Battery Run Time

[Anonymous user]

I have five units, two pro 1500's with br24bpg external packs and three XS 1500's my problem is with one of the XS units, it only shows 108 min. @No load and 57 min. @2% load. The others are about 217 min. @No load and 143min. @2%. I have swapped the batteries and tried the "Brain Dead" test but the unit in question remains the same? Any ideas? All of the units are less than six months old. I run a Mac and use the energy saver preferences from there, but even when connected to other peripherals the run time stays the same.

[Anonymous user]

So the LCD screen is just for show and I need a good stop watch? Better yet when the generator runs out of gas I will know the power is definitely out.

[BillP]

have you actually verified the runtime by running the UPS on battery? the on battery runtime is just an estimate when the UPS is running online and can change when the UPS is on battery. something could have affected the calibration on the one unit to report differently while online.

i wouldn't necessarily say there is a problem yet unless you can validate that the UPS actually provided decreased runtime on battery (versus what it reports).

to test it though, in my own personal opinion, would be an unnecessary deep discharge of the battery and it may be a good idea to keep an eye on and it and see if a power outage comes up to observe. if not, you could do a pull plug test with no software or data cables attached to observe if it actually provides the decreased runtime it reports. you just dont want to do 5 of these tests because it will degrade the life of the battery a little bit by discharging it completely (just like any normal usage).

hope that helps

[BillP]

no, but sometimes it can be inaccurate and require a calibration. also, depending on the results of the test i mentioned, then it may require a new battery. i am only suggesting the tests so we can narrow down where the problem is. i am not saying that we shouldnt do anything or the LCD is useless.

[Anonymous user]

It has had one full deep discharge and on battery shows 75 minutes runtime on a 14 watt load. If I switch that battery to another XS unit it will show a much higher runtime on the same load.

[BillP · Accepted solution]

well the key is how long does it actually run? sometimes the reported runtime will become more accurate while on battery as i suggested but could be incorrect until it is calibrated (which is basically discharging it till it turns off and then letting it charge back up completely so it knows how long it has on battery).