Here's a good mail order place for batteries...

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Sat Oct 26, 2002 10:52 am

I'm ordering some 1700 NiMH AA batteries for my new digital camera and a fast charger. Several magazine reviews highly rated this charger: http://www.thomas-distributing.com/mh-c ... a170dc.htm

You might want to bookmark this site as they seem to be a great source for batterries and have a wopping 9.8 rating at ResellerRatings.com:

http://www.thomas-distributing.com/

blade · Post by **blade** » Sat Oct 26, 2002 12:56 pm

I've ordered from them since I purchased my first digital camera years ago and they have always been great.

However, check out the amazin' prices at this site http://www.bydusa.com
and their battery/charger combo's.

canton_kid · Post by **canton_kid** » Tue Oct 29, 2002 2:02 pm

Know anyplace to buy good cheap UPS batteries?

USED, I bought a good UPS, shows to be charging with a tester, but the batteries are shot.

I wanted the circuits, but if I can get cheap batteries I would use it as is. It used 4 6volt batteries in series I think it was a 24v output.

Thinking about using 2 deep cycle 12v trolling motor batteries on it.

Time to put in back up battery power for the home!

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Tue Oct 29, 2002 5:16 pm

That's why I LOVE my 12 year old server UPS. Runs off a pair of lawn & tractor batteries.

Any town or city is going to have a place that sells batteries for emergency lighting. UPS batteries usually use the same standard sizes. Check the yellow pages. You'll do better buying local than mail ordering because of the weight.

canton_kid · Post by **canton_kid** » Tue Oct 29, 2002 5:51 pm

I'll look locally, I'm in a tiny town but I travel alot to bigger ones.

Actually I may just use a couple deep cycle 12v ones and see what happens. I would think long as the Volts are the same it should work. Ideally I'd like it to power my system for extended periods, not just a few minutes to shut down safely.

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Tue Oct 29, 2002 7:46 pm

As long as the UPS sees the same voltage it'll work yes. Larger batteries with the same voltage means longer run time.

However you also have to be concerned that the UPS provides enough of a trickle charge to the batteries. As long as the original batteries were lead acid (charge rates are very different for nicads, but few UPS units use nicad - most use sealed lead acid), I'd say it should work fine. It'll take longer to charge the bigger batteries, but that doesn't matter since they'll be charging 24/7.

canton_kid · Post by **canton_kid** » Mon Nov 11, 2002 11:42 am

That's pretty much what I was thinking on the charging.

Now one other question I've been thinking on. Will a UPS startup and run a system when no line power is available? In otherwords, I know when the system is running and the power company goes down, the batteries take over to keep it all running. BUt, will the UPS fire up when only battery power is available?

That might vary by units I suppose. Since I don't leave mine on all the time I may want to start it up on battery power when the power lnes are dead. Also may run other stuff off the UPS's too.

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Mon Nov 11, 2002 1:56 pm

It does vary by units. Some of the newer electronic ones will only supply power during a switchover, but if you turn it on with no AC voltage available it won't work until it's reset.

Haven't seen to many of those lately, but it's annoying when you run across one. That's why I like my old beastie-boy Topaz minicomputer UPS. Thing may be as big as a full tower case, but it runs forever on two lawn and tractor batteries and has no brains.

canton_kid · Post by **canton_kid** » Mon Nov 18, 2002 5:36 am

Yea, thats how I would like most of my computer stuff, no brains! Computers are very intelegent untill you let them try to think for themselfs, then they all become blonds!

Nothing against blonds mind you, hope to not offend any. I am working on a new system, got parts orderd should be here by Friday. I think I'll mod the case, put in two light up switches for eyes, a CD for a mouth, maybe a fan in a drive bay for a nose (not sure). To top it all off I'll put a blond wig on it and install windows!

I'm going to scout ebay for ups's again and see what I can find. I passed what might have been a great deal earlier this year. Was some type of network backup, about 2500watts if I remeber right. It was less than I could have bought a plain power inverter for at the same wattage. Was about $400 plus $80 or more shipping from Ohio. Supposed to have wieghed in at 210lbs. Ran on 220v AC and 48V DC. I was gonna use it for a whole house backup! Minus the really heavy stuff like washer/dryer, freezer or course. Had a ton of 120 outlets and even a 220 outlet on the backup. I think if I were careful I could have even ran my 220 well pump off it in an emergency. Always short on cash or gotto travel at the wrong times. Both right then so I passed on it, thinking it would go way to high. Kinda drove by and waved at it as I went to canton ohio, then checked ebay when I got to the net and coulda kicked myself when I saw what it went for, plus I coulda picked up in Columbus and not paid the shipping!

If you see something like that working good and cheap let me know. I got crappy rural power here and could use a whole house backup! Power will flicker at times just enough to reset clocks and timers.
Really nice when the bread machine resets in the middle sometime. Never know what to do with it then, just toss in the oven and hope for the best, sometimes it works, but mostly I get big brown rocks!

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Mon Nov 18, 2002 11:16 am

2500 watt is a bit light to run a well pump. Current draw for those is around 30 amps.

I run my well pump off a 4000 watt generator in an emergency. However, although we're in a rural area here power is VERY reliable. Power outages are few and rarely last more than 15 minutes.

I also have a VERY large water tank so I can do without electricity for a while before the pressure falls. This property used to be a tree farm and it has a huge tank and larger (and deeper) than normal well.

canton_kid · Post by **canton_kid** » Thu Nov 21, 2002 4:48 pm

I need to look up the details for mine. I know it is WELL over 300', pun intended

Might be close to 400' deep, but has a good head on it, maybe only 80' - 100' to the water top.

Actually we don't have many long emergancy type outages, once was about 3 days for an Ice storm, but just once. Our problem is like an hour or two ocasionally and just a few minutes or seconds OFTEN.

That's what I really need the backup for, all the computer stuff and clocks and timers that reset when the power flips off one second! Sometimes I think we might go a month or so without problem, then wham several times a day maybe or atleast once a day for a week straight! I think it might be worst in the summer days, probably all the air conditioners kicking in at once! I just use fans myself, though it does get pretty darned hot at times that way.

I'll have 3 full time systems with scanners and printers going soon, one with vcr for capture too, and the network hub all needing backup. Plus I'll have the two old ones for standby for geusts or what nots. Just can't buy that many UPS's at $100 or more for decent ones!

Might as well put the whole house on UPS and not worry about any of it!
Figure I'd try some wind mills and a solar cell or two latter for charging batterries. Got a couple other Idea's for cheap charging systems. Since we have to drive so much anyway I have some strange but maybe good idea's