> APC  BACK-UPS XS 1000 purchased at Staples. 2002 model. I am also
> wondering about the quality of products like this sold by this and
> other companies mentioned by APC tech support like Fry's.
> Now that this unit has failed and I have become aware that there is
> absolutely no replacement battery available and never was and most
> likely never will be I have to wonder  how many others feel the way I
> do. After three conversations with TS I hear the mention of units
> that are distributed by these type of outlets as have less than usual
> quality with fewer features(although not advertised as so). Something
> that I have always suspected about my experiences with Staples but
> never validated until now.
> Advertised as a battery being available with a light on the face plate
> indicating such, software says its so but on reality not .No
> replacement battery means spending $160.00 for a whole new unit which
> is the basis of my discontent.
>
> Any comments on the sales practices of  these outlets and the obvious
> compromise of otherwise a respected product?

>
> Jimmy wrote:
>> APC  BACK-UPS XS 1000 purchased at Staples. 2002 model. I am also
>> wondering about the quality of products like this sold by this and
>> other companies mentioned by APC tech support like Fry's.
>> Now that this unit has failed and I have become aware that there is
>> absolutely no replacement battery available and never was and most
>> likely never will be I have to wonder  how many others feel the way I
>> do. After three conversations with TS I hear the mention of units
>> that are distributed by these type of outlets as have less than usual
>> quality with fewer features(although not advertised as so). Something
>> that I have always suspected about my experiences with Staples but
>> never validated until now.
>> Advertised as a battery being available with a light on the face
>> plate indicating such, software says its so but on reality not .No
>> replacement battery means spending $160.00 for a whole new unit which
>> is the basis of my discontent.
>>
>> Any comments on the sales practices of  these outlets and the obvious
>> compromise of otherwise a respected product?

> Jimmy wrote:
>> APC  BACK-UPS XS 1000 purchased at Staples. 2002 model. I am also
>> wondering about the quality of products like this sold by this and
>> other companies mentioned by APC tech support like Fry's.
>>  Now that this unit has failed and I have become aware that there is
>> absolutely no replacement battery available and never was and most
>> likely never will be I have to wonder  how many others feel the way
>> I do. After three conversations with TS I hear the mention of units
>> that are distributed by these type of outlets as have less than
>> usual quality with fewer features(although not advertised as so).
>> Something that I have always suspected about my experiences with
>> Staples but never validated until now.
>
>
> Chances are a local battery remanufacturer can rebuild the unit for a
> reasonable sum. Call around.

"Jimmy" <JimmyCl***@xemaps.com> wrote in message
news:XZqdndkYOcQmbKzfRVn-2w@comcast.com...
> APC  BACK-UPS XS 1000 purchased at Staples. 2002 model. I am also
> wondering about the quality of products like this sold by this and
> other companies mentioned by APC tech support like Fry's.
> Now that this unit has failed and I have become aware that there is
> absolutely no replacement battery available and never was and most
> likely never will be I have to wonder  how many others feel the way I
> do. After three conversations with TS I hear the mention of units that
> are distributed by these type of outlets as have less than usual
> quality with fewer features(although not advertised as so). Something
> that I have always suspected about my experiences with Staples but
> never validated until now.
>
> Advertised as a battery being available with a light on the face plate
> indicating such, software says its so but on reality not .No
> replacement battery means spending $160.00 for a whole new unit which
> is the basis of my discontent.
>
> Any comments on the sales practices of  these outlets and the obvious
> compromise of otherwise a respected product?

> "Jimmy" <JimmyCl***@xemaps.com> wrote in message
> news:XZqdndkYOcQmbKzfRVn-2w@comcast.com...
>> APC  BACK-UPS XS 1000 purchased at Staples. 2002 model. I am also
>> wondering about the quality of products like this sold by this and
>> other companies mentioned by APC tech support like Fry's.
>> Now that this unit has failed and I have become aware that there is
>> absolutely no replacement battery available and never was and most
>> likely never will be I have to wonder  how many others feel the way I
>> do. After three conversations with TS I hear the mention of units
>> that are distributed by these type of outlets as have less than usual
>> quality with fewer features(although not advertised as so). Something
>> that I have always suspected about my experiences with Staples but
>> never validated until now.
>>
>> Advertised as a battery being available with a light on the face
>> plate indicating such, software says its so but on reality not .No
>> replacement battery means spending $160.00 for a whole new unit which
>> is the basis of my discontent.
>>
>> Any comments on the sales practices of  these outlets and the obvious
>> compromise of otherwise a respected product?
>
>
> I went to Batteries Plus (http://www.batteriesplus.com/) to get
> replacements for my 6-year old sealed lead-acid batteries.  Getting
> them from the manufacturer would've cost $180 for each battery (plus
> shipping) and there were 2 batteries (it is a 2kVA sinusoidal UPS).  I
> bought the replacement batteries at Batteries Plus for $158 and that
> was the total cost for BOTH of them.  I suspect that they might not
> be the cheapest but they had the expertise to look for equivalent
> replacements based on dimensions, current draw, and other
> characteristics to best match the replacement batteries to the old
> ones.  Those batteries have worked for almost 3 years now.  That was
> a cheap repair since the UPS goes for over $1500 (it was over $3000
> when bought).
> My Tripp-Lite BC-450 (no longer used for my computer but now for the
> cable modem and an emergency fluorscent lamp) also needed its battery
> replaced and that was half the price for the battery at Batteries Plus
> than buying a new one.
>
> Have you checked if the shell for the casing can be opened so you can
> replace the battery yourself?  The Back-UPS RS and XS look to be very
> similar models (with a couple features missing from the XS model).  If
> their cases are the same, as shown at
> http://www.apc.com/products/moreimages.cfm?partnum=BR1000&imgid=Back/94929DB5-5056-9170-D3816E05436D019E_pr.jpg,
> then you can remove those screws to open the case.  Be sure to use
> masking tape and a Sharpie marker to identify which wire goes where so
> you hook it up the same after replacing the battery.  The specs for
> the RS model (http://snipurl.com/ddog) says it uses the model RBC32
> battery. BatteriesPlus lists it at http://snipurl.com/ddoe but no
> pricing so you'll have to call them to get a price.
>
> The price differential - when purchasing retail - between the
> batteries and the batteries with the case and its electronics - may
> be too small for a retailer to bother carrying just the batteries, or
> for the manufacturer to provide them separately. If the battery costs
> $150 and the whole unit sells for $160, why would you care and why
> would you think the retailer or manufacturer would bother providing
> the batteries separately?  I called Batteries Plus and they quoted a
> price of $26 for their SLAA12-7.5F2 model battery.  If there isn't a
> Batteries Plus in your area, you're stuck with whomever is a supplier
> in your area or go online.  But $26 is a far cry from $160 for the
> entire unit.

>
> I have not opened the unit yet but I plan on doing this soon. I am still
> really wondering if the battery actually DID fail as I am now no longer
> getting any indication of the battery having needing replacement. Any
> rechargeable battery I have used before has never recovered on it's own. I
> most likely will be testing this somehow I would imagine. I have to wonder
> what you are backing up if you paid about 20 times more that I for such a
> product. I thought I was overkill when I bought the best one on Staples
> shelf at the time for one system.:)
>
> J.
>

"kony" <spam@spam.com> wrote in message
news:bv9631du6vj6rtqr7e1g9gtccl7mpccguh@4ax.com...
> On Sat, 12 Mar 2005 09:56:12 -0500, "Jimmy"
> <JimmyCl***@xemaps.com> wrote:
>
>>Wayne Morgan wrote:
>>> Assuming it's like any other lead-acid battery, it can give a bad
>>> indication then recover for a short time. A car battery would be a
>>> good example. Sometimes something comes loose in the battery and
>>> moving it around (which happens automatically in a car) will jostle
>>> it back in place, but only for a short time.
>>
>> I guess I have to review my understanding of such a battery. I am not
>> sure
>>I am dealing with a wet cell or otherwise.
>
>
> They almost always use sealed lead-acid cells.
>

>APC  BACK-UPS XS 1000 purchased at Staples. 2002 model. I am also wondering
>about the quality of products like this sold by this and other companies
>mentioned by APC tech support like Fry's.
> Now that this unit has failed and I have become aware that there is
>absolutely no replacement battery available and never was and most likely
>never will be I have to wonder  how many others feel the way I do. After
>three conversations with TS I hear the mention of units that are distributed
>by these type of outlets as have less than usual quality with fewer
>features(although not advertised as so). Something that I have always
>suspected about my experiences with Staples but never validated until now.
>
>Advertised as a battery being available with a light on the face plate
>indicating such, software says its so but on reality not .No replacement
>battery means spending $160.00 for a whole new unit which is the basis of my
>discontent.
>
> Any comments on the sales practices of  these outlets and the obvious
>compromise of otherwise a respected product?
>
>Jimmy
>

>ric wrote:
>> kony wrote:
>>
>>> Offhand I'd guess that you need a pair of 12V, 7AH
>>> batteries.  They're common as dirt at places that sell UPS
>>> batteries.  Please tell us if yours uses different
>>> batteries, (and which it uses) as this info might be useful
>>> to someone else in same predicament, in the future.
>>
>> Motorcycle shops sell batteries like the above that work great in
>> UPS systems.
>
> Great suggestion. There are more of those in my area than any other place
>to look.  Maybe I could just run some jumper cables in my window and connect
>up my dad's old Studabaker :)

> On Sat, 12 Mar 2005 06:02:14 -0500, "Jimmy"
> <JimmyCl***@xemaps.com> wrote:
>
>> ric wrote:
>>> kony wrote:
>>>
>>>> Offhand I'd guess that you need a pair of 12V, 7AH
>>>> batteries.  They're common as dirt at places that sell UPS
>>>> batteries.  Please tell us if yours uses different
>>>> batteries, (and which it uses) as this info might be useful
>>>> to someone else in same predicament, in the future.
>>>
>>> Motorcycle shops sell batteries like the above that work great in
>>> UPS systems.
>>
>> Great suggestion. There are more of those in my area than any other
>> place to look.  Maybe I could just run some jumper cables in my
>> window and connect up my dad's old Studabaker :)
>
>
> Keep in mind that some might not be optimal for this as
> you'd need something geared more towards deep-cycles, more
> tolerant of depletion.

>kony wrote:
>> On Sat, 12 Mar 2005 06:02:14 -0500, "Jimmy"
>> <JimmyCl***@xemaps.com> wrote:
>>
>>> ric wrote:
>>>> kony wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Offhand I'd guess that you need a pair of 12V, 7AH
>>>>> batteries.  They're common as dirt at places that sell UPS
>>>>> batteries.  Please tell us if yours uses different
>>>>> batteries, (and which it uses) as this info might be useful
>>>>> to someone else in same predicament, in the future.
>>>>
>>>> Motorcycle shops sell batteries like the above that work great in
>>>> UPS systems.
>>>
>>> Great suggestion. There are more of those in my area than any other
>>> place to look.  Maybe I could just run some jumper cables in my
>>> window and connect up my dad's old Studabaker :)
>>
>>
>> Keep in mind that some might not be optimal for this as
>> you'd need something geared more towards deep-cycles, more
>> tolerant of depletion.
>
>How about gel cells ? Don't they have roughly the same charge density as
>lead acid cells ?

> On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 14:30:04 -0500, "Jimmy"
> <JimmyCl***@xemaps.com> wrote:
>
>> APC  BACK-UPS XS 1000 purchased at Staples. 2002 model. I am also
>> wondering about the quality of products like this sold by this and
>> other companies mentioned by APC tech support like Fry's.
>> Now that this unit has failed and I have become aware that there is
>> absolutely no replacement battery available and never was and most
>> likely never will be I have to wonder  how many others feel the way
>> I do. After three conversations with TS I hear the mention of units
>> that are distributed by these type of outlets as have less than
>> usual quality with fewer features(although not advertised as so).
>> Something that I have always suspected about my experiences with
>> Staples but never validated until now.
>>
>> Advertised as a battery being available with a light on the face
>> plate indicating such, software says its so but on reality not .No
>> replacement battery means spending $160.00 for a whole new unit
>> which is the basis of my discontent.
>>
>> Any comments on the sales practices of  these outlets and the obvious
>> compromise of otherwise a respected product?
>>
>> Jimmy
>>
>
>
> Do you think every major retailer has time to thoroughly
> investigate every product they sell?  How much more would
> you be willing to pay for this service?

> If you remove the battery, there are some numbers on it, including its
> rating. Take a tape measure and measure its dimensions. You will see
> the Voltage, Amp Hours, and then the part numbers on the battery.
>
> These batteries are an industry standard. In the APC, they mount them
> up with their own mountings. You can either  go directly to APC and
> order a battery replacement kit, or go to an electronics parts
> distributor, and order the battery as a part. I would believe your
> UPS uses 2 of 12 Volt batteries. I have no idea of the Ampere Hours
> of them in your particular model.
>
> Because of the way the batteries are mounted in, it will take someone
> who is used to doing some technical work in this nature. Most of the
> TV service shops, should be able to change the batteries for you,
> especially if you supply the batteries, and pay them the labour for
> their time.
>
> I have 2 APC 1000's here at the office. They are using 12 Volts, 12
> Amp Hour batteries. The part number is LC-RA1212P. This may not be
> the same for yours. Going from memory, I think these batteries cost
> me about $60 each. There are two in each UPS. They last about 3 to 4
> years.

> If you remove the battery, there are some numbers on it, including its
> rating. Take a tape measure and measure its dimensions. You will see
> the Voltage, Amp Hours, and then the part numbers on the battery.
>
> These batteries are an industry standard. In the APC, they mount them
> up with their own mountings. You can either  go directly to APC and
> order a battery replacement kit, or go to an electronics parts
> distributor, and order the battery as a part. I would believe your
> UPS uses 2 of 12 Volt batteries. I have no idea of the Ampere Hours
> of them in your particular model.
>
> Because of the way the batteries are mounted in, it will take someone
> who is used to doing some technical work in this nature. Most of the
> TV service shops, should be able to change the batteries for you,
> especially if you supply the batteries, and pay them the labour for
> their time.
>
> I have 2 APC 1000's here at the office. They are using 12 Volts, 12
> Amp Hour batteries. The part number is LC-RA1212P. This may not be
> the same for yours. Going from memory, I think these batteries cost
> me about $60 each. There are two in each UPS. They last about 3 to 4
> years.

> On Mon, 14 Mar 2005 18:37:08 -0500, "Jimmy"
> <JimmyCl***@xemaps.com> wrote:
>
>
>> Now this comes to mind about batteries. I was thinking along the
>> lines of regular batteries that supply power all the time and get
>> recharged and reused. This battery has a total usage of 1 minute 35
>> seconds. Is this a factor or will the battery fail at the same age
>> as others of this type. J.
>>
>
>
> The originally spec'd sealed lead-acid cells are the best
> bang for the buck.  Even with no use they will degrade in
> 3-5 years' time and have lower capacity towards the end of
> that period.  Think of them like a car battery, they just
> wear out eventually but if you let them run down to nothing
> frequently they'll have an even shorter lifespan.  Some
> companies consider a 2-year replacement interval prudent
> when it's typical, little-to-no-usage pattern.

"Jimmy" <JimmyCl***@xemaps.com> wrote in message
news:4Kadnd6D37PUJ6vfRVn-2A@comcast.com...
> kony wrote:
>> On Mon, 14 Mar 2005 18:37:08 -0500, "Jimmy"
>> <JimmyCl***@xemaps.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Now this comes to mind about batteries. I was thinking along the
>>> lines of regular batteries that supply power all the time and get
>>> recharged and reused. This battery has a total usage of 1 minute 35
>>> seconds. Is this a factor or will the battery fail at the same age
>>> as others of this type. J.
>>>
>>
>>
>> The originally spec'd sealed lead-acid cells are the best
>> bang for the buck.  Even with no use they will degrade in
>> 3-5 years' time and have lower capacity towards the end of
>> that period.  Think of them like a car battery, they just
>> wear out eventually but if you let them run down to nothing
>> frequently they'll have an even shorter lifespan.  Some
>> companies consider a 2-year replacement interval prudent
>> when it's typical, little-to-no-usage pattern.
>
> You sure seem to know your batteries. Would you happen to know where I
> can get a USB cable for one of these? It looks different than any I
> have around here.

> "Jimmy" <JimmyCl***@xemaps.com> wrote in message
> news:4Kadnd6D37PUJ6vfRVn-2A@comcast.com...
>> kony wrote:
>>> On Mon, 14 Mar 2005 18:37:08 -0500, "Jimmy"
>>> <JimmyCl***@xemaps.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> Now this comes to mind about batteries. I was thinking along the
>>>> lines of regular batteries that supply power all the time and get
>>>> recharged and reused. This battery has a total usage of 1 minute 35
>>>> seconds. Is this a factor or will the battery fail at the same age
>>>> as others of this type. J.
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> The originally spec'd sealed lead-acid cells are the best
>>> bang for the buck.  Even with no use they will degrade in
>>> 3-5 years' time and have lower capacity towards the end of
>>> that period.  Think of them like a car battery, they just
>>> wear out eventually but if you let them run down to nothing
>>> frequently they'll have an even shorter lifespan.  Some
>>> companies consider a 2-year replacement interval prudent
>>> when it's typical, little-to-no-usage pattern.
>>
>> You sure seem to know your batteries. Would you happen to know where
>> I can get a USB cable for one of these? It looks different than any I
>> have around here.
>
>
> Some have the A ends, some have the B ends, and some have one of each
> at each end.  See http://www.hardwarebook.net/connector/bus/usb.html.
> There are also miniature versions of these connectors.

>>>> You sure seem to know your batteries. Would you happen to know
>>>> where I can get a USB cable for one of these? It looks different
>>>> than any I have around here.
>>>
>>> Some have the A ends, some have the B ends, and some have one of
>>> each at each end.  See
>>> http://www.hardwarebook.net/connector/bus/usb.html. There are also
>>> miniature versions of these connectors.
>>
>>  Neither of those looks like the one I need. It looks like a
>> telephone plug but wider at one and fits into any of the USB jacks
>> on the computer.
>
> Are you sure that it's USB and not Serial?
>
> The jack is similar to a network jack. The cable has the RJ45 plug to
> go into the network jack and the other end goes into the PC. It
> should have the USB or Serial (9 pin DB) plug at the PC end.

"Jimmy" <JimmyCl***@xemaps.com> wrote in message
news:--ydnTo6t76z7qrfRVn-sA@comcast.com...
> Noozer wrote:
>>>>> You sure seem to know your batteries. Would you happen to know
>>>>> where I can get a USB cable for one of these? It looks different
>>>>> than any I have around here.
>>>>
>>>> Some have the A ends, some have the B ends, and some have one of
>>>> each at each end.  See
>>>> http://www.hardwarebook.net/connector/bus/usb.html. There are also
>>>> miniature versions of these connectors.
>>>
>>>  Neither of those looks like the one I need. It looks like a
>>> telephone plug but wider at one and fits into any of the USB jacks
>>> on the computer.
>>
>> Are you sure that it's USB and not Serial?
>>
>> The jack is similar to a network jack. The cable has the RJ45 plug to
>> go into the network jack and the other end goes into the PC. It
>> should have the USB or Serial (9 pin DB) plug at the PC end.
>
>  It would seem to me it is USB. One end is plugged into the front USB
> port and the other end goes in what says Data Port on the Backup Unit.
> I just checked and a network cable does plug into it.
> You know of where to find this cable?
>
> Thanks.
>
> J.
>
>

> "Jimmy" <JimmyCl***@xemaps.com> wrote in message
> news:--ydnTo6t76z7qrfRVn-sA@comcast.com...
>> Noozer wrote:
>>>>>> You sure seem to know your batteries. Would you happen to know
>>>>>> where I can get a USB cable for one of these? It looks different
>>>>>> than any I have around here.
>>>>>
>>>>> Some have the A ends, some have the B ends, and some have one of
>>>>> each at each end.  See
>>>>> http://www.hardwarebook.net/connector/bus/usb.html. There are also
>>>>> miniature versions of these connectors.
>>>>
>>>>  Neither of those looks like the one I need. It looks like a
>>>> telephone plug but wider at one and fits into any of the USB jacks
>>>> on the computer.
>>>
>>> Are you sure that it's USB and not Serial?
>>>
>>> The jack is similar to a network jack. The cable has the RJ45 plug
>>> to go into the network jack and the other end goes into the PC. It
>>> should have the USB or Serial (9 pin DB) plug at the PC end.
>>
>>  It would seem to me it is USB. One end is plugged into the front USB
>> port and the other end goes in what says Data Port on the Backup
>> Unit. I just checked and a network cable does plug into it.
>> You know of where to find this cable?
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> J.
>>
>>
>
>
> Sounds like a proprietary cable.  Some USPs use specialized cables.
> Mine has one that looks like two DB-9 connectors on each end except
> the wiring does NOT match RS-232 wiring specifications.  The DB-9
> connector at the computer end is RS-232 compliant but the DB-9
> connector at the UPS end is some specialized pin-out used by the UPS
> manufacturer.
> This special cable didn't come with the UPS?
>
> You sure the port is actually a USB port?  Maybe it is a Firewire
> (IEEE-1394) port; see
> http://www.hardwarebook.net/connector/bus/ieee1394.html.  Best place
> to ask would be APC.

> On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 18:43:47 -0500, "Jimmy"
> <JimmyCl***@xemaps.com> wrote:
>
>
>>  It would seem to me it is USB. One end is plugged into the front
>> USB port and the other end goes in what says Data Port on the Backup
>> Unit. I just checked and a network cable does plug into it.
>> You know of where to find this cable?
>
> It's proprietary as are many UPS cables.  They even had an
> annoying tendency to take a standard looking serial cable
> and rewire it so you'd need their special cable.  You could
> buy one from them, but if it were me, I'd at least take a
> multimeter and get the pinout for that one while it's still
> sorta-working, as this would be useful if you ever decided
> to make your own cable (which shouldn't be too hard, merely
> crimping on the same RJ plug onto a USB cable, once you know
> the pinout).

>kony wrote:
>> On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 18:43:47 -0500, "Jimmy"
>> <JimmyCl***@xemaps.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>  It would seem to me it is USB. One end is plugged into the front
>>> USB port and the other end goes in what says Data Port on the Backup
>>> Unit. I just checked and a network cable does plug into it.
>>> You know of where to find this cable?
>>
>> It's proprietary as are many UPS cables.  They even had an
>> annoying tendency to take a standard looking serial cable
>> and rewire it so you'd need their special cable.  You could
>> buy one from them, but if it were me, I'd at least take a
>> multimeter and get the pinout for that one while it's still
>> sorta-working, as this would be useful if you ever decided
>> to make your own cable (which shouldn't be too hard, merely
>> crimping on the same RJ plug onto a USB cable, once you know
>> the pinout).
>
> Great idea. I bet someone has already done that by now when I think of it
>but I have a meter and wouldn't mind the experience. I wonder if I would
>need a special crimping tool for either of those connectors.

> On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 15:49:09 -0500, "Jimmy"
> <JimmyCl***@xemaps.com> wrote:
>
>> kony wrote:
>>> On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 18:43:47 -0500, "Jimmy"
>>> <JimmyCl***@xemaps.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>  It would seem to me it is USB. One end is plugged into the front
>>>> USB port and the other end goes in what says Data Port on the
>>>> Backup Unit. I just checked and a network cable does plug into it.
>>>> You know of where to find this cable?
>>>
>>> It's proprietary as are many UPS cables.  They even had an
>>> annoying tendency to take a standard looking serial cable
>>> and rewire it so you'd need their special cable.  You could
>>> buy one from them, but if it were me, I'd at least take a
>>> multimeter and get the pinout for that one while it's still
>>> sorta-working, as this would be useful if you ever decided
>>> to make your own cable (which shouldn't be too hard, merely
>>> crimping on the same RJ plug onto a USB cable, once you know
>>> the pinout).
>>
>> Great idea. I bet someone has already done that by now when I think
>> of it but I have a meter and wouldn't mind the experience. I wonder
>> if I would need a special crimping tool for either of those
>> connectors.
>
> Might be easiest (and just as cheap)  to just cut the end
> off of an old USB cable (with the plug already moulded on),
> then for the RJ plug, yes you'd need a type-specific RJ(nn)
> crimper for that, which doesn't actually "crimp"... but call
> it that if you want anyone to know what you're talking
> about.

>kony wrote:
>> On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 15:49:09 -0500, "Jimmy"
>> <JimmyCl***@xemaps.com> wrote:
>>
>>> kony wrote:
>>>> On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 18:43:47 -0500, "Jimmy"
>>>> <JimmyCl***@xemaps.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>  It would seem to me it is USB. One end is plugged into the front
>>>>> USB port and the other end goes in what says Data Port on the
>>>>> Backup Unit. I just checked and a network cable does plug into it.
>>>>> You know of where to find this cable?
>>>>
>>>> It's proprietary as are many UPS cables.  They even had an
>>>> annoying tendency to take a standard looking serial cable
>>>> and rewire it so you'd need their special cable.  You could
>>>> buy one from them, but if it were me, I'd at least take a
>>>> multimeter and get the pinout for that one while it's still
>>>> sorta-working, as this would be useful if you ever decided
>>>> to make your own cable (which shouldn't be too hard, merely
>>>> crimping on the same RJ plug onto a USB cable, once you know
>>>> the pinout).
>>>
>>> Great idea. I bet someone has already done that by now when I think
>>> of it but I have a meter and wouldn't mind the experience. I wonder
>>> if I would need a special crimping tool for either of those
>>> connectors.
>>
>> Might be easiest (and just as cheap)  to just cut the end
>> off of an old USB cable (with the plug already moulded on),
>> then for the RJ plug, yes you'd need a type-specific RJ(nn)
>> crimper for that, which doesn't actually "crimp"... but call
>> it that if you want anyone to know what you're talking
>> about.
>
> Maybe I can just splice the middle of two cables.
>
>

> On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 20:30:33 -0500, "Jimmy"
> <JimmyCl***@xemaps.com> wrote:
>
>> kony wrote:
>>> On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 15:49:09 -0500, "Jimmy"
>>> <JimmyCl***@xemaps.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> kony wrote:
>>>>> On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 18:43:47 -0500, "Jimmy"
>>>>> <JimmyCl***@xemaps.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>  It would seem to me it is USB. One end is plugged into the front
>>>>>> USB port and the other end goes in what says Data Port on the
>>>>>> Backup Unit. I just checked and a network cable does plug into
>>>>>> it. You know of where to find this cable?
>>>>>
>>>>> It's proprietary as are many UPS cables.  They even had an
>>>>> annoying tendency to take a standard looking serial cable
>>>>> and rewire it so you'd need their special cable.  You could
>>>>> buy one from them, but if it were me, I'd at least take a
>>>>> multimeter and get the pinout for that one while it's still
>>>>> sorta-working, as this would be useful if you ever decided
>>>>> to make your own cable (which shouldn't be too hard, merely
>>>>> crimping on the same RJ plug onto a USB cable, once you know
>>>>> the pinout).
>>>>
>>>> Great idea. I bet someone has already done that by now when I think
>>>> of it but I have a meter and wouldn't mind the experience. I wonder
>>>> if I would need a special crimping tool for either of those
>>>> connectors.
>>>
>>> Might be easiest (and just as cheap)  to just cut the end
>>> off of an old USB cable (with the plug already moulded on),
>>> then for the RJ plug, yes you'd need a type-specific RJ(nn)
>>> crimper for that, which doesn't actually "crimp"... but call
>>> it that if you want anyone to know what you're talking
>>> about.
>>
>> Maybe I can just splice the middle of two cables.
>>
>>
>
> Sure, there are a bunch of different alternatives, including
> opening up the UPS and putting a USB socket on it (to repace
> the RJ socket or wired parallel to it) so it accepts a
> standard USB cable.