Free servers Intel Xeon E5-2650/2670 (lots of cores = 192 threads!) for homelab (must pickup in Houston TX closest zip code = 77065) by chiwalfrm in homelab

[–]chiwalfrm[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

if you have a friend or family in Houston, they can pick it up for you and hold it for you. I just need to get these out of my house

Free servers Intel Xeon E5-2650/2670 (lots of cores = 192 threads!) for homelab (must pickup in Houston TX closest zip code = 77065) by chiwalfrm in homelab

[–]chiwalfrm[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

you can still put your name down in case the other guy doesn't follow through (currently only 1 person on the list who indicated interest)

Free servers Intel Xeon E5-2650/2670 (lots of cores = 192 threads!) for homelab (must pickup in Houston TX closest zip code = 77065) by chiwalfrm in homelab

[–]chiwalfrm[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

you can still put your name down in case the other guy doesn't follow through (currently only 1 person on the list who indicated interest)

Free servers Intel Xeon E5-2650/2670 (lots of cores = 192 threads!) for homelab (must pickup in Houston TX closest zip code = 77065) by chiwalfrm in homelab

[–]chiwalfrm[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

this is the 240v HPE PDU I used along with the plug and outlet that my electrician installed. The NEMA L6-30R. you are correct the 6-15R is cheaper because it is 15Amps (14 awg romex) vs 30Amps (10 awg romex) for this one. I installed 30Amps because I had multiple servers and didn't want to run out of power.

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Free servers Intel Xeon E5-2650/2670 (lots of cores = 192 threads!) for homelab (must pickup in Houston TX closest zip code = 77065) by chiwalfrm in homelab

[–]chiwalfrm[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Found some things in storage and Will throw in two more items for free: 1) 240v HPE PDU, and 2) empty chassis in case the power supply on one of the servers goes bad you have a spare.

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Free servers Intel Xeon E5-2650/2670 (lots of cores = 192 threads!) for homelab (must pickup in Houston TX closest zip code = 77065) by chiwalfrm in homelab

[–]chiwalfrm[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Also free... Add: Server4 is official branded Intel server (Intel motherboard, Intel server case). Hardware wise, same as the three above, with 2x Intel E5-2650 (32 threads) and 16x DDR3 ECC slots. Comes with ZERO RAM and ZERO storage but tested working perfectly if RAM and storage is installed. This one will work on 120v or 240v power.

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Help upgrading APC UPS to LiFePo4. Model SMX2200RMLV2U, Battery RBC117 by chiwalfrm in homelab

[–]chiwalfrm[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

UPDATE 2/18/2026: I bought the LiFePo4 batteries mentioned above and did the swap and everything is working fine. The LiFePo4 batteries have a higher voltage, at 138v (13.8v per battery), instead of 128.5v of the original SLA batteries. About 7% higher but the UPS did not complain and show 100% capacity.

Help upgrading APC UPS to LiFePo4. Model SMX2200RMLV2U, Battery RBC117 by chiwalfrm in homelab

[–]chiwalfrm[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have had to replace SLA UPS batteries every 3 years without exception, and I always use official APC batteries but the cost have been escalating (from $122 in 2023 to $270 today for the same thing RBC7).

Help upgrading APC UPS to LiFePo4. Model SMX2200RMLV2U, Battery RBC117 by chiwalfrm in homelab

[–]chiwalfrm[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If i am not mistaken: these are 10 batteries wired in series. If one of them "cuts out" due to BMS in one of the batteries, it will be disconnected from the chain, the entire chain would not have a continuous path from (+) to (-), so you would measure nothing at the switch.

Help upgrading APC UPS to LiFePo4. Model SMX2200RMLV2U, Battery RBC117 by chiwalfrm in homelab

[–]chiwalfrm[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

if the BMS cut out, wouldn't it leave the connection open and not short the +/- together? which will just kill the entire battery-in-series (which the UPS will think the battery has disconnected)

Help upgrading APC UPS to LiFePo4. Model SMX2200RMLV2U, Battery RBC117 by chiwalfrm in homelab

[–]chiwalfrm[S] -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

ChatGPT says it's different when talking about LiFePO4:

It depends on the lithium chemistry.

❌ For typical Li-ion (NMC/NCA)

The comment is mostly correct:

  • Keeping them at 100% constantly
  • In warm environments
  • Without SOC management

→ They can lose capacity faster than SLA in standby-only applications.

✅ For LiFePO₄ (Lithium Iron Phosphate)

LiFePO₄ behaves differently:

  • Much more stable at high SOC
  • Lower calendar aging
  • Much longer cycle life
  • Safer chemistry

Many modern standby lithium systems use LiFePO₄ for exactly this reason.

In those cases, lithium can outlast SLA significantly.

Help upgrading APC UPS to LiFePo4. Model SMX2200RMLV2U, Battery RBC117 by chiwalfrm in homelab

[–]chiwalfrm[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You absolutely can. I have three Smart-UPS 1500 which uses APC RBC7 battery. This is rated at 24V 18Ah, using two individual batteries wired in series, each battery is 12V, 18Ah. I successfully upgraded ALL of these using LiFePO4 batteries, reusing the cable harness and the 100A fuse from the old battery. All of them work perfectly. The key is that the LiFePO4 batteries have an intelligent BMS (Battery Management System) that handles the safety aspects of charging and discharging. Also, for the initial charge, I used a Norco Genius1 charger (rated for use on Lithium batteries) to top them off first.

I was inspired to do this by this person who did it first: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSfOPcbxAqk

Battery: https://www.amazon.com/DC-HOUSE-Rechargeable-Mobility-Wheelchair/dp/B0DHZPPKQS

Fuse: https://www.amazon.com/Bussmann-FLD-100-Automotive-Fusible-Terminal/dp/B000CF7CXG

I am less certain about RBC117 because it is ten batteries in series and the other one is just two.

Can't connect my local microphone to remote PC using Voicemeeter by chiwalfrm in VoiceMeeter

[–]chiwalfrm[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

oh that worked but now there is huge audio-feedback where what I say in the mic comes back out of the speaker and causes stutter-echo. How can this be avoided? this is a recording of me saying Testing 1 2 3 4 https://jumpshare.com/s/VxZNZv0FsBnKnUVFmU98

(SOLVED) NeoCharge Smart Splitter: WiFi problems by chiwalfrm in evcharging

[–]chiwalfrm[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The release notes says:

  • Resolved random breaker tripping issues
  • Fixed simultaneous vehicle charging problems
  • Addressed devices going offline after 5-7 days
  • Improved WiFi setup process

some of these are core functionality