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Rework a UPS with Massive Capacity

by Surferdude on August 27, 2009

Table of Contents

Rework a UPS with Massive Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro: Rework a UPS with Massive Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1: The Guts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 2: Tap into the UPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 3: Connect the Battery / Batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 4: Use it . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

http://www.instructables.com/id/Rework-a-UPS-with-Massive-Capacity/
Intro: Rework a UPS with Massive Capacity
Those UPS devices you buy for your computer usually have a gel-cell battery that lasts for a few years. Less if your power goes out a lot. When you replace them, you
pay a bundle, even if it's a standard cell. This short Instructable will demonstrate how to rework an older UPS for more capacity with cheaper battery power.

The picture shows some sample UPSs and an example of the gel cell from one of them. The UPSs come in various capacities and, although you can boost the capacity,
the output power is fixed. When you start out, make sure that the UPS you're going to modify will provide the volt-amps and power that you need. Also note that the volt-
amp rating is higher than the power rating. The difference is because AC powered devices have a power factor. Check online for more info about this. Another, similar
Instructable, also warns against trying to max out the capacity of your UPS because some use transformers that will run continuously at the rated output. It really
depends upon the quality of the UPS, but plan to run at not more than about 75% of rated output capacity.

Another thing to consider is whether or not your scrap UPS has AVR or Automatic Voltage Regulation. You'll want this if you can find it.

Step 1: The Guts

First, for safety's sake, unplug the UPS. This pretty much goes without saying. Also realize that the battery inside the UPS may be charged, so do not short circuit any
metal parts inside the box.

When you open the UPS box, you'll usually find either one or two gel cell lead-acid batteries. You're going to replace it / them.

What you'll need:

1 scrap UPS - but it needs to be a WORKING UPS!
4 feet of #10 copper wire (2 feet of red and 2 feet of black if you can)
You may need to adjust this length, but keep it as short as you can tolerate.
4 spade lugs (two mating pair
2 ring lugs for single battery or 4 if you have two in the UPS
1 or 2 marine, deep-discharge batteries (85 - 120 AH capacity)

Tools:
A drill with bit set
Crimper for the lugs
Wire stripper
Sandpaper or a small file to smooth out holes in plastic

Some notes on the parts: look at the pricing of the batteries and get the capacity that gives you lowest cost per amp-hour. Sometimes the 110-140 AH batteries are only a
little more than the 70-90 AH ones. Check warehouse clubs for good pricing. Sometimes you can reclaim the core charge with an old motorcycle or car battery you have
lying around. Make sure that what you get is a deep-discharge type battery. Some batteries are labeled as marine, but not deep-discharge.

Make sure that your battery has adapter studs that clamp to the lead posts. Then, get ring lugs from your hardware store, electronics store, or online store that will fit over
the threaded studs and also accept #10 wire.

You can either get two pair of mating spade lug connectors, or get one set that are the mating connectors to the ones that come from the UPS. In the picture, these are
the black and red wires that connect to the batteries.

Note the blue wire. The batteries are in series in this UPS, so it requires 24 volts (black terminal connected to red terminal). Do not try to power it with one battery if it
comes with two! Get two more ring lugs if you need two batteries.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Rework-a-UPS-with-Massive-Capacity/
Step 2: Tap into the UPS
Since the battery / batteries will not fit into the old case, you'll use the lugs and wire to extend the wires outside the case. In the picture here, I've replaced the spade lugs
that previously connected to the gel cells with connectors that I know will mate together and accept #10 wire. It doesn't cost much and it's easier than trial and error, so
spend the extra 25 cents.

Drill two holes in the side of the case. The holes only need to be large enough for the wire to pass through. You don't want the connectors to be able to sneak outside the
case, to be safe. Make sure there are no sharp spurs or edges around the holes that might cut or damage the insulation. Thread the wires from the inside out, with the
connection inside the case as shown.

As noted in the parts list, you'll want to keep the wires short to minimize voltage drop, but long enough that you can place the UPS and batteries comfortably near each
other and the device you're powering (computer, stereo, etc.). Lay everything out, including battery box(es) if desired, and clip the wires to an appropriate length.

Step 3: Connect the Battery / Batteries

Here's where you connect up the battery or batteries. Remember that the batteries are likely charged and can supply a LOT of current. I think there's another Instructable
that tells how to use them for welding. You do NOT want to do any welding, so make all crimped connections before you connect them to the batteries!

If you have two batteries, make sure to cut a short piece of wire before you add the ring terminals to the other end of the wires you connected into the UPS wires in the
previous step. Make sure that this jumper wire is not too short if you are putting the batteries in containers (see end of article).

Note: You might have to ream out the inside of the ring terminals if you could not find terminals with the right inside diameter.

Once you know that the ring terminals will fit, crimp them to the red and black wire ends. If you have two batteries, make the jumper with the other two ring terminals and
the small piece of wire you cut off.

Connect the red wire to the positive terminal of one battery. Connect the short jumper between that battery's negative terminal and the positive terminal of the other
battery. Then connect the black wire to the negative terminal of the second battery. If you do not connect them this way, you will not get any power into the UPS.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Rework-a-UPS-with-Massive-Capacity/
Step 4: Use it
That's pretty much it. Simple, right? The hard part is finding the right parts and connecting everything in the right order without welding anything.

You should now be able to plug in the UPS and go.

Some additional thoughts and enhancements:

1. You are using lead-acid batteries. In the photo, I've shown a plastic layer under the batteries. Even though marine batteries are typically sealed, you do not want to
take the chance of a leak. Spend $8 - $20 and get a plastic battery box for each battery you use. It will protect the batteries ... and your floor.

2. In the first step I claimed this would improve the capacity, massively. By how much you ask? The largest gel cells I've found in UPSs are 20AH. Others are more like 7
AH. Using an 85 AH marine battery to replace a 20 AH gel cell, you should expect to get at least four times the runtime. HOWEVER, do not plan to run the batteries down
by more than 50% or you will severely shorten their life. Figure more than a doubling of capacity, but less than 4 times. If you use a 115 AH battery, figure at least 3 times
the run time and a much longer battery life.

3. I have not had any problems with the UPSs recognizing the new batteries or keeping them charged. If you have the UPS monitoring software, use it and try some tests.
See how long your new rig will run before hitting the 50% charge level.

Expect the total cost to be about $80 for a single battery setup with 85 AH battery and battery case. Double battery setup with 115 AH batteries should be about $160,
max. These are using battery prices in summer 2009. Battery prices spiked briefly last year, but have come back down.

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http://www.instructables.com/id/Rework-a-UPS-with-Massive-Capacity/
Comments
50 comments Add Comment view all 66 comments

hitokiri_808 says: Sep 3, 2009. 4:03 AM REPLY

DO NOT do this to those baby UPSes. If you run a high power device (ie computer) off of battery power, it WILL overheat the inverter. Those small UPSes
are only meant to run for a few minutes. Take a look at the heatsinks on the VRMs in there, they can't dissipate the heat fast enough. Get a UPS at least in
the 800VA area to do this mod.

Here's someone that did it, and it overheated.

http://www.instructables.com/id/SYB2G6JFMZAFYV2/

Here's 2 more builds that mentions overheating

http://www.techspot.com/blog/137/turn-a-small-home-ups-into-a-giant-ups-diy/
http://old.drcheap.com/home/hoh/upsbattery/

There's another build thread that showed a melted UPS after connecting a car battery to it, but I can't find it anymore.

Here's a proper build with a large UPS.

http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=584475

hitokiri_808 says: Sep 8, 2009. 9:07 PM REPLY

I wanted to add a little on to my original post. The problem isn't replacing the batteries, its adding too high capacity batteries on a UPS that can't handle
the power. Any UPS in a surge protector form is ill-equipped to handle a couple car batteries. Not to mention the fact the larger units have better power
filtering, like over and under voltage correction, and true sign wave output. The only thing those small units are good for is running a cable/dsl modem, a
consumer router, and maybe an additional network switch. I would never put a computer on one of those. The 1250VA unit I'm using right now has a
transformer that probably weights more than the OP's surge protector sized UPS and stock batteries.

CoolKoon says: Oct 8, 2009. 3:00 PM REPLY

First, you're right, but it's "sine wave". Second, I do not approve of using those really low-power pseudo-UPSes for this purpose either. But I think that
the addition of a bigger heatsink (in place of the batteries for example) or a fan would mitigate the risk of overheating.

hitokiri_808 says: Oct 8, 2009. 8:14 PM REPLY

Oops typo on the sine wave... I don't think its worth the effort in upgrading the heatsinks. Most likely you're gonna have to desolder the VRMs and
extend them to attach to a larger heatsink. Also, the transformer is half of the overheating problem, and it just comes down to their build quality.
They are small, cheap, and just ain't built for long runtimes. I think a fan should work, like you mentioned.

People just gotta start on a good platform, no point upgrading a crap UPS. The 1250VA unit I'm using now was free. Just check out garage sales,
craigslist, and localy on ebay. If you work in a large office, talk to someone in IT, they normally pay companys to dispose of this type of
equipment.

CoolKoon says: Oct 10, 2009. 3:33 PM REPLY

You're right, those crappy ones are hardly worth the effort. But maybe the entry-level ones (those 3-400VA models) would be able to handle
the increased capacity (provided that you won't run an oven or a heater off of it). You must've been really lucky on that 1250VA model as you
can hardly get them even in retail stores.
As for the suggestions, yeah, all of them sound good. Except.....well, there are no garage sales over here at all (it seems to be pretty much a
US custom). Also I can pretty much forget about craigslist and eBay as well (no category for my locale/no eBay in my country). The only place
I can think of for research are the junkyards and battery/IT equipment recycling facilities. I'll check out the former, but have no idea where to
find the latter (I've been working in a large office, unfortunately they've managed to kick me out rather quickly so it's out of the question for
now). Thanks for the advices anyway :P

hogey74 says: Feb 27, 2010. 6:39 AM REPLY

Where are you? I am in Brisbane and have found heaps of old UPSs on ebay etc. Plus when I bought a big Battery I found out it came
from a place that strips old offices and pulls apart all the equipment. Good luck!

CoolKoon says: Mar 5, 2010. 7:12 AM REPLY

Yeah, good for you. But as I said there's no eBay for me. As for the second source I don't have the slightest idea where could I find a
company like that. My locale is Bratislava, right in the middle of Europe (or rather its eastern part....), that doesn't help things either. :P
But as I said, I'll keep looking.

hogey74 says: Mar 6, 2010. 10:21 AM REPLY

Isn't that where vampires come from? Or werewolves :-) Yeah I had never heard of recycling this stuff until I stumbled across
them. While I don't own shares in ebay, I know you can open accounts from OS and get stuff shipped to you , depending on
freight and exchanges rates. It can work out for books etc but batteries obviously suck for weight though. Cheers

CoolKoon says: Mar 7, 2010. 3:36 AM REPLY

Well, I don't know about werewolves, but no, vampires aren't from Slovakia (which Bratislava is capital of), but from
Transylvania, which is prt of Romania. You weren't that much off BTW, because both were in the same country ~100 years
ago (before the end of WWI, to be more precise) :P
In the EU we have some laws making recycling of such stuff mandatory. This is why I figured I could find such company. And
yes, I could use some foreign e-Bays as well (PayPal doesn't try to make your life miserable anymore when you're trying to
use it from Central/Eastern Europe like they used to), but I think the postage would be way more than the price of the thing
itself (especially if the seller would include the -possibly defective- battery as well). Basically this is why I prefer a local
"supplier". I've ordered quite a few other things from such sites though (books, Arduino etc.), but there's also another problem.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Rework-a-UPS-with-Massive-Capacity/
 You see it's been a custom of sorts for companies in Yankeeland to ship only within the continent (many times they don't ship
even to HI, AK or outside territories). They aren't the only ones to do this on eBay though, but the US companies seem to do it
with e-shops as well. I could circumvent this limitation per se but it wouldn't be feasible for small amount of goods. So my
options are pretty much limited. Still, this issue isn't that pressing for me. Thanks for the tips though.

hogey74 says: Sep 24, 2010. 12:57 AM REPLY

Hey no problem... Its ironic that you are much closer to the US than me but getting stuff is harder!

CoolKoon says: Sep 24, 2010. 2:25 AM REPLY

Yeah. It has more to do with communist rule in the past (up to 1989) than with distance though.

jumpfroggy says: Sep 3, 2009. 8:48 AM REPLY

Good warning! It'd be a good idea to monitor these things after you build and see what the safety margin is, then program your UPS software to
shutdown way before then.

Daddio_UK says: Sep 3, 2009. 4:42 AM REPLY

You are right there, I cooked mine last year on a utility battery twice the size of a car batter, I only ran it for 3 times longer than it lasted with the original
battery and it went up in smoke. The heat builds up in the middle of the transformer and burns the coating off the windings causing a short, and it billows
smoke until it trashes the drivers and blows the fuses. I HAD a Belkin.

laptopdude says: Sep 5, 2010. 10:32 AM REPLY

I have that apc ups but mine is 257 watts.I love upses.

hogey74 says: Feb 27, 2010. 6:36 AM REPLY

Man I love the web.... I had decided to do this recently as I have a big 100 amp hour battery for camping and I am looking around for a decent shagged UPS
and then found this site accidentally while looking at Ikea furniture! I love that other people have come up with the same ideas as me! Even if they got there
before me :-)

My understanding from my research so far is that even most sealed batteries are valve regulated thus allowing a little gas to vent. This is only if you over-
charge however and I think UPSs should be pretty good at avoiding this. I will make or modify a box for my rig, ventilate it well and I will place it in a big airy
part of the house. I found heaps of info from battery university - google it. Also, I think you should avoid calcium infused lead acid batteries because when at
100% they typically sit at a higher voltage than non-calcium which means that the chargers in UPSs may not charge them fully.

vtsnaab says: Nov 26, 2009. 10:47 AM REPLY

I have easy access to used UPSs and have been doing this without any safety concerns for over a decade.
Bear in mind there are NO SMOKERS in my house/office - EVER, but truly - using a UPS to process battery power into 120VAC is a great idea as is
boosting the run-time of your UPSs.

I add only one warning which has been said here before repeatedly:

DO NOT OVERLOAD YOUR UPS !

The bigger battery is for stand-alone power or added runtime - NOT for supporting a load beyond about 60-70% of the UPS's rated capacity.

If you can find them:

My all time favorites are the really old, metal-cased APC units connected with solid house wire to lawn tractor batteries.

The hydrogen gas released by any lead/acid battery has a very obvious odor and is unlike anything else -and I have never, never, never had any problem
doing this indoors.

One important point IMO:

Since there is always the possibility for leakage I recommend ALWAYS placing any such battery or batteries into a plastic tub like a dollar store dishpan to
catch any dirt or possible leakage if anything ever needs catching.

Solar enthusiasts:
If you seek out your local PC recycling freak who has connections with places that recycle servers and big UPSs you can use those super-high quality
inverters with your batteries and save a bundle instead of branded solar-only inverters.

Last word of my opinion on this matter -> this IS the Instructables site for DIY'ers and if anyone who reads these is too afraid to experiment and learn by
doing then this I would recommend ONLY buying ready-made, UL approved devices and leaving the DIY to enthusiastic DIY'ers.

Happy DIY'ing !

dwltn says: Nov 10, 2009. 3:32 PM REPLY

These batteries are not sealed like the ones that came out of your UPS. This means that the gas produced when they are charged (hydrogen) will be
released into your storage area. Use longer wires and place the batteries outside to prevent a possible explosion when you turn on a light. ( think
Hindenburg)

http://www.instructables.com/id/Rework-a-UPS-with-Massive-Capacity/
 Surferdude says: Nov 10, 2009. 7:01 PM REPLY
This isn't a big problem. It's only after discharge and amount depends upon charging efficiency. The Hindenberg was filled with it. This is a small
amount and it dissipates in the air enough that it's not usually flammable unless you enclose it in a small volume that does not breathe. You also would
have to have a source of ignition.

dwltn says: Nov 11, 2009. 5:36 AM REPLY

The wire is pretty cheap. When we install large UPS systems (for data centers) we need direct forced air venting to the outside by code. You know
someone's wife or girlfriend is going to make them hide it in a cabinet and close the door to keep the house presentable. Any switch or relay (present
in some of the older systems) makes a great ignition source. Outside would be better. New sealed batteries start around 30$, new (and more
efficient) units are in the $100 to $150 range. new house is in the 100,000 range. Caution and more caution

Surferdude says: Nov 11, 2009. 4:49 PM REPLY

Actually, new sealed batteries start at about 15 cents at Costco, in quantity. But then again, AAs won't run your computer very long. The point of
the article was to extend the runtime of your UPS by adding a huge battery capacity at reasonable cost.

If it's in a closet, it's not likely to be plugged in - most closets don't have outlets and said wife, husband, girlfriend, or boyfriend that made you hide
it isn't likely to want a thick cord running from a wall outlet into a closet, and then more cords coming out of the closet into a nearby computer,
monitor, etc.

Caution yes. OCD no. If people read the article and comments and recognize the limits, they can avoid the pitfalls. That's what this is all about.
You can find some hazard in just about everything posted here, but then you wouldn't do anything.

Daddio_UK says: Sep 3, 2009. 4:44 AM REPLY

DON'T DO THIS. If you want a big UPS nice and cheap, find your local office equipment recycling company and see what they have, expect it to need new
batteries, but you might pick up a real bargain!.

rhaag71 says: Sep 5, 2009. 1:40 AM REPLY

What are you talking about? This site is all about DO THIS, even if you get a nice used UPS it's still gonna need a battery at some point. The dead
battery is what makes these so easy to obtain. I find 'em at the thrift stores and garage sales quite often, and they usually need a new battery.

Daddio_UK says: Sep 7, 2009. 1:48 AM REPLY

Just stick it on a $10 car batter and stop moaning. I should have put the initial reply to the other comment, as I already stated.

jumpfroggy says: Sep 3, 2009. 8:46 AM REPLY

This post is a little confusing. You recommend finding an old used UPS that needs new batteries... and yet replacement batteries are usually the most
costly part of a UPS, hard to find depending on the model, and don't offer the capacity of this mod. What's the benefit of finding a used UPS that needs
replacement batteries, vs. using your own used UPS that needs replacement batteries? Essentially then it's an argument for "Buy new replacement
batteries" vs "Use bigger/cheaper replacement batteries".

rhaag71 says: Sep 5, 2009. 1:44 AM REPLY

Batteries are cheap now (at least in the US). I find them on the web for around $8us and up...the shipping usually is more than the battery. You don't
have to find the 'right' one, just the right voltage and enough mah (power) to keep your stuff on for a minute. I see them at the computer store for
around $15us, and a choice of sizes. The biggest value of an UPS is the power filtering from your dirty electricity provider, and those quick
outages...those are what messes up your electronics. Redundancy requires/justifies a little money but this mod could really pay off.

Daddio_UK says: Sep 3, 2009. 12:56 PM REPLY

You buy a bigger one, rather than messing about with a little one you might burn out. I got my batteries from the same place, £10 each, list price
£130 each with a return guarantee too, they were bigger than the UPS so wired one in, the other went in my 4x4!, see, its not hard to think outside
the box. This should really have gone as a reply to hitokiri_808 I guess.

Normjr says: Sep 5, 2009. 9:19 AM REPLY

I have made this comment before. Lead Acid automotive batteries indoors or other poorly ventilated spaces ARE DANGEROUS! Please check your local
automotive battery supply houses for high capacity sealed gel-cells or special sealed lead acid batteries specifically designed for electronics uses indoors!
Here in central Washington, USA, believe it or not, we have one such dealer, and their prices on these cells are not unreasonable. They are comparable to
the automotive style. Otherwise, this is a great instruction!

rhaag71 says: Sep 5, 2009. 1:38 AM REPLY

Man...you beat me to it. I've been talking (and only that :) )... about adding at least one deep cycle battery to my UPS...one of who is beeping every 1/2 hour
now complaining that it's battery is no good. I always fantasize about using an Optima Gel Cell battery, it's basically like what these UPS come with, but
made for a car (or boat) and man do they work! The Optima can be used in any position and prob. don't produce as much gas...wich in a well ventilated
room would be negligible even from a lead acid battery (unless you charge too much/too often. Good thinking, Love it.

hmv4u says: Sep 3, 2009. 8:50 AM REPLY

did this with my Smart UPS by drilling two holes in the case and threading cable to two x 38ah batteries- run it as a supply/backup for a heater and pump in
my marine fish tank,has run for two years without any problems-id agree with the overloading but in reality would people run full load ?

http://www.instructables.com/id/Rework-a-UPS-with-Massive-Capacity/
 Forcelord50 says: Sep 3, 2009. 1:24 PM REPLY
With a nice new Core i7, SLI graphics cards, and a dual monitor setup for a computer system, yup some people would.

pedxing says: Sep 3, 2009. 11:59 AM REPLY

please note that even unplugged, with the battery disconnected, you can get a nasty (perhaps fatal) zap from the capacitors inside the unit. Be very careful
when working around the circuit board - don't touch anything but the insulated wires.

adamvan2000 says: Sep 3, 2009. 8:30 AM REPLY

I don't know how much of an option this is, but I know that you can get the same batteries that are used indoors in stair lifts for seniors and the disabled(wife
has one). The batteries are heftier than a regular UPS battery, are meant for constant recharging/depleting, and are fairly cheap @ $60 per battery. I can't
remember the specs on the batteries atm, but when I find my spare one from replacing the old ones in her stair lift, I'll update this. ~adamvan2000

batee says: Aug 31, 2009. 7:00 AM REPLY

I tried this several years ago with a pair of deep cycle batteries and an APC BackUPS Pro 1000. It worked well as long as the batteries were maintained. The
charger in the UPS was not enough to maintain the charge in the batteries - I had to buy a pair of motorcycle battery chargers to maintain the batteries. The
older iron core transformer UPSes are way better than the new ones for powering tricky loads, such as televisions, laser printers and window unit ACs. The
biggest problem I had with it was maintaining the electrolyte level in the batteries. If I did it again, I'd def use Optima Yellowtop batteries. It takes forever to
replenish the charge in these batteries - rolling blackouts and multiple outages in my area frequently left me without power and I ultimately supplemented the
system with a 2KW generator.

Bryan A. Thompson
bryan@batee.com

http://batee.com/projectsanddesigns/offgrid/upsinverter.htm

chrwei says: Sep 3, 2009. 6:51 AM REPLY

yeah recharge time is a big issue, if you extend the runtime by 4x you also extend the charge time by 4x, or more since the charger is meant to charge
that big of a battery. and since it's usually like 15 minutes run per 2 hours charge or something rather high like that the rolling blackouts can mean you
don't recover.

bben46 says: Sep 1, 2009. 7:02 AM REPLY

Nice Instructable. However, I would recommend a fuse between the batteries and the UPS. It might prevent a fire.

osgeld says: Aug 31, 2009. 8:22 PM REPLY

For large terminals check out places that sell car audio

if you can find a place that sells this to the public

http://www.theinstallbay.com/product_section.php?pn=1

nothing special but cheap :)

bowmaster says: Aug 31, 2009. 1:17 PM REPLY

Those things give you cancer. Just look at the name: Uranium Power System.

Surferdude says: Aug 31, 2009. 4:35 PM REPLY

Yeah! Aren't these things AMAZING?!

fordman15243 says: Aug 31, 2009. 3:33 PM REPLY

Everything gives you cancer nowadays, calm down... -_-

Yerboogieman says: Aug 31, 2009. 3:44 PM REPLY

Yeah, like "White sugar" "toilets", and CRT computer monitors.

JuCo says: Aug 31, 2009. 10:44 PM REPLY

eewww... white sugar toilet?!

Yerboogieman says: Sep 1, 2009. 2:15 PM REPLY

You aren't good with words, punctuation, and spelling, are you. Especially quotation marks.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Rework-a-UPS-with-Massive-Capacity/
 Crash2108 says: Sep 3, 2009. 3:22 AM REPLY
Oh, the irony. You're terrible at those things.

bowmaster says: Sep 2, 2009. 4:34 AM REPLY

Grammar Nazi.

Yerboogieman says: Sep 2, 2009. 4:48 PM REPLY

Communist.

fordman15243 says: Sep 2, 2009. 5:40 PM REPLY

RAWR! =3

JuCo says: Sep 1, 2009. 8:17 PM REPLY

i guess not... i thought people were supposed to use commas to separate items in a list.

Yerboogieman says: Sep 2, 2009. 4:46 PM REPLY

Oops, i did forget a comma, but it was kind of separated by the quotation marks.

JuCo says: Sep 2, 2009. 7:32 PM REPLY

honest mistake... i'm just happy to see that everyone's got a sense of humor.

Winphreak says: Aug 28, 2009. 10:11 PM REPLY

If the batteries sink below that charge level, wouldn't it be better to pull them out (if set up that way) and charge them with a standard battery charger, instead
of trying to use the float charger in the UPS?

view all 66 comments

http://www.instructables.com/id/Rework-a-UPS-with-Massive-Capacity/