Crickets in my Back-UPS XS 1300

[Anonymous user]

I have two Back-UPS XS 1300LCD units sidding side by side on my desk that have been in place there since 01/28/2008. There's not a lot of draw on the unit (typically 1-2watts) that is making a very high pitch chirping every couple of seconds (a cricket like noise that is not very loud, but very annoying) It is a regularly paced cyclic noise. There are no error messages on the LED panel, but it does show 254 events in the counter. I do not have the unit connected to a USB on a computer it is just providing power to a telephone and some times a computer if I turn that particular computer on.

I tried cycling power to the unit using the front panel power button and did get it to shut off and that made the pitch to change slightly when I turned it back on, but there was no change in general behavior noted.

What is the cause of this annoying noise ?

[BillP]

On the LCD display, do you see any icon that is flashing?

[Anonymous user]

There are no flashing indicators on the UPS LED panel - No reports of any problems from Powerchute connected to the UPS with the USB cable. I'm starting to suspect it is marginal batteries and some sort of failing beep alert (the UPS internal beeper being the failing component) although the lack of any failure reports from the Powerchuteware when it runs it diagnostic sort of cancels that idea.

[BillP]

Do you see this happening on those two UPS?

If you have PowerChute Personal Edition installed can you click on Performance (this is under the Monitor Sysstem section) and from there you could see the different power problem that the UPS has encountered. Also, let us try to change the sensitivity to Low settings. Would it be possible for you to record the sound?

[Anonymous user]

Hi

These noises just sound like the switch mode power supplies inside recharging/float charging the battery. My Backup Pro 550 makes the same noises.

Is it worse or a different frequency of chirping after you self-test or simulate a power failure? If yes that is almost certainly normal even if you find it annoying.

Regards

Phil

[Anonymous user]

Problem resolved, basically identified as dying battery - replaced the battery pack with new batteries and the noise has ceased. Powerchute was basically worthless far as trying to find the original problem.

Tried the pushing of the front panel buttons and it sort of disrupted the chirp when it went from on-line to off and back to on-line, The pitch shifted a little, but a short time later it was back to the same old faint hi-pitch chirp.

The disappearance of the chirping points back to the earlier thought that it was the battries dying causing the UPS internal 'tronic's to squack, even though the battries weren't bad enough to set off major alarms.

One thing that helped really seal the deal on battery replacement was pulling the UPS out of the wall and having the suspect one drop dead - a second same model UPS sitting next tot he dead one (that was put in service at the same time) also showed extreme lameness with a very short on-battery run time before also going belly up...

Do not know if any of the mics I have would have been able to pick up the sound with a fidelity that would have made it audible. If you ever had a hearing test and recall the higher frequency end of the tests - that's pretty close to what this sounded like (only pulsing) - nothing "normal" about that sound coming from an electronic device - any sound like that indicates a failing component/circuit/power flow, unless it is a hear test sound generator 😉

Thanks for trying to assist just the same !

[Anonymous user · Accepted solution]

I have the same problem. It's making noise even with each of two new batteries. Clip of the noise is in the first post here: [http://forums.apc.com/spaces/4/back-ups-surge-protectors/forums/general/3824/battery-not-holding-ful...]