UPS not reporting load


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hi guys, 

 

i have a smart APC Smart-UPS X 1500VA hooked up to my system and is is not reporting load properly as per below: 

ups.JPG.a04cbc16d76ae69a4ad5184404e2c737.JPG

 

As far as I know it is hooked up by the origianal USB cable. I did try the RS232 cable as well but would not even get the above info. when i run the apctest command i get this: 

 

root@Tower:~# apctest

2020-03-31 23:12:52 apctest 3.14.14 (31 May 2016) slackware
Checking configuration ...
sharenet.type = Network & ShareUPS Disabled
cable.type = USB Cable
mode.type = USB UPS Driver
apctest FATAL ERROR in apctest.c at line 313
Unable to create UPS lock file.
  If apcupsd or apctest is already running,
  please stop it and run this program again.
apctest error termination completed

I have tried all the cable/protocol combinations i can think of but the best result is with the USB/USB combo which is what give me the above. 

 

i'd appreciate any help. 

 

thanks in advance 

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2 hours ago, daan_SVK said:

apctest FATAL ERROR in apctest.c at line 313 Unable to create UPS lock file.

According to this bug report

Quote

The error message from apctest.c is shown because apcupsd is also running when you tried to do the test. In order to use apctest, please stop apcupsd before hand. Though it really looks strange, the lockfile /var/lock/LCK.. is really the inteded name of the lockfile. It is defined in apcupsd-3.14.14/include/defines.h as APC_LOCK_PREFIX. So as this is not a bug but a feature, I am closing it now.

I know this may be too simple BUT I had a similar situation and realized that after a recent move I'd plugged everything into the surge side of the UPS and not the backup side (because I did it blind due to space). This resulted in the exact situation you show above, zero load on the UPS, I noticed it a few weeks later and plugged everything into the other side.

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25 minutes ago, Dissones4U said:

According to this bug report

I know this may be too simple BUT I had a similar situation and realized that after a recent move I'd plugged everything into the surge side of the UPS and not the backup side (because I did it blind due to space). This resulted in the exact situation you show above, zero load on the UPS, I noticed it a few weeks later and plugged everything into the other side.

I will definitely check if this might be the case, I did indeed plug in mine by touch only as I don't have access to the back of the UPS myself. I really hope that's all that's to it. I will report back. Thanks for your reply. 

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On 4/1/2020 at 10:15 AM, Dissones4U said:

According to this bug report

I know this may be too simple BUT I had a similar situation and realized that after a recent move I'd plugged everything into the surge side of the UPS and not the backup side (because I did it blind due to space). This resulted in the exact situation you show above, zero load on the UPS, I noticed it a few weeks later and plugged everything into the other side.

Ok, so I finally got to check if it is plug in right and my UPS doesn't have surge protection only outlets. 

 

I also have the USB/RJ45, USB/RS232 and USB only cables and can not get the advanced stats from the UPS no matter what combination of settings I use so something else is wrong. 

 

Any other ideas anybody? 

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  • 2 weeks later...
40 minutes ago, daan_SVK said:

Ok, so after further research it turns out my UPS being the 120V SMT1500VA does not actually support firmware update with any of the APC tools and thus does not support MODBUS for any of the advanced features. So much for SMART UPS. 

I have the same UPS but I haven't yet incorporated it into my setup so I've been following this.  Thats disappointing to find out.  Would the network management card allow for the firmware to be upgraded?  I thought I read somewhere that the card had this capability.

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37 minutes ago, civic95man said:

I have the same UPS but I haven't yet incorporated it into my setup so I've been following this.  Thats disappointing to find out.  Would the network management card allow for the firmware to be upgraded?  I thought I read somewhere that the card had this capability.

It's down to what version of firmware you currently have.  If yours is recent, you will be OK to update, and you'll be able to select the MODBUS protocol which works just fine with complete reporting.

 

See here for info on the supported firmware options...  https://www.apc.com/us/en/faqs/content/?id=FA281865

 

Also here for some more background...  

 

Edited by S80_UK
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Thanks for the help @S80_UK that link was a life saver and I wouldn't have been able to update the firmware without it.  Pro tip: don't use the UPS outlets while updating the firmware, the outlets shut off during the update.  The update pushed me to the latest firmware (9.4) and I was able to enable MODBUS under the UPS configuration menu.  From there it was just a matter of setting up unraid to use the UPS (cable->USB, type->MODBUS).  Quick note: it will take a while for the UPS and unraid to talk and update the status.  That was my problem as I was getting impatient, thinking that it wasn't working. Just leave it and it should work.  Thanks again

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  • 1 year later...

I know this is a bit of an old thread, but i've been banging my head against a wall with a UPS that I have. I picked up the "SMC1500IC", also known as a "Smart-UPS 1500", wondering if the above conversation about Firmware would work on it too? Running into exactly the same issue with not being able to report usage. 

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41 minutes ago, Inch said:

I know this is a bit of an old thread, but i've been banging my head against a wall with a UPS that I have. I picked up the "SMC1500IC", also known as a "Smart-UPS 1500", wondering if the above conversation about Firmware would work on it too? Running into exactly the same issue with not being able to report usage. 

APC/Schneider appear to have removed much of the useful information about firmware / hardware version compatibility from their website (at least, it is not where it was before and I cannot now find it).  The latest firmware appears to be in this recent update to the Firmware Update Wizard - here...  https://www.apc.com/shop/us/en/products/Smart-UPS-Firmware-Upgrade-Wizard-v4-3/P-SFSUWIZ43
Note: I have not tried this update yet so I cannot vouch for its suitability.

 

As discussed earlier in the thread, whether or not you are able to update to newer firmware can be a function of the level of the current firmware in your UPS.  If too old then the update may not be possible.   You should check the current version of the firmware in your UPS.  If you have an option for the Modbus protocol in your UPS you should try to select it and then also select Modbus in the UPS options in Unraid.  (Hint - it is in the Advanced options menu, it does not appear in the regular menu).  If you don't have the option, then you can try the update., but there can be no guarantees.  Unless you are confident (or can tolerate a failure) I would not try it.  While it's nice to have the power consumption reported, it is not essential for reliable operation.  

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  • 1 year later...
On 3/21/2022 at 2:03 PM, Inch said:

I know this is a bit of an old thread, but i've been banging my head against a wall with a UPS that I have. I picked up the "SMC1500IC", also known as a "Smart-UPS 1500", wondering if the above conversation about Firmware would work on it too? Running into exactly the same issue with not being able to report usage. 

Same issue same model same result :(

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