Product Opinions & Reviews

Hi ! "Axpert", "Infini", "Mpp Solar". All look similar. The identical or almost identical specifications. What is the original engineering brand and / or the copies (fakes with another brand)?

Hi. Anyone had any experience with the growatt. I got a unit in to see what it is all about.

Hello everyone !! I found a very interesting offer for this Battery Charger in E-Bay that expires tomorrow. I would like to consult your opinion, if someone has it or if they have good comments of this brand and model: http://www.midnitesolar.com/productPhoto.php?product_ID=621&productCatName=Charge Controllers - Classics&productCat_ID=21&sortOrder=1&act=p Unfortunately this Model is only for Solar Energy, but the price seems very attractive to me. Until tomorrow the offer is 482.95 US $ without shipping costs from a seller with impeccable E-Bay ratings. Stay tuned to your comments... Sorry. Edit to add the Link if you are interested in someone. The d…

I am not about to become a Victron groupie (sorry TTT - not yet anyway) but I am well aware of some folk (Dockarl immediately springs to mind) not being happy with their Axpert after various failures. It would be naive to ignore Axpert issues. I have in the past mentioned that I did not think Axpert's and Trojan batteries were a good mix and I now have some evidence. I am not a big fiddler so my settings remain constant. The most I do is to change my bulk voltage to suit battery temperature which has been variable in the last couple of weeks. Having recently been logging data to Emoncms I have noticed some very big overshoots which don't last more than 10 seconds or …

I am a blue fanboy but will try to remain impartial and so with a heavy heart, I must say that I am a little underwhelmed by the new small Phoenix inverters. They are still good but there is some detrimental cost saving going on which i don't care for. What I like: No wires included, I want to choose my own gauge and length wire, unlike with the previous version. I felt so guilty cutting them shorter even when you know its better. Got nice earthing terminals and connections in outlet. connections inside are proper and there is the use of copper and belville washers where necessary. a fan hard start feature, some people like it others don't, bu…

Hello ! I'm finishing up my system and I have doubts regarding my bmv702. I bought the accessory probe to control the temperature of the batteries, which in my first studies I considered necessary since if I am not mistaken it is information that is required for a better estimation of the SOC of the arrangement of batteries. However I see that many forum members use the midpoint measurement option and as both are exclusive I consult on which you estimate is a better option if you were to set up a system with 8 new Trojan batteries? Thanks !

A review where the PIP/Axpert does not come up trumps. In the comments section is is suggested that the harmonics is better under load. I do notice that my 4kW unit is much less noisy once it is under load.Using the BMV I have measured my Axpert at about 48W. TTT you can now wipe that smile off your face .

What is the best 100 Amp Mppt charge controller to buy in SA ?

I just bought Imeon 9.12 Hybrid 3-phase inverter with 38 Canadian solar 265w Pv's Anybody with experience on these products and feedback on them?.

Hi Guys. I've just purchased 30x 310w Canadian Solar PV modules, 4x Trojan 100Ah Vrla Agm Batteries and an Imeon 9.12 Smart inverter. It's 9Kw DC input and 12kw AC 3 phase output I'm planning on installing this on a north facing roof in Cape Town. (Renovating the house and installing this system as part of the renovations) The house is a 4/5 bedroom but at the moment only 2 adults and a 5 year old will live in it All lighting will be LED, there are 2x150l geysers that are heated by a solar water heater and heat pump. There are obviously all the other appliances (washing machine, dishwasher, fridge) including a 1.5kw pool pump/chlorinator system that would run…

http://solpad.com Interesting to see how dynamic the PV market is

Guys, attached is the spec sheet of the abovementioned inverter units. It looks like it could be a rebranded unit and is currently on a very big special. 3000va @ R 2700 + Vat 5000va @ R 3600 + vat Anybody with feedback on these units? Mrac-Inverter-MPPT-controller_ca.pdf

I have been asked by a family friend to visit his guest house/conference centre to discuss what options are available to him to reduce his Eskom electricity bill. The facility has a 300 kva back up generator, so backup is not required. I was thinking along the lines of a grid tied inverter with a couple of PV panels on the roofs to generate electricity during the day. First step is to measure and log the usage patterns of the site, can anyone recommend a 3 phase data logger that can record consumption for a month or so?

Dear All. Best wishes leading up to new year. Need some help. I am very much looking for a solar panel pole mount for a wifi highsite. Best one I could find was from sustainable.co.za , as attached. I am not too sure of other suppliers who make this. There is nothing wrong with their option, looks great. Would just like to have a look at other options. Ps. Im a novice welder, hehe. Sincerely Jay

My curiousity finally got the better of my yesterday, and since it's just 4 small plastic clips that you can undo with minimal damage (the screwdriver always leaves a small indentation), here it is. Basically, the guts is a PIC microcontroller. There is a FTDI chip in there to turn it into a USB device. Bottom left is a line protection chip, I assume that protects the ftdi. Nice touch! If you're cheap, you would just wire the usb directly to the ftdi. Interesting as well, top left, two opto-coupler chips, clearly for the serial comms. So the ftdi is powered from the PC side and the microcontroller is powered from the inverter side. It also explains why such a lo…

Hi guys, any experience with the above? I see they have one branch locally as well. What is the quality compared to renesola etc I hear they quite reasonably priced as well. Thanks

Truth of scam? http://3tags.org/article/new-spinning-solar-cells-generate-20-times-more-power-than-traditional-panels

So I wanted to try a new little inverter, for the off-grid small loads, with more features. Bought the 375VA Phoenix Inverter VE.Direct. See here: https://www.victronenergy.com/inverters/phoenix-inverter-vedirect-250va-500va Now I can program the little bugger with VictronConnect. Will read data from it for SolWEB soon. Any case, it has a very cool feature: Inverter Dynamic Cutoff. I like this with the batts I use, they are old, so the load jumps, volts drop, inverter switches off. Now it can be managed. Here is more info:https://www.victronenergy.com/live/ve.direct:phoenix-inverters-dynamic-cutoff Settings: https://www.victronenergy.com/live/_med…

My expert decided to make a loud bang, start smoking and stop working this morning!!! Ive had the system running since December 2015 and have never had any issues since the install but today at 10:00am something went horribly wrong. The funny thing is that there was no power failure that I am aware of? I have had to bypass the inverter and its displaying a error code 09 I got the inverter from Mustek in December so I am sure its still under guarantee, I will contact them on Monday and see where to from here. Any ideas what could have caused the inverter to pop? I can only imagine one of the relays which switch between council and solar input has failed…

I have a friend/acquaintance (I drilled a hole in a pipe and he was the plumber who helped me out on a Sunday evening) who is emigrating and selling off a lot of stuff, among them some heat pumps, demo, old and new. One of the units is a Tasol 4.8KW heat pump, second hand, offered to me at 3k. A quick google on the model number says it's basically direct from China: http://deron.en.alibaba.com/product/786032784-0/Air_to_water_heat_pump_DE_13WB_DE_18WB_.html Anybody have experience and advice about these? At the price it seems like a good idea, but not if it's complete rubbish of course.

I have had metal, plastic, battery stands and no battery boxes - got bored of all of them. Wanted to get my batteries out of my office into my braai room. Problem is, it gets 45deg summer and quite cold in winter, roof is polycarbon or whatever. Found a guy locally to craft me this fine pine crate for me. Tomorrow I am moving the batts! See pics: Lekker extra support at the bottom with stronger wheels, to carry +-200kg Heights, width and length as per my specification - lekker baie plek binne, as per my design. If made a little bit wider you can fit 2 x Trojan's next to each other, in 4 rows for a 48v bank. Hole on side for wires, lippie under lid o…

Hi All I am looking for a basic inverter to run lights, alarm, gate motors, intercoms and few plugs (for charging phone, alarm clocks). I was considering either the MECER Solar Hybrid ( SOL-I-AX-3M ) vs Proline Hybrid Inverter PROEIM3K24 . The mecer is R1000 more, but the specs look the same to me so was considering the proline. I am total newbie when it comes to inverters. Anyone have a preference on the Mecer vs Proline? Any thoughts on whether spending the extra R1000 is worthit.

What do you think of these RELi3ON 100ah batteries specs @plonkster? RB100 Final.pdf

I saw this 12V Microwave oven on Takealot today - 55A @ 12V, about half of that @ 24V - poor battery! Heat up the pie and the battery is dead.

Hi @plonkster, Taking the photo direct in front of the 10w LED light, that is as bright as it can be, and it flickers. Is this the same problem you had?