Battery Selection, Select Battery Type

Battery Selection

Select Battery Type

Select batteries suitable for functionality within the ambient temperature ranges of your battery or traffic signal controller cabinets. Select “Deep Cycle” batteries to receive optimum performance from your UPS System. For lower initial costs in extreme climates, ordinary car or starting batteries or batteries rated in Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) may appeal, but are likely to offer a more limited number of backup events prior to failing (in which event AC output power would be interrupted). If the batteries you connect to the UPS System are not true Deep Cycle batteries, their operational lifetimes may be significantly shortened. Batteries of either Wet-Cell (vented) or Gel-Cell /Absorbed Glass Mat (sealed) construction are ideal. 6-volt “golf cart”, Marine Deep-Cycle or 8D Deep-Cycle batteries are also acceptable. You must set the UPS System’s Battery Type DIP Switch (see Configuration section for more information) to match the type of batteries you connect or your batteries may be degraded or damaged over an extended period of time.

Match Battery Amp-Hour Capacity to Your Application

Select a battery or system of batteries that will provide your UPS System with proper DC voltage and an adequate amp-hour capacity to power your application. Even though Tripp Lite UPS Systems are highly efficient at DC-to-AC inversion, their rated output capacities are lim- ited by the total amp-hour capacity of connected batteries.

NOTE: Unlike various competitors, Tripp Lite Traffic MOVE-UPS models operate on 12V input. In the event of prolonged power outages that exceed battery backup time, this design allows for easy tie-in of 12V power from a police cruiser or mainte- nance truck via jumper cables, to keep crucial traffic signals from going dark. This flexibility, in turn, may allow traffic managers to feel comfortable with fewer battery amp-hours and shorter back-up times, thereby minimizing budgetary outlays for batteries, auxilliary cabinets and battery maintenance.

• STEP 1: Determine Total Wattage Required

Add the wattage ratings of all equipment you will connect to your UPS System. Wattage ratings are usually listed in equipment manuals or on nameplates. If your equipment is rated in amps, multiply that number times AC utility voltage to determine watts.

Note: Your UPS System will operate at higher efficiencies at about 75% - 80% of nameplate rating.

• STEP 2: Determine DC Battery Amps Required

Divide the total wattage required (from step 1, above) by the battery voltage (12) to determine the DC amps required.

• STEP 3: Estimate Battery Amp-Hours Required

Multiply the DC amps required (from step 2, above) by the number of hours you estimate you will operate your equipment exclusively from battery power before you have to recharge your batteries with utility- or generator-supplied AC power. Compensate for inefficiency by mul- tiplying this number by 1.2. This will give you a rough estimate of how many amp-hours of battery power (from one or several batteries) you should connect to your UPS System.

NOTE! Battery amp-hour ratings are usually given for a 20-hour discharge rate. Actual amp-hour capacities are less when batteries are discharged at faster rates. For example, batteries discharged in 55 minutes provide only 50% of their listed amp-hour ratings, while batteries discharged in 9 minutes provide as little as 30% of their amp-hour ratings.

• STEP 4: Estimate Battery Recharge Required, Given Your Application

You must allow your batteries to recharge long enough to replace the charge lost during inverter operation or else you will eventually run down your batteries. To estimate the minimum amount of time you need to recharge your batteries given your application, divide your required battery amp-hours (from step 3, above) by your UPS System’s rated charging amps (see Specifications section).