STRANGE BATTERY CONFIGURATION found in used APC Smart-UPS 1250

[Jim Howe]

Two years ago I bought a used APC Smart-UPS 1250. I just got
around to trying to replace the batteries with 2 of the
17 AH, 6 volt SLA.

I was very surprised to find that somebody had rigged up
4 12-volt, 7 AH SLA batteries in series and parallel so
as to produce a 24 volt battery pack.

What is going on here? Can this unit be set up in some way,
with a jumper or a switch or something, to expect a 24 volt
battery pack instead of 12 volt?

This was a real G-job: they had broken some plastic supports
to get the other batteries to fit, and had packed some
foam in to space the batteries, rather oddly.

I am not interested particularly in experimenting with what
I expect is now a fully blown-out APC Smart-UPS 1250.

Any idea what the heck is going on here?

Thanks in advance!


....

 

[**THE-RFI-EMI-GUY**]

My older APC VX1200 has two 12V 17AH batteries in series for 24V.
Problem is finding cells with the proper low profile terminals. Battery
Wholesale Distributors is where I have been getting my replacements. I
think the previous owner of your UPS cobbled up some cells that would fit.

Two years ago I bought a used APC Smart-UPS 1250. I just got
around to trying to replace the batteries with 2 of the
17 AH, 6 volt SLA.

I was very surprised to find that somebody had rigged up
4 12-volt, 7 AH SLA batteries in series and parallel so
as to produce a 24 volt battery pack.

What is going on here? Can this unit be set up in some way,
with a jumper or a switch or something, to expect a 24 volt
battery pack instead of 12 volt?

This was a real G-job: they had broken some plastic supports
to get the other batteries to fit, and had packed some
foam in to space the batteries, rather oddly.

I am not interested particularly in experimenting with what
I expect is now a fully blown-out APC Smart-UPS 1250.

Any idea what the heck is going on here?

Thanks in advance!


...


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--
Joe Leikhim K4SAT
"The RFI-EMI-GUY"©

"Treason doth never prosper: what's the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason."

"Follow The Money" ;-P

 

[**THE-RFI-EMI-GUY**]

My old APC 1200 VX has two 12V 17 AH batteries wired in series for 24V.
Getting replacement batteries with the proper low profile terminals is
tough. I have been getting proper ones from Battery Wholesale
Distributors. I think yours was cobbled up to find batteries that would fit.

Two years ago I bought a used APC Smart-UPS 1250. I just got
around to trying to replace the batteries with 2 of the
17 AH, 6 volt SLA.

I was very surprised to find that somebody had rigged up
4 12-volt, 7 AH SLA batteries in series and parallel so
as to produce a 24 volt battery pack.

What is going on here? Can this unit be set up in some way,
with a jumper or a switch or something, to expect a 24 volt
battery pack instead of 12 volt?

This was a real G-job: they had broken some plastic supports
to get the other batteries to fit, and had packed some
foam in to space the batteries, rather oddly.

I am not interested particularly in experimenting with what
I expect is now a fully blown-out APC Smart-UPS 1250.

Any idea what the heck is going on here?

Thanks in advance!


...


----------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------
color]


--
Joe Leikhim K4SAT
"The RFI-EMI-GUY"©

"Treason doth never prosper: what's the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason."

"Follow The Money" ;-P

 

[Jim Howe]

Oh - my mistake, I feel so stooooopid. The usual battery is
a 12 volt, 17AH battery, not 6 volt.

Problem solved, and the problem is me. Bah!

Thanks!


....

My old APC 1200 VX has two 12V 17 AH batteries wired in series for 24V.
Getting replacement batteries with the proper low profile terminals is
tough. I have been getting proper ones from Battery Wholesale
Distributors. I think yours was cobbled up to find batteries that would
fit.

Two years ago I bought a used APC Smart-UPS 1250. I just got
around to trying to replace the batteries with 2 of the
17 AH, 6 volt SLA.

I was very surprised to find that somebody had rigged up
4 12-volt, 7 AH SLA batteries in series and parallel so
as to produce a 24 volt battery pack.

What is going on here? Can this unit be set up in some way,
with a jumper or a switch or something, to expect a 24 volt
battery pack instead of 12 volt?

This was a real G-job: they had broken some plastic supports
to get the other batteries to fit, and had packed some
foam in to space the batteries, rather oddly.

I am not interested particularly in experimenting with what
I expect is now a fully blown-out APC Smart-UPS 1250.

Any idea what the heck is going on here?

Thanks in advance!


...





color]

 

[Arfa Daily]

Oh - my mistake, I feel so stooooopid. The usual battery is
a 12 volt, 17AH battery, not 6 volt.

Problem solved, and the problem is me. Bah!

Thanks!

As the other poster said, be careful to try and source replacement batteries
with the correct sized terminals, as when these things kick in, they pull
BIG amps for a brief period. I had a lot of trouble getting batteries with
suitable terminals for my UPS 700 and the unit kept falling over and
bleeping every couple of weeks when it went through its self test.
Eventually, I determined that it was being caused by volts-drop at the
connection points, which was causing the UPS to think that its batteries
were flat when it tried to use them. I eventually finished up removing the
connectors, and soldering the wires direct to the terminals. Probably not
the recommended thing to do to a gel-cell battery, but it has been good as
gold ever since.

Arfa

 

[Jim Howe]

As the other poster said, be careful to try and source replacement batteries
with the correct sized terminals, as when these things kick in, they pull
BIG amps for a brief period. I had a lot of trouble getting batteries with
suitable terminals for my UPS 700 and the unit kept falling over and
bleeping every couple of weeks when it went through its self test.
Eventually, I determined that it was being caused by volts-drop at the
connection points, which was causing the UPS to think that its batteries
were flat when it tried to use them. I eventually finished up removing the
connectors, and soldering the wires direct to the terminals. Probably not
the recommended thing to do to a gel-cell battery, but it has been good as
gold ever since.

Arfa

Thanks - I haven't had this particular problem yet.

All the best.

....