Weird UPS problem....

[Nehaonline]

hi all computer wizards;


I have strange problem with my UPS I have 500VA UPS ; sometimes when I am using my PC and power goes off my UPS doesnt give continuity; it works like a normal battery; i.e.; something like you switch off power of computer without a UPS; but sometimes it does give continuity .I showed it to hardware repair man but he didnt find anything wrong; because when we test the UPS like we switch of the power manually from the switch board UPS works fine and gives continuity too. I had even tried taking off Monitor off the UPS thinking Monitors power surge could be problem; but nothing.
Where is the fault????

 

[gxsaurav]

I had the same problem with the UPS of mine, I tried to repair but after 5 months it again gave me the problem, if it is older the 2 years & a local brand then better then repairing buy a new one from APC or Numeric

if it is failrly new, then your battry is fine, but the UPS components (MOSFET etc) are damaged, so better give ti for repair

Welcome to the forum

 

[bravefart]

Humm maybe the problem is not with your UPS try putting a Spike Buster between your UPS and the Electrical Connection!!!!

Peace V

 

[Kannan]

I think the problem is with the battery. If its older, then it might not be able to provide ample power at switch over.

May be ur UPS is Overloaded. u say its a 500 VA and whats the config of the PC ??

Also Saurav may be true. What is the age of your UPS ??.

 

[Tech&ME]

I don't think the problem is with the UPS in his case, What is the power rating of your SMPS that u have in your CPU. If it is above 500 watts your UPS may not be supporting it. More over, u should keep the Power Switch of the Mains ( that is, the Switch Board on your wall ) always in ON condition, even if u are not working or using your dear computer. Just switch off the Computer and the UPS power button when shutting down your PC, do not Switch the Main Power Switch from where the UPS is drawing Power. I hope u get me!!! UPS needs to recharge itself regularly. Try this tip --> if it helps please tell!!!!

 

[swatkat]

What is the power rating of your SMPS that u have in your CPU. If it is above 500 watts your UPS may not be supporting it.

Wow,500 Watts SMPs or above,u can run a supercomputer with that much powerful SMPS!!!! she might not be having 500W Smps.

@neha-Dont ever switch off the power supply to UPS,battery needs to be charged to full extent to give continous backup.Also what are the peripherals in ur PC and what's the power rating of SMPS?[/quote]

 

[Nehaonline]

Hey you guyz;

I am using P3 ; but plz use simple language what is SMPS; I will try using spikebuster .
Tank you will tell how it worked

 

[Tech&ME]

Ok Nehaonline, I will let you what an SMPS is and will also try to give to more info on how to correct your problem.

First of all, SMPS means Switch Mode Power Supply. This is a device on your computer ( inside the cabinet, which you call CPU sometimes ). This is one of the main components of your computer, without it your computer will never run. All the components of your computer viz, motherboard, CD-Rom, Harddisk, etc are all connented to this SMPS to draw power. SMPS distributes power to all the components of your computer system. Hope u now know what an SMPS is. Below I give you the idle power ratings of the SMPS which we mostly use in our computers.

Case Size Recommended Wattage Min. +12v Max Load
Mini-Tower 330-350W 15A
Mid-Tower 350-380W 15A
Full Tower 380-450W 18A
Server Tower 450-550W 20A

Ok , now to explain this --> Mini Tower, Mid Tower, Full Tower, Server Tower simply means the size of the cabinet you have. Generally in our home Computers we use the Mini Tower or the Mid Tower, sometimes Full Tower also.

Now,next the 330-350W, 350-380W, 380-450W, 450-550W are the power ratings ( which we were talking about in the previous threads ) , Generally in our home Computers we have the 330-350W power ratings SMPS. ( U can see this ratings on the SMPS itself ).

Next, 15A, 18A , 20A are the Ampere ( u must have heard this word in school days during your science classess ) I will not go on the details on this now, but simply understand that this is the unit of current that is measured in electrical devices.

---
Well! It seems to me that u need also to check your power supply socket on the wall. Yes! On the Wall u have a Power Socket fixed to the Switch Board where u plug in the UPS Plug.

CAUTION !! WARNING!! : The following Tips require you to get help from your big brother or a knowledgeable friend who can handle electrical equipments.

U need to check the EARTHING of your switch board socket. To do this first prepare the materials required.

What is EARTHING ?
Ok Earthing is a familiar word but I will still explain it to you. The Power Socket on the Switch Board has THREE (3) holes, the top most large and single (middle) is the Earthing hole. Generally earthing is used to dissipiate extra electrical signal back to the earth (Mother Earth). Computer components produces electrical signal called Static Electricity and hence an Earthing Wiring is a MUST in order to use your computer and to keep it in good health.

Preparation : Collecte a New Bulb ( 60 Watts ) and a holder, wires.

Step 1: Connect the Bulb to the holder of the bulb, fix wire to it.

Step 2: Remove the UPS Plug from the Power Socket from the wall Switch Board.

Step3ut one end of the wire inside the big hole (middle) of the Power Socket and the other to the small hole in the right (usually denoted by a capital L) Now put the switch ON. The Bulb should glow!

Setp 4: Check if the Buld Glows, if not , go to Step 6, if yes go to Step 5.

Step 5:Now check the brightness of the glowing bulb , does this glow the same as other bulbs in the room ( other bulbs means the bulbs that u can switch ON from the Switch Board just by a single switch ) if yes U do not have any Earthing problem. IF NOT glowing the same way (brightness) go to Step 6.

Step 6:U probably donot have proper earthing. Call an Expert Electrician to fix Earthing. This could be the problem for your UPS not to function properly.

Please Note : The above procedure is only to be carried out with professional help. I do not take any responsibility for any mistake of yours in following the instructions.

Please tell us if the problem was solved or not.

 

[Kannan]

SMPS - > Siwitched Mode Power Supply.

SMPS is the power box which is inside you CPU i.e its the thing which process the power getting inside your Computer(CPU/cabinet) and converts them into 12,5 volt DC and then your motherboard and other components use them.

All the computers have SMPS.

 

[Nehaonline]

Hey you Guys;
Thankyouuuuuuuuuuuuuu so much "Tech&me" and "Bravefart"(lol you have real funny Id you made me really laugh) ; you guys are so smart and nice tooo. Thank youu again and again

 

[abhi8404]

hi

 

[abhi8404]

hi

 

[Tech&ME]

happy to know ur problem was solved, thanks,(all)

 

[majig]

Looks like I do not have proper earthing either.

Thax Tech&ME

Greate Info

 

[klinux]

@tech&me : Wont it normally short ur main circuit board of ur home if u Connected any wires to the ground and "L" or "N" on the switch ??? . Or is there an easier way to test it with a tester or multimeter ( is possible ) .

 

[Tech&ME]

Dear klinux No this will not short anything. If u do it as I have explained. To explain this to u in more details :

Firstly What do u mean by that N and L, Ok N means neutral and L means Line (Live). And now I should ask u the difference between Earthing and N. Well! As u can see either of the two Earthing and N does not have any flow of current on them ( in a laymens terms ). And to confuse u a bit let me tell u that the function of the Earthing and N is somewhat same, technically, yes the N circuit is actually made up of the Earthing only but u get this directly from the Pole. U can also take the Earthing from the Pole on a separete wire but this is not recommended by electricians since this a somewhat weak. Hence, we dig up a hole in our home compound to make Earthing on ourselves ( I will not explain how Earthing is created ). And Hence, when we connect one wire to the Earthing Hole of the bulb and the other to the L hole, the light bulb glows and there is no shorting since simply instead of using the Neutral from the Pole we use the homemade Earthing here or say Homemade Neutral to make things simple to understand for u.

You can try this with a new experiment ( as given below )

WARNING : This experiment however requires that u call an electrician and let him do it for you for SAFETY reasons please. Don't blame me if u get hurt because u made some silly mistake.

EXPREMELY DANGEROUS : Please do not attempt to do it yourself if u do not now anything about electricity.

Preparation : Collecte a New Bulb ( 60 Watts ) and a holder, wires

Step 1 : Ok now put the one end of the wire to the L hole of the socket.

Step 2: Put the other to some iron bar of the window of your room. Tie it up there . DO NOT HOLD IT BY YOUR HAND THERE, JUST TIE THE NACKED WIRE TO THE IRON BAR OF THE WINDOW AND LEAVE IT.

Step 3: Now Switch ON the socket Switch. the bulb should glow!!

DO NOT TOUCH THE WINDOW WHILE THE SWITCH IS ON.

This expirement will tell u if the earthing is available on the window bars or not.

I RECOMMEND THAT YOU MUST CALL AN ELECTRICIAN TO DO THIS EXPERIMENT FOR YOU. DO NOT TRY IT YOURSELF PLEASE !!!!

Your ELECTRICIAN (educated) will be able to explain you in more details if you ask him.

DISCLAIMER : I do not guarantee anything and please note this.

 

[klinux]

thanx for the explaination . i aint gonna burn my fingers , just to see if fire is hot lol . anyways , i actually had problems with the UPS grounding and static electricity as possible culprits for my ups and cdrom problems . anyways . will check if earthing is done properly with help of electrician .

In the interest of SAFETY i also ask everyone here to install good circuit breakers to ur house main power supply . MK switches has a GR8 board made from UK and now selling in india as well . their switches trip each phase , each room seperately . its a box with around 20 trippers for various capacity depending on a/c , fridge , heaters etc . It trips whenever someone gets a shock or a leak in ground / earthing detected . POSIBBLE LIFE SAVER . i actually had a bad smps once trip the whole circuit breaker for the entire house . , it even trips for small errors in soldering irons , while foolishly soldering components on tv sets , without proper precautions . (well thats me ) .

Guys Please recommend good branded trusted UPS and SMPS as many face probs with this . most local company makes i have seen is one shop selling same components bought outta the market , with diff colors and labels . most components are cheap , dangerous and dont have standards which should comply with some regulation . like u have FCC standards i think abroad . Do we have such standards and symnbols in india too ??