useless for problems like this.  Data from the unit is

I2cExternalBusFault E_7

RemoteOnCircuitFault E_A

[BillP · Accepted solution]

I would probably focus on the E7 first which is a communication issue - which I know you might have found some information on. Solving the E7 could also solve the EA.

Do you have more than one frame - if so, is E7 only on this one? Do you have another spare Symmetra XR Communication Card to see if the issue follows the card and swap them? This could also be an issue with the communication card on the UPS or the XR frame itself - you could try reseating both to power cycle them and verify they are properly secured and installed.

The next thing that could cause this is a problem with the communication cable between the XR frame and the UPS or XR frame to XR frame.

And less commonly, (because you'll likely see other symptoms), a main intelligence module problem because many other things would not work.

How long was the frame working properly for? Just briefly or for months or years?

[BillP]

Single UPS, Single XR, Single Cable so no opportunity to swap things around to see if the fault moves.  Unit is 13th week of 2010 manufacturer and I believe went in in late 2010 and the problem has only now developed.

All cables are properly installed and secure.  Shutting the UPS down is not an option without considerable notice.

[BillP]

Hello,

Thanks for the information. To clarify, I did not suggest power cycling the UPS or anything that would affect the UPS output. You can start by just power cycling the communication card on both the UPS and the XR frame which do not affect UPS power output.

If you have access to the pre-installed Network Management Card, the event.txt may also help verify no other problems exist. (Instructions here on downloading event.txt -> How can I download Event, Data, Configuration, and Debug files from my Network Management Card? | FA...)

[BillP]

Hello,

The UPS communication card SYAFSU15 (where the XR communication cable connects to and has the DB-9 serial port).

The XR communication card that goes in the battery frame itself is SYAFSU16.

The communication cable that looks like a phone cable is 0W6002B.

If I had to guess, more often than not if there are no other communication problems in general, it is likely the SYAFSU16 in the XR frame. Or at least what we'd try first.

[BillP]

Hi Angela,

Can you advise part numbers for the communication card and cable?

[BillP]

Thanks Angela,

This information is extremely difficult if not impossible to find and I'd like to say that we shouldn't need to rely on a forum to obtain the part numbers.  I spoke with the technical assistance line and they could not give me the ...15 number you have provided.  There is no user manual available with information on error codes just a basic information sheet on installing the system.  I have requested pricing and availability from our local distributor for these parts and will advise if we have been successful in resolving this issue, if for no other reason than to assist other APC customers.

[BillP]

No problem.

I am not sure why the part numbers are not listed. I cannot vouch for support worldwide but I know NAM support would've been able to provide those part numbers without a doubt. If you wanted to pass along a case number or reference number, I could see if I could have someone in your region look at what happened here as to why part numbers were not available to tech support. Worldwide tech support has access as to where to find them, just as I can look them up.

I found some information on the website too as far as accessories but it was a little difficult to find: http://www.apc.com/template/size/apc/sizing_display_options.cfm?option_type=SparePart&ups_sku=SYA16K... It also does not include the communications cable since it is a "part" versus SKU.

I am thinking I might ask at least for a knowledge base to list all available part numbers (if it is possible) which will be quicker than any adjustments to the user's guide.

*Edit* - Someone did show me http://www.apcmedia.com/salestools/SCON-8SRKKA/SCON-8SRKKA_R1_EN.pdf which is available on the documentation tab of each product SKU on apc.com. But, this is a NAM based document. http://www.apcmedia.com/salestools/SCON-8SBNC7/SCON-8SBNC7_R1_EN.pdf is the international one because I have a feeling you are not based in NAM. Starting on page 41 in both documents, we have lots of spare parts listed but I still think having it in multiple places will be a good idea. The part numbers I gave you though apply to all units. Only certain things, usually power related, are different for the NAM or International units.

*EDIT #2* - I am on a roll here and will scold myself shortly . Let's confirm the frame SKU and XR battery cabinet model you have. I forgot the LX can use two different models of frames (a "Symmetra LX" battery frame and also an older "Symmetra" frame that uses SYBT2 batteries and I of course want to make sure I got you the right parts. I made a few assumptions and shouldn't have.