BE650G2-UK external UPS active signal available?

[Crusoe]

I've a BE650G2-UK, is there any signal available (A data line of the USB port or whatever) that I can use to indicate the UPS is active? In the extreme I could open the unit and parallel an LED - but that's extreme and I'm not about to pull it open either - But I think you get the drift.

I would read an available signal on a buffered GPIO port of an Raspberry-Pi I already use for monitoring various activities, temperatures, etc. which also runs an InfluxDB/Grafana setup to present 'pretty pictures' of day to day status and event logging.

Thank you

Crusoe

[Teken]

You can contact APC at this URL to obtain a free USB cable for your UPS: https://www.apc.com/usbcable  You can use the APC Power Chute Personal Edition (PCPE) software to view, control, and manage the unit. You may also use any of the third party power monitors such as APCUPSD, NUT, WinPower, etc.

User Manual calls out all the information I've stated up above for your reference on page 4: 

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://download.schneider-electric.com/files?p_enDocType=User+guide&p_File_Name=BRAA-B8GEEA_R0_EN.p... 

Rock On . . .  

[Crusoe]

I'm sorry, perhaps I'm missing something. I did read the manual and noted the 'Data Port', item (12), and availability of Powerchute for WINDOWS computers, also for OSX users see 'use the native shutdown festure' - nothing was outlined for Linux/Debien if I even wanted to load up another app on my Raspberry-Pi. Hence I was looking for a simple hi/low voltage line I can use, knock up an isolating/buffer circuit and write my own handler to log changes to my InfluxDB.
Does the RJ45 data port have such an output? No details for the pinout of the port are given in the manual.

[Teken]

NUT runs on Linux / Debian so you can use this application to monitor the UPS. No need to start from scratch because this has been done for you. 👍

Unless you really want to you can read what the open source files call out for NUT and roll your own on GitHub. 

[Crusoe]

Thanks for that Teken....

I've looked over a couple of NUT installation examples and what you get from it. If I was back in my old job this might have been an ideal candidate to monitor a dozen UPS' that I had to manage. There's way more than I need for a basic UPS at home and I say again, NUT is going to be further overhead on a finite resourced R-Pi, not to mention installing Apache to serve out the info (I already use Grafana which marries well with Influx). I've also knocked up an Opto-coupled ON/OFF input for another project (monitoring mains supplies in that case) sorting out a single low voltage DC output and sensing that on one of the R-Pi GPIOs will not be too tasking. Further, it's not a lot of Python lines to read that and upload events into my existing InfluxDB along with other stuff I'm already monitoring and using the same tools for. In essence then, OK NUT could be a solution but is totally overboard for my simple requirement to know when the UPS is in UPS mode yes or no. If there's a single line out on the Data Port (item 12 on the diagram) that comes high or low to indicate UPS active I'd sooner use that. Do such status lines exist, what are they and what are the designated pins?

Thank you.

[Teken]

Based on your reply there aren’t a lot of options besides rolling your own solution. Having the UPS connected to a computer using the factory USB cable that hosts Power Chute software offers you a plug & play offering. As noted, NUT and other third party applications were developed to fill the need for Linux / Debian OS. Which is light weight and offers incredible features and options. Other third party software also offer small footprint and low CPU resources.

All of the above requires no opening of the UPS case or strapping on some kind of accessory. Going this route insures safety and isolation from AC / DC power.

Some options that you may consider span from reading the LED status. Listening to the alert beep. Monitoring the AC Mains for a loss of power using a half dozen gizmos on the net which some offer dry contact I/O, email, etc.

There are third party vendors that even ping a target device. Should that device not reply back in the defined time it will cycle power to its small outlet. If personal safety and insurance wasn’t a factor you could use any of a dozen voltage monitors and tie it to the UPS main board. Upon a fault that voltage monitor would output a signal to whatever you want to connect to. Some boards offer dry contact vs 3.3 / 5 VDC output which is great for any ESP32 - RPI maker board! 👍

Interested to learn what direction you decide upon either way. If it ends up being a roll your own solution by all means take the time to share that information with the members here. As I’m sure it will either help or inspire more ideas to solve the same problem.

Rock On . . . 🍺

As stated up above give some of the software I’ve listed a try. If it works you win problem solved. If it doesn’t, try the other ones I listed or any of the freeware now available on the interwebs! 🤟