Getting rid of annoying UPS beeps

Living in an area with very frequent powercuts, I’m often annoyed by the constant beeping of the UPS at odd hours. I have a system that is constantly on and is connected to a very basic UPS that provides no power management features at all (via USB or serial). In Bangalore, you don’t really need a constant buzzing sound to remind you that the power is out, the unbearable heat is enough to get you up and about. I thought of many ways to try and kill the stupid buzzer but all (non intrusive) methods failed. Today, during a “scheduled” power outage decided to take the damn thing apart and figure out how I could get rid of it. The UPS in question is made by APC with the model number BackUPS ES 500. It’s pretty easy to take apart with a standard star screwdriver.

I had a look at the circuit board inside and found an area helpfully labeled BZR1 with a tiny buzzer attached. One could easily remove the buzzer from the circuit board using a soldering iron or a similar implement but I was fresh out of luck. Using a pair of pliers I twisted the buzzer until it came off clean. I double checked to see that I hadn’t shorted any connections and put it back together. It took me almost forty minutes to re-assemble the UPS but it was well worth it. Back to beep free power outages! Related comic: Fly you fools!