APC BR1000G Tear-Down

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Zaxx420

Zaxx420

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Am a regular reader of ur UPS teardowns here at Tom's...having a backround in "EEE", I find them very interesting to say the least. I have an older APC BACK UPS RS-1500 that needs a new battery. B4 I spend on a new batt was wondering if you've reviewed any APC 1500VA 'home' units? Are they decent or should I look at a newer unit instead of a fresh batt?
 
Daniel Sauvageau

Daniel Sauvageau

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If your RS-1500 is from ~2005, look for my APC BX1000 tear-down. Based on how the BX1000's battery cover says XS1000 and the firmware version says RS1000, I suspect that the RS1500 will be practically the exact same thing except for having that third FET location on the heatsink plates populated and a larger HVDC transformer..
 
Daniel Sauvageau

Daniel Sauvageau

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Glad you liked it.

For Kickstarter, I do not think a platform where I need to meet a goal to get funds would work too well. Patreon might be more appropriate for my use: contribute monthly, piece-wise or one-off to help me get what I need, when I need it.
 
bit_user

bit_user

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Good point. I'm just thinking of some way that people can chip in to buy you equipment to test. Any extra you might use to fund your time + maybe you can ebay some of the re-assembled units, when you're done. Perhaps it can be setup for people to vote on different models with their contributions, if patreon has a way of creating different projects for people to contribute towards.

Personally, I'm interested in higher-end UPS models and AV powerline filters (like those from Panamax).
 
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WFang

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Yes, a Patreon option would certainly be interesting way to get funds for higher end UPS and powerfilters!
 
alextheblue

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I'd slap a battery in it if I was you. I mean, you're already got the unit. If it had some other failure or you were lacking a UPS but in the market for one, the BR1500G is probably the best in it's price class. I've got one - if you tear it open it's going to look pretty similar to the BR1000G in this tear-down. It does have a fan which it fires up whenever it's on battery. Again, very decent unit for the money, but it's not going to be built quite up to the standards of the older units. In actual use though this thing has been kick-ass - I needed something with enough oomph to sustain my system for a bit if I lose power while gaming. Gives me time to gracefully exit the game and finish anything I needed to do.
 
Zaxx420

Zaxx420

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IIRC I bought it about 7 or 8 years ago...before the big credit bubble popped...JC Penny all but force fed me a credit card.
About a year b4 that I had been the victim of the transformer on my pole...turns out it had a floating ground 'fit' and over-volted my PC and my brand new 250W (RMS!) Logitech speaker system. My power co. cut me a check for the speakers/amp as well as a shiny new PSU and 'installation' :p It was then that I realized surge protectors don't seem to mind over-volting much...at least my super-uber zillion joule strip didn't...lol So I went for a UPS big enuff for my rig as well as modem, switch, router and ext. storage...plus a lil 8 watt led desk lamp. It now backs a second PC too. I'm actually considering a larger batt...ofc it won't fit inside the case but thats fine with me...lol If 'older is better' then I should be in good shape...
 
Daniel Sauvageau

Daniel Sauvageau

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In that case, your RS-1500 may very well use the same PCB as my BX-1000, give or take a few component swaps and additions. You may want to pay close attention to my next story: the one where I got off my lazy ass and resurrect my BX-1000. Turns out it was a very simple thing I overlooked when I originally looked into it last year before buying the CP LX1500 which kicked off my UPS streak.

 
thundervore

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Ive owned the BR1500G for a few years. Its been great. Ive been wondering about getting the expandable battery pack for it but never had the need to use the battery power for long. Its great against surges and brownouts. Way better than the smaller 750 model that needed a battery replacement 2 years later.

Net year I plan on replacing the batteries which is surprisingly cheap.
 
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lppenguin

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Really enjoy reading your tear downs even though they are over my head, never miss one. Thanks.
I have a Monster AV800 that I unplugged just today because it was killing power to half the circuit it was on. After spending hours in the attic double and triple checking the add on work I have done over many years I could find no problem. Decided to check the AV800 outlets with my non-contact voltage tester and it lit up and beeped 3-4 inches away from the unit. Pulled the plug and all came back to life. I have not opened it up. if you have any use for it I will be glad to send it to you.
 
Zaxx420

Zaxx420

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Have an old Dodge Neon getting hauled off to the scrap yard soon...blown motor. Has a nearly new battery someone sprung for...less than a year old but REALLY small...smaller than stock even...never seen one so little actually. It's sealed as well...that being said, I think it'd make a great 'emergency' batt.

I live in a semi-rural area prone to power outages with the smallest of t-storms. Have the perfect lil box to keep it in right next to my RS 1500. Only things I'd run off it after powering down the PCs is my cable modem (cuz my home phone is thru Comcast), my cordless phone base and 2 desk lamps with 8W ('60W equivalent') led bulbs...maybe a couple usb charger ports too. Would take no time to wire it up for a lil xtra piece of mind for the wifey...and a toy for me...lol Prolly do a 12v power block/ UPS hack thing I read about. Running 12v devices off the 110v backup from a 12v batt source isn't exactly efficient...lmao

Any u guys tinker with UPS modding or adding a 'big' batt?

Example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ur-D37-juo

 
Daniel Sauvageau

Daniel Sauvageau

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Unless your non-contact meter is excessively sensitive, the only reason I can think of for it getting set off from multiple inches away would be a broken neutral connection turning the whole thing into an antenna spewing out 115VAC but an open-circuit wouldn't cause the breaker to trip. If you meant that "half the circuit" goes out as in it loses power without tripping the breaker, then you may want to check the outlet your AV800 was plugged into, sounds like there may be a loose or broken wire there. A fault in an appliance wouldn't cause only half of a circuit to mysteriously go out otherwise.


When the battery of my first APC UPS died (I think it was a BP650) and everyone was asking over $50 for a replacement battery, I decided to buy a much larger "marine" battery for $80 instead. I was quite glad I did a year or two later when I had a day-long power outage as that allowed my UPS to keep my internet and laptop running for the whole day. The battery only lasted four or five years due to VRLAs having a higher float-charge voltage than regular flooded cells.
 
bit_user

bit_user

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Using a car battery for a UPS? That's funny, because I have used UPS batteries to jumpstart cars, on multiple occasions.

Just be sure there's 12 V between the UPS battery terminals, kids. Some UPS have multiple cells wired in series.

The only time I had trouble with this was when the jumper cables & the terminals I was connecting them to were dirty. Luckily, I had some electrical contact cleaner that worked beautifully.
 
Daniel Sauvageau

Daniel Sauvageau

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A 12V lead-acid battery is already six cells in series :)

In the RS1500's case, I'm pretty certain it will be using a 24V battery pack since the RS1000 is already a 24V design.

Higher capacity extended uptime UPS often use 48V battery systems.
 
bit_user

bit_user

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Sorry, I meant packs.

Correction appreciated.
 
Zaxx420

Zaxx420

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What a bummer...ah well. May still do the power...dunno.

 
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