Re: UPS

From: John-Paul Stewart (jpstewart_at_binaryfoundry.ca)
Date: 03/16/04 

Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 11:21:36 -0500

Kevin D. Snodgrass wrote:
> ttjjekk119234 wrote:
>
>> I just got a UPS, APC 725VA. I've looked all over the internet for
>> what the output from upsc means but I cannot find anything.
>>
>> UPS: hidups@localhost

This looks like the output of NUT. It would have been helpful if you'd
explicitly told us what software you're using.

> Name of the UPS.
>
>> MFR: Generic
>
>
> Manufacturer. Wonder why APC doesn't identify themselves.

That's probably a result of using the hidups driver. It's not nearly as
advanced as some others.

>> MODEL: Back-UPS ES 725 FW:802.n2.D USB
>
>
> Model. Don't know what the FW:... stuff is. USB should be obvious.

The "FW" stuff is probably the FirmWare revision.

>> LOADPCT: 19
>
>
> Load percent. Probably the realtime load. I.e., this is a 725VA UPS
> and it is currently supplying (actually allowing to pass through) about
> 125VA.

IOW, the UPS is only at 19% of its maximum possible load. You've got
lots of room for expansion. The low load percentage also means a much
longer runtime. (There are charts on APC's website that will tell you
how long that unit is expected to run at various loads.)

>> Also I've seen output from other UPSs and there are other variables
>> that do not show on my listing. Why is that?
>
>
> Hard to tell without seeing them.

It's a combination of both the UPS and the driver that determines what
variables are shown in the listing. I've got APC SmartUPS units here
that show a lot more variables, in part because it's more advanced
hardware with support for monitoring more things. These units have both
USB and serial ports, however, and the detailed information is only
available through the NUT's 'smartups' driver with the UPS connected to
the serial port. Using the exact same UPS connected to a USB port and
running with NUT's 'hidups' driver, fewer variables are shown and/or
some are listed as 'unavailable'.

In this case it's hard to tell whether it's the UPS itself or the hidups
driver that is the reason more info isn't displayed. It's possible a
newer version of the hidups driver would show more info...possibly not
if the hardware doesn't support it. (To some extent, the UPS firmware
may play a role in what is/isn't available, too.)

>> How do I determine how much hydro my computer is consuming?

Well, the UPS is rated at 450W (according to APC's spec ***) and is
showing a 19% load, so I'd say it's using approx. 85.5W.