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| Home > Support > FAQ | |
General UPS question: Q. Which UPS model should I purchase?
Q. When should I replace the UPS battery? Q. My UPS is "dead". What should I do?
Q. The front panel lights up, but there is no power output?
Application/configuration related questions: Q. Learn more about Network UPS tools.
A. PowerOffice is our entry level product, suitable for home, home office, and network workstation use. It does not come with UPS software and it does not have the voltage correction feature. The battery backup outlets can handle a standard PC and monitor. If you want to attach more equipment or a monitor larger than 19" to the battery backup outlets, if you need a longer backup time (more than 5-10 minutes), or if your utility power has very unstable voltages, then you need to take a look at another Metapo product. PowerPal, which is our most popular product series, comes with UPS software and has the voltage correction feature. It also has an RJ11/45 surge protection port for a phone line or network cable. It's available in a wide range of VA ratings from 280 to 1400 and in regular and rack-mount styles. If you need a high-end power protection solution for a mission critical application, high value equipment, or extremely poor utility power environments, you can consider our PowerPure or PowerOn on-line UPS products.
A. VA means volts x amps. The voltage is fixed by the utility company - in the US and Canada, utility power is usually 115-120 V. Amps is the amount of current consumed by electronic equipment. So the VA rating you require depends on how much current is drawn by the equipment you want to attach to the UPS. Check the maximum power ratings on all the equipment you want to attach to the UPS (usually found in the user's manual or on the specification plate on the back of the equipment) and add them up to determine the approximate minimum VA rating of UPS you require (if you want a longer battery backup runtime, you will probably want to get a UPS that is somewhat higher rated than the sum of your equipment). If the maximum power rating is given in amps, multiple that by 120 V to ascertain a VA rating. If the maximum power rating is given in watts, multiple that by 1.4 to ascertain a VA rating. Please note that the maximum power ratings provided by the manufacturers of your computer equipment may be higher than actual power consumption. As a general rule, our smallest UPSs are for one PC and a regular size monitor, our medium sized UPSs are for one PC and a larger size monitor, and our larger UPSs are for several servers and monitors. Please call Metapo if you need further help.
A. A stand-by UPS is one that switches to battery power when the utility power is too low or too high.
A. A line-interactive UPS is similar to a stand-by UPS but it also provides voltage correction to protect against low voltages (brownouts). The advantage of this type of UPS is that your battery may be used less often and may last longer, and also you may avoid having low voltages causing stress to the components in your computer equipment.
A. The batteries in an on-line UPS are always "on-line". That means there is not switching time to battery mode when there is a power failure. An on-line UPS generally does a "double conversion" process: rectifies incoming AC power to DC, then inverts DC power to AC. This power regeneration process enables the UPS to provide superior noise reduction and voltage regulation.
A. As with most low VA rating UPS products, Metapo products are categorized as "secondary" surge protection devices by Underwriter's Laboratory (UL). In order to protect against lightening, you would need to have a surge protection device that is rated as providing "primary" surge protection. We recommend you consult with a professional electrician about installing a primary surge protection device at the point where utility power enters your building and also you should consult with a professional telephone system installer about installing a primary surge protection device at the point where your phone lines enter your building. For further information, please call Metapo.
A. A "dead" UPS could be caused by several things, including a low battery. Charge your UPS overnight and if it still won't turn on, please call Metapo for technical support. Also remember that some Metapo products have an electronic on-off switch that requires you to push and hold the button down for several seconds until the UPS goes on.
A. This problem may be caused by a weak battery. It's always a good idea to try putting in a new battery to see if that solves the problem. If your UPS is quite new, this problem might be more likely due to a bad component on the circuit board on your UPS, in which case you need to call Metapo for technical support.
A. You may have a blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker in the UPS due to overloading or a power surge. Remember not to use a laser printer on your UPS! Call Metapo for technical support to help diagnose and fix the problem.
A. This could be due to the operating system expecting to see a mouse on the serial port. You will need to talk to your computer system vendor about changing the setup in the computer so that it does not look for a serial mouse on the port to which the UPS data cable is connected.
A. Some Metapo UPSs require a "cross-over cable" going from the RJ11/45 port on the UPS to the R45 port on the computer. If you try that and it still doesn't work, you may have a defective R11/J45 port on the UPS. Our technical support department can arrange to send you a replacement.
A. This problem could be due to a defective RJ11/45 port on your UPS. Our technical support department can arrange to send you a replacement.
A. UPS software is entirely optional. The function of the software is to providing "monitoring" of UPS operating parameters and automatic unattended shutdown of an unattended computer. If you do not have an unattended computer, you may not wish to install the software, in which case you also do not need to use the UPS data cable either.
A. Currently the software that comes with new Fenton UPSs works with Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Linux, and FreeBSD. If you are interested in "open source code" software for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems, you might want to visit www.exploits.org/nut, which is the home page of Network UPS Tools (NUT). Please note that Metapo does not specifically endorse this software but we have heard many good things about it from our more technically-inclined customers.
A. You can (except PowerOffice) but you need to purchase a "contact closure" cable from Metapo in order to use the built-in UPS program in those operating systems. The cable that comes with your Metapo UPS will not work.
A. Our UPSs work fine with Mac hardware. If you are also looking for software compatibility (i.e., you want to interface the UPS to the Mac operating system) you might want to visit www.alwaysthinking.com/ThinkingUPS.html.
A. It's not recommended to use our PowerOffice and PowerPal UPSs with a generator. The generator may put out unstable frequencies that the UPS has trouble tracking and/or the generator may put out low voltages that cause the equipment attached to the UPS to draw a high current and blow the fuse or trip the circuit breaker in the UPS. However, our PowerPure and PowerOn UPSs will generally be compatible with most generators.
A. You should not use your Metapo UPS with a "stepwave" inverter input. The UPS will likely not recognize this power source as normal power and will switch to battery mode. You might find that your Metapo UPS works with a "sinewave" inverter, but as a general rule we do not recommend using Metapo UPS products with inverters.
A. We do not recommend using our UPS products with anything other than computers and computer peripherals. In fact, doing so may void your warranty.
A. You should not use your UPS with a laser printer because laser printers draw a lot of power and may overload your UPS.
A. You can call Metapo at 1-800-735-5877 to order batteries, or you can check your local yellow pages for a battery dealer (you are looking for storage batteries, specifically sealed lead-acid batteries).
A. Metapo offers external and internal SNMP/HTTP adapters, please call 1-800-735-5877 to order.
A. It happens sometimes due to the low battery voltage level after battery power is used as UPS backup power and drained. It will go away for about 1 minute after AC power recovery and battery is charging up. No service call is required.
A. The UPS battery must be in good condition for the UPS to function properly. Most people decide their battery condition by measuring its voltage with a multi-meter and think the battery is good if the voltage is above 12V. However, that is not necessarily true. A good battery should not only provide normal voltage without a load, but also be able to maintain that voltage for a certain period of time (according to model) during battery discharging period. Sometimes, worn out batteries can still measur at 12V or higher when there is no load, but they will drop the normal load immediately once the UPS operates in battery/inverter mode. If this happens, it is time to replace the UPS battery. Note: UPS batteries need to be charged/discharged regularly to maintain good performance over time, and increase battery life. Metapo recommends that users manually discharge the batteries to battery-low level then re-charge the UPS every 1-2 months, if the UPS unit does not discharge itself within that period. You can also discharge the battery by connecting it to a 50 Watts DC lamp (sold at auto parts store, like Kragen) If you need a new battery, please check your UPS battery type and buy it from our on-line store at: http://store.yahoo.com/fentonups/upsbaac.html Top of the page
A. UPS is not for AC utilities blackout only. View the following reasons provided by one of our resellers.
A. Please visit this web site to learn more about Network UPS tools. http://www.exploits.org/nut/library/pictures/fenton/ |
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