APC 1200 UPS Sealed Failed Battery Replace and Upgrade & LED Disable
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- čas přidán 12. 01. 2023
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Highly requested, a tear down of the APC UPS by Schneider Electric BX 1200 MI GR was due as after just one year and a few months of normal usage the internal lead acid battery has failed completely. While APC says that this is "sealed" and has a "non replaceable" battery , that should only be fixed with an "original compatible" battery, it proves that it is just a sham. The battery can be replaced in a matter of minutes and it's a bog standard one that can be bought very cheap everywhere. To top it out the same plastic case of the UPS is used on other higher spec models thus it provides more internal space for a battery upgrade. With this occasion we also dim the annoyingly bright LEDs that do not work as APC says.
Replacement battery specs
12V 9Ah SLA (sealed lead acid)
amzn.to/3iFjwUX
Upgrade battery
12V 14Ah SLA - check dimensions.
amzn.to/3XboHe7
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Highly requested, a tear down of the APC UPS by Schneider Electric BX 1200 MI GR was due as after just one year and a few months of normal usage the internal lead acid battery has failed completely. While APC says that this is "sealed" and has a "non replaceable" battery , that should only be fixed with an "original compatible" battery, it proves that it is just a sham. The battery can be replaced in a matter of minutes and it's a bog standard one that can be bought very cheap everywhere. To top it out the same plastic case of the UPS is used on other higher spec models thus it provides more internal space for a battery upgrade. With this occasion we also dim the annoyingly bright LEDs that do not work as APC says.
Replacement battery specs
12V 9Ah SLA (sealed lead acid)
amzn.to/3iFjwUX
Upgrade battery
12V 14Ah SLA - check dimensions.
amzn.to/3XboHe7
Upgraded battery capacity tester (the one from the video is no longer available)
Upgraded model s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DC8YqXb
thank you.
Great video! The batteries of my APC BX 1500 MI GR failed after two years and I had to replace them. I tried to open the case by myself but after removing the five screws of the case I did not know how to proceed (I was afraid to break something while trying to open it...). Then I found your video and I could replace the batteries without a problem. Now I have a working UPS again. Thanks!
I'm happy to read that. I hope that you have subscribed ;)
what a brilliant video, my BX 2200 warranty (2 years) expires in 4 days, definitely saving this video for when the battery starts playing games!
I'm glad you liked it, this is the kind of video that "APC" doesn't want to be seen :P
@@TechTronic9000 guess what, the UPS died today... Coming back to refresh the procedure!
Well at least now you know how to solve it or even do an upgrade. My unit still works fine and the extra battery capacity is really useful when you have lots of things to save and shut down when a power outage cones.
Great video. I have the older BackUPS 1400 with six AC sockets, they’ve been great. I have one of these new models to protect my fibre internet termination device and router, it has failed already after one years use. After watching your video, I will investigate on how to purchase a larger capacity battery. I’m glad I found your video as buying a replacement unit is not viable. Plus the bright LEDs are a major turn off, especially when the room is dark. 🎉
Thanks! Exactly what I needed to get my UPS running again
I'm glad that my video helped. I hope you have subscribed ;)
Great video. Thanks. It answered every question I had.
Glad it helped!
Thank you for sharing. Very good video and good information
Glad it was helpful!
Nice ! So it's possible to change battery. Good news ! :)
Yes you can replace it and as you have seen it's not complicated at all. Thanks for watching.
A bit late to the party, but I love this video - subbed!
Welcome aboard!
this was very usefull, thanks you
I'm glad that it was useful. Thanks for watching and consider subscribing.
Pretty Informative APC UPS TUT Video... /// THX a lot /// McRoman ....
Thank you for this! I have an APC Easy UPS BVX1200LI-MS , does this guide work for me?
From what is see online it's exactly the same plastic case, so it's the same procedure.
Nice video, great job and thank you! I've recently bought the BX750MI-GR model because here where I live there are frequent blackouts and the voltage doesn't seem to be very stable. Anyways I was doing a small research on these APC lineups and noticed that from the 750VA model up until 1200VA , they do have the same 9Ah Accumulator, so my question is: how do the higher models like the 1200 one, offer more run time than the smaller one like the 750 since I saw they have the same battery unit?
Thanks 🙏
For runtime APC has some graphs on their site, usually the higher time running ones are tested with lower load, that is why the battery lasts more. If you hook up the same load to both models, if they have the same battery then it will exhibit similar runtime. There are also some other models which state using the same battery model but the difference is that the lower end model uses 1x battery while the higher end model uses 2x batteries in series which results in same capacity but double the voltage thus increasing overall battery capacity in Wh and proportionally the runtime.
@@TechTronic9000 Thank you for your answer. I've also find something quite annoying for me with this BX750MI-GR model, is that it draws between 16 to almost 20W of power from the grid when no load is connected to it, when it is idling and of course I do know that its battery unit is fully loaded (OK I can understand that there may be a small current that continuously fills up the battery, or keeps it in a floating point...) but still, almost 20W seems quite a lot for me to keep it running uninteruptly, it increases my electricity bill. I have found reviews of other owners complaining about this idle consumption issue, so it's not only my model.
And if one would argue that this is not such a big deal, I happen to have an older model the BK500EI which doesn't consume that much power and doesn't have the same amount of heat dissipated such as this new one.
I don't know, APC seems at least by marketing pov to boast premium products, I don't know about the enterprise units, didn't tested them , but at least for the entry level models, I feel a bit dissapointed.
@@digitalrew Hi, i own the BX1600MI-MS, and noticed the same behaviour. it has an idle comsumption of 18w, when its charging battery it goes up to 30w. I dont know the reason of such high power comsuption, in comparision a normal AVR have an idle Consumption of just 5w.
It lacks of proper power switch button, so the only option left is to connect behind a power switch or just unplug it...
Thanks for the great video. What simptoms did your UPS have with failed battery? Any beeps or notifications? I have BX950MI, 1 year old. Last self check was OK 2 days ago. Yesterday there was power outage and UPS just turned off, no warning, no beep 🙂 It's still under EU warranty (2 years) so I'm going to RMA it but I'm really interested if the battery could go bad in just 1 year and why UPS does not notify for that.
Mine just died like yours, it was passing the "self test" but under real load it will shut down instantly. After opening up I have tested the battery first and it was dead. Also had a spare battery from another UPS to test it out and it was OK. So decided to also upgrade the battery. The problem with these is that they go HOT and that dries out the battery and kills it.
@@TechTronic9000 After a month, got the replacement UPS directly from APC. I'm really disappointed with the new unit. Visually they are the same. The old UPS was manufactured in 2021 (i bought it in 2022). the new one is from 2023 and works fine. Well almost... the new has some annoying buzzing sound all the time, even when on the mains. It is loaded some 20%, powering only one computer. Also it is constantly filling logs from the linux apcupsd service with messages "Battery disconnected" and "Battery reattached" and "UPS battery must be replaced". Under windows Powerchute program it works fine. Battery seems ok. The firmware is newer and has some problem with the old linux program. Also the hardware seems lower quality with the buzzing problem. Well, I'm back to searching for ma new cheap UPS, maybe some cyberpower or something like that 🙂
This ups or BX1100C better ?
how to connect APC 1200 to power chute?
My neighbour is able to get good deals on marine batteries.
If I bought 3 or 4 full sized deep cycle marine (like the ones they use on boats) and connected them in parallel so it’s still 12v but I’d have like 20x the capacity, is this okay? Or is there some kind of situation where this wouldn’t work well.
I use the UPS for my networking rack which uses about 100w of power. I have the 950va version so I am only using 100w out of the 520w it can do.
There’s a comment I see talking about the transformer overheating or something if you upgrade the capacity?
The only problem with very large batteries is that the charge circuit from the UPS is not designed to work so much. It will take ages to charge back the batteries so the UPS might overheat or the charging circuit might blow up after days of constantly working.
How much higher voltage specs of replacement battery can it handle? My 1200va just died few weeks ago.
The voltage must be the same, it's a 12V system. As for capacity just get a battery that fits the space of the UPS.
Hi teacher, as long as the voltage is the same, is it okay to use a different capacity or a different size battery for the battery in the ups as you did? Your video is impressive but I have some anxiety. If compatible, what is the difference between the apc company's bx-750/950/1200? Is this just a company stunt for money?
Using higher capacity battery will make increase battery charge time and also runtime. As long as you don't exagerate like putting a car battery instead of the small original one, you will be fine. There are also some differences between the units such as bigger battery, bigger transformer so compensates for quicker charge time and it is able to have a higher load output.
Thanks a lot, nice video! Could you please put a link to the battery tester? Looks really useful.
That model is rather old and not selling anymore. A newer upgraded model is this one s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DC8YqXb I hope that you have also subscribed ;)
@@TechTronic9000 Thanks for the quick reply! I did thumbs up the video but I forgot to subscribe... Fixed now! 😊
Some people says it smells like plastic burnt,? Is normal imperfection that must be with warranty solved? Or is s constant thing with this ups model?
Mine had some smell but only at the beginning.
Pls help me. how many batteries does apc bx1200mi-ms have? i cant find any video of it
From what I have found out, your model uses a APCRBC175 battery which is actually from the datasheet a simple 12V 9Ah SLA battery. with height of 151 mm, width of 99 mm and depth 65 mm.
is it possible to install a fan on these? to improve the heat disipation?
With a bit of DIY for sure you can fit a fan. I'm thinking of doing such a mod, but probably after this new battery will die :)
do not worry about heat dissipation with these types of components/design. you simply do not understand just how much heat and more specifically where the heat consolidates on such a design, if you are asking about "improving heat dissipation", my assumption will likely be spot on. therefore, if you try to install such a thing you'd run a risk of actually compromising the overall system.
That would apply on old APC models which were much more robust. This newer ones will get so hot inside that they dry the gel battery.
So could I put a external bigger battery for a 850va UPS? like. . any UPS supports any battery?? is incredible becouse the batterys are super cheap but the big ups are overexpensive
You need to keep it in similar range, while UPS can work to discharge from a big battery, it will have major problems trying to charge it back up, it will overheat and die as it would take days to charge back up a large battery such as a automotive model.
Hello , I wanna a replacement for this same ups , so the only requirement for a replacement is to find a battery with the same volt input and similar capacity? The brand does not matter? or any will work , just saying because of compatiblity .
You are right, as long as it's a lead-acid that has the same voltage (12V - for this model) and a similar capacity, then it will work without any issues.
I have a question. Is it posible to add another 12v 9ah battery instead of a big one? I'v seen it in other models, two 12v 7ah batteries connected in series.
You will not have space for two batteries inside. Also if you plan on adding another battery it must be in parallel with the current one as this is a 12V UPS. The one with 2x12V in series it is a 24V UPS.
@@TechTronic9000 Thanks for the reply. I was doing some tests, I can fit two batteries but without the bracket. The main problem, I think it is the parallel connection, wich no one recommends. Thanks again!
Any recommendations on an UPS that doesn't generate enough heat to break it's own battery?
Edit: in the same price range, 200$ max.
Sadly I could not find something reliable and cheap. It's either no name cheap generic stuff with shipware brands or high end too expensive ones. This APC as bad as it it, it works okish as I did had a lot of brownouts and short energy cuts so it really kept my stuff working and was able to save work.
Tell me if I'm wrong:
I had in mind to purchase the lowest version "750VA/410Watt", and put a 2200VA/1200Watt battery in it. Obviously I 3D print a new containment and also add fans.
Would the hardware and software be compatible?
Yes it will be OK, usually batteries from lower watt units are similar with the higher wattage ones, for example 7Ah vs 9Ah. Problems only happen when you are using much more larger batteries such a 50-70Ah car battery.
@@TechTronic9000 thanks, I was afraid the software had some kind of block.
can i remove 2 led in the motherboard in the bottom by pliers?
Yes
Hi there, I have a question. My APC unit is the BVX 1200Li-MS. At first glance (and by that I mean surface observation of the unit in your video) it seems to share the same shape. But I was wondering if you might have an idea on whether or not the replacement procedure for the battery is the same as the one in this video?
It should be the same.
@@TechTronic9000 alright, thanks. Very informative video.
did you replace your , i have the same model i really change the battery but not know it the same like video
@@nvkgaming5593 The inside is slightly different in terms of some cable position, but opening and closing it is very similar.
@@ChrisAlbertH47 did you put the same battery like the size of the video or the normal 12v9Ah, i looking forward to put the same like the video for more power
tks for your replies
When you took off and on AC power and your computer played the sounds, I had my laptop on next to my desktop so I thought one of my computers was displaying a real notification to me lol.
I know how that is, sometimes I get some unwanted phone sounds (when I forget to put them on silent) and when editing the video I keep looking at my phone and there is no notification, yet I keep hearing it :)
Hi, could you tell me where I could buy that battery capacity tester. Seems like a nice instrument.
That model is rather old and not selling anymore. A newer upgraded model is this one s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DC8YqXb
@@TechTronic9000 thanks 👍
Niceeeee
Thanks!
Its normal to have a hot temp?
These units are cheaply made, so yes, it's normal to get hot.
The model BX1600MI-AZ has an exhaust fan at the back. Maybe it will have a longer battery life.
But does the cooler work in standby? Usually the cooler only starts when power fails and the UPS starts to work on battery and has enough load.
@@TechTronic9000 Thanks for sharing that info. I was actually thinking of buying an APC ups but it doesn't have a cooling fan inside but you're right. Since I only plan to use the UPS to protect my PC from power interruptions so the cooling fan is kinda useless in my case since the PC won't be running on battery for longer than a couple of seconds anyway.
how many CCA for Battery 12V 7.0Ah?
Usually a 12V 7Ah Lead Acid battery should have 100-160 CCA. In my video i'm testing mine only for 80 CCA.
Always power on. make the battery life longer ? Or either way.?
It's a lead acid battery so always on it is better as it will float charge it. The problem with the UPS model is that it produces to much heat and will dry out the gel in the battery.
Because i always turn it off but keep plug-in on outlet. Thank you for your reply ❤️
@@rashidbalindong1624 Keeping it plugged in and OFF usually still runs the battery charger.
Mine failed too after one year. Thats ridiculous. Either they use ultra low quality batteries or the charge control electronics is trash.
It's cheap design, the heat from the electronics and transformer just dries out the lead acid battery. This UPS uses technology form the 90's with the price of our current days inflation. APC could easy do something like adding a separation wall, a cooler or maybe just drilling more holes in the UPS body so it vents the heat out. We are still lucky they don't use "YET" proprietary batteries, but probably that will come soon.
Hello i wanted to buy this ups from Amazon should I buy?
Mine still works OK after the battery change.
Can i use 12v 12ah battery?
If it fits, it will work. Take care as using a capacity bigger battery will put more strain on the charger circuit which will produce even more heat.
Hello, can I ask what is the size of the battery you replaced to your ups? in millimeter? thank you very much
Have you tried watching the video first ?
Can i remove the alarm/buzzer? If yes, how??
I think that you can silence it from the powerchute app.
@@TechTronic9000 My Unit which i purchased in India doesn't have an option for data cable connection so i was thinking of removing the buzzer from the motherboard itself, any idea on how to?
There might be an option to remove the buzzing sound from the power button. Some units support this, you long press the power button and then it will flash some LED code and you need to press power again. You need to search if it supports this procedure.
Good that you replaced it with a 14ah battery only. These are designed in a way that the battery would run out just just in time before the thing over heats and blows thermal fuse inside the transformer. Increasing the battery capacity limits you on how much load you can apply . The mosfets do not get that hot but the transformer gets super hot. The transformer in your 650w unit is half the size of the transformer they used to give in 300w ups's from 2004.
If anyone planin on increasing the battery capacity do buy a model that has a proper switch mode inverter instead of a big transformer.
Like the br1000g . Don't be afraid of seeing the steel core transformer in that model. It is just there for the avr to step up or down voltage. The battery backup system use an smps type inverter that takes the 24v dc to 300v dc and then converts it to stepped sinewave with H bridge mosfet.
Also at 650w load those wires would see something like 60amps.
Apc has really made a joke of themselves with their current lineup of ups's.
Lifepo4 upgrade should only have the same capacity as the original battery. Lifepo4 already runs 2 - 3times longer than leadacid in same amp hr capacity cus the Lifepo4 has no peukert effect while the leadacid loses capacity with how much you load it. So the 14ah may have only 9ah if you load it at 10amps.
Yes LiFePO4 would be an awesome upgrade. Also for this cheap UPS models an internal 120mm might be fitted between the transformer and the battery so that could improve lifespan and runtime, but after all this is just a quick back-up option and not an off grid power supply. My PC power draw under highest load is ~350-400W, while on light usage is ~180W, with the original 9Ah battery even when it was new it was approximating 18minutes runtime, while actually on battery I had ~5 minutes. With this larger battery I have enough time to properly save and shut down while it also keeps some of my other devices working such as router, external hdd drive, etc.
Any suggestions I’m planning to buy one for a 65 inch tv?
@@nrikhy27 tv needs no ups. Unless you looking for surge protection.
@@KuntalGhosh the power supply in my area is very unpredictable and I notice sudden fluctuations in my light bulbs. I also have repeatedly my led tvs failing . I also wanted to know are the Apc pro series ups like the Pro BR1000G are pure sine wave ups ?
Can i charge the battery?
Change or charge? The UPS charges the battery automatically.
how to disable 4 led?
Psychically by taking them off.
Anyone has an experience with this UPS, brand new, which smells like burning plastic?
If so, can you give me a hint how to get rid of the bad smell? Thanks.
It's normal. Just leave it in a place where it has lots of air so it can cool down, after a few weeks the smell will go away.
Oh, I left it already for 4 weeks at grand-dad's house in non used room and yesterday I returned it home... well, smell was definitely smaller, but my eyes were still itchy ... does it help to leave it alone for next month? And shouldn't the factory or reseller let this thing ventilate and sell it in good shape right away? @@TechTronic9000
Does it get very hot when running? Maybe it's something faulty with it, maybe it's overcharging the battery which can gas out and be rather toxic.
not at all, temperature of the cover - especially on the top - is acceptable - in my opinion somewhere around 30-35C @@TechTronic9000
In my humble opinion it is because of some kind of protective coating, which gets evaporated when device runs. The coil may get hotter than 35C, and this coating may smell. But what amazes me is that this issue must have come around when the device was being tested in factory. And what is also worth of question is that devices manufactured before 2015/16 which I had chance to see or use, were definitely without this smell. Something must have changed since then. Maybe the coating material is cheaper or so.
I need to add that my device is third in a row in last half of the year from one manufacturer and type (APC UPS 950/1200) which has similar problem with the smell...And what is definitely important to say that I didn't have such problem in past.
I honestly dont understand, I changed the battery for a new 12ah and now only last 5 minutes while before was 25 minutes
Does it shut down in 5 minutes or that is the estimation of the APC software? Install the APC software and then choose the replace battery function. In theory it should re-calibrate. Optionally search for the manual calibration procedure for your UPS model. Keep in mind that a new battery usually comes partially discharged and will need a long time first charge such as 12-24 hours.
@@TechTronic9000 now my pc works for 27 minutes, awesome! it was a bad battery, I think people returns a lot of them to amazon and then amazon try to sell us again
sounds like a design flaw
Or more like cheap consumer design, so you buy more....
These specific ups models all of them are failing. Something in production gone wrong. I have return above 20 of them from my customers
Probably a bad batch, my unit still works ok after the battery replacement.
@@TechTronic9000hello :) thank you for this video, it helps a lot!
It would be cool, if you have the time to do it, to disassemble de UPS again after 1 year just to check the health of that bigger battery using that battery tester you used on the old one 👍
@@cavidoman For now the UPS works just fine, I have set the powerchute app to do a self test of the battery periodically so if the battery will fail I will know that. As for lifetime, it's probably not going to be very long as the UPS is rather hot and I haven't added a fan to it, so probably it will slowly dry the bigger battery also.
why the heck is the battery not replacable?!
So that APC sells you another UPS.
@@TechTronic9000Thats a steal.
In my country this entire UPS costs 250€ thats one time purchase for me and its still expensive!
Im surprised that such a reputable company does this. I hope other models have easy replacable batteries.
I have backups cs 650 and it has plastic cover and its easy to replace battery. So dissapointed in APC tbh.
You know what batteries i can use to replace? I mean what are important specs i should mind once its time to replace since i wont be using apc batteries?
Also, can you recomend me this USP is it good?
Same here, the UPS is very expensive while a replacement battery can be around 20 euro. I also have had lots of older APC and they were very good, but most of them died from bad electronics, not making them feasible to repair as the cost was high. For replacement just use same battery specs and it will be fine (12V SLA, 7-9Ah, or do some modding like me and fit a slightly larger one).
The battery is replaceable but is not user-friendly.
i bought this ups and returned it after 5 days. the plastic literally stinks, it made my throat iritated. it has smell of made in tmchina plastic, its horrible.
im highly surprised and dissapointed in apc.
i got myself an EATON now.
EATON might be a good alternative. I haven't looked at their products yet and I wonder if they run the same scheme on "non replaceable batteries" and stuff like that.
They say WARRANTY 2 - 3 years ? - So leave it back and APC change for FREE ... ?!
maybe dont touch the ups when is unplugged and powered, its not grounded and can be dangerous
yes, 90€ for the battery is cleary THEFT, the full thing have cost me 65€
Now you can replace it a lot more cheaper.
APC with the anti-consumer bs. Asked them and they said the same thing: I should buy their expensive sh again.
Another reason might be that they do not want customers with no experience braking stuff, putting wrong batteries, doing short circuits, etc. Still they could make it "user replaceable" like their old models.
Software problem !
Just poor design quality, the transformer runs hot and dries out the battery. Charging voltage is ok.
@@TechTronic9000 are there ups with better transformer that doesn't get hot? Especially if the transformer is always running that is insane