How do I get Snow Leopard to recognize an old RS-232 UPS?

Question

Instead of blowing $100+ on a brand new UPS, I decided to try to resuscitate the ancient CPS350SL that got me through college and grad school. One $7 sealed lead-acid battery later and it's back in business and working like a champ.

The other (equally important) half of the UPS equation is software; I'd like my Mac Mini to recognize the imminent blackness and dismount external drives, hibernate, etc. Unfortunately, ye olde CPS350SL lacks a USB connection; it's RS-232 only. I have an RS-232 to USB adapter, so the connection is a non-issue.

My question: How do I get Energy Saver within Snow Leopard to recognize my RS-232 based UPS?

Answer 1

You probably can't. The USB to serial adapter is going to create a serial port, and the system isn't going to know what to do with it. USB UPS's are recognized based on the ID of the USB device when they are plugged in.