The Powerwise UPS communicates with the host computer at 2400 baud, 8 bits, no parity, 1 stop bit. The pinout for the DB9 port is documented on the communications port page. The data exchange with the UPS is not foolproof, so it's a good idea to poll a second or third time if you get responses that are illogical.
I've created a unix shell script that can be used to talk to the Powerwise UPS. I've only tested it with the L900, but it should work with its siblings. Change the TTY variable to match the actual place where you've connected the UPS.
A few words about the information below. The utility mentioned is the power company. The Load is the output of the UPS. The Battery is the battery string. I'm still deciphering the status strings.
All prompts and responses are followed by CR/NL (carriage return and new line). This makes it very easy to parse from a Unix script.
The data exchange looks like this...
First we have some initialization settings. I'm not sure what they do, as I've copied them from the Powerwise AssistantHost sends UPS Response Z Z Ax 1 OK Sg 65535 OK Sx 7 OK Sx 1 OK Si 3000 01 2At this point, we can start querying the UPS. These are the strings and meanings that I've found so far. In each case the query string is followed by a carriage return and new line.
Query Meaning Response Meaning from from UPS Computer ==== ====================== ======= ============== Uv Utility Voltage xxx.xx 12190 121.90 v Uf Utility Frequency 60 60 Hz Lv Load Voltage 12133 121.33 v Lc Load Current 145 1.45 amps Ll Load % of possible load 16 16% of capacity Bl Battery % charged 99 99 % Bn Battery time remaining 5040 50.40 minutes Bs Battery Status XX00XXXX XXX0XXXX Bv Battery Voltage 5475 54.75 Volts Ss Some status 0XX00000 Us Utility Status? XXXXXX00 Bx 1 Run Self test OK Ls load status? XXX0XXXX XXX11000Ss = 0XX00100 while self test is running if the self test is initiated from the front panel.