[Nut-upsdev] help with TRIPP LITE SMART550USB

[Charles Lepple]

On 1/13/06, Charles Lepple <clepple at gmail.com> wrote:
> If you search for usbsnoopy in the archives, you will probably find a
> list of instructions for creating a USB log. I will try and look for
> it later.

OK, I can't find any old instructions.

Basically, to decode the protocol, you want to power your computer
from an unswitched outlet, and plug a dummy load into the UPS (like a
bunch of light bulbs, or a CRT monitor or old PC you don't care too
much about). This prevents you from accidentally shutting down the
machine while you are writing data to disk.

>From here on out, I assume you have a Windows PC with the vendor's UPS
management software. Get usbsnoop [1] and see if you can identify the
device.

[1] http://benoit.papillault.free.fr/usbsnoop/index.php.en

You are most likely going to want to select the device for logging,
then unplug and replug the device so that you see the initial
communication with the UPS.

Be sure to mark down times when you make changes to the system, so
that you can interpret the log later.

Pull the power plug on the UPS. Note how long it takes to get to a low
battery condition, and then see how much longer it takes to completely
drain it. If the UPS management software indicates battery percentages
or runtimes, mark them down as well - they will be handy for
calibration later.

Sometimes, the UPS will record ambient temperature, so the approximate
room temperature (in degrees C) is good to know.

When you are done, tell usbsnoop to close the logfile. Let us know how
big the file is before posting it - if it's huge, we might ask you to
just email it directly to one of the developers (pkzipped or gzipped
is preferred).

Feel free to ask the nut-upsdev list if you have questions.

--
- Charles Lepple