TheBug - PowerSolve PS036

Introduction

The PS036-10A from PowerSolve is a simple to operate battery backup solution, designed for use with small electronic devices, e.g. routers, cameras etc. This UPS ensures uninterrupted power during a mains 230V outage, providing emergency support to compatible devices that normally rely on an AC/DC adapter.

It includes a voltage sensing circuit that matches the UPS to the AC/DC adapter that is connected to it; the compatible voltages that are auto matched are 12/15/19/24V. The PS036-10A is rated capable of delivering up to 36Watts output.

The PS036-10A has two separate outputs. One is permanently wired to a standard 5.5/2.1mm jack on a 30cm lead, the second available connection is via a rewireable “molex style” 2 pin connector. This allows a second device with a different type of connector to be supplied with power. The auto selected output voltage is common to both connection. Battery capacity is shared between the two outputs.

The UPS is supplied with a set of 6 adaptor jacks to allow it to connect to a variety of barrel/pin sizes.

Three LEDs are used to indicate status of the batteries and the UPS operation.

It is controlled by a soft touch Power ON/OFF button. The UPS is supplied with six adaptor jacks to allow it to connect to a range of 5.5/4.8/3.5 Barrel -1.35/1.7/2.5mm centre Pin devices.

Key Points

Supplier Specification https://powersolve.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/POS36-10A-data-sheet-1.pdf

Quoted prices Feb2021 £53.5 +£14 packaging + VAT, £81.00 from PowerSolve directly.

Can Supply up to 36Watts e.g. 3Amps@12VDC

Autodetecting voltage setting 12/15/19/24V

Emergency Runtime for a typical Router (6-8Watts) is between 4hours10" and 3hours10"

Battery recharge power allowance 6Watts. Recharge time from empty ~8Hours

No Manual On/Off through soft button. Cannot be switched on without an input supply connected.

Audio warning of power and battery status, no ability to mute a very annoying tone.

Two output connections

A Power/Charging LED is used to both indicate whether the UPS is switched ON and whether there is an external source of power connected to the Input. I

LED Off: UPS is Off, no power connected
LED Solid Green: UPS is On and there is power connected to the Input jack
LED Flashing Green: battery is recharging and there is power connected to the Input jack.

A battery in use LED indicates when the UPS is using power from the internal batteries

LED Off, battery not in use
LED Solid Amber, power being supplied from internal batteries

A warning LED indicate the status of the UPS

LED Off, no faults
LED Solid Red, equipment fault, voltage error,
LED Flashing Red, battery failure.

The UPS Automatically turns on when input power is detected, it auto detects the input voltage and changes the output voltage to match accordingly. It must be switched off between changes in input voltage.

The UPS can be turned Off, if there is no input power, by pressing and holding the Power Button for 5 seconds.

The PS036-10A contains 4 off 2500mAh lithium-ion cells, arranged in a 2S2P form, with a nominal total capacity of 37Wh.

The PS036-10A does provide an audible warning when a mains input power cut occurs, the other indication of a power cut is that the Battery LED illuminates Amber. In the event of an extended power cut, the UPS cannot be turned off and back on again.

Connection

Designed for ease of use, the PS036-10A is simply connected** between the electronic device and an associated AC/DC adapter. This setup introduces a useful battery backup function with minimal effort. The UPS is activated when input power is connected. The input voltage sets the output voltage, to 12, 15, 19 or 24VDC; the UPS must be switched Off if the input voltage level is changed.

**When intending to use it with a device's existing AC/DC adapter, a crucial assumption comes into play: the device’s adapter must meet both the electronic device's peak power needs and provide the extra power required for UPS battery recharging after a power cut. Testing indicates that the PS036-10A needs 6 Watts (or 0.5Amps at 12V) for recharging, with a typical maximum recharge time of 7 hours. It is essential to carefully consider this additional power requirement when integrating the PS036-10A into an existing setup, and appropriately manage the AC/DC adapter's power budget. In cases of doubt, opting for an uprated AC/DC supply is strongly recommended to minimize the potential risks of failure and fire.

In the event of uncertainty, a simple mains power monitor can be used to help determine the peak and average power used. Note the AC input power measured will be slightly different to the DC figures but can be used as a good indication of power demand in a particular situation.

Testing and Performance

Performance testing on a unit found that the usable capacity, when supplying 6 Watts at 12VDC, was 25Wh compared to a theoretical maximum of 37Wh, or 67% usable capacity. The UPS required ~28Wh to fully recharge the batteries; this implies either a fault in the batteries on the unit tested, or an error in the documentation. It should be noted that the Charging Status LED stops flashing green at or very close to a nominal 100% charge. When fully charged and connected to an operational device, the UPS uses <1Watt for its normal function, so has low overhead running costs.

The PS036-10A provides an audible warning when a mains input power cut occurs, and the Power/Charge indicator LED turn Off and the Battery Use LED illuminates Amber. A further audible warning is generated continuously once the battery power level falls below approx. 20% remaining. The warning tone and volume of the unit tested were hard to ignore and there is no simple method of temporarily muting the warning, this warning tone can run continuously for over an hour depending on the rate of power use.

It was observed that when supplying the maximum rated 3Amps (nominal 36Watts) the UPS casing warmed to ~32DegC.

Using the PS036-10A with a B4RN supplied Zyxel VMG8825 Router.

The Zyxel VMG8825, used for testing, was supplied with a 36Watt AC/DC adapter. Analysis of the VMG8825 power usage showed that when operating Wi-Fi and a single ethernet port, the average demand was approximately 6.5 Watts. This means the supplied AC/DC adapter was capable of powering both the router at 6.5Watts and the UPS max recharge power of 6 Watts. If the Zyxel AC/DC adapter is retained then it is essential that the total power demand from the router and any attached devices does not exceed 30 Watts, note the UPS is not the limiting factor as it is capable of delivering 36Watts.

When powering a Zyxel VMG8825 from the PS036-10A in battery mode, the router ran for 3Hours 30Minutes. The router had two ethernet link in use along with Wi-Fi active and low power USB device plugged in. No Telephone ports were being operated. The router average power demand over the test cycle was 7.6Watts