BR900GI Master Threshold settings

[BillP]

We are installing a mix of BR900 and BR550 UPS's and having some problems getting the master threshold to work.

In this setup, we are using Intel NUCs (D54250WYK using mSATA SSD) as the 'computer' which uses an external power supply.

The various peripherals draw *WAY* more power than the NUC, so naturally we want to be able to power-off un-used devices when the NUC is in sleep mode.

We have tried setting the threshold for the master (holding the buttons until it beeps 3 times) however, the UPS can't seem to detect the difference between the NUC's asleep and awake power draw... and so the peripherals never power on when the NUC has started - which is a problem when one of those is the monitor.

Any suggestions ?

[BillP]

Can you confirm - did you try adjusting the threshold following the settings in the attached document? I was reading and on this model it allows you to set your own threshold where as some other units have pre-defined thresholds. It sounds like you were following these steps to set your own but I just want to verify. It does not appear this unit has pre-defined thresholds and you have to program it as you have tried to.

Do you know the approximate power consumption of the device? Are we talking like 2 watts or what?

[BillP]

Yes, I tried configuring the threshold as per page-3 of that document, and also via the Energy-Management option of the PowerChute software.

The issue seems to be that the power-draw on the master outlet by the NUC is too low.

When I connect only the NUC to the UPS and run the PowerChute app to see the load, it reports 0 (zero) watts are being drawn.

Obviously that can't be right, and unfortunately I don't have access to a current meter for an accurate figure, but it's perhaps indicative of the UPS not being able to manage such a small load on the master,

According to PowerChute, the lowest setting available for Master-Off status is <10-Watts, and so if I enable Energy-Management (either by the UPS buttons or PowerChute) then all the peripherals are permanently switched off, because even when the NUC is running, it never draws that much power from the Master outlet.

However, with all of the peripherals connected (monitors, scanners, printers, etc etc)  the load is more like 200W, so that is obviously something I'd like to reduce when the PC is not in use.

[BillP]

Yes, sounds like this does not work well with this device because of such low power draw. The only thing it seems is to use another device as the master but I am not sure if that's possible for your configuration..?

[BillP]

Good morning - I have gotten some confirmation that there is a problem here and the engineering team is going to evaluate some changes for a future firmware change. I don't have further details yet but the issue you're seeing relates to the gap of the power consumption on your machine between running and sleep. When I hear any updates on when we'll have a fix, I'll let you know.

[BillP]

Testing with a BR550GI shows that it is able to be configured to a low enough threshold to work with our NUC computers, but the BR900GI is not.

EDIT: A bit more testing with a BR550GI indicates that sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

I bought a simple outlet meter to measure the current draw of the PC to find what load is being put on the master outlet.

Running ==  .06-.07A (14.5-17W @ 240V)

Sleeping == .025A (6W @ 240V)

Given that the lowest master-off threshold setting is stated as < 10W I would have thought that this should mean the power-draw for this device should be compatible with both BR900 and BR550... i.e. it's <10W when asleep and >10W when running.

However, it doesn't work at all with the BR900 and is too unreliable with the BR550 to put into use.

Perhaps this is something that can be overcome by a firmware update ?

[BillP · Accepted solution]

Just wanted to let you know I've been trying to make some headway on what to do about this the last few days. I would like to think if there is hope with the 550, a firmware update might be an option but that is me thinking out loud..