Back UPS Pro 1500 S- turn it on with no mains power

[RichardOtter]

Just got a Back UPS Pro 1500 S and was able to do a quick test of the associated Powerchute Serial shutdown SW.

I switched off the mains circuit breaker and the computer went to hibernation after 2 minutes as it was requested.

However, the UPS also turned off.

I tried to switch the UPS back on by pressing the center on/off button, (mains power still off) but nothing happened.

The instruction manual was quite unhelpful in answering this question.

Do I need to press the on button for a longer time?

How do I restart the UPS, still fully charged, while the mains power is off?

[Teken]

The first thing to do if the option is available to insure the UPS is programmed to restart upon AC Mains restoration via Power Chute Personal Edition software.

A few things to understand and consider as this key attribute is rarely if ever called out or tested for until it’s too late. ☹️

The vast majority of Enterprise UPS systems allow hot swap batteries. Meaning a person can remove the battery cartridge and the unit will continue to operate without issue and supplying the connected load with power.

These same systems also allow the unit to be turned on (without) a battery cartridge present!

Lastly, these units allow a (cold start) when AC Mains are NOT present and the battery cartridge is present.

You can check all of the above scenarios to see how the unit behaves. 

No Battery: Remove the battery and connect AC Mains. Press the power button does the unit turn on?

No AC: Insure there is at least 30% load connected to the unit. Remove AC Mains and let the unit run for about five minutes. Turn off the unit with the power button. Now press the power button again does the unit turn back on with the AC Mains still disconnected?

Hot Swap: As noted enterprise units allow a person to remove and change out a battery cartridge while the system is live and fully operational.

For safety reasons I don’t suggest or recommend doing the same on a consumer level device. But to drive the point home (IF) you did remove battery or the battery was dead / faulty you would quickly find out the system would turn off immediately when the battery was disconnected while on AC Mains.

The above example shows how AC Mains & Battery are integral to its operations. Let me know what you observe when doing these tests! 👍

[RichardOtter]

My question is specifically for the Back UPS Pro 1500 S
Can I manually switch the unit on when there is no mains power, but the battery is charged?

[RichardOtter]

OK. As suggested, I do the test myself.
The power button needs to be pressed just a short time to turn on the unit, even with mains power off.
To turn the UPS off, with mains power on, requires the power switch to be pressed for maybe 7 seconds.

[Teken]

Take the battery out and perform the same tests. What do you observe now as to its operations?

[RichardOtter]

I'm not interested in that use case, at least for now.