Here's a question:
I recently bought two new APC (American Power Conversions) UPSs for my two primary desktop computers. My third desktop is an even older Dell tower that I finally updated to an SSD drive to make it marginally tolerable when running Windows 10. This is the one I recently tried to increase the RAM in -- the upgrade failed, so I'm stuck with 4 GB of RAM. It works okay for most things, it's just not capable of running YouTube videos without a lot of stuttering (probably due to buffering issues due to low RAM). As a backup to the backup, it's fine.
Now that the "old-old" (as I call it) desktop is marginally functional again, and given the unreliability of the electricity here, I'd like to have somewhat better protection than the plug strip I have the computer and monitor plugged into. That has a surge suppressor function, but I don't know how reliable it is, and I don't know any way to test it.
I still have an old APC BackUPS 600 that must be 20 years old, or older. I had retired it a couple of years ago when it failed to keep my computer going long enough to save and shut down during a power outage. At the time, I thought I had tried replacing the batteries (it takes two) with no success, so that's why I bought the new units.
Now I'm thinking about buying another UPS for the third desktop, but I pulled out the old UPS 600 for another look before ordering. The batteries in it still have stickers on them suggesting that they might be the originals. Even though it has been sitting for over a year without being connected to a/c power, the batteries still test at 5.8v and 6.1v under no load (tested with a multimeter). I plugged it in overnight, then plugged in a small tabletop fan (house type, not computer type) for a test. When I unplugged it while the fan was running -- the fan kept running. So it's apparently not completely kaput.
Now I'm wondering if the thing might still be okay. That means I have to make a choice between risking $32 to try a pair of new batteries, versus spending $150 to $175 for a new UPS. What do you think?
Secondary question: The old APC BackUPS 600 takes two 6-volt batteries that are connected in series to produce 12 volts. Most of the newer APC UPSs use a single 12-volt battery. A single 12-volt battery would take up less space than two 6-volt batteries, so I could substitute what would be a replacement battery that fits the new ones and put it into the old one with shims to keep it from rattling around. It might (or might not) result in less runtime, but I wouldn't need to keep working if the power fails. I only need 30 seconds to a minute, so I can save and shut down safely. And if the old BackUPS 600 doesn't work with the new battery, I wouldn't have completely wasted the cost of the two 6-colt batteries, which WON'T fit into the new units. Again, what do you think?
