Dynamix UPS - Battery Replacement

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#1313715 28-May-2015 20:56

Without the monitor you wont be able to see to save your work. All mine are thru the UPS, as are all the external drives. Not the _same_ UPS which makes it pointless when the raid box loses power before the PC its connected to.

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#1313795 29-May-2015 05:50

I have my PC, Monitor, Modem, and telephone connected to the UPS. the ups is also connected to the ups via USB, and ive set the PC up to think its a laptop and has a battery. this is so that when the ups goes to battery it sends its battery levels to the pc and when the PC thinks the battery in the ups is below 75% (aproximatly 5-7 mins) the PC will turn its self off. after that the monitor will sleep if its on, and only the phone and the modem are being powered by the UPS. I estimate this will give about 4-6 hours on the UPS battery before it needs to shut its self down.

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#1314260 29-May-2015 17:46

Silly question - how do you get windows to recognise the UPS? I've tried two USB cables, I plug the UPS in and nothing happens. The Dynamix website links to a "driver", which is software called "netguard". Doesn't Windows 10 do this natively? When I go into device manager nothing shows up, and there's nothing new in power options - including advanced plan options.

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#1314278 29-May-2015 18:34

JimmyH: I have a Dynamix UPS1000 which has performed well for over 4 years. Lately, not so well and I suspect the batteries are well overdue for a replacement.

I see replacement batteries (12V 7A) go for about $35 and I would need 2 of them ($70).

Does anyone have any experience of these and know:

1. How easy is it to change these batteries - is it something a novice can do, or would I need an electrician?

2. Whether it's worth just replacing the batteries, or whether I should go for something else (ie a different UPS model)?

I've done a few of those. If you're asking how hard it will be rather than just having a go then I'd say it won't be that easy for you. Getting the outer shell off is easy enough but to remove the battery you need to lift off the PCB and unbolt a clamp. Youll want some thread lock. Also it needs to be said, ups's have a limited life span, usually two battery changes max.

Be sure to test the ups under load before relying on it after a battery change.

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#1314280 29-May-2015 18:38

gregmcc: anyone got a source of 12V, 14AH batteries, need 2 for my UPS

Look up a local electrical wholesaler

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

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#1314287 29-May-2015 19:01

I'm running four UPSs at home (SOHO) - three of then are business-grade APC units, and one is a cheaper Dynamix.
We had a scheduled 30-minute power cut today (new smart power meter installed) - the Dynamix failed (dead battery) and the APCs all kept running.
I have just ordered another APC, and I would advise you to upgrade your UPS rather than waste money on batteries for the Dynamix.

A UPS should have its batteries replaced every 3 years.

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#1314297 29-May-2015 19:13

timmmay: Silly question - how do you get windows to recognise the UPS? I've tried two USB cables, I plug the UPS in and nothing happens. The Dynamix website links to a "driver", which is software called "netguard". Doesn't Windows 10 do this natively? When I go into device manager nothing shows up, and there's nothing new in power options - including advanced plan options.

i had to remove any software from the manufacture to allow windows to use it as a battery, then just did it in the power management, and changed the settings.

my UPS shows up as a device in devices and printers

could be a windows 10 problem?

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#1314341 29-May-2015 21:20

I had an APC UPS for about a day. It made a really annoying high pitched whine, I had to get rid of it. The Dynamix is silent at least.

The PC isn't detecting the UPS. I really only wanted it as a decent surge suppressor, so oh well. Maybe I'll install that software some time.

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#1314364 29-May-2015 22:05

timmmay: I had an APC UPS for about a day. It made a really annoying high pitched whine, I had to get rid of it. ....

I've heard this comment before.

I can only state that my three APCs are completely silent on standby.
I prefer quiet equipment, and could not tolerate a noisy UPS - specially with 3 of them in the room that I work in.

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#1314434 30-May-2015 06:57

Sideface:
timmmay: I had an APC UPS for about a day. It made a really annoying high pitched whine, I had to get rid of it. ....

I've heard this comment before.

I can only state that my three APCs are completely silent on standby.
I prefer quiet equipment, and could not tolerate a noisy UPS - specially with 3 of them in the room that I work in.

Maybe they're better now, it was 2007 that I got it - an APC Back-UPS RS, 500VA.

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#1315211 31-May-2015 19:17

JimmyH: I have a Dynamix UPS1000 which has performed well for over 4 years. Lately, not so well and I suspect the batteries are well overdue for a replacement.

I see replacement batteries (12V 7A) go for about $35 and I would need 2 of them ($70).

Does anyone have any experience of these and know:

1. How easy is it to change these batteries - is it something a novice can do, or would I need an electrician?

Yes, if you are referring to the model with the amber front LCD display it is relatively easy to swap batteries:

Helpful tools, 1/4 inch socket set, screw drivers.

! Avoid touching circuit board components and be aware that there may be current stored in capacitors. You should only need to touch the battery terminals.

1. Turn it off, unplug it, flip it and remove 4 base screws and one at the rear. Take cover off.

2. Remove two top screws holding front panel on. Pull it forward and up slightly to un-clip it. Leave the cable attached and just hold it out of the way.

3. Remove the two front screws holding the circuit board / battery cover to the front steel panel.

4. Remove two nuts from rear of the battery holder (near the transformer)

5. Pull spade terminals from batteries.

6. Lift entire circuit board and battery holder upwards just enough to push batteries out sideways. Bit fiddly but can be done without removing the circuit board.

7. Slide in new batteries, reassemble.

Takes about 5-10 minutes maximum after some practice. I have several of these and they do eat batteries but I have a cheaper trade source and I get 18 months to 2 years out of them before I have to swap batteries.

I use these cheap Dynamics units only to supply 5-10 seconds power outage on all my PC's, AV Equipment and Network gear before my automatic standby genset kicks in.

They will get very hot when a battery is dying so just put your hand on them every month or so to check the batteries are not starting to cook. They have lasted well. I've had them in use for many years.

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#1315214 31-May-2015 19:26

datahawk: ... I use these cheap Dynamics units only to supply 5-10 seconds power outage on all my PC's, AV Equipment and Network gear before my automatic standby genset kicks in. ...

Most users do not have a standby genset, and need a lot more than a 5-10 second backup.

I just don't see the point of entry-level consumer UPSs - all they do is give some surge protection plus a false sense of confidence.

Business-grade UPSs cost at least 5 to 10 times as much, but they do give real backup for a useful period of time.

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#1315220 31-May-2015 19:44

Sideface:
datahawk: ... I use these cheap Dynamics units only to supply 5-10 seconds power outage on all my PC's, AV Equipment and Network gear before my automatic standby genset kicks in. ...

Most users do not have a standby genset, and need a lot more than a 5-10 second backup.

I just don't see the point of entry-level consumer UPSs - all they do is give some surge protection plus a false sense of confidence.

Business-grade UPSs cost at least 5 to 10 times as much, but they do give real backup for a useful period of time.

If the batteries are in good condition in one of those Dynamics UPS's they will keep a PC running for at least 15-25 minutes without any problems. This is from actual practical experience. I only need to use them for a few seconds.

They are no worse than some expensive UPS units. In fact the only UPS that I have had fail in all the years I've used them was a pricey APC unit that just died without any warning :-)

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#1315226 31-May-2015 20:06

agreeded

a 750w Dynamix costs about $79-99, an equivalent APC unit costs about $700

ive had a few of each fail, but where they were the input power was absolutely crap, varying from about 210v to 235v, so depending on what was happening they would be on battery 40-50 times a day (brown outs) and on average would be on battery for 10+ minutes a week. Even had some some eaton 3000va ones die. but i put that down the the environment.

There were some there, APC and Dynamix, that had been there for 5+ years and still worked fine and didn't need a battery change. We tested them all so we know how long the batteries lasted in them on a 200W load.

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#1315228 31-May-2015 20:12

datahawk: ... They are no worse than some expensive UPS units. In fact the only UPS that I have had fail in all the years I've used them was a pricey APC unit that just died without any warning :-)

My experience has been the exact opposite.

I have four business-grade APC units (various models, costing >$1,000 each) for SOHO use, the oldest of which has been in continuous use for more than 10 years. Apart from scheduled battery replacements every 3 years, they have not required any maintenance.

By contrast, every consumer-grade unit that I have ever owned over the last 20 years has failed within 3 years &/or it has been uneconomic to replace the batteries.

USPs are a really important part of any IT system, and I see no point in buying "budget" units.

So let's agree to differ

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