<rant> OK, last night while trading barbs with AVP, we had a black out. I *DO* have a UPS, but it shut down after only 5 seconds, whereas my GF's worked fine for the 2 minutes until power came back on! :eek: :eek: :eek: </rant>

Now, I know the possibilities:
1. Fault in the UPS
2. Overload (which is more likely)

I'll be looking things up in the next day or two, but I'm casting a wide net for help. .... Does anyone know an accurate way to measure the load on a power cord? The UPS comes with auto-shut-down s/w (not installed), but I don't know if that monitors load.

Like I said, I'll be looking for myself too, but any suggestions would be appreciated.

TIA!

Does anyone know an accurate way to measure the load on a power cord? The UPS comes with auto-shut-down s/w (not installed), but I don't know if that monitors load.


"Most" of the commercial APC UPS's come with powerchute software, that shows you what the load for the UPS is.

Here's a link ( http://www.apc.com/tools/download/ ) to the APC download page where you can download PowerChute personal edition, free. If you don't have an APC UPS, we might be better able to help you if you told us which UPS you do have.

yes, the software would tell you the load and current battery capacity. also, depending on the UPS model, it may also have indicators on it (like a series of LEDs) that show load as well. usually they also have an audio indicator if the load is too high. a decent ups won't wait until the power goes out to let you know things aren't ok.