[FieldDay] Generators and UPS

[Steve L.]

Hi guys, thanks for the responses.

I have modified an older APC 400VA UPS with a dead
battery to run from an external 12V marine battery,
but it doesn't have any switches inside, just five
PCB-mounted pots without labels. 

I guess I could mark their positions and dork with
each one to figure out what they do. Probably one or
two are charger related (and really, what do I have to
lose here, the charger is disabled).

We don't have laptops and one of our radios doesn't
run from 12VDC (imagine!).

73, Steve N4SL
--- Phil Lefever <plefever@isd.net> wrote:
> At 15:09 05/20/2003 -0700, you wrote:
> >I've yet to find a commercial 'computer type' UPS
> that
> >will run from my generator.
> 
> Yep it is a common problem, especially from a
> smaller
> generator. Likely the UPS is triggering from sagging
> voltage from the generator when it is under load.
> Like
> the other post said you need to look for an input
> voltage
> trigger level adjustment on the UPS. All my APC's
> have
> a dip switch that allows selection of a lower
> voltage
> trigger point, usually they are set by default to
> the
> higher voltage. It may work once you flip the
> switch.
> 
> The question I have is why do you actually need a
> UPS?
> I assume it is to run the computer so it won't crash
> every time the power sags for a minute (or the
> generator
> runs out of gas). In our case we get around this by
> using
> laptop computers ONLY. Even though most of our are
> old and
> have worn out batteries in them they will all run
> for a
> few minutes without power.
> 
> The other advantage of using laptops is that they
> usually
> create much less RFI since they don't have cables
> (antennas)
> running to the keyboard and monitor to radiate
> garbage. The
> other thing I like about laptops is that they are
> considerably
> more portable ;) The only complaints I have with
> them is that
> some of the switching power supplies are noisy
> (ferrites on
> the cables help) and they don't have enough serial
> ports to
> network when running CT. Now that we use WriteLog at
> least
> the serial port issue is resolved.
> 
> 73
> 
> Phil
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Phil Lefever, KB�NES   		Field day Chairman
> Twin Cities Repeater Club		W�BU 3A MN
> Burnsville, Minnesota			http://www.tcrc.org	
> 
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