[Novalug] Can I test a UPS battery?

[Beartooth]

 	I replaced the battery in one UPS yesterday, charged it 
all night, and swapped it out for the one on my wife's machine.

 	Now the one she had, which will fit into a stack of three 
on my desk, has been running two or three years, maybe four, 
supporting one computer and its monitor (with the printer using 
it for surge control).

 	We do have power failures occasionally; in fact, we came 
back a day or two ago from town to discover we had had a 
half-hour outage. All the computers were dead, of course. I 
didn't think to recharge the batteries, but simply got stuff 
going again.

 	I say all that in case any of it might be relevant. I 
tried googling "UPS battery test" -- and got a mass of stuff way 
over my head, aimed at sysadmins and others who speak hardware a 
thousand times better than I do. It was all Greek to me -- if not 
cuneiform Hittite or hieroglyphics. (I do read a little Greek 
at great need.)

 	I want to know whether the currently idle battery has 
enough life left to put into service, or whether it would be 
better to replace it now, before I do.

 	Is there a cheap and simple gadget I can use? Or would an 
ordinary garage be able to test it for me? Should I let it sit 
and recharge overnight, or test it as is?

-- 
Beartooth Implacable, Curmudgeon On Line
Know your enemies. They are your leaders.