No electricity and trying to see if my APC UPS can help

[Anonymous user]

Howdy APC. My product is:

I'm still on XP Professional and did not have my APC software installed.  I have an

• ENERMAX PLATIMAX
• 600 WATT PSU

My APC product is

• APC BACK-UP UPS XS SERIES
• 1500 VA
• 865 WATT

VEHICLE FEATURES

• 1998 FORD ECONOLINE E-250
• 12v AUXILIARY POWER POINT OUTLET SOCKET

Going through a rough spot right now and my utility cut off my power (for non-payment). I need to access very recent files on my computer that had yet to be backed up. I haven't been using my APC (in fact I completely forgot I have it) but it dawned on me that there might be a way to power me for the 4 hours I'll need to get these most recent files backed up to my USB thumbdrive -and- DVD media. Some of these ideas may be laughable but here they are:

• Somehow hook my APC to my van's cigarette-lighter-type-port and keep the engine running
• Rent a gas-powered generator
• Locate a gas station with battery chargers
• Jump my van to _____?

I do not want to borrow a friend's electricity because some of these documents contain highly sensitive data (SS no., Bank Account data etc).

Thank you so much.

[Anonymous user]

You can't do this with your APC UPS, and for your own safety, you should not try.

The first problem is that your APC UPS has its batteries wired as a 24 volt system. The 12 volt power from your van won't be enough to let the UPS start up or run correctly.

Most APC UPS products are not designed to carry a load for any more than the few minutes the internal batteries will last during a power failure. The UPS will overheat and may fail dramatically when run from batteries for an extended period of time.

I'm not sure why you'd have concerns about using a friend's electricity supply. No one can siphon data out of your computer over its connections to electrical power. You need not plug into your friend's computer network or connect to their wi-fi if security is of a concern to you. I would hope that you can trust your friends enough not to trespass on your computer. But that's another problem far beyond the scope of this forum.

Rather than renting a generator, which may not be safe for use with your computer, I would suggest you get an inexpensive power inverter. These are readily available at almost any major retail establishment, hardware or tool store. One having a 750 watt rating would be suitable for almost any computer system and its monitor, and will cost about $50.

Even if the inverter you buy comes with one, don't use a cigarette lighter or auxiliary power socket to run the inverter. These can only stand about 120 watts worth of power draw before they start to overheat. Most will only stand a lot less before they overheat. Using extreme caution (gloves and eye protection), connect the inverter directly to the van's battery (most come with leads for this purpose), start the van's engine, turn off all the van's accessories, attach your computer to the inverter and turn the inverter on. Follow all of the instructions in the inverter's user manual.

[Anonymous user]

On 6/28/2018 1:11 AM, William said:

You can't do this with your APC UPS, and for your own safety, you should not try. . . .

Rather than renting a generator, which may not be safe for use with your computer, I would suggest you get an inexpensive power inverter. These are readily available at almost any major retail establishment, hardware or tool store. One having a 750 watt rating would be suitable for almost any computer system and its monitor, and will cost about $50.

Even if the inverter you buy comes with one, don't use a cigarette lighter or auxiliary power socket to run the inverter. These can only stand about 120 watts worth of power draw before they start to overheat. Most will only stand a lot less before they overheat. Using extreme caution (gloves and eye protection), connect the inverter directly to the van's battery (most come with leads for this purpose), start the van's engine, turn off all the van's accessories, attach your computer to the inverter and turn the inverter on. Follow all of the instructions in the inverter's user manual.

William thank you for the *excellent* technical advice! Wow. I printed it out. 🙂

I don't want to trouble you further with this. Is there a site/page/wiki you would recommend where I can learn some of these technical terms and maybe see graphics, user examples & comments etc.? I'm just wary of starting this without fully understanding the process . . . and seeing the results (including failures) others have experienced? I had mixed results Googling this because I couldn't narrow the search down to what we're discussing here. Thank you my friend. 🙂

[Anonymous user]

On 6/28/2018 1:11 AM, William said:

. . . turn off all the van's accessories

William I just want to make sure I understand your description for "accessories". I don't know how to turn off my power windows, doors or power rear view mirrors. I never use the radio; I never use the cigarette lighter; the van has no audio visual options; and while the van does have cruise control, I would obviously not invoke it. Same with heat/air conditioning (I just wouldn't start them). Clarify?

Also . . . what would the VOLT be (or does that matter?).

And finally . . . how would I gauge the van's battery pull? How would I know when I need to terminate the operation before the battery is sucked dry? 

[Anonymous user]

Accessories in this case would be things like the van's radio, air conditioner, or other electrical goodies. Things like the cruise control, power windows and locks are "off" for all intents and purposes whenever you aren't using them, so you don't have to worry about those.

The really important thing is to avoid putting more of an electrical load on your van than its charging system can handle. Otherwise, even with the engine running, you could still run the battery down. An alternator driven by the engine is used to charge your van's battery, but it only puts out a limited amount of current with the engine idling. That's why I suggested making sure all the accessories are off, or at least as many as you can turn off. If you can't turn something off, don't worry about it too much.

Voltage, or volts, is a measure of electrical potential. Many tutorials will compare it to the pressure of water flowing in a pipe. Your van, like most other vehicles on the road today, has a 12 volt electrical system. This is a nominal value. If you were to take a measurement, you'd see values ranging from 11 to 14 volts DC.

As long as the van is running, I doubt very much that you will have any trouble with the battery being run down while your computer is operating. To determine how much current you're drawing from the van's electrical system, you'd need an instrument known as an ammeter. (You can also take a pretty good guess with a voltmeter. If the voltage remains above 12.5 or so, the charging system is still keeping up and you won't have a problem.) You can get volt meters that plug right into the cigarette lighter or accessory power points on your van. They're pretty cheap.

Should you decide to buy a power inverter, the instructions that come with it will tell you everything you need to know about hooking it up and using it. Here is one example of an inverter (click the words "one example") and here is another. Either one would do the job, and neither are tremendously expensive. If you have a printer, don't plug that into the inverter, as it will probably become overloaded. Operate only the computer and its monitor. Don't plug your APC UPS into the inverter. Don't plug an outlet strip into the inverter and try not to use an extension cord.

If you still have questions, you may be able to find a Youtube video that would take you through all the steps of hooking up and using a power inverter.

[Anonymous user]

Man this thread is one for the record books William! Thank you again.

You instructed me to not plug my APC into the inverter, and only plug my APC into a standard electrical outlet in the house once I get my electrical back on. I can't "piggyback" it to the computer somewhere? I'm anticipating your answer and it is No!  lol (worth a try heh). However I might be able to tap the electricity in my library: Could my APC be recharged without an operating system? (my library is on Win 7)

I'm visualizing this and the only concern I have is bringing my homebuilt outside. How do people "stage" their computer for this? A really long extension cord to inside the house? Setting their build on/in the auto (or in my case, van) on the seat? Floor?

What do you think about these two?

https://amazon.com/dp/B00BMRRLXE/

https://amazon.com/dp/B00S9S8HSM/

I thought that PEAK PKC0M08 800W Mobile looked interesting given how many people have purchased and reviewed it. What about that beguiling USB port?

[Anonymous user · Accepted solution]

Without going into terribly technical detail, most of the inverters you can buy only approximate the characteristics of AC power as it would be supplied by a power company. Most devices don't care and work just fine anyway. Your APC UPS would see this distorted signal as a power problem and switch to its battery as a result.

If you can plug the UPS into an outlet supplied by utility power, and that outlet is working properly, it will charge its battery at all times. You wouldn't even need to turn it on. However, this is not a very fast process. If the battery in the UPS is depleted, a full charge will take at least 8 hours. No computer is required for the UPS to operate. It is a completely self contained system.

I'd have figured the computer was in your van already. I wouldn't recommend using an extension cord with an inverter if there is any way you can avoid it. If you have no other choice, use an extension cord that's heavy enough to stand the load (at least 14 gauge) and don't use an outlet strip under any circumstances.

The USB port on that inverter is used only to charge things like cellular telephones, tablets or other small devices. They're a very common feature now. It's not made to be connected to your computer or UPS.