Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
![]() |
|
Home Repair (alt.home.repair) For all homeowners and DIYers with many experienced tradesmen. Solve your toughest home fix-it problems. |
Reply |
|
LinkBack | Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#42
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]() |
#43
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On Thu, 12 May 2016 12:56:05 -0700, Don Y
wrote: A battery will usually fix those "Bad" UPSs. They are not horribly expensive online. That is why I have so many units around here. They all came with bad batteries for free. I still have a few dead soldiers back in my shop but I am UPSed out here. ;-) There only seems to be 2 basic sizes with either 1 or 2 in each UPS (APC). That's only for the smaller, consumer-ish units -- 12V 7.2AHr batteries. I have a couple of these: http://www.amazon.com/APC-SMART-UPS-1500-SUA1500-UPS/dp/B000T53NE6 Which take the battery pack: I have one just like that on my TV and sat box and you can replace that "battery pack" with 2 batteries of equal AH that end up being about $40 less if you shop around. |
#44
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]() Did you manage to find a "maximum REN" rating listed anywhere? Nope - not on the hub. link below. One of my 3 old phones had it 1.2 I think. "load number" was specified on one, as 29. Dunno ... http://enterprise.zte.com.cn/en/prod...18_422573.html John T. |
#45
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On 05/12/2016 11:39 AM, wrote:
[snip A battery will usually fix those "Bad" UPSs. They are not horribly expensive online. That is why I have so many units around here. They all came with bad batteries for free. I still have a few dead soldiers back in my shop but I am UPSed out here. ;-) There only seems to be 2 basic sizes with either 1 or 2 in each UPS (APC). This UPS is one of those APC units that look like a fat power strip. It could be a bad battery, that drops the voltage too much with more than a little load. It's something to consider when I need a new UPS for a computer. -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.us/ "Therefore we Christians, in turn, are obliged not to tolerate their wanton and conscious blasphemy." [Martin Luther,"On the Jews and Their Lies",1543] |
#46
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]() Did you manage to find a "maximum REN" rating listed anywhere? Nope - not on the hub. link below. One of my 3 old phones had it 1.2 I think. "load number" was specified on one, as 29. Dunno ... http://enterprise.zte.com.cn/en/prod...18_422573.html John T. |
#47
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On Thu, 12 May 2016 16:16:38 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote: On 05/12/2016 11:39 AM, wrote: [snip A battery will usually fix those "Bad" UPSs. They are not horribly expensive online. That is why I have so many units around here. They all came with bad batteries for free. I still have a few dead soldiers back in my shop but I am UPSed out here. ;-) There only seems to be 2 basic sizes with either 1 or 2 in each UPS (APC). This UPS is one of those APC units that look like a fat power strip. It could be a bad battery, that drops the voltage too much with more than a little load. It's something to consider when I need a new UPS for a computer. The 550-600 type? They have one battery and you don't even have to take it apart to get the battery out, There is a door in the back. Those are fairly cheap but be aware there are lots of model numbers for essentially the same battery. Watch the size and amp hour rating. |
#48
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]() |
#49
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On Thu, 12 May 2016 15:51:45 -0700, Don Y
wrote: On 5/12/2016 1:38 PM, wrote: On Thu, 12 May 2016 12:56:05 -0700, Don Y wrote: A battery will usually fix those "Bad" UPSs. They are not horribly expensive online. That is why I have so many units around here. They all came with bad batteries for free. I still have a few dead soldiers back in my shop but I am UPSed out here. ;-) There only seems to be 2 basic sizes with either 1 or 2 in each UPS (APC). That's only for the smaller, consumer-ish units -- 12V 7.2AHr batteries. I have a couple of these: http://www.amazon.com/APC-SMART-UPS-1500-SUA1500-UPS/dp/B000T53NE6 Which take the battery pack: I have one just like that on my TV and sat box and you can replace that "battery pack" with 2 batteries of equal AH that end up being about $40 less if you shop around. I don't care about the price. My point is that there are far more variations in batteries -- battery sizes and numbers thereof. I have a UPS that takes *one* battery. Some two. Others 4. At one point, I had one that took *10* of the 12V 7.2AHr units (it was the size of a dishwasher). I have worked in places with a room full of group 27 deep cycle batteries stacked 3 high in racks to power the UPS but this is not what we are talking about. APC uses 2 basic batteries in the half dozen or so units I have here. In some units they just glue a couple together to create a "battery pack" that they charge handsomely for, I suppose people who can't read specs and do a little shopping appreciate the simplicity so APC does it. There are plenty of customers who just throw the UPS away when the battery is dead. These are industry standard parts and I want to get them at the best available price. I certainly have not noticed that much difference between the life of a APC sourced part and one I get from a battery wholesaler. The wholesaler actually tends to have fresher ones. |
#51
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
APC uses 2 basic batteries in the half dozen or so units I have here.
In some units they just glue a couple together to create a "battery pack" that they charge handsomely for, I suppose people who can't read specs and do a little shopping appreciate the simplicity so APC does it. There are plenty of customers who just throw the UPS away when the battery is dead. These are industry standard parts and I want to get them at the best available price. I certainly have not noticed that much difference between the life of a APC sourced part and one I get from a battery wholesaler. The wholesaler actually tends to have fresher ones. My Cyberpower UPS has two batteries assembled into a single unit. Remove the cover, slide out the old battery unit, slide in the new one, replace the cover. I made the mistake of buying inexpensive aftermarket batteries a couple years ago. The UPS claimed it would run over 70 minutes on the batteries, but when the power went out I was lucky to get 5 minutes from them (after three days of charging). They drained way too fast. I recently bought the "genuine" Cyberpower batteries and now I really do get more than 70 minutes when the power goes out. I'm sure the first set were just low quality as I've purchased many aftermarket batteries over the years. As you said, they're usually better than the official batteries. Anthony Watson www.watsondiy.com www.mountainsoftware.com |
#52
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On 5/12/2016 4:56 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 12 May 2016 15:51:45 -0700, Don Y wrote: On 5/12/2016 1:38 PM, wrote: On Thu, 12 May 2016 12:56:05 -0700, Don Y wrote: A battery will usually fix those "Bad" UPSs. They are not horribly expensive online. That is why I have so many units around here. They all came with bad batteries for free. I still have a few dead soldiers back in my shop but I am UPSed out here. ;-) There only seems to be 2 basic sizes with either 1 or 2 in each UPS (APC). That's only for the smaller, consumer-ish units -- 12V 7.2AHr batteries. I have a couple of these: http://www.amazon.com/APC-SMART-UPS-1500-SUA1500-UPS/dp/B000T53NE6 Which take the battery pack: I have one just like that on my TV and sat box and you can replace that "battery pack" with 2 batteries of equal AH that end up being about $40 less if you shop around. I don't care about the price. My point is that there are far more variations in batteries -- battery sizes and numbers thereof. I have a UPS that takes *one* battery. Some two. Others 4. At one point, I had one that took *10* of the 12V 7.2AHr units (it was the size of a dishwasher). I have worked in places with a room full of group 27 deep cycle batteries stacked 3 high in racks to power the UPS but this is not what we are talking about. APC uses 2 basic batteries in the half dozen or so units I have here. As I said upthread: "That's only for the smaller, consumer-ish units -- 12V 7.2AHr batteries." Over the years: http://www.recycledgoods.com/media/extendware/ewimageopt/media/inline/e4/d/apc-bp500uc-500-va-pro-500-back-ups-0fd.jpg originally used to power my "24/7/365" box. Discarded as it didn't have much capacity (peak power as well as runtime) and was too tall to be of practical use (I wanted to wedge it under a dresser in the bedroom). It has *one* 7.2AHr battery in its belly. https://www.batteriesplus.com/content/images/product/large/439162.jpg also discarded for similar reasons (though it was lower profile and I could slide it under one of my dressers -- not possible with the previous unit) I had a similar shape unit (but with a METAL skin) that also got discarded because it took a *different* battery (shorter and fatter) and I didn't want to have to buy two different styles of similar capacity batteries (I buy batteries in bulk -- 10 at a time). Also, it only had four outlets on the back and two of them were "pigtails". This was OK when the 24/7 box and switch were the only "local loads" but I now have a tablet PC and mouse charger plugged into the same UPS (immediately below). Yet another similar version (different shape): http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Bd9kNCU%2BL._SY355_.jpg is what currently powers the 24/7 box and the small 16port switch adjacent. Again, one 12V 7.2Ahr battery underneath. I have one of these powering the set of three monitors shared by my two primary workstations: http://excessups.com/images/products/BX1500LCD.jpg I have another that powers my "personal stereo" and "PROM programmer" (doesn't like to lose power when it is programming an EPROM!). They take two of the 12V 7.2AHr batteries arranged side by side. I have eight of these: http://www.upsforless.com/ProductImages/apcfrom20060601/br1500-FL.jpg (or the 1200VA variants thereof) powering individual computers around the house. They also serve as handy "extension cords" and "outlet multipliers" -- allowing me to plug any specific peripherals that are associated with that particular computer into the same device so everything goes on/off with one switch. They take two of the 7.2AHr batteries but stacked one atop each other. [You can buy the "12V 7.2AHr" battery in different claimed capacities; some as high as 9AHr. But, they're all the same physical size] http://emachinespk.com/upload/images/APC%20Smart-UPS%202200VA%20Usb%20&%20Serial%20230V.jpg took a pass on a pair of these as they are really heavy (the bottom half is "all battery") and too big to slide "under" anything. It has a *pair* of these battery packs in it: http://www.champion-battery-sales.com/media/catalog/product/r/b/rbc7.jpg each "pack" is roughly the size of a car battery (though actually two 12V batteries glued together) I currently have three of these to power my automation system: http://thumbs3.picclick.com/d/l400/pict/291234523038_/APC-SUA1000-SMART-UPS-TOWER-BACKUP-1000VA-670W-120V.jpg though mine are the 1500VA size and equipped with network interfaces (so the automation system can query the state of the UPS's). They take *one* of the above battery packs. http://thumbs3.picclick.com/d/l400/pict/390337662650_/APC-1500-tower-UPS-SUA1500i-refurbished.jpg I'm looking to replace these with something like the 3000VA version of: http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/ProductImage/42-101-176-03.jpg mainly because it is powered by a 48V battery pack: http://excessups.ca/media/catalog/product/cache/2/image/650x/040ec09b1e35df139433887a97daa66f/r/b/rbc43_3_2_1_1_1_1.jpg but entirely different size/shape batteries therein. The 48V DC supply would allow me to directly power the PoE PSE without requiring a separate 3000VA 48V power supply! I.e., the AC capabilities of the UPS are largely ignored and it is treated as a big 48V battery. But, a friend is suggesting addressing these needs separately; a tiny 100VA UPS to power the database server "PC" and a separate 48V battery with charger -- noting that the charger need not RUSH to recharge the battery pack after an outage (as is the problem with many UPS's). If so, using flooded cells for the battery could give me a much lower maintenance cost (lower the specific gravity) In some units they just glue a couple together to create a "battery pack" that they charge handsomely for, I suppose people who can't read specs and do a little shopping appreciate the simplicity so APC does it. There are plenty of customers who just throw the UPS away when the battery is dead. Exactly. Buying a UPS is almost silly, nowadays. If you can't find someone EAGER to have you take theirs off their hands, you haven't tried! Unfortunately, the larger devices (2000VA+) tend to see use in data centers. And, the folks there have budgets for battery replacements. So, discards are harder to come by (and often rack mount forms) These are industry standard parts and I want to get them at the best available price. I certainly have not noticed that much difference between the life of a APC sourced part and one I get from a battery wholesaler. The wholesaler actually tends to have fresher ones. I buy the "7.2AHr" batteries in lots of 10 or 12. This usually gives me a 20% discount -- just for the quantity. However, the larger UPS's need higher capacity batteries. So, this means keeping two different types of batteries on hand. And, given that batteries in THESE applications are intended NOT to be used/needed, it's a huge bit of cash tied up "just in case". So, I'm now looking for cheaper/lower capacity batteries with a goal of just providing brownout protection and very short uptimes. The individual computers talk to their specific UPS's so they can shut down if the UPS tells them its failing. And, if I'm in the middle of something, I can always save my work and come back to it at another time (being able to "continue working" for long periods of time on any of 8 or 10 computers "at random" is a hefty "support" requirement for a UPS!). The *real* backup need is the automation system and a single LONG TERM solution, there, can pay off handsomely -- WITH the right UPS! |
#53
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On 5/12/2016 9:01 PM, HerHusband wrote:
APC uses 2 basic batteries in the half dozen or so units I have here. In some units they just glue a couple together to create a "battery pack" that they charge handsomely for, I suppose people who can't read specs and do a little shopping appreciate the simplicity so APC does it. There are plenty of customers who just throw the UPS away when the battery is dead. These are industry standard parts and I want to get them at the best available price. I certainly have not noticed that much difference between the life of a APC sourced part and one I get from a battery wholesaler. The wholesaler actually tends to have fresher ones. My Cyberpower UPS has two batteries assembled into a single unit. Remove the cover, slide out the old battery unit, slide in the new one, replace the cover. That's true of most UPS's in the 600-1500VA capacity. At lower capacities, the cost of the second battery tends to drive a lower (DC) voltage design -- higher relative switching losses. Batteries are mounted side-to-side or top-to-top and held together with (effectively) "thick tape". There's usually very little "extra" room in the battery compartment so a UPS that cooks its batteries can leave you with a mess -- trying to pull a "swollen" battery out of an already tight spot. The larger capacity (2000+ VA) units tend to move up to 48V packs for increased efficiency. And, the packs tend to be genuine entities (not just batteries taped together but actual "enclosed cartridges") Part of this is due to the increased weight of a set of four, LARGER batteries as a replaceable unit. I made the mistake of buying inexpensive aftermarket batteries a couple years ago. The UPS claimed it would run over 70 minutes on the batteries, but when the power went out I was lucky to get 5 minutes from them (after three days of charging). They drained way too fast. IME, the UPS is the bigger problem than the batteries. I.e., you can easily change battery supplier (screw me once, shame on you; screw me twice, shame on me!). But, a misbehaving UPS will eat good batteries just as happily as bad batteries! APC UPS's tend to overcharge their batteries. What's worse is the charging circuit seems to degrade over time. So, a UPS that is targeting an "ideal" cell float voltage can slowly creep up to an unhealthy level... and this isn't noticed until your "battery" is toast! I recently bought the "genuine" Cyberpower batteries and now I really do get more than 70 minutes when the power goes out. I'm sure the first set were just low quality as I've purchased many aftermarket batteries over the years. As you said, they're usually better than the official batteries. A better solution is a better charger. You'll note that the batteries in electric vehicles aren't naively charged (based solely on their two endpoints!). But, this adds to the cost of the UPS and requires changes to the batteries chosen. I.e., you'd want access to individual cells (or pairs of cells) instead of "groups of 6 cells". This would also cut maintenance costs as you could detect and replace bad cells instead of losing a set of 6 due to one of those 6 failing (and cooking the others). |
#54
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On Wed, 11 May 2016 19:14:10 -0500, Unquestionably Confused
wrote: On 5/11/2016 7:04 PM, Don Y wrote: On 5/11/2016 4:43 PM, wrote: Today I got connected to internet telephone service for my home - the old land line still has dial tone but only gets the "not connected" message when used. [snip] The obvious other option is just to disconnect TPC from your interface box (so YOU aren't trying to push signal OUT onto the incoming line). Then, run a RJ11 cable from the VoIP gateway to the nearest "telephone jack" inside your home. It will be wired to all of the other, similar, jacks throughout your home. If they made provisions for TWO lines to come into your home (often on an unused pair of a 2-6 pair cable), then you can also try to chase down the uncommitted end of that cable and use it as a vector onto the "used" pair). Again, disconnecting the phone company from your home AT the network interface for the reason outlined above. Taking into account the REN situation that Don mentions, his second option is exactly what I did when we gave up our landline in favor of our cellular phones. We bought a Siemens Gigaset which connects via Bluetooth to our cell phones whenever we are in range (our model will accept up to three cell phones and port them to the hardwired home phone system. All we do is plug in a single RJ11 cable from the Gigaset to the nearest telephone jack and we were done. The Gigaset gives us incoming and outgoing call capabilities on all three lines through a Panasonic cordless phone with FOUR extensions and an POTS or two scattered throughout the house. We do not miss the landline at all. So iiuc, you end up using your cell phone to tallk on your voip line, for no extra charge. Or do you end up using your voip phones to talk on your cell phone line, paying whatever the cell phone charges, for international calls for example? Or both? |
#55
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On Wed, 11 May 2016 20:39:15 -0400, wrote:
On Wed, 11 May 2016 19:14:10 -0500, Unquestionably Confused wrote: On 5/11/2016 7:04 PM, Don Y wrote: On 5/11/2016 4:43 PM, wrote: Today I got connected to internet telephone service for my home - the old land line still has dial tone but only gets the "not connected" message when used. [snip] The obvious other option is just to disconnect TPC from your interface box (so YOU aren't trying to push signal OUT onto the incoming line). Then, run a RJ11 cable from the VoIP gateway to the nearest "telephone jack" inside your home. It will be wired to all of the other, similar, jacks throughout your home. If they made provisions for TWO lines to come into your home (often on an unused pair of a 2-6 pair cable), then you can also try to chase down the uncommitted end of that cable and use it as a vector onto the "used" pair). Again, disconnecting the phone company from your home AT the network interface for the reason outlined above. Taking into account the REN situation that Don mentions, his second option is exactly what I did when we gave up our landline in favor of our cellular phones. We bought a Siemens Gigaset which connects via Bluetooth to our cell phones whenever we are in range (our model will accept up to three cell phones and port them to the hardwired home phone system. All we do is plug in a single RJ11 cable from the Gigaset to the nearest telephone jack and we were done. The Gigaset gives us incoming and outgoing call capabilities on all three lines through a Panasonic cordless phone with FOUR extensions and an POTS or two scattered throughout the house. We do not miss the landline at all. Thanks for the ideas - much appreciated. I'm leaning toward the cordless phone option .. We have a 2-phone cordless now - buy another & a Y-adapter or replace with a 4 phone set ... Sometimes you can buy more extensions for the current phone. In my case it was cheaper to buy a whole second phone with a base station and a cordless phone, or maybe I bought that one first, but at least 3 extensions work with either base station (which has either a corded or non-cordedd phone.) One of the buttons to answer the phone is taking a little extra pressure and I should buy a spare before they're all gone from ebay. I just hate the idea of scrapping these gadgets every 5 years ! Absolutelyh ... my 3 home phones are all 20 years old & working fine. John T. I haved one phone that is 50 years old and working fine, though it's hard to get to and rarely used, and another phone that's 60 or 70 years old and works fine. I'd put it in the living room but there's no jack and hard to ilnstall. ...Wait, that must be why I bought the wireless jack. But the phones I use are about 10 y.o. |
#56
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On Wed, 11 May 2016 18:55:05 -0500, philo wrote:
On 05/11/2016 06:43 PM, wrote: Today I got connected to internet telephone service for my home - the old land line still has dial tone but only gets the "not connected" message when used. The hub that the internet company provides has only one RJ-11 phone port - but four 3 unused RJ-45 LAN ports. What is my easiest route to connect my 3 or 4 home telephones to the new system ? 1. go to the interface box on the outside wall of my house and disconnect the incoming Bell line ; then run a new phone line from here to the hub ? the hub needs to be located centrally in the house - not near the Bell interface 2. other ideas ? Thanks in advance. John T. No , don't mess with the incoming lines, there should be a phone out put jack on your gateway router...that's what you use. I always wondered what would happen if I switched all my phones to VOIP, on my dialup internet service, and then had my phone service disconnected..... ![]() |
#57
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On 5/13/2016 1:45 AM, Micky wrote:
On Wed, 11 May 2016 19:14:10 -0500, Unquestionably Confused wrote: [snip] Taking into account the REN situation that Don mentions, his second option is exactly what I did when we gave up our landline in favor of our cellular phones. We bought a Siemens Gigaset which connects via Bluetooth to our cell phones whenever we are in range (our model will accept up to three cell phones and port them to the hardwired home phone system. All we do is plug in a single RJ11 cable from the Gigaset to the nearest telephone jack and we were done. The Gigaset gives us incoming and outgoing call capabilities on all three lines through a Panasonic cordless phone with FOUR extensions and an POTS or two scattered throughout the house. We do not miss the landline at all. So iiuc, you end up using your cell phone to tallk on your voip line, for no extra charge. Or do you end up using your voip phones to talk on your cell phone line, paying whatever the cell phone charges, for international calls for example? Neither, actually. We had the traditional POTS - no VOIP, Cable, etc. We found that we RARELY got any calls on the land line. They all went to the cellular phones. We simply told AT&T to take a hike and went total cellular but added the Siemens Gigaset for convenience of not having to carry the cells around with us at home. The transition was more or less seamless. We have our cells, we have our cordless and wired phones. Only difference is we now have TWO separate lines at home and no long distance or local charges. |
#58
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
Don,
Batteries are mounted side-to-side or top-to-top and held together with (effectively) "thick tape". Yep, mine has the top-to-top arrangement with a little wiring block in- between and the "thick tape" to hold it all together. The larger capacity (2000+ VA) units tend to move up to 48V packs for increased efficiency. And, the packs tend to be genuine entities (not just batteries taped together but actual "enclosed cartridges") Part of this is due to the increased weight of a set of four, LARGER batteries as a replaceable unit. It's a shame UPS's haven't switched to lithium batteries. They're smaller, lighter weight, and they hold their charge longer. My power tools all use 20V lithium battery packs, and my string trimmer and leaf blower use 56V lithium battery packs. Laptops and electric cars use lithium batteries too. The only downside is that potential of catching fire. ![]() A better solution is a better charger. My previous replacement batteries wouldn't hold a charge from the day I installed them. They seemed to charge up normally and the control panel said I would get 70 minutes of run time. Unfortunately, when the power went out the batteries drained very quickly and the UPS shut off after just 5 minutes. The new batteries are working like they're supposed to. I get at least 70 minutes with them. Anthony Watson www.watsondiy.com www.mountainsoftware.com |
#59
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
Hi Anthony,
On 5/13/2016 7:13 AM, HerHusband wrote: Batteries are mounted side-to-side or top-to-top and held together with (effectively) "thick tape". Yep, mine has the top-to-top arrangement with a little wiring block in- between and the "thick tape" to hold it all together. For the side-by-side arrangement, the tape is double-sided and sits between the batteries. Often a PITA to get them apart (as you don't want to pry them apart with a sharp object and risk cracking the cases). The top-to-top are easier to manage. When you (eventually) have to replace them, save the "wiring block" (I'm glad YOU gave it a name; I'd have just called it a "plastic thingy that goes between them" : ). You need to *slide* it ALONG the top of each battery to disengage the FastOn's from the battery. Then, 2" packing tape works great to tape the new batteries together. The larger capacity (2000+ VA) units tend to move up to 48V packs for increased efficiency. And, the packs tend to be genuine entities (not just batteries taped together but actual "enclosed cartridges") Part of this is due to the increased weight of a set of four, LARGER batteries as a replaceable unit. It's a shame UPS's haven't switched to lithium batteries. They're smaller, lighter weight, and they hold their charge longer. My power tools all use 20V lithium battery packs, and my string trimmer and leaf blower use 56V lithium battery packs. Laptops and electric cars use lithium batteries too. The only downside is that potential of catching fire. ![]() They're also more expensive -- almost double the price of SLA/AGM. A better solution is a better charger. My previous replacement batteries wouldn't hold a charge from the day I installed them. They seemed to charge up normally and the control panel said I would get 70 minutes of run time. Unfortunately, when the power went out the batteries drained very quickly and the UPS shut off after just 5 minutes. The new batteries are working like they're supposed to. I get at least 70 minutes with them. Of course, depends on your load. E.g., the XS1500 that powers my monitors will keep them running for almost a DAY -- if they are in StandBy mode! : But, once lit up, the runtime estimate drops to ~20 minutes (200W). As an "expensive flashlight (powering a 13W CFL), it will run for several HOURS! |
#60
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On Fri, 13 May 2016 05:52:48 -0500, Unquestionably Confused
wrote: On 5/13/2016 1:45 AM, Micky wrote: On Wed, 11 May 2016 19:14:10 -0500, Unquestionably Confused wrote: [snip] Taking into account the REN situation that Don mentions, his second option is exactly what I did when we gave up our landline in favor of our cellular phones. We bought a Siemens Gigaset which connects via Bluetooth to our cell phones whenever we are in range (our model will accept up to three cell phones and port them to the hardwired home phone system. All we do is plug in a single RJ11 cable from the Gigaset to the nearest telephone jack and we were done. The Gigaset gives us incoming and outgoing call capabilities on all three lines through a Panasonic cordless phone with FOUR extensions and an POTS or two scattered throughout the house. We do not miss the landline at all. So iiuc, you end up using your cell phone to tallk on your voip line, for no extra charge. Or do you end up using your voip phones to talk on your cell phone line, paying whatever the cell phone charges, for international calls for example? Neither, actually. We had the traditional POTS - no VOIP, Cable, etc. We found that we RARELY got any calls on the land line. They all went to the cellular phones. We simply told AT&T to take a hike and went total cellular but added the Siemens Gigaset for convenience of not having to carry the cells around with us at home. The transition was more or less seamless. We have our cells, we have our cordless and wired phones. Only difference is we now have TWO separate lines at home and no long distance or local charges. Very interesting. Copy to MissA, who might have some use for this information. |
#61
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On 05/12/2016 05:22 PM, wrote:
[snip] The 550-600 type? They have one battery and you don't even have to take it apart to get the battery out, There is a door in the back. Those are fairly cheap but be aware there are lots of model numbers for essentially the same battery. Watch the size and amp hour rating. One battery, labeled "Genuine RBC" with no capacity markings. -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.us/ "The unspiritual man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." Paul, 1 Corinthians 2:14 |
#62
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On 05/12/2016 08:08 PM, Don Y wrote:
[snip] frown No mention in any of the literature, either! Scarey! You might want to try calling yourself to see if it *can* ring all your phones. And possibly consider turning off the ringers on any that you can (old WE phones require you to disconnect the ringer leads internally) I used to have a "ring control cord" (fro Radio Shack) that would add a ringer switch to any phone. It was just a switch across a full-wave rectifier. -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.us/ "The unspiritual man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." Paul, 1 Corinthians 2:14 |
#63
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On 05/13/2016 01:51 AM, Micky wrote:
[snip] Sometimes you can buy more extensions for the current phone. In my case it was cheaper to buy a whole second phone with a base station and a cordless phone, or maybe I bought that one first, but at least 3 extensions work with either base station (which has either a corded or non-cordedd phone.) I have a 3-handset cordless phone that allows up to 10 handsets. I looked on the internet for extra handsets and they cost so much I was better off buying another system (and that comes with an extra base, too). [snip] -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.us/ "The unspiritual man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." Paul, 1 Corinthians 2:14 |
#64
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On 5/13/2016 9:55 AM, Mark Lloyd wrote:
I have a 3-handset cordless phone that allows up to 10 handsets. I looked on the internet for extra handsets and they cost so much I was better off buying another system (and that comes with an extra base, too). I think the reasoning is that: - not many people (relatively speaking) want extra bases (so, quantities are lower, shelf space gets wasted on products with low turnover, etc.) - people who want more, can *afford* to pay more (for the convenience of having interchangeable handsets) Be careful running multiple bases concurrently. Some may not like this. |
#65
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On Fri, 13 May 2016 10:25:28 -0700, Don Y
wrote: On 5/13/2016 9:55 AM, Mark Lloyd wrote: I have a 3-handset cordless phone that allows up to 10 handsets. I looked on the internet for extra handsets and they cost so much I was better off buying another system (and that comes with an extra base, too). I think the reasoning is that: - not many people (relatively speaking) want extra bases (so, quantities are lower, shelf space gets wasted on products with low turnover, etc.) - people who want more, can *afford* to pay more (for the convenience of having interchangeable handsets) Be careful running multiple bases concurrently. Some may not like this. You also want to be careful what frequency they are on. One of my neighbors is on 900mz and I get them on my wireless headset. I had to move my audio to another channel. |
#66
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On Fri, 13 May 2016 10:25:28 -0700, Don Y
wrote: On 5/13/2016 9:55 AM, Mark Lloyd wrote: I have a 3-handset cordless phone that allows up to 10 handsets. I looked on the internet for extra handsets and they cost so much I was better off buying I'm figuring by now, several years later, base stations have broken or they've upgraded, so Ebay would be the place for extra handesets. another system (and that comes with an extra base, too). I think the reasoning is that: - not many people (relatively speaking) want extra bases (so, quantities are lower, shelf space gets wasted on products with low turnover, etc.) - people who want more, can *afford* to pay more (for the convenience of having interchangeable handsets) Be careful running multiple bases concurrently. Some may not like this. I figured he meant it was a spare, for when the first one breaks, like I have it. |
#67
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
When you (eventually) have to replace them
I'm on my third set of batteries now... save the "wiring block" (I'm glad YOU gave it a name; I'd have just called it a "plastic thingy that goes between them" : ). Yeah, I didn't know what else to call it. You need to *slide* it ALONG the top of each battery to disengage the FastOn's from the battery. Mine has short jumper wires inside the wiring block. When I remove the tape holding the batteries together, I can seperate the batteries enough to reach in and disconnect the terminals. Thankfully, my new batteries came assembled as a unit with a new wiring block. Of course, depends on your load. E.g., the XS1500 that powers my monitors will keep them running for almost a DAY -- if they are in StandBy mode! : But, once lit up, the runtime estimate drops to ~20 minutes (200W). When I replaced my UPS batteries, my computer setup was using about 90 watts (CPU, monitor, cable modem, router, and phone adapter). I was able to run a bit over 70 minutes on battery power. A couple weeks ago I bought a new monitor and the total power draw dropped to about 70 watts. My UPS claims I can run 90 minutes now, but I haven't tested it since changing monitors. Anthony Watson www.watsondiy.com www.mountainsoftware.com |
#68
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On 5/13/2016 10:03 PM, HerHusband wrote:
You need to *slide* it ALONG the top of each battery to disengage the FastOn's from the battery. Mine has short jumper wires inside the wiring block. When I remove the tape holding the batteries together, I can seperate the batteries enough to reach in and disconnect the terminals. If you, instead, just slide the block "away" from (one of the) battery's connectors, you'll see that the jumper wires are held captive *in* the block and it's just like you are slipping a two-wire connector off the battery. Repeat for the other battery (usually sliding the opposite direction). It's also handy when you want to assemble a battery pack: make sure the jumper wires are in place, then slide the block onto one battery, hold it in place and slide the second battery on. Apply tape. Thankfully, my new batteries came assembled as a unit with a new wiring block. Of course, depends on your load. E.g., the XS1500 that powers my monitors will keep them running for almost a DAY -- if they are in StandBy mode! : But, once lit up, the runtime estimate drops to ~20 minutes (200W). When I replaced my UPS batteries, my computer setup was using about 90 watts (CPU, monitor, cable modem, router, and phone adapter). I was able to run a bit over 70 minutes on battery power. Yeah, my power requirements are considerably higher; one of my primary workstations has a 4-head video card, the other has two dual-head cards. Plus SCSI HBA's. Plus any other I/O's (tablet, motion controller, etc.) that I may be using to interact with the application(s). Of course, having *just* the computer (and monitors) backed up is often not enough. E.g., if the 24 port switch in the office glitches, then anything happening there (or whatever I'm talking to) is suspect. Likewise for NAS boxes, etc. Like NOT being "just a little" pregnant! A couple weeks ago I bought a new monitor and the total power draw dropped to about 70 watts. My UPS claims I can run 90 minutes now, but I haven't tested it since changing monitors. I mainly want protection from dropouts, brownouts, etc. If the power is going to fail, I can drag out a laptop. But, I'd hate to lose what I am working on just because the lights flickered... It's also amusing how easy it is to FORGET what (exactly) you were doing when the screen unexpectedly goes black! |
#69
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On Friday, May 13, 2016 at 12:55:45 PM UTC-4, Mark Lloyd wrote:
On 05/13/2016 01:51 AM, Micky wrote: [snip] Sometimes you can buy more extensions for the current phone. In my case it was cheaper to buy a whole second phone with a base station and a cordless phone, or maybe I bought that one first, but at least 3 extensions work with either base station (which has either a corded or non-cordedd phone.) I have a 3-handset cordless phone that allows up to 10 handsets. I looked on the internet for extra handsets and they cost so much I was better off buying another system (and that comes with an extra base, too). Exactly. As I pointed out, new ones can be had for ~$50, for a base with answering machine and 3 or 4 handsets. Plus then you get all new batteries, the new ones are better, etc. I'm about ready myself. On my 15 year old Panasonic, one of the handsets, the LCD display is shot, on another it's getting less visible. |
#70
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
I mainly want protection from dropouts, brownouts, etc. If the power
is going to fail, I can drag out a laptop. But, I'd hate to lose what I am working on just because the lights flickered... It's also amusing how easy it is to FORGET what (exactly) you were doing when the screen unexpectedly goes black! Ironically, when the power does go out I know I can still keep working on the UPS power for a while. So, I'm usually in no hurry to shut things down and stop working. Of course, at some point the battery power runs out and the system shuts down automatically. It's my own fault for not stopping gracefully when I had warning, but I get a false sense of endless power and just keep working. ![]() Anthony Watson www.watsondiy.com www.mountainsoftware.com |
#71
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On 5/14/2016 7:27 AM, HerHusband wrote:
I mainly want protection from dropouts, brownouts, etc. If the power is going to fail, I can drag out a laptop. But, I'd hate to lose what I am working on just because the lights flickered... It's also amusing how easy it is to FORGET what (exactly) you were doing when the screen unexpectedly goes black! Ironically, when the power does go out I know I can still keep working on the UPS power for a while. So, I'm usually in no hurry to shut things down and stop working. Of course, at some point the battery power runs out and the system shuts down automatically. It's my own fault for not stopping gracefully when I had warning, but I get a false sense of endless power and just keep working. ![]() If I'm doing something interactive, I can just remember to "save" often... until the floor falls out from under me. But, I have to make a point of remembering what "set of things" I was trying to accomplish at the time. So, if I got A, B and F done, I will remember to come back and tackle C, D and E, later! E.g., I'm presently reconfiguring BIND9 on my 24/7 box. The configuration file is several hundred lines of "settings" -- in no particular order (well, there's an order, of course, but not one that you can easily remember your place: "I got through the G's..."). So, I know to leave breadcrumbs for myself -- a line of "*********" that I cut and paste into the general place I'm working from time to time (in case my telnet(1) session abends, power fails or I get careless and close the session or editor prematurely) The real ****er is when I'm rendering a 3D animation or something that the machine just crunches on for a *really* long time -- it usually can't be "resumed" if the power drops out in the middle. |
#72
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On Saturday, May 14, 2016 at 10:31:13 AM UTC-4, HerHusband wrote:
I mainly want protection from dropouts, brownouts, etc. If the power is going to fail, I can drag out a laptop. But, I'd hate to lose what I am working on just because the lights flickered... It's also amusing how easy it is to FORGET what (exactly) you were doing when the screen unexpectedly goes black! Ironically, when the power does go out I know I can still keep working on the UPS power for a while. So, I'm usually in no hurry to shut things down and stop working. Of course, at some point the battery power runs out and the system shuts down automatically. It's my own fault for not stopping gracefully when I had warning, but I get a false sense of endless power and just keep working. ![]() Anthony Watson www.watsondiy.com www.mountainsoftware.com When the power goes out, the cellphone works for me. I'm sure people will say it's not as reliable as copper, etc, but IMO, not worth all the worrying about extreme hypothetical situations. Each has it's advantages and disadvantages. |
#73
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On Sat, 14 May 2016 08:57:03 -0700 (PDT), trader_4
wrote: On Saturday, May 14, 2016 at 10:31:13 AM UTC-4, HerHusband wrote: I mainly want protection from dropouts, brownouts, etc. If the power is going to fail, I can drag out a laptop. But, I'd hate to lose what I am working on just because the lights flickered... It's also amusing how easy it is to FORGET what (exactly) you were doing when the screen unexpectedly goes black! Ironically, when the power does go out I know I can still keep working on the UPS power for a while. So, I'm usually in no hurry to shut things down and stop working. Of course, at some point the battery power runs out and the system shuts down automatically. It's my own fault for not stopping gracefully when I had warning, but I get a false sense of endless power and just keep working. ![]() Anthony Watson www.watsondiy.com www.mountainsoftware.com When the power goes out, the cellphone works for me. I'm sure people will say it's not as reliable as copper, etc, but IMO, not worth all the worrying about extreme hypothetical situations. Each has it's advantages and disadvantages. I have been through several hurricanes here in Florida. Internet is the first thing to go. Power failures will take that out, even if it is not bad where you are. Anything up on a pole is going to go early too so power is at risk. Cell phones are going to be spotty and cable TV is worse. Phone infrastructure is buried in my area and I have never lost my POTS phone and my DBS satellite comes back as soon as the sky clears. Broadcast TV was still there in the storm. |
#74
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On 5/14/2016 12:18 PM, wrote:
On Sat, 14 May 2016 08:57:03 -0700 (PDT), trader_4 When the power goes out, the cellphone works for me. I'm sure people will say it's not as reliable as copper, etc, but IMO, not worth all the worrying about extreme hypothetical situations. Each has it's advantages and disadvantages. I have been through several hurricanes here in Florida. Internet is the first thing to go. Power failures will take that out, even if it is not bad where you are. Anything up on a pole is going to go early too so power is at risk. Cell phones are going to be spotty and cable TV is worse. Phone infrastructure is buried in my area and I have never lost my POTS phone and my DBS satellite comes back as soon as the sky clears. Broadcast TV was still there in the storm. Thanks for the real world report. I've kept my POTS line for the power cuts that happen now and again. I suspect the cell phone would go down after a while, as the backup batteries discharge. Well, same for POTS, but some time later. During the 2003 ice storm, I was without power four days. Cell and POTS kept working. -- .. Christopher A. Young learn more about Jesus .. www.lds.org .. .. |
#75
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On 05/13/2016 12:25 PM, Don Y wrote:
On 5/13/2016 9:55 AM, Mark Lloyd wrote: I have a 3-handset cordless phone that allows up to 10 handsets. I looked on the internet for extra handsets and they cost so much I was better off buying another system (and that comes with an extra base, too). I think the reasoning is that: - not many people (relatively speaking) want extra bases (so, quantities are lower, shelf space gets wasted on products with low turnover, etc.) The extra base was very useful when the first one failed. - people who want more, can *afford* to pay more (for the convenience of having interchangeable handsets) These ARE interchangeable. I bought another set of the same model. Be careful running multiple bases concurrently. Some may not like this. I never did. The second base was to replace the first one when it failed. -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.us/ "To hate man and worship God seems to be the sum of all creeds." -- Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899), "Some Mistakes Of Moses" |
#76
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On 05/13/2016 01:09 PM, wrote:
[snip] You also want to be careful what frequency they are on. One of my neighbors is on 900mz and I get them on my wireless headset. I had to move my audio to another channel. With some of the older (pre-900MHz?) cordless phones, you had to exchange it with one that used a different channel if you had interference. IIRC, 900MHz devices let you change the channel. Later ones should automatically find a clear channel. -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.us/ "To hate man and worship God seems to be the sum of all creeds." -- Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899), "Some Mistakes Of Moses" |
#77
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On 05/13/2016 09:07 PM, Micky wrote:
[snip] Be careful running multiple bases concurrently. Some may not like this. I figured he meant it was a spare, for when the first one breaks, like I have it. That's right. And I needed it too, when the answering machine in the first base failed. -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.us/ "To hate man and worship God seems to be the sum of all creeds." -- Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899), "Some Mistakes Of Moses" |
#78
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On 05/14/2016 10:57 AM, trader_4 wrote:
[snip] When the power goes out, the cellphone works for me. I'm sure people will say it's not as reliable as copper, etc, but IMO, not worth all the worrying about extreme hypothetical situations. Each has it's advantages and disadvantages. When we had a tornado last year, cell phone service was unreliable (probably overloaded and dropping calls), but was working OK in less than an hour. Wired phone was out for 5 days. In the previous major outage (hurricane Ike), wired phone was out for a couple of days. Cell worked all that time. -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.us/ "To hate man and worship God seems to be the sum of all creeds." -- Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899), "Some Mistakes Of Moses" |
#79
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
On Saturday, May 14, 2016 at 2:11:22 PM UTC-4, Mark Lloyd wrote:
On 05/14/2016 10:57 AM, trader_4 wrote: [snip] When the power goes out, the cellphone works for me. I'm sure people will say it's not as reliable as copper, etc, but IMO, not worth all the worrying about extreme hypothetical situations. Each has it's advantages and disadvantages. When we had a tornado last year, cell phone service was unreliable (probably overloaded and dropping calls), but was working OK in less than an hour. Wired phone was out for 5 days. In the previous major outage (hurricane Ike), wired phone was out for a couple of days. Cell worked all that time. It was the same here in NJ after Sandy. I had cell service the whole time. Landline in my specific area, I can't say, because I don't have it, but given the extent of lines down all over and that many shore towns the poles and everything were kaput, I think a lot of landline service was out. In many of those badly damaged shore towns, Verizon will not be putting copper back in, it's gone for good. |
#80
![]()
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
![]() |
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
![]() |
||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Self-testing Telephone Line | UK diy | |||
Switching Land Line Phone Companies | Home Repair | |||
dropped calls from my land line | Electronics Repair | |||
Telephone Line Fault? | UK diy | |||
Telephone Line 1/ 2 | Home Repair |