PC Peripherals APC 500VA UPS woes

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biosbhai

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Dudes, I came home today and while powering up the PC, touched the back of the PC and got a real nice shock from it.

I powered everything down and found that the 4 socket extension I was using had poor quality sockets and was causing the earthing problem.

So I directly connected my APC Backups 500VA to the main power socket and powered on the PC.

To my surprise, I still got a shock when i touched the metal part of the cabinet.

I have another PC in the house here and the same problem occured with that one also.

I called up a friend in chennai and he told me that the APC 500VA UPS which comes in a brown cardboard box is of very low quality. He had bought one and it became defective within 6 months because the comp there was being used 24/7. The UPS there would just turn off after around 20 to 30 minutes of use....

I have called up the shop here in Pune from which I bought the UPS and they said I should bring it this saturday so that their "engineers" can look into the problem.

I think I will most probably ask them to give me another UPS and pay the difference. If they wont do that, I will post the complete details of that seller here.

I simply cant believe that APC would ride on their success and bring out low quality stuff like this. :@

This model doesnt have the USB connection to the PC and comes in a brown cardboard box. So watch out........

Guys, what UPS to buy if they offer me a deal wherein I can pay the difference for a better one?

I shelled out 2150 Rs for this one and I am prepared to spend around 1500 rs more for a better UPS if they allow a tradein / upgrade....

Its been just 3 weeks since I bought this thing........

My friend in chennai couldnt get his APC 500VA replaced because the problems started after around 6 months.
 
what I bought also was of low quality ? naah I don't think so . thats original I can vouch for it lol ... why don't you call up APC directly and ask them ??
 
my dear friend, your post is absolutely useless. You didnt even post which model APC UPS u have.

Is it 500VA? Does it have USB?

The one which I have doesnt have USB.

The 500BVA model with USB connection is of good quality.

I would be glad if you could provide me with a contact number atleast.
 
symptoms seem to suggest

1)ur psu is leaking power

2)there is no proper earthing (which may not even be ur ups' fault.)
 
@biosbhai: r spikebuster ?....if u Connector ur Supply to a Spike & then to ur Ups.... u have Chance of a shock.

had faced this problem .... threw away the spike buster :P
 
biosbhai....try using a tester....first to check ur mains socket....whether the earth terminal is giving current...

after that try ur ups...disconnect everything except the mains plug....first switched off...c if the ups o/p earth terminal is giving current....then switch on the main plug and c...

do report ur findings
 
I agree with max_ds. The problem is two-fold - your PC is leaking current and irrespective of your earthing, it should not do that. Once you figure out what the issue is, then move on to finding whether the UPS's earthing is bad or your main wall socket.

BTW AFAIK, all the APC 500VA models have been coming without the USB/RS-232 monitoring.. only the 650VA model upwards comes with the same (?) It is true though that the APC website has a model specifically for India, compared it with a few designed for other countries and those seem to lack the USB/RS-232 monitoring as well.
 
around a yr or so back.. maybe more... cause i bought mine 2-3 yrs back ...

then all models came wit usb connector/monitor... but now only 650+ comes wit usb..
and 500 is just 2 sockets battery +1 spike. thats all... nothin much...

mine has usb + phone ports.. and 3 backup sockets and 1 spike socket. this is also a 500va
 
I will post in detail why I think that the UPS is to blame.

I have a VIP 400W PSU and I don't think that is causing the problem.

I also dont think that the tower is leaking power.

The earthing of the sockets in my house are quite fine, because I have another PC here and there is no shock from it.

I used a 4 socket extension which my friend uses for his PC (he doesnt use a UPS) and gave my PC to that extension. There was no shock at all in that case.

I then used my 4 socket extension with his PC and I got shock from his PC. So my 4 socket extension has faulty earthing / bad contact at the 4 output sockets.

I then used my APC ups alone and ran my friends PC using it. And after turning on the PC, I got shock from my friend's PC. That is how I confirmed that the UPS also had a problem.

I have no tester here.

I am the tester. :D

Edit :

While using my friend's 4 socket, the plug of the pc and monitor fits tight into the sockets.

But in both my UPS and my faulty 4 socket extension, the plugs fit in very loose.
 
biosbhai said:
my dear friend, your post is absolutely useless. You didnt even post which model APC UPS u have.

Is it 500VA? Does it have USB?

The one which I have doesnt have USB.

The 500BVA model with USB connection is of good quality.

I would be glad if you could provide me with a contact number atleast.
Click to expand...

I have what you have . listen , I got quality assurance paper with it . I also got manual . Its manufactured in Bangalore and so you are saying its of poor quality ? I don't think so . the model number is BE500Y-IN . no usb connections . 3 plugs including one plug with no backup. Tel: 080-221 3798 , 299 7512 and toll free helpline number is 1600-444-272(APC)
 
if u think that the ups is buggy then just call the toll free no and tell them and in a few days they`ll just drop off a new one at ur door step and take the old one...
 
I had used a tester and saw it lighting up when putting it inside the earth socket of the power strip.

So I went and got another power strip of the same company and still it had same problem.

So I got a power strip of another company and that didnt light up the tester, but still when i power the pc using that power strip (without UPS), I am getting shock!!!! But my friend who touched the pc, didnt feel much shock.

I guess I am more sensitive to leakage current than my friends. :|

I called the APC toll free number, which is actually 1 800 425 4272 and registered a complaint.

They gave me the number of a guy here in pune whom i will call tomorrow.

Thing is, the tester is not lighting up when I press it into the earth socket in the UPS, but I am getting shock with both the PC's in the house, which only I feel.

Now, I am not crazy or anything to be the only person in the house to be feeling the shock.

When using the power strip of my friend, I am not getting any shock. :|

I will post an update with the response of the APC personnel in Pune tomorrow.
 
Hey buddy, if you ask me..i do not really have faith in tht tester..what i normally do to check the earthing is to have a holder with a bulb connected to 2 wires and then poke one wire into the earthing(ground) terminal and the other into the +ve terminal..if it lights up, means the earthing is proper..

I have the same APC Back UPS ES500...b4 connecting it on the first day, i thoroughly checked the wall socket for proper earthing by the above mentioned way.. then i connected my UPS to the wall socket and then again checked the same thing, this time in the UPS terminals. When i confirmed tht the earthing was being proper thru the UPS as well, did i connect my CPU and monitor power cord to the UPS... and then everything was fine...

I never really believe the power strip..its the crappiest thing to ever put faith in...its better to make a proper board with quality switchgear and also a fuse in it. Its much more reliable..

Anyways, i dont really use a strip..i use the 2 UPS sockets for connecting my CPU and monitor power cords.. my speaker is powered from a normal wall socket...

What i think,in your case, the problem seems to be with the Wall earthing at some point of time or even a loose connection because of a strip, which can cause a lot of damage to the PC components as well as the UPS in a short period of time..

Your UPS may have been absolutely fine, but it may have been screwed because of a faulty Earthing from the wall socket or the power strip at some point of time. Now a UPS without an earthing will definitely not be able to provide earthing protection to the PSU...the PSU in turn, will send in the ungrounded power to sensitive PC components...and screw up things..and that is precisely what may have happened to ur system..mind you, even a short period of unprotected ungrounded power can play havoc with the PC components...so you see..its a vicious cycle...

Its always safe practice to check wall socket earthing with the 'wire and bulb' method :P before you plug in any PC component which needs earthing. Your UPS cud be a victim of a faulty earthing itself..
 
^^LOL..man you shud have done it long time back..like is said, a small period of 'impure' ungrounded power can have irreversible damage on your PC components..thts why you see tht most PC component manufacturers mention this in their Warranty disclaimer...that a malfunction because of a faulty earthing is not covered under warranty... because it is considered a user inflicted damage..so you see..prevention is always better than cure..:P
 
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