[Nut-upsuser] Powercool UPS compatibility

Sun Jun 27 12:48:55 BST 2021

On Saturday 26 June 2021 12:22:51 James Billinge via Nut-upsuser wrote:

> Hi Jim,
>
> Just a quick update email to say thank you for the effort you did to
> fold in Hunnox and Powercool.
>
> A user on the unRAID forum did a build for me with the updates and
> once I put that in place of the existing NUT install, my Powercool UPS
> was recognised.
>
> Whilst it doesn’t give everything first time, my ups.conf is now this:
>
> [ups]
> driver = nutdrv_qx
> port = auto
> vendorid = 0001
> productid = 0000
> protocol = hunnox
> langid_fix = 0x0409
> novendor
> noscanlangid
> default.battery.voltage.high = 27.50
> default.battery.voltage.low = 24.00
> default.battery.voltage.nominal = 21.40

If this is accurate, and it may not be, your battery has at least one 
shorted cell. Check it with a regular voltmeter. s/b above 25 volts if 
fully charged.

> i’m still to “calibrate” / teach NUT but your efforts and the above
> have given unRAID the ability to communicate with the Powercool 1000VA
> UPS and safely shut down unRAID which is exactly what I needed.
>
> I hope this info is helpful to anyone who has the Powercool UPS and
> that it enables Powercool to be added to NUT’s compatibility list.
>
> Thanks again!
>
> James
>
>
>
> From: James Billinge<mailto:jammybisme at hotmail.com>
> Sent: 20 April 2021 14:13
> To: Jim Klimov<mailto:jimklimov at gmail.com>
> Cc:
> nut-upsuser at alioth-lists.debian.net<mailto:nut-upsuser at alioth-lists.de
>bian.net> Subject: Re: [Nut-upsuser] Powercool UPS compatibility
>
> Wonderful news Jim.
>
> Much obliged sir!
>
> I will reach out to the developer and make them aware.
>
> You never know. They might even be on this mailing list.
>
> Regards
>
> James
>
>
> On 20 Apr 2021, at 09:57, Jim Klimov <jimklimov at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi all,
>
> In the comments for https://github.com/networkupstools/nut/pull/638/
> adding support for "hunnox" subdriver I saw somebody report that the
> branch also supported their Powercool branded device. I am brushing
> that submission into shape to merge it, and for that matter also plan
> to merge the https://github.com/networkupstools/nut/pull/1008 adding
> an "snr" subdriver.
>
> So hopefully a build of NUT from the master branch after these merges
> would let your deployment see your UPS better. That said, you may have
> to poke the unRAID plugin maintainer to update their package.
>
> Jim
>
> On Thu, Apr 8, 2021 at 11:02 AM James Billinge
> <jammybisme at hotmail.com<mailto:jammybisme at hotmail.com>> wrote: hi Jim,
>
> please see -
> https://forums.unraid.net/topic/60217-plugin-nut-v2-network-ups-tools
> [Plugin] NUT v2 - Network UPS Tools - Plugin Support -
> Unraid<https://forums.unraid.net/topic/60217-plugin-nut-v2-network-ups
>-tools> On 3/24/2018 at 12:02 PM, huffsper said: Did you find anything
> weird looking at the log? I noticed in my logs that unBALANCE is using
> rm -rf to delete files, wouldnt using rsyncs --remove-source-files be
> better? I took a look and didnt find anything unusual. There were a
> couple of instances where...
> forums.unraid.net<http://forums.unraid.net>
>
> this is the app i am using to use NUT.
>
> what you say about ups.conf is what i have entered and it fails to
> start NUT.
>
> i've PM'ed dmacias on the unraid forums for advice but no response
> since the weekend when i sent it and the forum thread isn't actively
> responded to either.
>
> really need dmacias to respond to enable guidance.
>
> nut-scanner works, it picks up this:
>
> Scanning for UPS...
>
> [nutdev1]
> driver = "nutdrv_qx"
> port = "auto"
> vendorid = "0001"
> productid = "0000"
> product = "MEC0003"
> bus = "002"
>
>
> but nutdrv_qx isn't a driver option so i pick "custom" and enter it
> in, it then appears in UPS.conf and i can start/run NUT but i do not
> get any readings and it says ONLINE. but if i cut the power, it
> doesn't change status or act on it.
>
>
> since nutdrv_atcl_usb doesn't work, i feel its because its missing. if
> i could know how to put that driver in, it would be interesting to see
> what NUT did if it saw it.
>
>
> i will post on the unraid forum again.
>
> thanks for the help Jim. hopefully a solution will be found!
>
>
>
>
>
>
> From: Jim Klimov <jimklimov at gmail.com<mailto:jimklimov at gmail.com>>
> Sent: 08 April 2021 09:38
> To: James Billinge
> <jammybisme at hotmail.com<mailto:jammybisme at hotmail.com>> Cc:
> nut-upsuser at alioth-lists.debian.net<mailto:nut-upsuser at alioth-lists.de
>bian.net>
> <nut-upsuser at alioth-lists.debian.net<mailto:nut-upsuser at alioth-lists.d
>ebian.net>> Subject: Re: [Nut-upsuser] Powercool UPS compatibility
>
> I took a look at https://github.com/dmacias72/NUT-unRAID/ plugin
> source (not sure it is the one you have, just the first recent plugin
> from googling).
>
> Unfortunately it does not seem to reference actual NUT source well,
> nor a plugin version, but just hoards several timestamped tarballs
> with binaries. By commit comments it seems that at least at some point
> they used the "libusb-0.1+1.0" branch which is one of our attempts to
> handle modern libusb-1 in NUT (note none of the attempts yet were
> merged to master or released "officially", but we are on it).
>
> I can't quickly say if latest plugin builds are based on that too, or
> if you may have a mismatch with drivers last built for libusb-0.1
> trying to use libusb-1.0 on the server. APIs differ so such mismatch
> might cause crashes, or just fail to start if dynamic linking detects
> it.
>
> As for ups.conf, I think you should try a minimal config like:
>
> [powercool]
> driver=nutdrv_atcl_usb
> port=auto
>
> (port probably may refer to /dev/usb/... if that is persistent across
> boots and device plugs, but does not have to).
>
> What also comes to mind are issues with linux user privileges -
> whether that account which runs NUT may connect to USB device nodes.
> But if nut-scanner worked, probably that is okay.
>
> If you can edit /etc/rc.d/rc.ups, in the line which starts upsdrvctl
> you can add debugging with -DDDDDD which should show its attempts to
> find the USB device and possible griefs it may have along the way.
>
> Note that currently, an enabled debugging mode may preclude
> backgrounding of the driver or other NUT daemons so not sure if you'd
> need to add & to the end of line so upsdrvctl is backgrounded still.
>
> Or if you have shell access, similarly you can run
>   /usr/libexec/nut/nutdrv_atcl_usb -DDDDDD -a powercool
>
> Hope that helps,
> Jim Klimov
> On Thu, Apr 8, 2021, 07:44 James Billinge
> <jammybisme at hotmail.com<mailto:jammybisme at hotmail.com>> wrote: Hi Jim
>
> Thanks for the reply.
>
> In NUT under unRAID there is indeed a setting to enter a driver in.
>
> Which driver are you suggesting I try as nutdrv_qx makes NUT work, but
> no communication between NUT and the UPS.
>
> Just tried nutdrv_atcl_usb.c as driver and NUT will not start.
>
> Is there anything else I need to enter in UPS.conf to get it to work?
>
> Regards
>
> James
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>
> On 8 Apr 2021, at 02:22, Jim Klimov
> <jimklimov at gmail.com<mailto:jimklimov at gmail.com>> wrote: 
> I believe nutdrv_atcl_usb is orthogonal to nutdrv_qx "fuji" subdriver.
> They both handle devices using an "ATCL" USB chip which does not have
> a registered vendorId/productId, but that is where similarity stops.
> Different UPS vendors implemented different protocols and abilities
> using that chip as a transport, hence two unrelated drivers.
>
> It seems the HCL entry appeared in relation to this discussion:
> https://github.com/networkupstools/nut/issues/203
>
> Looking at
> https://github.com/networkupstools/nut/blob/master/drivers/nutdrv_atcl
>_usb.c it indeed does not have many settings, just an alternate
> "vendor" string to match on a device which it finds with hardcoded
> vid:pid by looking at all USB devices.
>
> Unfortunately I can't help with setup of unRAID bit. I'd assume there
> is a place to state which NUT driver you want.
>
> Jim
>
>
> On Tue, Apr 6, 2021, 22:12 James Billinge via Nut-upsuser
> <nut-upsuser at alioth-lists.debian.net<mailto:nut-upsuser at alioth-lists.d
>ebian.net>> wrote: I have spent the last few days researching the
> possibility of using a Powercool UPS with NUT under unRAID.
>
> I have posted my findings on their forums and not had much response
> besides other users wanting it to work too.
>
> https://forums.unraid.net/topic/104685-powercool-ups-compatible/
>
>
> How does one utilise nutdrv_actl_usb?
>
> https://networkupstools.org/docs/man/nutdrv_atcl_usb.html
>
> As a means of connecting to a Powercool UPS along with nutdrv_qx?
>
> Seeing this -
> https://github.com/cbedgar/nut/blob/1e9216399b890b0770a0e8b158109eaa5e
>61d332/data/driver.list.in
>
> Fills me with hope that it’s feasible.
>
>
> Is it feasible or am I wasting my time?
>
> James
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Cheers, Gene Heskett
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