Repair your APC Battery Backup....The Wrong Way?

My APC XS1300 battery backup gave up the ghost. Them damn things are expensive! I'm going to try and fix it.

[@peterservon9370]

Your perseverance is commendable. I don’t think many could test components parts for continuity though. I agree about the throw away society.

[@joes3485]

MV or MOV (Metal Oxide Varistor) were parts developed originally by General Electric to provide protection from voltage spikes and lightning strikes on the 120VAC coming into your house.

[@ericbradford7937]

How does this guy only have 1k subscribers? Puts so much detail in his work and makes it entertaining at the same time. Hope you keep making videos man, giving me and loads of others motivation

[@dork3nergy]

Hey, Thanks Eric. Covid has slowed me down but I'm not done with making videos yet.

[@davidjames1063]

@@dork3nergy Bird Feeder follow up ?

[@dork3nergy]

@@davidjames1063 Believe it or not James, your little message here was just the kick in the arse I needed to sit down and put together the update. You'll be happy to know that has been posted. Thanks mate.

[@davidjames1063]

@@dork3nergy Nice ! I will catch it today.

[@joes3485]

If solder wick does not get all the solder out of the hole, try inserting a wooden toothpick (suitably whittled down) into the hole while the solder is molten. The wooden toothpick does not absorb the heat, so the solder will usually stay molten while you insert the toothpick. It should leave enough of an opening that you can then insert the part followed by soldering the new part in place.

[@justinkacsa]

2 years down the road, and this video is still good and highly informative... moreover from a non-professional. Kudos

[@dork3nergy]

Thanks Justin.

[@PureMagma]

It's also very entertaining.

[@SFDood]

Just a suggestion for future benefit.. I'm no professional either, but I've dealt with cleaning alot of circuit boards and other electronics for personal use and I would recommend that instead of trying to wipe the burn mark with a papertowl or toilet paper, use Q-tips (because they are small) and dip them into isopropyl alcohol. It really helps to clean up the fried board (burn marks). The higher percentage alcohol you can find the better because there is less water. However, I believe the easiest to obtain might be like a 70%, which will also work just fine. I used 70% for most of my cleaning and I never had any problems. It wasn't until recent years that I switched to a higher percentage alcohol. At 4:45 you were trying to scrap off the burn, and with the screwdriver you were using, you might actually scratch off the print on the pcb board. So that's why I suggest alochol first. There will be discoloration due to the burn, but at least the alcohol should clean up most of it.

[@dork3nergy]

Good suggestion Dennis. I actually did use isopropyl, just didn't mention it.

[@reiserx]

The second relay you tested is a 24 volt relay. 12 volts was not going to make it click. It probably was not bad. I have the same UPS and the fuse, 400 volt 22uf cap and one other cap blew up. I was hoping to see what the little cap was but can't make it out in the video. It's the greenish one about 1/2 inch left of the 400v I think it's a 63 volt 22uf like the others that look like it. Mine made a big pop in the middle of the night. Blew part of the board apart under the 400v cap. I'll need to add wire to replace the trace.

[@fierohoho]

I recently picked up 2 used APC 1500's, luckily all they needed were the batteries. I'm saving your video in case I ever have problems with them. Great job.

[@raicerx469]

I love your layman's way to repair. I also find your video's highly informative, especially in this video, where you said what the components are, data sheet location and where you can get the parts. With the demise of Radio Shack basic electronic repair sucks. Greatly appreciate it.

[@dork3nergy]

Thanks @RaicerX. There still are some mom and pop electronics supply places in existence. They are few and far between. It's a damn shame.

[@Colin6712]

First video of yours I've watched no technical terms a few laughs absolutely brilliant video thank you

[@dork3nergy]

Thanks. Much appreicated.

[@laserdad]

I really like the way you show your mistakes. That's what we encounter when we try to follow these instructional videos, but most people cut those out, so that they don't look like they didn't know what they were doing. Now I can try to fix the three that I have.

[@dork3nergy]

Mistakes are how we learn. Plus, since I don't know what I'm doing most times, part of the journey is troubleshooting which invariably involves cocking things up. Thanks for tuning in!

[@andyjack2368]

and you have those ups run 24/7 with deep cycle battery like how I doing I have 4 12 volt lead acid battery 3 12 volt 7.2 Amp each and one 12 volt 20Amp lead acid battery been running my ups for more than 7 hours now with my laptop wich dam good 😍😍

[@davidjames1063]

Did a repair very like this one last year. I too learned the hard way, that normally, if one component fails, it can take others either up, or down circuit WITH it. Check EVERYTHING on that PCB, and reassemble it one time !

[@Bushprowler]

This is the motivation I needed to finally repair my guitar amp.

[@jameskrivitsky9715]

At 3:50, that blue disc is a METAL OXIDE VARISTOR , abbreviation - MV or MOV. It suppresses an overload and sends the voltage to GND for circuit protection. It is a bit like a fuse. I had one pop in a multi-outlet surge protector strip. The power strip still works but the protection is limited for another lightning storm. JwgK

[@dork3nergy]

Cool. Thanks James.

[@DH-ku6qg]

Like your tenacity!

[@wkearney99]

the angelic "aaaaaah" sound effect MAKES IT! nice job.

[@dork3nergy]

That was no sound effect...that really happened ;)

[@wrthrash]

Wow, was just given a broken XS 1300 yesterday, no batt power or charging, so ordered new batts to start my journey. Hope I don't have to revisit this video but glad it'll be here, thanks!

[@nanocastmanutd]

I just bought one XS 1500 for 45 bucks I'm excited to see how it goes. And I loves your video. Thanks a lot.

[@dork3nergy]

Good luck!

[@mikecaldera2912]

Dude you are a genius. Absolutely outstanding. I'm going to try the Big APC unit SRT5KRMXLI. It looks lik ethe same board

[@dork3nergy]

Tenacious yes. Genius no. Good luck with you APC mate.

[@AndrewFremantle]

I've got one of these that I picked out of an ewaste bin a few years ago. Finally got around to putting batteries in it, and it fires up and runs, but doesn't charge the batteries! Unlike yours, there's no skid marks, no blown fuses, and no pooched diodes. The only fault I can see is the bulging (mine isn't leaking yet) big 22uF 400v cap. I'm skeptical if that cap by itself would be enough to prevent the batteries from receiving a charge. Once the batteries are done on my smart charger I'm going to plug them in and measure terminal voltages with the UPS in operation.... Thank you for the detailed video!

[@dork3nergy]

It might be the culprit mate. For the price of a cap it's worth a shot.

[@msieweke]

The cap is probably involved in line voltage detection. The UPS believes line voltage is low, so it won’t charge the battery. This is a common problem. Google “apc ups capacitor repair” for more info.

[@ivanchang9208]

you are really patient jajaja, congrats for get to back to work that UPS

[@dGroupcom]

FLUX is your friend... It would be nice to have the part numbers of the fuse and diode's that worked. PS: it cost more for shipping than the parts. I have three of these and I am going to rebuild them. Thanks for the video.

[@djmiik]

Love this video. Thanks for not giving up and showing us how you were able to fix it!!

[@seymourpro6097]

The blue disk metal oxide varistors absorb voltage spikes BUT die a little every time. They save the rest of the circuit but only for so long, replace them all, a cheap effective repair.

[@dork3nergy]

Thanks for the tip.

[@coloradowilderness3139]

Please go ahead. Need more APC UPS repair tutorials. Thanks

[@pauljenkins3258]

Any hints for replacing batteries with lipo4 externally so you can extend runtime way long?

[@johntube2525]

I watched the whole thing. Great job! Very entertaining! Glad you stuck with it and fixed it. Great detail on how to trouble shoot relays, diodes, etc. I am practically deaf, but my wife and grandkids came into the computer room the other day and said what is that loud beeping sound. My reply, what beeping sound? Turned out to be the APC unit, mine is a APC Backups 650, making a beeping poor old me could not hear. I found and ordered a new Battery. Then tested the battery and found it had 12.9 volts. So I canceled my order. Instruction manual said to unplug everything. Then plug the APC unit back in and then one by one plug in the devices and see which one causes the problem. Kind of weird, because now with just a monitor and computer plugged in, it is working fine and has been for over a week now. Anyways, I loved your video and have subscribed. Keep doing the great videos, you had me laughing in several spots and amazed in others.

[@dork3nergy]

Thanks John!

[@ZorroDaddy]

Perhaps Title should add: Battery not charging ! Thanks, hope mine will be fixed too.. great Work.

[@dork3nergy]

Good idea. Thanks!

[@mattmoreira210]

A few tips that should make troubleshooting a lot easier: - Learn basic electronics before attempting any repair; - Familiarize yourself with the theory of operation of the appliance you're trying to fix; - Gather schematics and repair manuals. Even if they're unavailable for the specific make and model you're looking for, similarities always exist; - Before disconnecting wires, take notes as to where each one goes -- you'll be thankful you've done it later; - Always measure voltages (first rule of troubleshooting); - Never trust visuals alone -- they can be deceiving; - Avoid testing components in-circuit whenever possible -- they can read and test incorrectly; - Fuses have ratings for a reason. Make sure to replace them with the right type, current and voltage ratings. If you don't, consequences can range from premature failure of said fuse to property damage and/or death.

[@garycook1272]

The other thing you missed replacing was the near to bursting filter capacitor by the heatsinks. See how its top is domed up ?

[@dork3nergy]

Thanks for that observation. It's still going but it will be the first thing I check when if it fails.

[@joegroom3195]

I noticed that too and was going to mention it but you beat me to it.

[@jrstf]

I have a Smart-UPS 1400 that lost an awful lot of smoke. I haven't tried to repair it for perhaps the same reason APC doesn't, I don't want it to burn my house down. This one died when the electric company's transformer on the pole blew up and sent a 600 volt surge into four houses (maybe more than 600 but that's what the UPS reported), we all lost most everything plugged in and not protected by a UPS. The UPS continued to power the computer from the battery but clearly the power input section is in trouble based on the burned section. You had a much smaller surge though it is possible that MMOV surge surpressor burned out before you got the UPS, my surge was obvious because the UPS continued to emit smoke long after power was gone.

[@dork3nergy]

Wow! That's crazy.

[@WalterFrancis]

Excellent, I have this exact UPS that powered off randomly one day and won't power up again. I inspected the board and saw nothing obvious but I probably need to get out the meter and start probing more things. I bet I'll find the issue from what issues you ran into! Batteries are brand new, I had the thing out the garage for a few years when the last batteries died and I hadn't replaced 'em yet as APC wanted $100 until I realized they were just generic ole 12v 7a batteries.

[@dork3nergy]

Totally worth a try. Good luck!

[@ChadBIsRacing]

I have a couple of old transformer based UPS's. One of them died a very smoky burning death; good thing they're in metal boxes.

[@dork3nergy]

Sounds exciting!

[@davidbrock9778]

1.21 gigawatts...great scott

[@SolarBuck]

I watched the video and found the information useful as I am about to try and repair an APC UPS but could have done without all the bad language. I was watching it with my kids nearby. They kept saying why is he cussing so much. I had to put on headphones. other than that good video.

[@gunniepsx]

Hi, at 26.23 minutes you test the second relay with 12V but that is a 24V version. Anyway subbed, i love breaking euh i mean fixing stuff :D

[@dork3nergy]

Good point. I'll watch out for that next time.

[@samimurtomaki5534]

Easy to watch over the shoulder and notice these things. Yea obviously it did not work with 12V, but atleast it works now somehow :D

[@tomfalkenberg]

I was just looking through the comments to see if anyone else saw that. I thought for sure he would come back correcting this, but he put the 12v in there. I wonder if it burned out again or if its still working?

[@theantipope4354]

MV = MOV = Metal Oxide Varister = Transorb. It's a surge suppresser; presumably a mains-rated one.

[@kenibnanak5554]

They protect against power surge. They burn out and protect the appliance plugged in downstream.

[@seymourpro6097]

MOVs die slowly in use, every surge they absorb will eat them away till they die. For the price it's often worth replacing all of any group of them.

[@Dirtyharry70585]

FYI the cap by those 40amp fuses (22uf 400V) is also bad, it will cause high frequency noise on the output which will affect radios. If you have a meter that can measure 120vac output frequency, it will go from 0-800hz and back! That was one of mine, the other is doing the same as yours now.

[@dork3nergy]

Interesting. Thanks for the heads up.

[@Dirtyharry70585]

@@dork3nergy my apc needs just a relay...yah chinese pos. Out of stock but will rig a stand alone in its place if the local esco store doesnt have one.

[@Dirtyharry70585]

pins almost fit relay replacement NTE R22-5D16-24... 24vdc/16amp also if the supply doesnt show more than 45min backup time then down load APc Powerchute 3.1, and the interface cord, one side usb other end RJ45 (serial to usb). pn 940-0127E. Start software , go to monitor system, then run self test, then replaced battery date....boom back to full run time!

[@dork3nergy]

@@Dirtyharry70585 Cool. Thanks!

[@deanb500]

1 year on and this helped me so much with a completely different model but still APC. I too had a couple of bulging caps, a shit stain on a metal oxide varistor (MV5) two blown fuses and the final mail that got her going was the god damn user-resettable fuse on the back. Go figure.

[@dork3nergy]

Cool. Glad you got it working. Keeping shit out of the landfill is always worth it. Well done!

[@foxale08]

Those are considered low end (disposable) units. They will repair higher end sine wave models.

[@dork3nergy]

All I can say to that is...Boo.

[@bigliftm]

or you come over to my place ... got these units very often. battery dead. new battery cost more then the whole unit. So the battery goes into the recycle bin and the transformer to the copper scrap.

[@ps3customgamer]

Mv1 is metal oxide varistor, there’s also an obviously swelled cap

[@concorde2003]

Alright, you earned a thumbs up.

[@dork3nergy]

I appreciate that. Thanks!

[@timthomas9105]

Metal Oxide Varistor. look it up. It acts as an AC fuse.

[@thomasprendergast6315]

Just a question. How much time ya got in that beast? Oh, and ignore that Chip doosh.

[@dork3nergy]

Well,it's still running and I haven't had any issues with it yet. Fingers crossed.

[@zeeMuniStacksBundles]

A throw away and disposable society this is. Perhaps it won't be able to sustain itself for too much longer. Nice video

[@dork3nergy]

I suspect you are correct. Thanks for watching,

[@Archivort]

Ah yes the chirp of death. Thanks for this!

[@Ikouy]

I have this exact unit I bought new at Circuit City for less than it costs to replace the battery...Been meaning to fix it but just gotta build up the patience. It works, but under any load on AC the battery won't keep charged.

[@dork3nergy]

No harm in having a look inside. Go for it.

[@KuntalGhosh]

Me screeching my hairs watching him rub the body of that capacitor with his hot soldering iron 🤯🥴

[@tjlingram]

So the relay ended up sticking on which mostlikly is what killed the charging circut. The smoke signal kinda tells you to much current went threw it. Though it could have been the inverse. The varistor could have went some how and fucked up the charging circut. Though highly unlickly

[@1112223333111]

and the other button that says display shows the display, not the power button. hold the display button till it beeps it stay on for good

[@SovereignKnight74]

Your main capacitor, the large black one, is bad. I had a 1500VA version of this APC. It still worked, and charged, but the main cap was about to blow, and it was a bulge on the top with brown crap on top, and the heat shrink was ripped on the side as well due to swelling. For the sake of reliability, you'd want to recap the entire board. That is not cost-effective. I also think that is a simulated sine wave model, so it's not good for super sensitive electronics if it doesn't like the square wave. ***** Never mind. I see @ 18:00 you found it.

[@ZorroDaddy]

Thank you so much, that 22mf 400v is my exact problem too, cant figure out the part number...the bulgy black/gray @18:05

[@dork3nergy]

No part number there. It's a 22uF 400V capacitor. You can pick one up from this guy on ebay : www.ebay.com/itm/331921831976

[@ZorroDaddy]

@@dork3nergy Thanks, I saw the package in your vid, and contacted the guy, he recommended SC type, as they are better quality, but it is 450V , hope I dont end up on fire, lol. SC - KM Series - Radial Electrolytic Capacitors - 450V 22uF - 5 Pieces is what I ordered.

[@RonMeals-s8p]

I know that this is a very old clip but I have 4 1500 APCs sitting here with the exact same problem. Would you by chance have part numbers for the component that you replaced. Thanks

[@dork3nergy]

Not really. I still have some extra varistors kicking around (Blue disc like things)....hang on...They are 360V 4.5KA (14mm). Hope that helps.

[@RonMeals-s8p]

OK thanks, i will do more checking once I get 1 of my 4 units apart.

[@EngelArellano]

Sir awesome video, I think mine just needs new batteries, but saving your video just incase!!

[@dork3nergy]

Thanks. Batteries are often the culprit. Good luck.

[@justangvano]

Way to persevere! Wow! Great video.

[@robertcohen2174]

I have four of these (APC white boxes) different sizes that don't want to work anymore with different issues like won't go off battery when plugged in, saying battery needs replacement, going on overload with a 2 watt load when unplugged, all have full batteries. Any suggestions? Total value of these are about $1,200 new, I'm guessing.

[@dork3nergy]

Can't say off the top of my head but, I would probably do what I did here. Just look for shit that ain't right and replace those parts. The components on these boards are mostly testable.

[@richardlouie2922]

If you a bit of research on APC UPS, one common problem across multiple models seems to be poor quality 22uF capacitors. One KZbinr stated that the first thing they always do is to replace the 22 uF capacitors before troubleshooting anything else.

[@hernancoronel]

At 27:35 soooo funny! Thanks for the video!

[@dork3nergy]

Hehe...glad you liked it.

[@DavidMorales-nomadtec]

Great video. Very easy to understand.

[@LilRedDog]

Do not know if you can out it back together correctly? If only you had a video of you taking it apart... :/

[@samimurtomaki5534]

Useful and entertaining.

[@HCHANRN]

I have the same one. I want to know if it a pure sin wave?

[@dork3nergy]

No idea sorry.

[@ramkings2]

I have that same UPS, my problem seems to be the fans, not working and get overheated, how can I replace the cooling fan or find out why is not working

[@dork3nergy]

If you have it apart, the fans should be easy to replace. Just get ones that are the same size. I can't recall off the top of my head but they probably just plug into the board somewhere. You can scavenge the plug from the old fan.

[@johnstouchpad6437]

I found them on ebay likely 24v fan

[@ramkings2]

I think my problem its different, because when my ups is on battery the fans works continuously, but whet I plugged in to electricity the fans just stop working and overhead it again and then I got the same code F08

[@johnstouchpad6437]

@@ramkings2 the fans are multi speed

[@ramkings2]

I know that, but the fans only works when f08 code comes out

[@glidercoach]

Good job!

[@tokentech3318]

Really enjoy your style

[@dork3nergy]

Thanks @TokenTech. I call it "persistent idiot"

[@batsrule]

excellent thanks

[@waynebinion6035]

Very enjoyable!

[@dork3nergy]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@garrensequeira505]

Its not a cap its a mov(metal oxide varister)

[@dork3nergy]

Yup. I figured that out later in the video.

[@johnstouchpad6437]

What are you using it for today?

[@dork3nergy]

Just backs up my internet service and a file/web server that I like to keep running.

[@chipinnc]

MV - Metal Oxide Varister... Blown from a surge. Duh. Plus your electrolytic capaciters are so obviously blown too..

[@ZorroDaddy]

Would be Great if you tell us more to help, isn't that nicer ! Thanks

[@dalecostich8794]

id swear you hooked the battery leads back-asswards red is pos and black is neg.

[@twiz148]

I tossed one a year ago... 😞

[@ifocusfilms]

Nice job!

[@dork3nergy]

I was pleased I managed it as well. It's still ticking away without any problems.

[@TMS5100]

@20:41 reading is the forward voltage drop of the diode.

[@dork3nergy]

Good to know. Thanks!

[@captainofindustry6625]

where have you been i hope you are doing well

[@dork3nergy]

I'm hangin' in there. Thanks.

[@dalekrebs]

rule if thumb..."the bigger the glob, the better the job!"

[@JohnstonPettigrew]

Fucxxxxking Great......!!

[@stevejordan2575]

How do I keep the display on?

[@dork3nergy]

Mine has a button labeled "display"

[@stevejordan2575]

@@dork3nergy I want it to to stay on all of the time

[@1112223333111]

the other relay was 24v

[@n8loux]

[@andyjack2368]

change battery used deep cycle battery you get much better longer run time

[@dork3nergy]

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind when these bite the dust.

[@andyjack2368]

@@dork3nergy I have ups 350 it come with 12volt lead acid battery 7.2Amp what idid I change battery have 4 12 volt battery 3 12 volt 7.2 Amp and 20Amp battery I have water proof tool box so I have 10Amp breaker with GFCI 110V plug on my tool box and 40Amp fused for my battery between positive of my ups cut hole on my ups put fan on it with switch I was testing it run 2hours and half on battery was using my laptop and speaker plug but have go out side did get finish my testing I even have inverter love how those switch over when power out am going get one bigger one like 3000 watts or 5000 watts change battery that run 24/7 put in cooling fan

[@andyjack2368]

@@dork3nergy your most well come I love those ups used them at same thing when power out have no problem I do 2hours and half on battery was testing it but I when out side

[@immrnoidall]

16 hour charge ,for 3 minutes.

[@andyjack2368]

I hack my usb 350 get run for long hours have 4 12 volt lead acid battery 3 battery 12 volt 7.2 Amp each and a 20Amp let acid battery so I have 40Amp fused for my ups been testing today 100% I Plug in my laptop at 4:00pm today Monday time is 11:05 pm and my ups still running so 7hours on battery wich very good 🥰🥰🥰🥰I have 2 GFCI 110V AC out let plug in water proof tool box and 10Amp breaker and cooling fan for my ups not deep cycle I have with my ups I have 75Amp deep cycle battery with 800 watts inverter in water proof tool box

[@dork3nergy]

Wow! Nice.

yup, you are not a professional...

[@dork3nergy]

You got that right ^_^

[@chipinnc]

Wow. You're not too bright...

[@dork3nergy]

Never said I was Chip.

[@hooblydoobly9125]

Urmom

[@lubricatedgoat]

Not way too long. Can't get enough of this kind of troubleshooting really. Adrian's Digital Basement is a great channel for this kind of stuff, but related to 8-bit computers. Question: could you run 4 LiFePO4 batteries in there instead of the 12 V lead-acid? Direct swap, maybe a small balancing circuit to keep the cells at the same voltage.

[@dork3nergy]

That's a good question. I should be possible with an appropriate charging device. The only issue might be that the logic of the USP is designed for a lead-acid discharge profile and using LiPo might result in inaccurate battery status information. Should still work you would think.

[@theantipope4354]

@@dork3nergy You can't drop in any kind of lithium based cell as a replacement for a lead-acid battery; the charging/conditioning methods are way too different. You'd have to completely redesign both the hardware & controller software.

[@Ikouy]

@@theantipope4354 The chemistry they're referring to, if my memory is intact, does not require the fancy monitoring standard 3.6V lithium ion uses. I have a few Christmas lights that run off of 3.2V lithium rechargeable, and it's merely attached to a solar cell.

[@GirlOnAQuest]

Totally experienced a massive surge! lol