updated

LDP/howto/docbook/UPS-HOWTO.xml

@@ -26,6 +26,14 @@
 </authorgroup>
 
 <revhistory>
+   <revision>
+      <revnumber>2.2</revnumber>
+      <date>2007-05-22</date>
+      <authorinitials>esr</authorinitials>
+       <revremark>
+	 Minor update with more info about battery types.
+       </revremark>
+   </revision>
    <revision>
       <revnumber>2.1</revnumber>
       <date>2005-09-28</date>
@@ -101,7 +109,7 @@ yourself.</para>
 
 <para>The advice in this document is aimed primarily at small
 installations &mdash; one computer and one UPS.  Thus we'll focus on
-consumer-grade UPes, especially those designed for home and
+consumer-grade UPSes, especially those designed for home and
 small-business use.  If you are a data center administrator running a
 big server farm, there is a whole different (and much more expensive)
 range of technologies we'll do no more than hint at here.</para>
@@ -164,7 +172,7 @@ fractions of a second to hours. This can be caused by heavy equipment coming on
 line such as shop tools, elevators, compressors etc. Also occurs when
 utility companies deliberately do this to cope with peak load times.</para>
  
-<para>A <emphasis>spike</emphasis> is a remendous increase in voltage over
+<para>A <emphasis>spike</emphasis> is a tremendous increase in voltage over
 a very short period of time often caused by a direct lightning strike on a
 power line or when power returns after a blackout.</para>
 
@@ -470,13 +478,12 @@ that.  Running unprotected is false economy, because you
 and, Murphy's Law being what it is, you will always get hit at the
 worst possible time.</para>
 
-<para>One thing to note is that you typically shouldn't put a
-laser printer on a UPS &mdash; toner heaters draw enough current to
-overload a UPS and cause a shutdown within seconds.  The other thing
-is that you can't even put the laser printer on the same circuit with
-a UPS &mdash; the heater kicks on every 20-30 seconds, and most UPSs
-will see the current draw as a brownout.  So buy a separate line
-conditioner for the laser printer.</para>
+<para>One thing to note is that you typically shouldn't put a laser printer
+on the brownout-protected sockets in a UPS &mdash; toner heaters draw
+enough current to overload a UPS and cause a shutdown within
+seconds. Modern UPSes generally have some plugs that are marked
+surge-suppressed but not filtered through the battery; plug your
+printer into one of those.</para>
 
 <para>A UPS should be wired directly to (or plugged directly into) the
 AC supply (i.e. a surge suppressor is neither required nor suggested
@@ -523,11 +530,11 @@ American Power Corporation.</para>
 
 <para>Both are solid, well-run projects.  Their development groups are
 mutually friendly, and there has been occasional talk of a merger.
-Awkwardly, as of October 2003 the <application>apcupsd</application>
-project is the more featureful of the two, with, among other things,
-better USB support and better documentation &mdash; but the NUT tools
-have a cleaner architecture, more developers, and acceptance in Red Hat
-and other major distributions.</para>
+Awkwardly, the <application>apcupsd</application> project is in many ways
+the more featureful of the two, with, among other things, better USB
+support and better documentation &mdash; but the NUT tools have a cleaner
+architecture, more developers, and acceptance in Red Hat and other major
+distributions.</para>
 
 <para>My advice is simple; run <application>apcupsd</application> if
 you buy an APC UPS, and the NUT tools if you buy anything else.  RPMs
@@ -688,6 +695,18 @@ do this for you.  If not, your local garbage company or waste-disposal
 authority can explain to you how and where to turn them in
 safely.</para>
 
+<para>Many UPS models use gel-cel batteries in standard formats like 12.0
+V, 7.2Ah (151x64x94 mm).  Warning: Many manufactors sell two or three
+different types: standard use, cyclic use and high-current use.  UPSes
+require high-current and some UPS don't work well with batteries for
+standard use, because the voltage goes low too early under high load (the
+UPS turns off too fast or the output voltage drops so that the computer
+turns off). Standard batteries are for alarm devices, emergency lights or
+things like that.  For instance Panasonic sells the "LCR127R2PG1"
+(standard), and "UPRW1245P1" (high current), Fiamm the "FG20271" (standard)
+and "FGH20902" (high current), CSB the "GP1272" (standard) and "HR 1234W"
+(high current).</para>
+
 <para>Below, you will find some suggestions for buying replacement
 batteries. One <emphasis>important</emphasis> note of caution: at
 least one user purchased one of the aftermarket batteries noted below