CyberPower UPSes Contain Conductive Yellow Glue of Death (+ Bonus Rev. 2 Dim LCD Fix)
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- čas přidán 30. 07. 2024
- The CP1500PFCLCD and CP1350PFCLCD UPSes of at least rev 1 and rev 2 over the last 10 years contain yellow glue which becomes conductive and corrosive over time which can cause sometimes fiery failure. Also included is some ramblings of the notorious rev 2 LCD backlight failures and my attempt are rebuilding the backlight.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
8:18 Taking the unit apart
10:47 Glue locations
14:09 Rev 2 differences
19:05 LCD backlight fix
I do have access to a rev 3 unit, but have not taken it apart yet. I will update this once I know if it is also affected.
I have a second channel:
/ @markfurneaux2659 - Věda a technologie
The glue is made from synthetic rubber dissolved in solvent, and filled with ground chalk as filler. Used because it is cheap, easy to apply, cheap, dries fast, cheap and last of all, cheap and lasts till outside of warranty. Breaks down with time and moisture, and thus become conductive, till it burns and becomes really conductive.
I read that is is some sort of neoprene / chloroprene type adhesive.
Absolutely not planned obsolescence :^)
I think you forgot to mention that it's really cheap.
Chalk would explain a lot of the problem. It is probably absorbing water. They probably measure out to know it won't fail in the warranty. And in a way it works too keep moisture from hurting components during warranty, but then it just absorbs enough with the potential to cause a short.
@@Gengh13 On top of that, it's cheap.
Can confirm at least on a single Cyberpower model CP1500PFCLCDa manufactured in April of 2023 that there is no yellow glue; and very little white glue except on the front panel lcd connectors.
You LEGEND. Thanks for the info.
Thank you for this. I just ordered mine 3 minutes ago, and this video just popped up. My concerns are now averted, and you're the real MVP.
This can be reported to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. I'm looking for a UPS and seeing alot of reviews, from APC and Cyberpower that the units have begun smoking /sparking and almost started a fire. It's important that those incidents be reported, so at least there is a record of the issue and the potentiality for the companies to fix the issue with their machines or be held accountable.
Before anyone panics, I highly recommend opening up your unit (or units) and checking them. I own a bunch of these CP1500PFCLCD and CP1350PFCLCD UPS's, (including 5 of the older "V1/V2" variety and 2 of the new "V3" units), so I opened up the older ones to see how bad the situation was (I didn't open the new ones because, well, they're brand-new). Four of the five had the chloroprene adhesive only for strain relief on the 5v USB leads and NTC sensor wire; these units were manufactured between Dec 2010 and Mid 2015. The fifth unit did have the adhesive on two of the caps, but not in a fashion that would lead to bridging (I examined them pretty carefully), as they weren't contacting leads or other surface mount components (none of them had anything near the driver IC).
Having dealt with removing this chloroprene crap in other equipment (shockingly, a lot of high-end stuff), if you don't need to remove this awful stuff, e.g. it's only interacting with low-voltage, or not in danger of bridging things, thus unlikely to present a problem, I wouldn't go messing with it. This stuff will lift pads, surface mount components, etc.. However, if it's egregiously bad, as in the case of the examples highlighted in this video, you'll need to remediate it, in which case I recommend (VERY CAREFULLY) using this stuff: www.alliedelec.com/product/gc-electronics/10-312/70159779/ .
Finally, there are more significant revisions of these CP1xxxPFCLCD UPS's than just those highlighted in the video. Specifically, in the "V1" category, there were at least two major revisions of both the 1350 and 1500, which have different LCD assemblies, different front-panel connectors and, most importantly, different boards (for example, one of my 1350's has a connector for the 5v rather than soldered with glue for strain relief - oddly enough, that's also the unit with adhesive on caps). I also believe that my early units were simulated (e.g. triangle) rather than true sinewave (equivalent to the current avrlcd models today).
Ever open up your rev3 unit??
@@jwilliams6286 He said it's too new so probably still under warranty. I too have both V2 and V3 versions at my house.
So is the CP1500PFCLCD safe or not? lol
@@RidinWithJesus most likely not.
@@riotgear6891 i bought a 1500PFCLCD Pure sine wave, around december 2022. Is it safe? I cant find info if i have a Rev. 3 unit???
Just opened a newly purchased GX1500U, Best Buy's variant of this model, and it has none of this Sony Bond. It used silicone instead. Good chance this problem is fixed in the CP1500PFCLCD models by now. Just make sure you get the one with the USB-C port on the front.
that's good to know, rev 3 is the model with usb-c right?
How would you know what revision you have?
I always thought they're the go to brand for UPS, thank you for bringing this to attention
Taking it apart summarized in text:
Remove the battery door to reveal a hidden screw fastening the top cover to the battery cradle, remove the rear cover’s screws, slide the top cover towards the rear to unlock the front cover, slide the front cover down to unhitch it from the side panels and reveal another screw also fastening the top cover to the battery cradle, gently pry the top cover and off it comes. Getting the battery cradle to separate from the bottom cover takes a substantial amount of force to release its snaps. (Note the ONE screw on the inside, so ensure you slide off the top cover first)
Glue that turns corrosive and conductive in an electronics device designed for the sole purpose of protecting other electronic devices. Hmmmm...
Thanks for all the info! I checked a pair of CP1000PFCLCD units that I got together on Amazon in 2016. They both had this yellow glue and it was browning. Luckily hadn't developed any conductivity yet. The serial numbers are 5 apart, and the gluing was still a bit different between the two of them. On one, the capacitor blob near the viper chip had crossed over and covered some of the viper chip, but on the other, it stayed entirely by the capacitor instead. So there's inconsistency even on units that were built in the same timeframe. Neither of them had glue by those SMT resistors luckily. Removed the glue very carefully with a small screwdriver, dental pick, and needlenose pliers.
Thorough, well-explained, well-filmed and easy to follow. Nicely done!
Can anyone kindly tell me if the European version with schuko sockets also has the same problem as the yellow glue?
From my research these adhesives are based on Neoprene with toluene as the solvent, they may have been reformulated at some point but those are the major ingredients of Kafuter k-1668 which seems somewhat representative, there may be other additives that might cause or prevent this kind of problem but I can't find out anything more about it.
I have several of these in my home and have deployed them in many family members' homes as well. I am confused as to how something like this is permitted in a use case where it's essentially guaranteed to cause a fire. This is horrifying.
The worst part is Cyberpower is completely dismissing this as a non-issue. I guess we'll have to wait until enough fire damage causes someone to act or a class action suit is launched against Cyberpower.
Thank you so much for making this video. I took apart mine of this exact same model (rev. 2) and my glue had already started turning brown. Cleaned it all off and hopefully the unit will last for years to come now. Did the same with a 1000PFCLCD as well, it had the same glue inside. And yes, I did make it all the way through the video haha
What did you use to clean it off? Mine is browning between two caps and I see some corrosion as well.
@@geraldsanchez191145 I used a screwdriver to chip it off small bits at a time. Just be careful not to damage the SMD components nearby or under some of the glue. Not a fun job by any means but it works
@@ChazLakinger Oh wow, I just tried it and it is rock solid. Ended up going through the comments before your reply and settled for a solvent. Hope it ends well!
@@geraldsanchez191145 let me know if it works well. I have one more of these I need to do this to that I've been procrastinating
@@geraldsanchez191145 how did it go?
The USB board in the Rev2 has some of that glue too. I'm glad I opened mine up, because some of that glue was starting to turn brown!
Thank you for this video, and I can confirm 100% that this is a real problem. My CyberPower UPC (REV 2) was not kicking over to battery backup (100% charge indicated) and when I opened the unit I found the dreaded yellow glue. The bright yellow areas were not conductive, but the darker brown areas measure almost zero resistance in places. Of course the unit is past warranty period. Not sure if I even want this thing hooked up even after repairs.
Interesting video, but it would have been nice if you showed how to disassemble the case and how to remove the adhesive.
I have the APC 1350M2. I took mine apart and did not see this glue anywhere. APC/CyberPower may have fixed this in newer models. Still glad i took it apart to confirm, would rather be safe than sorry. Thank you for this video.
Thank you, I opened my CST1500S from Costco, It had some of the yellow glue but was applied a lot cleaner than what you showed. I removed what I could.
I just had my unit Cyberpower 1500PFCLCD starting to release a terrible smelling smoke in my son's bedroom (I had it on his computer). I'm glad he saw it and contacted me immediately. Thanks for posting this video. Very dangerous stuff!
I got a CP900EPFCLCD second hand. However, it has the F03 error in it. Already removed all the glue I could. In the beginning I thought that just swapping the blown caps would be enough to fix it. It seems that the UPS is not charging the battery at all. When I charge the battery with an external charger, it seems to last between 2 to 4 days working without issues. However, after the battery voltage drops bellow a level, the F03 error is triggered, starts beeping without a pause, and I have to switch it off and disconnect completely. What can I do to fix the error? :(
Does anyone know if the C1500AVRLCD units have the bad staking goo? Is the AVR version the rev3 or a different unit. I just bought it on 6.2022.
Opened my rev-3 case to take a look. Only found a small amount of yellow glue on four of the big caps. Doesn't look like any problem though as there are no circuit board traces on the top side of the board and no other conductors right there. There is also some silicon adhesive holding what looks like a ferrite bead on one leg of each FET. I'm adding some links to pictures. Let's see if CZcams allows the links.
veiks.com/forumphotos/3/cyberpowerboard.jpg
veiks.com/forumphotos/3/cyberpowerbigcaps.jpg
veiks.com/forumphotos/3/cyberpowersmallcaps.jpg
how can you tell which Rev you are with? thanks mate
@@theoscats I don't know of any markings that indicate the Rev. I just know that my PC board was different than the one in the video because it had no traces on the top side. So I made the assumption it was a newer Rev 3.
@@TomVeik The rev 3 is the one with the lcd color panel and the USB type C port. Do you have that one?
@@gerardodavidescudero3034 I have a color LCD and USB C on the front. USB on the back is not USB C though.
Hmm, I have one of these that quit working... thank you for bringing this to my attention!
I have a Cyberpower CP1500AVRLCD that I bought back in on "March 15, 2009" which ran perfect until "May 14, 2020" when ithe battery finally just gave out and had to be replaced.
Still using it right now!
I have an old 2012 cyber power 1000 avr that's been in use since time bought with no issues so I disassembled it looked at the board but could find no glue used anywhere. I figured if it's under the caps a bit of it would be visible from the sides but I can't see it at all. My question is could it be possible they didn't use any on it for that particular year? I figured if they did it would have smoked out a long time ago.
Did you ever manage to take a Rev 3 unit apart? Is there any UPS brand out there that is better manufactured? Thanks.
used 12V deep cycle battery 75A or 100A you get good hour on it i have ups 350VA i have 12Volt deep cycle battery 75A I DO 9HOURS and still have 40% leave on my battery stop at 11.7volt from 13.7V
Mine just got the F03 fault. 3 year warranty and only 3.5 years and it failed. New battery got the error to go away for a day, now the new battery is down to 21 volts.
It seems mine had the glue turn dark brown, likely the cause.
Incredible video thank you.
Fixed one of my UPS's, the glue was a bear to get off. "Flux Off" (mostly acetone) does seem to help soften the glue some to make it a little easier to get off.
For the LEDs, what LEDs can be used to replace the screen and power button backlights? I've got to place an order but am not all that familiar with LEDs. Voltage across the 3 screen backlights is 2.8V and I see about 1.68-1.75 V on the power button backlight. Which is odd because I don't see any white LEDs around the 1.7 voltage range?
Hi. Can you post a Rev 3 update, thanks.
Well, that sucks. Worst part is, I'm probably still gonna buy this UPS because the output regulation quality is simply unmatched in this price range. Pure sine wave UPSs from APC or Eaton easily cost twice as much. If I can save $300 for an hour of cleaning up glue, that's still a good deal, but it's horrible because most users will never learn of this design flaw and even if they did, most people don't have the knowledge/skills to fix it.
I stayed until the end :)
Thank you for your videos!
Does the CyberPower CP1500AVRLCD3 have this issue?
I've bought like 8 of these units myself and my brother has 4 all on your recommendation from your old videos. Had them all a few years now and no issues, but this is very unsettling. The glue btw is called Sony Bond, seen on various electronics such as receivers etc back in the 80s and 90s. They were supposed to do away with it for silicone.
I have taken apart two of my friend's CP1500PFCLCD that were about six years old and both had that nasty brown crap etching into the circuit board. Another year and who knows what would have happened. These UPS with this Sony Bond crap will eventually burn down someone's house. It's just a matter of time.
Happy to report that my UK CP1300EPFCLCD purchased in November 2017 only has what looks like Sony bond over one small and unimportant wire near the USB charging ports, could be an earth wire. All of the other caps, diodes, fuses and SMD components appear to have no capacitive Sony bond or excessive glue on the top side of the circuit board. Happy days. This video was really helpful to figure out how to get into the side panel, I wouldn't have persevered with the side panel had you not warned about the horrible sound and feeling as you 'peel' it away from the other side! It really does make a terrific noise when opening (and re-closing)...
Now I'm in the process of replacing the battery as my runtime is dismal (5 years on the original battery = time for replacement). Trying some Yuasa SW280 7.6 Ah cells, slightly uprated from the OEM 7 Ah which are really hard to find for a reasonable price. Some people will suggest 9 Ah as an acceptable replacement which won't overheat the charging circuit, but I'm happy enough with 7.6. I'll report back if they fit OK once they arrive.
Out of curiosity why did you decide to buy a replacement battery of a third-party manufacturer instead of buying a replacement battery from CyberPower? I looked at third-party batteries as well but it seemed safer to buy one from the manufacturer of the UPS…
This is the first time I’m replacing a battery in a UPS so I don’t know anything about CyberPower replacement batteries vs batteries made by other manufacturers for these CyberPower upses…
@@m1carver nothing unique or special about CyberPower branded units except they are OEMed with their stickers on. In all other respects they are a standard battery, hopefully (but not necessarily) quality validated, and with a hefty price mark-up. In my case, the CyberPower branded batteries were not available in my country at the time, but I had already decided to use quality brand Yuasa batteries, which were also slightly uprated over the stock capacity (also a common practice to get a bit more runtime). I could buy them from an independent battery retailer for considerably less, something I've done several times previously for several of my APC units. All you need to do is confirm the size of the connector terminals are the same (look at the specs and do a little research, very easy) and reuse the wiring harness for the replacements, job done. 😎
All worked ok with the replacements, I've also installed the same Yuasa batteries into four APC units and they're all running great.
I just took apart one of CyberPower's Value line UPSs (the old, cheap ones) and it was using hot glue for connectors and silicone glue for caps. Are you sure they haven't switched away from Sony Bond altogether? Feels weird they'd be using the good glue for the shitty UPS and the shitty glue for the high end one.
Just opened up my CP1500PFCLCD "rev 3" (with the tilt LCD) [made in Philippines] and found PCB labelled P3P-0000085-02(V1_2). This PCB has all the printed traces and small components on the back side with larger components spaced further apart and attached on the blank (non-printed) top side. All the low power male and female connectors were encased in plastic plugs with some having blobs of white silicone adhesive just on the ends of the plastic parts of the plugs themselves and not on the PCB. Some of the larger capacitors were glued down to the board with a blob of yellow glue against the side of the capacitor, with no indication that the glue makes contact with any conductive surfaces. The chances of this failure with this design should be significantly lower. I did opt to remove one blob of glue that was between two capacitors just to be on the safe side.
How did you separate the two sides of the case?
@@TomVeik They are just held by plastic clips that will release when they are pried apart. For the full procedure: Remove 2 screws on the bottom of the front cover. Slide the front cover down and forward to remove. Remove 2 screws on the battery brace. Remove the batteries. Remove 4 screws on the back cover. It is also held by plastic clips. I pried it backwards by pulling it away at the top on one side and inserting a putty knife slightly into the seam and working it down the seam to release the clips. Once you get it started, the rest of the clips release easily as you widen the gap. Repeat this process to split the 2 sides of the shell starting at the back of the bottom seam. You can bend the plastic slightly inwards at the seem to assist in releasing as you pull the 2 sides apart. You can again jam a putty knife or pry tool in there to stop it from reattaching itself as you move down the seam to the next clip. Repeat the process on the top seam. It should be significantly easier with the bottom already released making it possible to tilt the sides slightly away from one another while pulling them apart.
@@VirtualBSHere Thanks, I got mine open. I did break the center clip on the bottom though. I think it might have been better to start at the top since those clips are just like the clips on the back which I didn't have any problem getting past. Only found a small amount of yellow glue on four of the big caps. Doesn't look like any problem though as there are no circuit board traces on the top side of the board and no other conductors right there. There is also some silicon adhesive holding what looks like a ferrite bead on one leg of each FET. I would post some pictures if this would let me.
is this the same as CyberPower CP1500EPFCLCD UPS? I just bought one from Lazada Philippines. Should I be concerned?
@@majornukke Right I was about to ask the same question. Any advice @VirtualBSHere?
Thanks Mark, and yes, i watched to the end. Nice long form video without getting rambly!
So what UPS do you recommend getting in 2021? (for a high end gaming PC)
I have one of these, so I watched all the way to the end 😀🧯🔥🔥🔥🧯.. Great... ug.. another project for the summer.
Oh what a rabbit hole you put me in LOL.. Doing my research to see what this glue is.. Why it is used.. and how to effectively remove it.. has been an experience in just how little we know about how China does things. There is no easy way to remove this gunk. Many cleaners are not up to the task.. Looks like the best? method is to freeze the yellow stuff to make it easier to scrap off.. Have to be careful with any surface mount components to the point that maybe should not be attempted by a simple hobbyist (just get the main stuff off the high voltage areas) I am a simple computer repair type hobbyist person and only do component level stuff if absolutely need to. BUT this needs to be done to prevent possible house burning down scenarios, so I feel like I will need to address this with my unit.
Thanks for the PSA you might have literally saved a life with this one LOL . I sleep not 5 feet from my UPS and PC.
Now how many other time bombs do I have sitting around here from China LOL... Yes it appears it is predominantly China that uses this stuff.
I have this UPS for 5 years and works flawlesly
Where can I obtain a schematic for a CP1350AVRLCD? Yellow goop securing a capacitor took out a couple of small components.
Thank you!
do you have an opinion for the best 1500AV UPS you can buy that doesnt have the yellow glue of death?? has this been fixed since?? thanks.
Anyone know if the 850VA model has this glue? Outside it looks identical.
Many thanks for posting this, i just bought a new 1500 UK version and upon checking it did indeed have yellow glue inside of it, i’ve sent it back for a refund and will pay more for an APC unit.
Thanks for this video. I just replaced a broken power button in one of my 1300VA versions. Works fine in online interactive mode, but when it swaps to battery backup to power a load, it immediately start buzzing and getting very hot (within 10 seconds). By 30 seconds, it started smoking. Looks like the main bulk cap between the batt leads and the big ole heatsinks has swelled somewhat. It's almost as though there is a short in output circuit somewhere when it switches to battery (and it doesn't blow a fuse or shutdown etc!), so it goes nuts and provides all the grunt it can in an unregulated fashion....
If anyone has thoughts on possible causes, I'd be interested to hear them!
Hi, I have a Cyberpower CP1500EPFCLCD which will not turn on. On the bottom switching I have 27V but when I press the power button I can only hear a very very short "bep" from the buzzer but nothing on the screen and no relay switch. I have no power on the 3.3V regulator near the mcu on the back of the board and also on the MC34063A regulator near the heatsinks. Can you please help me? Any idea where the problem could be? Thank you very much!
Simone
I have 2 of the Rev 2's which both LED screens have died out. Since I have no experience changing LED's is it possible to order Rev 1 or Rev 3 screens and swap out with the Rev 2's? If so do you have a link where to order these?
I guess I have been lucky. I bought 5 of these over the years and aside from batteries wearing out, they are all still working perfectly. Good video.
Opened mine yesterday, I was using it for about 4 years now, mine being "second gen" pfclcd 1350va UK model... Pcb was half similar to your video second gen one but part were battery cable leads come out was completely different, also the glue was yellowish color not brown and there was much less of it than on your board...still scraped it off and disconnected usb power supply board cause I don't use usb ports on it, yet my power led is still dead, it was flickering after 3 years of use and died now power button doesn't light up but unit still works, that's what I care most...
Mine just poofed 30 min ago.. lol.. Didn't cause fire or smoke.. just don't want to turn on.. Now i just looking for another one and idk which one is good/safe/reliable... Idc about the price, i just want to take something and don't think about it in next couple of years. Any suggestion?
Did you ever find out if Rev 3 has the same problem? I just bought one recently and I would prefer it didn't catch my home on fire. 😟
I would love to hear from you. Thanks!
I recently bought a Rev 3 GX1500U model five days ago. My complaint is the strong electronic smell it has. It's still strong enough to irritate my eyes after a little while. Unit is not hot at all. My old APC never had any smell even when brand new.
Have you figured out how to open the third gen case yet? It is different than you describe. There is no longer a separate top piece cover that just slides back to reveal clips that you can disengage. The top appears to be identical to the bottom in the way it snaps together. The back is different too. Just 4 screws now and clips in the middle. The back is easy enough to take off but haven't yet figured out a way to separate the two sides.
how do you replace the glue?? i dont plan on getting a $500 rackmounted server UPS in the near future.
What's the stuff that hardens into a hard, white ceramic-like material? 🤔
Any update on the rev 3 unit?
I checked the Sinewave 900va (EU version/plugs) that I bought 3 years ago. It is not v3, since afaik there's no v3 EU versions. I didn't attempt to open the side panel, but I looked through most angles and saw the glue on the big capacitor. It wasn't brown, looked "healthy" and wasn't touching other components, so I saw no need to do anything.
Great video... not looking forward to dealing with the three of these that I have at home. But time spent is still better than dealing with a fire. Any idea if this could also be the cause of the nearly continuous acrid smell that I get from my Cyberpower CP1500PFCLCDa?
@pabloyanez2235 Mine emits a gross odor sometimes. Sounds similar to what you experience but mine is sporadic. It also emits a pretty strong rotten eggs smell when it’s battery is being used in a power outage… apparently that’s hydrogen sulfide from the lead acid battery and that’s poisonous gas.
I bought a new battery to replace in my unit but now I’m seeing this so I’m not sure if I’m going to keep this thing if I can’t be sure it’s going to be safe.
I been using this unit since college. I’m guessing I bought it in 2008/2009 when NCIX was still around. I have replaced the batteries once in that time frame and am still using this unit. This video has me worried as I sleep next to this unit as my computer and equipment is in the same room in my apartment. I was planning to buy a new one and migrate the old one to the living room for the entertainment center. Now I’m not sure what I’m gonna do as I have no plans of tearing this unit down to go poking at something that I’m not familiar with and I don’t understand, if this is as bad and dangerous as what being said, how is cyber power not sued by anyone yet for it. Has anyone had a fire due to this ?
Did you alert the manufacturer?
Would appreciate knowing if the rev 3 has this issue.
Is there a video on how to take apart the smaller one the 1000pfclcd ?
would you like to show us how to de-glue the yellow thingy? thanks heaps
@Mark Furneaux so did you ever get a Rev 3 taken apart yet?
Does the rev 3 unit have this issue?
Any chance of schematics or component values for this area?
Does someone here know if Forza UPSes are good? And if they have problems like this?
Thank you for the warning. Mine is the CP1000PFCLCD, I believe rev. 1. It had this crap on the thermo sensor, giant capacitor, and charging circuit. The charging glue was discolored. I wonder if this caused the replacement battery to not last quite as long as the last one. The thermo sensor has a spot marked for a connector on the pcb, but they soldered it directly instead. Broke that wire trying to get the glue off, so I put a connector in place like it was suppose to be.
so which 1500va sine wave ups do you recommend???
I made it to your question!
Good, informative, detailed video. Thanks for making it, I'll surely be subscribing.
!
The reason I arrived here... I am attempting to utilize mine, a Rev. 2, as a standalone, straight through, solar inverter (no grid power or batteries used). However, I'm running into the issue of needing a 110A/C supply to even activate the unit (won't seem to turn on without one).
I bought mine brand new several years ago and just never ended up using it... so, it is still in unused condition.
Can you tell me if it is possible to alter it in any way to eliminate its necessity for a power supply - to supply power? I'm fairly competent with a soldering iron and do have limited circuitry repair experience but am by no means of expert caliber.
PS, plugging it into itself is seemingly not a solution.
Also, with solar power supplied to the battery conns., I CAN achieve the power-OFF tone when attempting to power-ON...
(one constant beep followed by two shorter beeps)... but no activation of display or power to outlets.
Thanks for any help!!!
I have a cyberpower 1450. Does this model have the same problem?
Is this an issue also for the 1500AVRLCD models?
Found channel for another video of interest, and saw this in the suggested videos and was like 🤔 So this is why my 1350PFCLCD released the mysterious blue smoke a few weeks ago
Fantastic video. My Rev1 model (from 2011) just got new batteries and when I plugged it back in I heard arcing. Opened it up per your video and wouldn't you know it. Arced at the fuse/resistor right next to it. Both are dead. Yaay.
*Edit* I found the correct size fuses for the circuit board. Does anyone know, were these fast or slow blow fuses?
WOW! This is bad news..... I have several of these... some maybe 10 years old. Should I just buy new units? Is there another better UPS that is the same or not much more money?
any update on rev 3 yet?
I own the CP1500AVRLCD, do you know if this unit is also affected?
I have a bunch of these units and so far, no issues with any of them, the earliest being 2019. I haven't even replaced any of the batteries! Hope they don't go bang but I appreciate the video and will attempt to repair them if they do fail due to the glue. And I didn't even notice until you pointed it out with your LCD fix that one of them is super dim compared to the others haha.
Do both of them have plastic housing?
ADDITIONAL SAFETY CONCERN:
A bad smell and/or irritated eyes emitted from these units are found in some of this video’s comments here as found in video & forum comments elsewhere: Hydrogen sulfide is a poisonous gas emitted by lead acid batteries when they are being ‘overcharged. It’s often described as having a rotten eggs smell, and sometimes as sulfuric.
It can be lethal in high enough concentrations. Mild symptoms of hydrogen sulfide exposure are commonly irritation in the throat, nasal passages/sinuses, and/or eyes.
Hydrogen sulfide is heavier than air in the room so it sinks down and smells strongest near the floor of the room where there is the least amount of ventilation, so pets and small children will be exposed to higher concentrations of it.
Excess electrical current breaks down the liquid sulfuric acid used in lead acid batteries, and hydrogen sulfide gas forms and is released into the surrounding air in the room.
I have health concerns about smells from my CyberPower UPS since I bought it in 2016 (the same one shown in this video CP1500PFCLCD, rev 2).
There are several different possible causes that result in the overcharging of a lead acid battery which are easily to find via google, but I don’t know which one is causing CyberPower units to emit this smell as described by a lot of comments I’ve seen for CZcams videos and in tech forums.
I’ve read that one of the common causes of overcharging in a lead-acid battery is a bad cell in the battery or an internal short in the battery.
I‘ve experienced this beginning since the first 6 months of buying my CyberPower UPS.
I’ve just ordered a replacement battery from CyberPower and I’m hoping the rotten eggs smell that happens sometimes will stop so it’ll just be the battery that was bad and it’s not a flaw in the design in and/or manufacture of the UPS itself.
But as I’ve seen a number of comments over the years by people saying they’ve experienced this smell from this product line, I’m a little doubtful that there’s been a mass manufacturing defect in CyberPower’s batteries, as the lead-acid batteries are the simplest part of a UPS, and there are a number of other ways lead-acid batteries can be overcharged…
I actually experience 2 different and really distinct weird chemical smells that sometimes build up in a room from my CyberPower UPS and both odors smell intuitively toxic.
One of the smells is more faint and it smells like something I can only describe as maybe acidic, acrid, and like a faint burning chemical odor that’s a little like burning or melting plastic…
The other smell is that rotten eggs excrement-ish unique smell that clings low to the floor since it’s heavier than air so opening a window alone takes an unintuitively long time to get rid of it. (I put a big fan in the window to blow air out of the room with the door open and sometimes also with another window outside of the room open as well to get a stronger air flow).
Before initially googling this rotten egg smell, I noticed it most often happens after a power outage during which the UPS’ battery was used for roughly anywhere from 4 to 20 minutes before shutting down attached desktop computer(s).
So it seems that the rotten eggs smell happens most often when the battery needs charging for periods of time longer than the more frequent short recharges needed for when the battery naturally loses a bit of its charge.
In any case, there’s no warnings of the possibility of being exposed to the toxic gas hydrogen sulfide as is somewhat commonly experienced by people recharging lead acid batteries in general, and there’s no warning that this physically possibility can occur in CyberPower’s UPS’ as with any other piece of equipment that over charges a lead acid battery for whatever reason (I don’t know if other UPS companies have such warnings).
Considering these batteries are being used in well insulated and therefore often poorly ventilated rooms in homes and offices instead of in airy garages or outside where lead acid car batteries are most commonly charged, I think it’s crazy that:
1.) Warnings to watch out for the possibility of smelling this hydrogen sulfide rotten eggs poisonous gas are not required by law (When you get natural gas service for a gas stove the gas company is required to inform customers to look out for ‘the smell of gas’ that indicates a gas leak)
2.) That this apparent overcharging happens often enough to enough people who own these CyberPower UPS product lines to come regularly across a few comments in video posts like this one and in blogs that there isn’t a product safety recall (like there would be on pretty much any other product causing toxic exposure lol) and/or that what’s supposed to be a reputable company would actually mass produce consumer product(s) that seems to have rather dangerous aspects in their design and/or have manufacturing flaws, including the one in the subject of this video.
how did you remove the glue?
This is actually the glue that killed George Constanza's wife.
Does this happen in rev 3 units?
Great informative video! I've just purchased one of these UPS's, so would be interested to know if the rev 3 version has this dreaded yellow glue. Do you have any idea yet if it does? Thanks
Up for this! I haven't watched the entire video, but is this issue present on all units, or just US units? I am in APAC and planning to buy the 220-240v one
@@jelome1989does it still have this yellow glue on rev 3 cause I wanted to buy it
I have exactly the same model as Mark. 2 days ago something started smelling like electrical smoldering in my lab. I couldn’t find the source. Even when everything was off there wasn’t any prime suspect. Then yesterday when I was turning on my CyberPower UPS, I heard a kind of a boiling sound and the smell intensified. Disassembly confirmed browning of this yellow glue in exactly the same area. I don’t know yet if the damage is done or I only need yo get rid of the glue. It’s a shame CyberPower won’t recall these units.
Thanks for making this video, I was able to fix my UPS before it went kaboom.
I got that far :) it is really annoying that YT does not give me notifications when you upload.
The alarm on mine goes on and it smells a little. Why is there no recall on these things?
I've had multiple of similar UPS fail (CP1000AVRLCD and CP850PFCLCD) in the past. Probably purchased around to 2011-2013 timeframe. I don't believe that any of them lasted longer than 2 years. The attached devices would lose power and I would smell a horrible electronics burning smell. I would look over to the UPS and it would be melting and/or smoldering.
I wonder if this is why. Too late to go back and investigate. I had 5 UPS fail this way. Most had a
what made you buy another after the first two burnt?
@@nyaa I had purchased them for other people...so I didn't know of most of the failures until I started asking around.
They were all generally purchased before the second failure. I didn't identify a trend until the second UPS failed. When I heard of the third failure, that's when I asked everybody else if their UPS failed.
I cleared all the nasty adhesive before it went bad, I have a REV 1. Replaced it with some neutral curing silicone. The 1A USB chip failed. We use the front USB ports to charge phones, so I squeezed in a mini 2.1 USB adapter and ran a charge wire to the front ports, good as new. Hopefully I will get a few more years out of it and my 1350. Purchased them in 2012, running constantly since then.
I recently posted a video of a Bestec 300W power supply with this yellow glue gone rogue. I've had a couple power supplies blow up due to the stuff getting conductive.
Ouch.. I've just purchased my first CyberPower UPS :) So I must ask is the issue only with this xxxPFCLCD series, or possibly other ones too? I purchased UT1500EG 1500VA/900W, so I've been wondering if I should inspect this one anyway just in case? Thanks for the video.
I am surprised, it appears this is very good info. My UPS has been not accepting grid power after the grid goes down, even for a few seconds. The UPS run until the batteries go dead and the UPS didn't charge. I put new batteries in the unit and still no charging. I opened the old Cyberpower 1500VA AVR and found the hard yellow glue in the charging part of the circuit board. I cleaned all the glue off the board and components. I then reassembled the unit and turned it on. The unit started charging the batteries. I unplugged several times and it now works as it should. It recovers and charges the batteries. I can think of at least two TV sets that I tossed that had a lot of the yellow glue in them. Darn!! BTW good video. Oh, the yellow glue was on a zener diode, the diode next to it, the 8 pin chip and then onto the two caps.
By change do you know if the CP1500EPFCLCDa-AU (230V / 50hz) models are likely affected?
I'm not in the AU region myself, but I can confirm my Schuko-connector CP1500EPFCLCD has glue that is turning brown as well. I have two units, only opened the one so far (as the power LED started blinking and flickering like crazy) and will be attempting the repair soon. Just replaced the batteries on both as well, so hope I don't end up ruining them...
I have a CP1500avrlcd which looks very similar to the CP1500PFCLCD and is often compared in many reviews. The problem is that the CP1500avrlcd's case isn't exactly the same as the top cover doesn't slide off and removal of the four screws on the back won't release the back plate with the sockets. Anyone know how to disassemble a CP1500avrlcd?
With electronics, the secret is often hidden screws. In particular, have you checked under any labels/stickers?
@@bradkaral1188 Unfortunately, there aren't any stickers.
Maybe use a freezing spray to solidify the glue before removal?
Has this video been sent to the manufacture...... If so, what was their comments? Thank
for the warning.
Great Video, thanks for sharing. I have 3 of the Rev 2 units, purchased back in 2016 and the first unit that was supporting my Modem, Routers and 1 DVR PC died last night. I pulled the batteries and one had a little over 10.5Volts and the other only has a little over 6 volts, so time for upgrades. I will pull the unit apart and check the glue issue as well. Have you tried replacing the Lead acid batteries with Lipo batteries by any chance? Batteries are about $45 each, but claim 4000+ recharges, 90% capacity and 8-10 Ah capacities with up to 10 years of life! I did replace one in an old small APC 500 Watt UPS and its working fine. Was thinking about doing the same for this one. Any thoughts or suggestions??
I have seen it for myself that you get double the run time if you use a reputable company brand of LiFePO4 batteries with the same AH rating. Seen in both the CP1500PFCLCD and CP1000PFCLCD of which both use the 12V9AH SLA with the CP1500PFCLCD using two in series and the CP1000PFCLCD just using one.
@@FirstLastOne Yep, that is because you can run them almost completely dead without damaging those batteries. The wet cell or gel cell batteries really should only be used down to about 50% before recharging or they can get permanently damaged. The only issue I see with replacing the Gel cell batteries with LiFePO4 batteries is that the charging and maintenance electronics in the UPS does not know that they exist. The Charging, Maintenance and actual running and cut off voltages are all different for the LiFePO4 batteries. The UPS itself is not really optimized to use those types of batteries although I have replaced one in a small APC UPS with one of them and it seems to be doing okay at the moment. Unless you can tell the UPS what "Kind" of battery you have installed, it will always assume it's the type that it was originally shipped with and the charging and running profile will always be used even on the LiFePO4 batteries which is not optimal or efficient and actually could eventually damage the batteries. In my humble opinion, If I'm going to spend a fortune for LiFePO4 Batteries, I will only do so to install into a UPS that can take full advantage of them and not risk damaging them due to improper charging and running profiles. On some Recreational Vehicle Charge Converters, they are now shipping with the intelligence built in to determine what "Kind" of battery has been installed, and they automatically adjust their charge profile and run profile to match the battery type, optimizing the life, run time and charging of the batteries. Hopefully UPS Manufactures will get on the bandwagon and do the same in their new products giving consumers more choices when replacing UPS Batteries.
guess i got another project to do. Thanks for giving this information.