Introduction: Repurposing a Ups; Making an Inverter the Easy Way.

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About: daring and inquisitive

I have always been a fan of alternative power supply. But the truth is building one from scratch would be alot of fun but that doesn't mean one cant take advantage of a hack. my inspiration after pouring through Link 1, Link 2, link 3, Link 4, Link 5, Link 6 , Link 7 and Link 8 here on instructables i decided to take the easy way out.

so to do that i will show you how i made my own the easy way

N/P I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE OR BODILY HARM ACQUIRED OR INCURED BY USING THIS INSTRUCTABLE OR FOLLOWING OTHER WORKS SIGHTED IN THIS WORK. USER DISCRETION IS ADVISED IF YOU MUST FOLLOW THIS WORK

Step 1: Tools and Materials

You will be needing some basic tools

  • screw driver
  • plier
  • hammer
  • soldiering iron and lead

and the material would be

  • pc fan
  • some wires
  • battery lead wires
  • nuts and bolts
  • a ups of course(either working or dead definitly has to be a spare or scavanged)

Step 2: Disassemble the Unit

This hack is centered around a mercury classic 600 model. taking out the 4 screws on the side and the 2 under the front cover you have acess to the circuitry. With out wasting time lets walk through the process and lets have light asap

Step 3: Buzzer

The first to go will have to be the very annoying buzzer. Locate the buzzer and de-soldier it. you can power on the ups if you cant find a black cylinderical electronic componet with a + sign on the top beside the peaker opening.*********RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK BECAREFUL AROUND ELECTRICITY***********

Step 4: Extend the Battery Terminals

In my case i didnt have cables for extending since i wanted my unit to be compact in my room. i made use of the battery connectors from an old 8kva generator we use to have. For the mounting since i didnt have copper lug and a crimping tool i decided to use the already existing head. To achieve this use a flat screw driver to open up the battery plug heads use a plier to squeeze it open and flat, DO NOT HAMMER THE TERMINALS IT WILL BREAK. Remove the network extender and the programmer port of the ups, and fasten the battery cables and the battery terminal from the ups on either side to the back casing using some washer in between.

Step 5: Ventilation

Create huge fan ducts for the MOSFETS and the TRANSFORMERS. The are existing vent grill on the ups given the run tim of the ups which is in minutes, but for a possible prolong use there is need for a channel for large air current to move across the heat sinks. i used my cutter to cut away the inlect duct and on the out let side nipped the strips of plastic fins. Besure to mount the fan as close as possible to the heat sinks. Using my multi meter i was able to locate the inline power distribution switch. That meant the fan didnt have to have a separate switch or be permanetly on.

Step 6: Moment of Truth; Did It Work?

couple the unit back together the hack is done check and plug back all cables double check your connection. And yes it did as you can see from the video, the light bulb and fan comes on.

TIPS TO CONSIDER

  • Buy or use ups with no load cut off switch
  • avoid the programmable types if ur not a tech guru
  • You must install a fan to keep thing cool
  • use sealed batteries
  • install your unit away from living areas if your using any battery that gives off fumes while charging i.e lead acid batteries
  • where safety gloves when touching th circuit of a powered inverter
  • Remember to dispose of the dead battery in your hacked inverter properly
  • use correct wire guage corresponding to the wattage you want to draw from your unit
  • install in line fuses and break down your energy requirement into smaller units than bulking them up into one or better still get a bigger ups.


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