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Make your computer UPS last for hours instead of mintues

by ben.mcfadden on November 3, 2008

Table of Contents

Make your computer UPS last for hours instead of mintues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro: Make your computer UPS last for hours instead of mintues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1: Evaluate your needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 2: Remove battery from UPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 3: Extend wires on UPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 4: Drill hole for wires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 5: Prepare inline fuse holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Step 6: Prepare the remaining wire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Step 7: Attach to battery, and test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Step 8: A word of caution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-your-computer-UPS-last-for-hours-instead-of-m/
Intro: Make your computer UPS last for hours instead of mintues
For what would appear common sense to me, but perhaps not to all, I have all of my computers on UPS battery backups . After getting frustrated when the power
flickered one day, I immediately went out and purchased a UPS. Well, shortly after, the power went out for longer than the battery could keep my computer afloat. I
needed a better solution!

I wanted my UPS to be able to last for at least 60 minutes in a power outage. I needed more power! My solution: Car batteries.

Materials:
UPS that is rated at least double what you plan to draw (see step 8 to understand why).
Wire (12 awg or larger; two different colors)
Solder
Heat shrink tubing
Car battery with terminals on the top
Adapters to go from the car battery terminals to threaded rod.
Wing nuts the same size as this threaded rod
Wire crimp terminals that will fit over the threaded rod.
Plastic case for your car battery
Inline Fuse holder (radio shack )
30 amp fuse for holder (any auto store)

Tools:
Screwdrivers
Wire cutters
Wire strippers
Soldering iron
Scissors (optional)
heat gun or alternative
Drill
Drill bits

Image Notes
1. 12 gauge wire
2. inline fuse holder
3. more heat shrink tubing
4. heat shrink tubing
5. Car battery terminal adapters (I don't know what these are called

Image Notes
1. Wires hooked up, and tested. This is my 2 UPS setup
2. kill-a-watt meter. Used to determine how much power I was drawing.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-your-computer-UPS-last-for-hours-instead-of-m/
 Image Notes Image Notes
1. wire cutters 1. Inline fuse holder
2. wire strippers 2. Crimp terminals that will fit over threaded terminals
3. solder
4. screwdrivers
5. soldering iron
6. UPS's we're modifying (these have already been taken apart). I have two shown
here, as I was doing two at once.
7. drill bits

Step 1: Evaluate your needs

I was trying to power two computers (desktop and file server), and two flat panel monitors. My total power consumption was roughly 500 watts peak. (yikes!) Currently I
was running on two 300 watt UPS's (NOTE: VA is not equal to WATTS. Find the WATT rating) with one computer and one monitor on each. Even though the two
monitors were hooked up to the same computer, I needed to distribute my power load more evenly to get longer battery life out of my petty UPS's.

CAUTION :
I discovered the hard way after nearly starting a fire and destroying a UPS that you need one that is rated at at least twice the wattage you are consuming. They can't
handle being run for longer than a few minutes at this rating, but the batteries die before it's a problem normally.

So I now knew I needed 500 watts, and I wanted 60 minutes of power.. that means:
P/V=I
500 watts / 120 volts = 4.16 ampere hours (at 120 volts)

UPS batteries are usually 12 volts, but some are wired with two batteries in series. Check yours out first to make sure you won't need two car batteries.

So, assuming 12 volts, that means that, after adjusting for the voltage differences, I need a battery with at least 41.6 ampere hours. (yeah, I know there's inefficiencies in
the UPS, but lets keep math easy)

Step 2: Remove battery from UPS

Unplug the UPS from the wall, and unplug all devices from it.
Remove any screws you fine, and open up the case.
If you are as lucky as I was, the battery will have terminals that you can slide off. If not, just cut the wires as close to the battery as you can.
Once you have removed the battery, you will find something like you see in the picture

NOTE: Pay attention to polarity on the battery, and which wire went to when polarity.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-your-computer-UPS-last-for-hours-instead-of-m/
 Image Notes
1. Negative wire (removed from battery)
2. Positive wire (removed from battery)
3. Battery that was in the UPS

Step 3: Extend wires on UPS

The wires that are in a UPS are typically not long enough to reach much past where the battery sits. We will need to extend them to reach our car battery.

Cut off the the wire terminals (if any) on the wires from the UPS.
Strip at least 3/8 of an inch of the wire on the UPS
Strip at least 3/8 of an inch of the wire we are extending with.
I used a metal crimp to help me get a great connection, but this is optional.
Solder the wires together. This solder joint needs to be able to handle high current. We will be drawing lots of power through here and if we have a voltage drop, the UPS
won't last as long.
After making sure the joint is well soldered, place some heat shrink over it, and seal it up good.

Note : Use colors that make sense to you, and will allow you to remember the polarity

Image Notes Image Notes

1. Soldered joint 1. Joint about to be soldered
2. Connector that went to battery 2. Completed joint

Image Notes Image Notes

1. Soldered joint. 1. slide the heat shrink completely over the joint.....

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-your-computer-UPS-last-for-hours-instead-of-m/
 Image Notes
1. ..and shrink the tubing

Image Notes
1. Both wires are Completed

Step 4: Drill hole for wires

Next we need to make a place for the wires to leave the UPS and go to the car battery.
I drilled a hole. Use whatever size will fit both of your wires.
Add a strain relief so you can't pull on the joints you made, or on the PC board in the unit. I simply tied a knot in each of the wires.
Next pull the wires through the hole, and carefully put the unit back together.

Note : Remember the polarity!

Image Notes Image Notes

1. No where for the wire to leave 1. Look! A hole for the wires!
2. This is the place the UPS data port lines up, so I couldn't use it. 2. Strain relief for the wires

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-your-computer-UPS-last-for-hours-instead-of-m/
 Image Notes Image Notes
1. Strain relief for wires 1. Completed UPS modification. On to the battery!
2. Hole wire will go through 2. One down, one to go!
3. The drill bit I used came out of here
4. My first completed unit

Step 5: Prepare inline fuse holder

Since this is high current, coming from an extremely high current source (car battery), we need a fuse. and you want it as close to the battery as possible.
First, strip the wire on the fuse holder.
Place heat shrink on the wire.
Take your crimp wire terminal that is sized for the thread on your battery posts, or adapter and crimp it to the wire. Then solder. Nothing is complete until it's soldered.
Why solder? It conducts electricity better. The joint won't get hot, and you will have a less drastic voltage drop.
Next shrink the tubing.

On the other side of the fuse holder, strip the wire, place the heat shrink on, strip the hot wire you've recently added to the UPS and solder together. Once completed
shrink the tubing.

Image Notes
1. Two completed inline fuse holders. I have two, as I was making two UPS's
2. Threaded post that the inline fuse holder will connect to.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-your-computer-UPS-last-for-hours-instead-of-m/
Step 6: Prepare the remaining wire
Next, using the same strategy as connecting to the inline fuse holder, connect the Crimp terminal to the end of your ground wire, Solder, and heat shrink.

Remember: Put the heat shrink tubing on before you put the end on.

When you done you should have something like:

Image Notes Image Notes

1. Completed ends 1. Four completed ends (two for each UPS I'm doing)

Image Notes
1. Completed ends
2. Fuse holder
3. joint where fuse holder connects to orange (hot) wire

Step 7: Attach to battery, and test

Next, attach your battery terminals to the battery, and then your wires to the terminals.
Insert a fuse in the fuse holder.
And turn on your UPS.
It will take a long time to charge the battery, but it will also last for a long time in a power outage. Under this setup mine lasted for around 1.5 hours.

Be sure to put the battery in a plastic case with a lid, as, if something were to go wrong on the battery you would want to contain the acid as much as possible. Also, this
will prevent you from dropping something and shorting out the battery.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-your-computer-UPS-last-for-hours-instead-of-m/
 Image Notes
1. Wires hooked up, and tested. This is my 2 UPS setup
2. kill-a-watt meter. Used to determine how much power I was drawing.

Step 8: A word of caution

I learned this the hard way.. it cost me a UPS, and nearly a fire.

The transformer in these UPS's are cheap. They are not designed to be run at 100% capacity for extended periods of time (such as what you will be capable of using this
size battery) When I ran my UPS's at 300 watts for more than 30 minutes, the transformer melted through the case. When I pulled out my infrared thermometer it read
nearly 400 degrees F!!

I had to redesign my system. I chose two UPS's that were rated at 600 watts each, but used 24 volts (2 twelve volt batteries in series). Under my new setup, I have over
four hours of backup capacity as I have two car batteries.

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Comments
45 comments Add Comment

Zerocool818 says: Feb 2, 2011. 3:53 PM REPLY

I would ( if i do this) use sealed lead acid batteries you know they have a reason to use sealed ones: they are smaller lighter and safer and can give you
more charge cycles and longer run time and they are cheaper you can get some sealed scooter batteries for 20 dollars online and they are like 50 amps
each and two of them can fit in the place of one of yours and have you considered using computer fans to cool the inverters so they dont get damaged? wow
that was a mouthful. nice setup anyway!

gagan9897175966 says: Sep 8, 2010. 9:28 AM REPLY

hey ben did u connected two UPS's to a single battery. I am worried about the charing of the battery cos i was told that UPS cannot charge a Car battery. do
u have any charging issues in this instructables. i am waiting for ur reply.
also i have 3 PCs two with CRTs and one with 15inchs TFT how much power do i need for the whole, i am currently using 2 USPs, 1 550 VA and other is
500 Va with which i am using one to power Just monitors and others to power TFT and 3 CPS. and its working fine. (I think) i am fed up of the backup its less
that 5 minutes.
please guide me.
Thanks
Gagan
India

ben.mcfadden says: Sep 8, 2010. 10:29 AM REPLY

I have been using this system for 2 years now and it works great. The two UPS's do charge the batteries, although it does take a full week to get out of
the "quick" charge and into the trickle charge. If you need to charge it faster, use a car-battery charger after an extended outage. Having two UPS's has
shown no adverse affects. If anything, it just charges the batteries faster.

To determine how much power you need, I recommend using the Kill-A-Watt meter (http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/travelpower/7657/) to determine
how much power each item draws. Be sure to measure VA, as that's what most UPS's are rated in, although Watts are useful too.

Remember, if you are going to make your UPS system last for more than the time a stock battery will last, be sure you are putting less than 50% of their
rated capacity on each UPS.

gagan9897175966 says: Sep 10, 2010. 1:59 AM REPLY

Thanks Pal

gagan9897175966 says: Sep 8, 2010. 9:21 AM REPLY

nothing will happen dear friends. what do u think about almost everyone in the world is using inverter systems (dont forget with battries) inside there homes
or in the basements of there homes. what will u think about it.

superfreak77 says: Feb 12, 2009. 1:00 PM REPLY

Hi, noob on this board but not to DIY stuff; Question; Is the charger on the UPs callibrated for the batt size that it came with? I'm using a 480VA UPS and
used it to charge to charge the small non-deep cycle battery on my motorcycle. Didn't leave it on long for this reason: How does the internal circuitry know
when a 12v battery of a given size is 100% charged? What happens if you replace it for a larger A/H unit? I want to increase the lifespan of the UPS. Thanks!

hogey74 says: Feb 27, 2010. 6:50 AM REPLY

A few points and bear in mind I have only been learning about this recently.
1. Its the voltage that tells the charger how well its doing. For standard Lead acid batteries they are full when they read between about 13.8 and 14.7
volts.
2. Calcium-infused batteries apparently are full at a higher voltage so you need to be aware of that - you might be over or under charging.
3. I think that so long as you are using the same type of battery with the same charging needs as the original one it should work, it will just might take
longer to top up.
4. It won't be ideal but should get you there!

abadfart says: Jan 6, 2010. 8:43 PM REPLY

id go with a deep cycle if i were you

ben.mcfadden says: Feb 12, 2009. 1:10 PM REPLY

The charging circuit checks the voltage of the battery to decide when it's charged. It isn't tracking the Ah that it is dumping into the battery. In other
words, putting on a higher capacity battery (more Ah), so long as it is the same voltage, will work fine.

superfreak77 says: Feb 12, 2009. 8:25 PM REPLY

Cool, thanks. FWIW; Here's some data gathered in tonight's hook up of the 10 amp/hr bike battery. Note that by the middle of the test, the UPS
kicked in to compensate for a low voltage coming in from the mains. I don't really know how it works but it does appear that it stopped charging and
may even have drawn from the battery. I left the serial line attached to see the % charge on the pc screen; With a voltmeter hooked to the bike
battery; 12.67v at first charge, -mains v. 123volt, pc displays batt at 92% charge. 12.99v after 10 mins, -mains voltage up to 133v , pc display at 96%
Turned the bike switch with lights on; -Bike switch on 60 secs, charge dropped to 74% -Bike switch off, and 60 secs later, charge now at 86% 5 min.
after switch off, charge now at 92% 20 min. after switch off, charge at 96% -Same as when it stopped charging in the first stage.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-your-computer-UPS-last-for-hours-instead-of-m/
 abadfart says: Jan 18, 2010. 11:01 PM REPLY
could you beef up the transformer with one from a microwave?

farna says: Dec 11, 2009. 9:11 AM REPLY

If you don't need quite as much power as a car battery, consider a lawn tractor battery. Same type as a car, just smaller. A motorcycle battery would work,
but most of them have about the same power as the original UPS battery.

The main caution with ANY automotive type replacement battery is that hydrogen gas is produced when charging (only small amounts when trickle charging
like this) and they have liquid acid inside. Make sure they don't get tipped!!

vtsnaab says: Nov 26, 2009. 10:51 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 !

Blackice504 says: Sep 22, 2009. 9:07 AM REPLY

people new car batts are sealed now days so if they are those type its possible to use a automotive batt but if not you can allways have the batts in say a
lundry and just run a cable but the other point those power socket ups are too small even the APC700 ( 700watt UPS ) <<< Big box for people who not know
they would have trouble keeping the batts in float but also keeping any car batt with wet cell yes the wet cell will dry and make a nice fire so keep an eye out
for this.

drzcyy says: Sep 4, 2009. 3:33 PM REPLY

hydrogen or oxygen is not toxic by themself, besides the explosive nature when combined. However, charging and discharging lead-acid batteries indoors
will release microscopic sulphuric acid droplets due to bubbling (or gassing) of the acid in the cells (try leaving a piece of paper over the battery for
sometime, the paper will turn color over the ventilation holes!).This has been known to cause damage to lungs, as well as oxidation of metal parts in the
vicinity. The way to overcome this is to cover the ventilation holes of the cells with steel/iron (but not stainless steel ok) wool used for cleaning pots and pans
in the kitchen.The wool will be oxidised first, rendering the released sulphuric acid harmless.

ben.mcfadden says: Sep 4, 2009. 4:33 PM REPLY

Wouldn't air current solve this problem? Like, perhaps, and air conditioner? I'm in Arizona, so the unit is on pretty much 24/7. I don't think you could get
much more air circulation.

BretteJaro says: Aug 29, 2009. 8:06 AM REPLY

The main problem you will find is the batteries will be damaged pretty quickly (6-12 months) because the float voltage of the SLA batteries is higher than that
of the flooded cell batteries. You will need to keep a close eye on the electrolyte level because it will drop pretty quickly. Another byproduct is higher standby
power consumption because the UPS will keep trying to charge the batteries, but in reality, will just be disassociating the water, or gassing.

fred_dot_u says: Sep 3, 2009. 1:44 PM REPLY

If you have to add water to a flooded lead acid battery, always use distilled water. Anything else will contain minerals or contaminants and reduce the life
of the battery substantially!

Normjr says: Aug 31, 2009. 9:30 AM REPLY

This is a very good idea! However, as others have pointed out, it is very unsafe to use a "Standard" or "Regular" automotive, RV, or similar lead-acid battery
indoors. If you check around, you will find that the sealed lead-acid and gel-cell batteries similar to the originals used in the UPS, with similar voltage, and
amp-hour specs to the larger, automotive, batteries are probably available locally, for about the same price as the automotive style. I discovered four in a
commercial server UPS that was given to me.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-your-computer-UPS-last-for-hours-instead-of-m/
 loki0347 says: Aug 29, 2009. 2:50 PM REPLY
Actually I've seen a single car battery have it's excess hydrogen explode from the sparks thrown off by detaching a charger under load...

bubba007 says: Nov 5, 2008. 11:25 AM REPLY

Play it safe:
Remember charging a car battery indoors can release harmful (toxic) gas fumes. Be careful where you put the batteries

ReCreate says: Mar 2, 2009. 8:19 PM REPLY

it releases hydrogen and oxygen,which is what is already in the air,Along with CO2 of course

ben.mcfadden says: Mar 2, 2009. 9:11 PM REPLY

True, but if the hydrogen builds up, as is possible, it could be an explosive danger.

ReCreate says: Mar 3, 2009. 9:15 AM REPLY

i don't think it will produce enough hydrogen to ...cause an explosion

ben.mcfadden says: Mar 3, 2009. 11:34 AM REPLY

Theoretically, you're absolutely right. But I'm not going to take the blame if something goes wrong. :-)

Spokehedz says: Aug 29, 2009. 8:11 AM REPLY

Hydrogen is lighter than 'Air' so it will float up and out of the way of the hot things.

Oxygen is only explosive in high concentrations, which is to say it has to be very pure to do so. Chances are, it is not going to have the
correct mix for it to be combustible at any level that you could create with just 2 batteries.

Combined with the fact that it only produces these gases when it is charging and not discharging ....... You should be pretty safe. Just
don't keep it all contained in a super enclosed space and you should be fine.

ReCreate says: Mar 3, 2009. 12:47 PM REPLY

go ahead,sue me if you die of an explosion...did i say that?

ReCreate says: Mar 3, 2009. 12:48 PM REPLY

just as long as you don't have lead acid battery bank of ten batteries or so,then the bet is off!

scook says: Sep 18, 2009. 12:08 AM REPLY

Haha, I'm pretty sure they have about 25 Lead Acid batteries for power in the television series "The Colony" .

ReCreate says: Sep 18, 2009. 11:35 AM REPLY

if it is outdoors, Then the problem is solved...

tariqa03 says: May 13, 2009. 12:37 AM REPLY

so i dont need to change my existing charging unite of the UPS

ben.mcfadden says: May 13, 2009. 2:25 AM REPLY

If your UPS currently uses a 12V sealed lead acid battery, it is 100% safe to hook that same charging circuit up to a standard car battery. It will, logically,
take far longer to charge this car battery than the small lead acid battery, but it will work. If your UPS uses a 24V sealed lead acid battery (OR two 12V
batteries wired in SERIES), you will need to hook it up to TWO car batteries wired in SERIES.

ReCreate says: Mar 2, 2009. 8:18 PM REPLY

well pretty much all upses have the terminal that slides out on the battery Also,Why would it melt? Inverters are the same thing and they wont melt,But i have
an idea Put some sort of heat sink and ventilation

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-your-computer-UPS-last-for-hours-instead-of-m/
 ben.mcfadden says: Mar 2, 2009. 9:13 PM REPLY
What happened was the transformer inside the UPS overheated. They're not designed to run at full capacity for longer than the stock battery can handle.
Inverters are designed to run for longer, they have a heat sink that is sized appropriately.

ReCreate says: Mar 3, 2009. 9:14 AM REPLY

umm...thats what i said,kinda Put a heat sink and all

ben.mcfadden says: Mar 3, 2009. 11:38 AM REPLY

You're right. That is what you said. My appologies! Yes, that would theoretically work. Given that it was the transformer that overheated (in my
scenario at least), I would simply recommend some ventilation. Like, perhaps a PC fan that gets automatically switched on when it kicks over to
battery mode? And some additional holes drilled into the outer casing in the right places? Since I had already overheated it, I wasn't sure how
much damage had been done, so I elected to replace the unit. And my new units are very over-sized. In any case, be careful, and be smart about
it.

ReCreate says: Mar 3, 2009. 12:50 PM REPLY

Umm...yeah A pc fan would be good ventilation all the time maybe attach a heatsink to it somehow and put in a fan to blow the air
around,maybe a few holes would be good

geetz says: Nov 4, 2008. 3:57 PM REPLY

If you lose power very often, you should go for the deep cycle batteries as they will pay for themselves. Deep cycling car batteries will kill them in short order.
Also, the UPS will probably not be able to charge any large battery properly (and this will result in loss of capacity over time due to sulphation). To maintain
the service life of your large battery, use a real charger after the blackout and then hook it back up to the UPS to top off and maintain the charge for next
time.

ben.mcfadden says: Nov 4, 2008. 4:09 PM REPLY

Very good point. I don't lose power often, (perhaps once a year) but when I do, it often is out for an hour or a little more. And I have done some current
testing to see how well the UPS charges car batteries, and it takes roughly 2 weeks to get to full charge after a complete drain. I do exactly what you
recommended and use a standard 10 amp car battery to charge the battery after a long blackout. I just pull the fuse from the fuse holder to avoid
damage to the UPS charging circuit.

ben.mcfadden says: Nov 4, 2008. 4:11 PM REPLY

Correction. I use a standard 10 amp car battery charger to charge the battery after a long blackout.

geetz says: Nov 4, 2008. 4:06 PM REPLY

Also, it should be noted that deep-cycling really means using only 60% of the battery's capacity, not 100%. Running any lead-acid battery flat will
damage it, even a deep-cycle battery. The damage is incremental, so you can go deeper sometimes and probably never notice the difference, but if you
are using the system a lot (like daily or even weekly) you should oversize your battery to keep its service life long.

jeff-o says: Nov 4, 2008. 6:52 AM REPLY

This instructable would also be useful for anyone whose UPS battery has bit the dust (like mine). I went out and got a bigger UPS, but I still have the old
one... perhaps I'll modify it to use a bigger battery.

CADDBOY says: Nov 3, 2008. 7:34 PM REPLY

Isn't this basically the same setup used in a backup system for a sump pump? couldn't one of those systems be adapted for this purpose?

troyml says: Nov 3, 2008. 7:02 PM REPLY

Car batteries are not the best choice for this application. They really aren't intended to be deeply discharged. They are designed to supply a lot of current for
a short period of time and then immediately be recharged. They will work, but they may not last as long as a deep discharge battery.

ben.mcfadden says: Nov 3, 2008. 7:06 PM REPLY

Good point. But deep cycle batteries are far more expensive.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-your-computer-UPS-last-for-hours-instead-of-m/