Deonsr

Thanx but Don helped me with the firmware. I'm gonna try installing it tonight. Thanks again Don.

Please guys, I am still battling to get the Axpert firmware upgrade. I havent been successfull in downloading any workable copy. Please help.

Hi Plonkster, thank you for the info. Do you suggest I rewire to 3 panels in series with 6 strings? (I will have to add 2 more panels) Any advise on the firmware/software upgrade?

HI Guys, please help.I am running two x 5 KV Axperts but the solar charging is not totally incorrect. I believe there is an upgrade/patch that I can run to solve this problem. Read about it on the forum but can not get the upgrade or the instructions how to do it anywhere. Can somebody please assist me, I will appreciate it. Another question, I am running 4 strings of 4 x 24v panels to these units. One of my collueges claims that it is too much as the specsheet shows 60VDc - 115VDc WITH 145V MAX. Most of the time I run at more than 115vdc during the day. Is this part of my problem or not?

Hi Mark Thanks but how do I do the actual upgrade (2 units) I am a bit unsure of what to do and how. What does the upgrade actually do?

Hi guys. I believe there is a software upgrade on the Axpert 4000w unit that needs to be done. Something about the charging and maintenance of the batteries. Can somebody help or adviwe me please, I hav 2 4,000w Axperts running with 16 x 170 a/h sealed lead crystal batteries.

I do not have your email adress.

Where do I email it to or do you mean I should post in on the forum?

Yes, 2 x Axpert 4,000w 5,000VA in Paralel with 16 x 170 A/h lead crystal batteries and 16 x 250 w PV's

What does it do and where do I find it. Currently I am running Watchpower on a Nextbook on Windows 10.

Hi guys I am still using the outdated Watchpower monitoring software which is not very efficient. I see on the post above there is a monitoring system from @Manie. I am not very technology advantaged but can someone guide me in the correct direction to find out more please.

Where can I get more info or specs as I have no clue how these work. Please advise.

Hi John. I have 16 x 170ahr Lead Crystal batteries, wired 48v (4 banks of 4 batteries), connected to 2 x Axperts. How many of these balancers would I need and what will the costs be? Thanks Deon

Nico you are lucky - 85% efficiency with only 15% losses. There are at least 6 types of losses in every PV installation: Manufacturer’s power tolerance. (1%) All panels have a power tollerance. Normally this is -1%/+3%. So worst case is that the specified power output is actually 1% lower than spec. Temperature Loss. (10%) Solar panels don’t like to be hot. Most solar panels lose about 10% of their rated power on a 25°C day, more if it is hotter. Let’s assume 10% for this estimate. (1% for every 2 °C the panel temp is hotter than STC 25°C) On a 25°C ambient temp, the temp at the panel in full sun could easily be 40-50 °C) Dirt (5%) Soon after installation dust will settle on the panels’ glass. These block the amount of sunlight reaching the solar cells behind the glass reducing your power. The reduction in power from dust build up typically lies in the 5%-15% range. Wiring Losses (voltage drops) (2%) All the solar panels on your roof are interconnected with wires, then a long pair of DC wires connects the final solar panel to your inverter. All these wires have a small electrical resistance, which means the electricity flowing through them will suffer a voltage drop. This will reduce your power proportionally, typically by around 2%. (keep your wiring runs as short as possible) Inverter Efficiency (4%) Everything goes through your inverter so the inverter efficiency will directly affect your system output. Depending on your inverter you can expect an inverter efficiency of about 96%, giving a 4% loss. Converting (3%) This is a difficult one to determine I like to think there is 1% loss from converting DC from the panels through the inverter. Charging batteries have another 1% loss, discharging from the batteries another 1%. The list actually just goes on and on. Even connectors not soldered or crimped correctly could be the reason for massive losses but that is a story for another day. Multiply all those together and you are looking at 25% total losses which is not uncommon but reality. Giving a real world peak power of 4000w from a 4680w array is a loss of 680w - or 14.53%....you are very lucky.

I've had my 300L solar geyser for 6 years now. The geyser burst after 4 years and was replaced under guarantee - no costs. I had to switch the element it on 4 times during this period when we had a family weekend. Other than that the best feeling to shower in hot water whwnever I want to. Best investment made ever. God helps those that help themselves. He gave us the sun above and the water below. He expects from us to bring the two together. I pump the water from my borehole with power I generate with my PV and heats it up with the sun. I run two households and use 320 units of council electricity to for all my water and electricity needs. It is possible.

Why would you want to re-invent the wheel? It is common knowledge that iit is cheaper to save energy than to manufacture energy. The very first thing you do is install a solar geyser in your journey towards this goal. That is why they have been designed. I do not have the exact facts but I am sure some of the fundi's on this forum will be able to give you the figures about collecting energy from the sun, converting it to DC, charging batteries, releasing the energy from the batteries to once manufacture AC and driving a gas mongrel of a geyser element. You have cabling distance losses, dust on panel losses and the losses are enormous every time you convert something in this manufacturing line. I can not think that the 3 kw infinty with 3,000w panels and 500Ah batteries cost you less to install than a proper 300 liter solar geyser.

Hi Tim I watched the uTube clip, very interesting. What do you mean by building something like this you can help through internet communication?

Value for money is certainly the combination of a pure sine wave inverter with built-in MPPT controllers like the hybrid Axpert/PIP 4,000w 5,000 Va. It has a 60A MPPT charging controller and an intelligent 60A mains charger, totalling 120A charging. You can also go the grid tied way with a KACO 6002. This unit is far superior but only works grid tied without batteries. It will deliver 6,000w with MPPT range starting from 200v - 510v. Brilliant unit if the purpose is to use and save shore power whilst the sun is shining.

Hi Pieter I assume you checked your connections to be sure they are connected correctly. Have you also set program 28 from SIG to PAR? If that is the case, did you switch both units off and then on again, one after the other. When I installed mine that was all I had to do. The first one switched on then recognises as master and the second one as slave.

I've used a 100Amp fuseholder with fuse on my Axpert between the inverter and the batteries on the positive cable for 90 bucks incl and it works perfectly. You can source them from The Security Mecca Vereeniging 016-422-5667 or Potchefstroom 018-293-2103. Their product code is RENEW101.

Hi guys. I am no programmer and understand zilch of the expert advise above. I do know though that the Watchpower software is totally inadequate for the purpose it was designed for. Are there any of you bright programming whizz kids that have come up with something better one can use?

These calculations are theoretically and only to try an prove the theory..... The life cycles of a battery is exponential to the Dod. For example theoretically a 100A/hr 12v battery is a 1,200w battery @ 100% Dod. (12v x 100A = 1,200 watts) If you would use the SLA (Sealed lead acid) battery at 100% Dod, you should have 1 Cycle and the battery will be toast. It will never recover from thps shock. If the manufacturespecs indicate 1800 cycles and it is normally indicated at 50% Dod, theoretically the following applies: If you however use the battery to 50% Dod, you use 50% of the 1,200w (600w) before recharging and could then expect the 1800 cycles. If you use the battery to 70% Dod, you use 70% of the 1,200w (840w) before recharging you could then expect probably only 1000 cycles. If you use the battery to 90% Dod, you use 90% of the 1,200w (1080w) before recharging you could then expect probably only 360 cycles. The specs you quote are not very good and you should probably source better batteries. On a good affordable battery you should expect +- 3000 cycles at 50% Dod.

The label on your battery or the spec sheet should indicate what the bulk and float charging should be, normally at 25 degrees C. The ambient temperature of the area where the batteries are installed is very important and the charging rate should be adjusted accordingly.