Re: [Apcupsd-users] apcupsd not showing any UPS load

[Ted M. <te...@mi...>]

The SMC series has always been problematical.  Among other things it's 
firmware never supported MODBUS.  It also never had a smartcard slot.   
It's a very cost-reduced version of the SMT.  It supports Microlink only 
and POSSIBLY it supports the USB-HID-UPS documented here:

https://www.usb.org/sites/default/files/documents/pdcv10.pdf

You MIGHT get it working with 
https://networkupstools.org/docs/man/usbhid-ups.html

apcupsd also mostly supports this as well BUT it does not always work.

There is some reverse-engineering of that protocol here and you might 
this to work:

https://sites.google.com/site/klaasdc/apc-smartups-decode

The model of UPS that supports MODBUS is the SMT series.  It also 
supports a smartcard slot.

Unfortunately, although many times in the past on this list we have 
advised against the SMC series people don't check and we will get posts 
like this from time to time.  Unfortunately, nobody has ever followed up 
and I strongly suspect people issue returns on this model of UPS the 
minute they find out about the problem.

Ted

On 11/26/2025 3:56 PM, Jeffery Small wrote:

> Xubuntu:    24.04.3
> apcupsd:    3.14.143.1build2  (standard Ubuntu package)
> UPS:	    New APC SMC1500C with USB connection
>
> I just built a new Linux workstation with a new APC UPS.  Everything is
> running fine except that the monitor is showing no load despite all of
> my equipment plugged into the UPS.  Here is a link to a screenshot:
>
> http://cjsa.com/misc/apcupsd_01.png
>
> Any reason that this is happening?  On my previous system with the same UPS
> which was more than five years old, all of this worked fine.  Could this
> be a configuration issue?  I believe I'm using the same configuration as
> the last machine.  Here is my /etc/apcupsd/apcupsd.conf file stripped of
> comments and empty lines:
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> UPSNAME CUP_SMC_1500
> UPSCABLE usb
> UPSTYPE usb
> DEVICE
> LOCKFILE /var/lock
> SCRIPTDIR /etc/apcupsd
> PWRFAILDIR /etc/apcupsd
> NOLOGINDIR /etc
> ONBATTERYDELAY 10
> BATTERYLEVEL 10
> MINUTES 5
> TIMEOUT 0
> ANNOY 300
> ANNOYDELAY 480
> NOLOGON disable
> KILLDELAY 0
> NETSERVER on
> NISIP 127.0.0.1
> NISPORT 3551
> EVENTSFILE /var/log/apcupsd.events
> EVENTSFILEMAX 20
> UPSCLASS standalone
> UPSMODE disable
> STATTIME 0
> STATFILE /var/log/apcupsd.status
> LOGSTATS off
> DATATIME 0
> -----------------------------------------------------------
>
> I also find that I cannot run a selftest on the ups which seems very
> strange.  As root, here is what I do:
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> # service apcupsd stop
> # apctest
>
> This part of apctest is for testing USB UPSes.
>
> Getting UPS capabilities...SUCCESS
>
> Please select the function you want to perform.
>
> 1)  Test kill UPS power
> 2)  Perform self-test
> 3)  Read last self-test result
> 4)  View/Change battery date
> 5)  View manufacturing date
> 6)  View/Change alarm behavior
> 7)  View/Change sensitivity
> 8)  View/Change low transfer voltage
> 9)  View/Change high transfer voltage
> 10) Perform battery calibration
> 11) Test alarm
> 12) View/Change self-test interval
>   Q) Quit
>
> Select function number: 2
>
>
> This test instructs the UPS to perform a self-test
> operation and reports the result when the test completes.
>
> I don't know how to run a self test on your UPS
> or your UPS does not support self test.
> -----------------------------------------------------------
>
> I would think that this type of unit would be able to perform the
> self test.  Could this also be a config issue?
>
> Any pointers are appreciated.
>
> Regards,