10 replies to this topic

[Stephen]

I got an APC Back-UPS RS800 over the holidays. Based upon some advice from this and another fourm, I plugged the UPS into my APC surge protector. This is due to the surge protector providing more surget protection than the UPS.

Over the last week (meaning this didn't start happening right away), I've noticed a change when I turn the computer on. Before, the PSU would power up in a higher gear, then drop down to the normal sound level. Now, it powers up, drops a bit, powers up again, and then drops to the normal level.

Is this related to plugging the UPS into the surge protector? Should I plug the UPS directly into the wall socket?

[lokoike]

Stephen, on Jan 7 2006, 02:34 PM, said:

Before, the PSU would power up in a higher gear, then drop down to the normal sound level. Now, it powers up, drops a bit, powers up again, and then drops to the normal level.

By the PSU powering up in a higher gear, I assume you are actually referring to the PSU's fan, right? If that is the case, your PSU might have some sort of temperature monitor on it, and it raises every time the PSU gets too hot. Try sucking the dust out of the fan; often, dust can cause fans to not operate properly, so they have to work harder to achieve the RPM necessary to cool the device. I clean my fans every couple of weeks.

If you are referring to electrical noise coming out of the PSU that is unrelated to the PSU's fan, that still shouldn't be because of plugging the battery into the surge protector. Actually, having the power go from the outlet, to the protector, to the battery, to the PSU should be giving you more stable power, not less stable.

Is this the same computer that you've been using for a while, or is it the new one with the 500-550 watt PSU? If it is the new one, perhaps your house has old wiring and your new computer is somehow overburdening it? Otherwise, it could just be that the PSU is going bad, or it could be overheating (possibly because of dirty fans).

One way to test if your PSU is going bad is to play a game that is very graphically intensive. If, after 15 minutes of playing or so, your picture starts to pixelate, or you computer freezes, you could have a bad PSU. Of course, usually if a PSU is bad, it'll poop out shortly after the computer starts up.

[Stephen]

For what it's worth, I unplugged the UPS from the surge protector, and then plugged it directly into the wall and that took care of it.

[lokoike]

Hmm... perhaps you have a bad surge protector. Has your surge protector been through any power outages or spikes? If so, perhaps it is going bad now. How old is it? APC is supposed to be really good stuff, but you never know.

Have you tried other devices in this surge protector, such as lights or kitchen appliances? And if so, have the devices behaved strangely?

[Stephen]

It's not that old of a surge protector, and it's on my old computer. I haven't tried any other appliances on it - that's worth checking out.

[lokoike]

Oh, just thought of something obvious: were there other devices plugged into the surge protector when you hooked it up to your computer? High power devices, by any chance? Maybe that is the problem. If you already have several devices hooked up to the surge protector, and then you also hook up your battery back-up and computer, you may be overburdening it.

[Stephen]

I had nothing else plugged into the surge protector.

[lokoike]

Darn! That would've been an easy fix; just unplug.

So, have you tried out other high-power appliances in the surge protector yet? And if so, what was the outcome?

[Glenn]

Are you running PowerChute Personal Edition v2.0? Although dated 2005 12 20, it was released just last week and is supposed to clean up some issues. It may not help but shouldn't hurt.

[Stephen]

Glenn, on Jan 11 2006, 10:18 AM, said:

Are you running PowerChute Personal Edition v2.0? Although dated 2005 12 20, it was released just last week and is supposed to clean up some issues. It may not help but shouldn't hurt.

I'm running Version 1.5 I believe. I'll download the new version and see what that does.

[kobrakommander56]

hmmm, what does that prgram do?