Strange sounds from back-up battery

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I’m having a strange issue the last days and I don’t know if I have to worry or not.

I have a Mustek PowerMust 600 USB. If you’re curious, it’s this:

I have it for the last 7 months and it works fine. But recently I’m having a strange issue. Sometimes, it makes a click sound out of nowhere. The electricity is still here (the light of my desk is still turned on) and there is no indication that something is going on (at least as far as I can tell). Just a click sound from the USB. It still works, it still makes my PC working after pulling it out from the electric current, but this out-of-nowhere sound scares me. What it’s going on? Has anybody else had experienced something like this?

I miss Windows XP...

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Did the back-up battery come with some software to install on your computer. If it did, install the software and see if it has a troubleshooting section.

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Terring

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No software. Just plug-and-play.

I miss Windows XP...

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How about their website. Have you checked for a manual, information on the click, there?

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Terring

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https://mustek.de/product/powermust-600-usb/

Windows - commercial by definition and now function...

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Elly, Terring

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The WinPower software mentioned on page 9 of the manual can be downloaded at https://mustek.de/drivers/index.php

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Elly, Terring

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The manual says nothing about random clicks, only about the buzzer (which has never been beeped when AC supply is normal). I guess I’ll need a new back-up battery because this one is old.

I miss Windows XP...

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There was recently a fire in my city. The suspected cause was a defective battery backup unit. If you suspect that the unit is bad, please unplug it and dispose of it as soon as possible in an appropriate way, so that it doesn’t cause a fire.

In reality, unless you are very knowledgeable about batteries and such, there isn’t much you can do with a defective battery backup unit except replace it. Also, by replacing it, you will get new, up-to-date technology, rather than trying to fix old technology.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

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Terring

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Old-style UPSs with internal mechanical relays used to click a lot in certain circumstances. I suppose it isn’t out of the question that that model would use those too. Some models also used to give an audible hum…

Oh well, if it hasn’t made a sound before and now does, that is probably a sign that it’ll need something done to it. Possibly just a servicing though, even some low-end models may have replacement battery packs available… typical battery lifetime being 5 years or so.

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One year later I think I found the problem. It’s not the USB itself but the electric grid of my city. Especially when it rains (and recently we have a lot of rains here in Piraeus) the lights may play for a split of second. When this happens, the USB makes this sound. Just like last year this period again. Bad weather, very small glitches in the electric grid, the USB makes the sound. Nothing worrisome I hope.

I miss Windows XP...

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@ Terring:

You mentioned it being “old”. How old is it? You mentioned you’ve had it for 7 months (back in December 2018). If it’s more that 3-4 years old now, the battery  could be going bad.

Does it work if you disconnect it from the Mains? If your computer is a desktop, shut it down and plug a light fixture of some kind into a BATTERY backup connection on the UPS. Use at least 60-100 watt bulb, then pull the power cord out of the wall, see if the light bulb stays on. If it stays on for at least a minute (or longer?), then the battery is probably OK. If your computer is a laptop, trying to test the UPS with that plugged in on it’s battery charger won’t work, as the battery in the laptop will take over in case of any power loss (assuming the battery in the laptop is good).

You also mentioned you have power fluctuations in your town. I Googled “city of Piraeus”, and it shows that it is in south-eastern Greece (wow, 7 miles from Athens!) If there are minor power fluctuations in the local power grid, those generally cause a UPS to cut in and out to modulate those power spikes and dips. It’s doing its job as long as it’s still supplying power to your equipment.

I’d also install the software mentioned by “b” last December, see if it reports on the status of the UPS, like the battery voltage, if it logs any power bumps, etc.

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