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zsde

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  1. Like
    zsde reacted to WannabeSolarSparky in Youda's off-grid LAB   
    I have 2 of these (single phase version) on my new db, one for the stove to switch between grid and solar and one still unused/undecided.
    They seem a bit better than the big bulky ones from the same brand, time will tell what the quality is like 🙃
  2. Like
    zsde reacted to Youda in Youda's off-grid LAB   
    Internal contact became angled and burned too:

     
    Two yellow spots on the opposite side of the ATS hit my eye too:

    Found out that the cause was the heat from two resistors that have no other purpose than to feed the indication LEDs. That's a sign of imperfect design, I would say:

     
    Anyway, I have two of these ATS in my setup, so I've already ordered a replacement. This time I went for a new version of the product that has better terminals. On the other side, this version is rated for Chinese 63A only, so I am pretty curious what the real ampacity would be
     
    Let's see how this will work:

     
  3. Like
    zsde reacted to Scorp007 in Luxpower 12 kW full hybrid inverter   
    This seems like a great addition the the range of inverters we can choose from.
    Impressive spec with 2 x MPPTs for 4 PV strings.
    Solar Warehouse SA
    LuxPower 12kW Single Phase Eco Hybrid Inverter (SNA12000)...
    LuxPower 12kW Single Phase Eco Hybrid Inverter (SNA12000) (Pre-Order) PRE-ORDER NOW ETA 10/05/2025 Product Features Eco Hybrid Technology Energy Management System (EMS) Remote Monitoring and Contro...
  4. Like
    zsde reacted to Powerforum Store in Power Forum Bulk Price Guide   
    Hello Everyone
    Please see our BULK PRICE GUIDE here please note there is installer pricing available and we may be able negotiate a little on some of the prices and prices on the bulk list may vary a little on prices on the store due to the fluctuation in the Rand Dollar Rate we manually update the store prices hence the delay to keep up with the changes.
    We will update the price guide on a weekly bases and it lists a lot of product not on our online store.
    Best option is to confirm prices with Wimpie Bronkhorst [email protected] or 067 189 7084 Cell or Whats App.
    He can send you a written quote and we can fix the price on confirmation of order.
  5. Like
    zsde reacted to Pho3niX90 in Apexium EVE cells   
    My cells arrived yesterday, and went to pick them up today. Compared to the previous Apexium method, this was way smoother. They can either load the pallet sealed as sent on a flatbed for you, or you can open the pallet, and transfer the sealed boxes to a vehicle.

    All and all, from payment, to delivery, it took exactly 44 days.

    There were no customs nor vat to be paid.
  6. Like
    zsde reacted to Pho3niX90 in Apexium EVE cells   
    For anyone considering this, I noticed yesterday a few members have ordered from them in the past. Same sales person (Minji Guan)
  7. Like
    Thanks for the note.
    I'll try to get the Felicity inverter connected with different brands of batteries whenever I can, for everyone's benefit.
  8. Like
    That is the guide for comms from different brand Inverter with Felicity Batteries.
    The question was how to set up comms between a Felicity Inverter and different brands of Batteries.
  9. Like
    zsde reacted to TaliaB in Savings   
    This battery is advertised by https://infinitygroupcompanies.co.za/index.php/product/200ah-48v-rosen-lithium-battery-wall-mountable/?srsltid=AfmBOor5h8kS9N1x5FxnhZUdgFaNZd74pJwcbn7HWqiLjkOTzTa67Sni
    Agreed very good price but there may be a catch if out of stock.
    "PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS NOT A STOCK ITEM AND MAY BE IMPORTED IF THERE IS NO STOCK ON HAND. IMPORTS CAN TAKE UP TO 45 WORKING DAYS TO ARRIVE IN SOUTH AFRICA. PLEASE READ OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR DELIVERY DELAYS
  10. Like
    zsde reacted to sunset1 in 5x Hubble AM2's for sale   
    The Hubble AM 2 is about 16k at voltex.
    Coild be wrong but OP batteries should go for about 7k-10k depending which one and considering usage, risk etc
    Market will decide either way.
  11. Like
    zsde reacted to Scorp007 in Dyness B3 3.6kw Batteries   
    Thanks for pointing it out but then again it's 2.5 kWh vs 3.6 kWh. On a R/kWh quite a bit higher.
    Also 24V vs 48V.
  12. Like
    zsde reacted to Scorp007 in Please help with TOU settings   
    I would start by doing the settings on the inverter. If it fails to improve I would switch off the grid and PV and check if the inverter reports a lowering SOC to ensure the comms is working from the battery.
    Also if might help is you post a pic of the system settings as on the inverter screen.
    Then give us feedback.
  13. Like
    zsde reacted to King_M in Please help with TOU settings   
    Thanks for the input, I found the problem.
    The system date and time on the inverter was wrong, for some reason it was reading as 9th August 2023 21h47. Don’t know how long it’s been off sync but probably explain why my electricity bill for the last few months made no sense.
    Have synced it and immediately started pulling from battery and will monitor to see if it doesn’t default back
  14. Like
    zsde reacted to stefan44 in 18650 battery replacement   
    yup, a while ago I saw 2ah ingco batteries advertised for R250.
    that is R50 for a new high discharge cell. not bad...
    I 100% agree with your statement that the cells are not bad quality, they just dont have a balancing circuit. And all the powertool batteries that I have salvaged from, its always either the bms or 1 cell(or 2 or 3 depends on the construction 3p5s, 2p5s, 3p10s...) that is faulty, if the battery pack have not been abused beyond recognition, and that led me to believe that the absence of a balancing circuit is causing the majority of the failures.
    I add a small cheap 4.2v balancer to the packs I rebuild, iirc it only starts balancing at 4.17v at 60ma but it works, so far and it cost about R50



  15. Like
    zsde reacted to Pho3niX90 in This looks fun :(   
    Would be nice if all solar users agree on a week. Would be fun to see. Most of the "stability" of the grid was attained by more houses going solar.
  16. Like
    What is Inside My Inverter?
    Hello Everyone
    This thread is Made To Help you know what is the Inverter internals, Considering It A Good Judgment of its quality, Spec, and true capability in comparison between them.
    In this thread, you will find pictures that contain inverters Model, MPPT Specs (Some of it), and weight
    this information was gathered from Inverters Datasheets and Main Boards Sellers (MPP Solar Distributor) and Repair Videos and will add more Model when good intel found or Provided
    - From the included Picture (Considering it the True Voltronic design not a cheap Clone) :
    1- it is noted that the VM III 4kw, 6kw Similar to the Original VM III with an extra Aluminum Cooler on the MPPT and One Less Bus Cap
    2- VM II 5.6kw Almost Equal to VM III 6kw (Without The Extra Aluminum Cooler on the MPPT) But use different UI (VM II's) and Less Software Features
    3- King II 5kw is similar to MKS IV 5.6kw but the MKS is A higher end Model (Extra Components)
    4- VM II 5k Premium Close to VM III 6kw Twin but Have a separate MPPT Board (Preferd Among Technicians) and Extra Bus Cap
    5- Felicity Solar Inverters Uses Different Design Than Voltronic (And Have Way Less Models) Closer In Design to Mks Models Components Wise (Separate SPS Board + Not Negative Liner Voltage Regulator + RTC battery on the Main Cpu Board Like Mks)
    The Thread contains these 24v and 48v Models:
    Felicity Solar: IVEM 3024 - IVEM 5048
    Voltronic: King II 5kw - MKS IV 5.6kw - VM II 3k Premium - VM II 5k Premium - VM II Twin 5.6kw - VM III 4kw Twin - VM III 6kw Twin - VM III 5kW

    Note: Voltronic Mix and Match and rerelease same model name with different/extra features Example (VM II: they added Twin, Premium, Premium Lite, Elite, Premium Plus).

    Expert Feedback is Welcomed











  17. Like
    zsde reacted to DylanP in Geyser repair / upgrade to solar   
    Thanks for all the replies. I'll go over them this evening.
    So the geyser is gone.
    Have not yet put in an insurance claim, as I'm sure they'll just replace it with a similar one. It's 150L - don't think I really needs such a big geyser. Small household.
    Guess I can now consider all options.

  18. Like
    zsde reacted to rj4 in Is Sunsynk still an option?   
    The same question was asked on facebook yesterday. I only have a link for the group but look for the post: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1224829628388092
    Basically the consensus I took away is:
    Great product - Failure rate seems high but only because of the volume they have sold and because of the slow support/repairs when there is a failure which results in more people being vocal which is fair
  19. Like
    zsde reacted to -cK- in Geyser repair / upgrade to solar   
    Sounds like the relieve valve, had to replace one recently as well.
    Regarding the upgrade what kw is your element?
    For my setup I opted to rather invest the expansion into my array on my inverter than solely on the geyser. With the expansion on your inverter it adds to your total usable generation rather than just one appliance.
    My approach was to replace the element that was a 3kw with a 2kw (150l geyser) (less draw longer runtime, but with the lower draw this makes that it is usually within the PV arrays capabilities and then some)
    Slapped on a smart power switch and temp sensor and run the geyser once a day so I'm at about 3 to 3.5kw draw per day in summer 4 to 5 kw in the winter due to thermal losses for the geyser and only in the winter it will pull some of that power from eskom when the weather is crap otherwise my array is big enough to cover that draw. I've automated it as well with home assistant to turn on in the most optimal conditions rather than a fixed time with a failsafe at 14:30 just in case the weather is crap as mentioned.
    All in that route was way less expensive than replacing the whole setup with a solar or Evacuated tube setup or plumbing in a gas backup.
    Math in my head is max R 10 for eskom on those crappy that is only like maybe 20 of 30 days in a year vs R 10-20k for a full upgrade/conversion makes the ROI less attractive 🤷‍♂️ but that is just my opinion.
  20. Like
    zsde reacted to Kalahari Meerkat in Geyser repair / upgrade to solar   
    We're using a 100l 12 Evacuated glass tube HWC here, no heating element or power otherwise... water is low pressure, fed from a Jojo tank, between 6 & 8m off the deck/ 4 to 6m above the HWC, no pumps or anything requiring electrons for this lot to work is in use... we do pump water into the Jojo tank two or three times a week, though, but the house is all low pressure & working perfectly...
    So, you should consider an evacuated glass tube setup which you can augment by firing the heating element if the water isn't hot enough, with some home automation and sensors here and there you should be able to automate this mostly, I'd think... the most effective water heating is the direct heating, like with the evacuated tubes, going PV -> electrons -> element is probably only half as effective as the direct heating end...
    Once or twice in winter the hot water was not quite as hot as I wold have liked it to be, I will probably look at adding in a donkey in the future, to turn warm water into hot water as it flows to the shower, by burning some wood in the donkey... only run through heating, not wanting to heat 100+l of water, after all, a complete shower is probably not more than 20l of water and no, I don't get wet, stop the water soap up and wash, then turn on water again... low pressure makes the consumption much more frugal...

  21. Like
    zsde reacted to Bobster. in Geyser repair / upgrade to solar   
    A new element or a new thermostat? If the overflow is kicking in there's too much water or too much pressure in the geyser. The element is a dumb device. It is controlled by the thermostat.

    @Kalahari Meerkat has pointed to another problem. I suggest you treat the leak as a seperate problem and treat it first, otherwise you may spend a whole lot of money and the geyser still leaks.
  22. Like
    zsde reacted to Kalahari Meerkat in Geyser repair / upgrade to solar   
    This sounds suspect... I'd imagine if it there is continual water coming out of the overflow, then the pressure relief valve may not be closing properly, possibly due to dirt preventing it from closing, an element can't really be the cause for water overflowing... but let me add a disclaimer, I ain't no plumber... :-)
  23. Like
    zsde got a reaction from Adnano in Growatt SPF 5000ES feeding battery with low current   
    Thus it worked fine before that?
    What charge rates did you have before that happened?
    If in USE mode without LAN cable it won't charge at the set Amps, then either your BMS or Inverter may have a fault.
    Check that program code 02 is set equal to or higher than code 11, else it defaults to the lower one set in 02

    If in Li mode, the BMS should auto set code 02 to the battery's max charge current. If it doesn't then you have a faulty comms cable or the two are not communicating properly.
  24. Like
    Hello everyone just another update on the Wind Turbines and new things happening.
    So its D Day for SOLIS to provide me with the new firmware release that will fix a lot of problems on the SOLIS hybrid inverters.
    I attended the SOLAR Expo at Nasrec last week had some very good meetings with the guys at SOLIS also SolaX and Givenergy.
    All three these manufacturers are looking at providing us with the facility to have programmable Power Curve settings on their inverter MPPT's
    This will allow for much more feasible MPPT integration of the Wind turbines all of them will look at 32 Point power curve functions and the one manufacturer will be looking at providing us with a micro inverter for the different model turbines to do AC coupling integration with full pre programed power curves for selected turbines.
    We also has meetings with Distributors and may have some nice surprises lined up for the future however at this point I will remain tight lipped.
    We are also seriously looking at expanding our wind turbine range and have a special range of turbines built suited for very low average wind speeds.
    These turbines will all be rated at 6 to 8 meters per second depending on the model.
    The problem with building wind turbines for low wind speeds are numerous.
    Low wind power production need large Blade Diameter the larger the blade diameter the lower the wind speed becomes for the same potential power production.
    As an example our 1 KW turbine produces 1KW at 8 meter per second however for the turbine to produce 1KW at 6 meter per second two things need to be adapted.
    Blade diameter needs to be scaled up from 4 meter to 4.8 meter this will allow then for a potential to produce 1KW at 6 Meter per second.
    The second change that would have to be made is the generator. The generator will be turning at a lower RPM but with increased torque thanks to the larger blade diameter so the generator will need to be adapted to produce 1KW at lower RPM yet in the same required voltage range.
    These two changes will have a few positive effects.
    The obvious one 1KW production at 6 meter per second wind.
    Reducing the RPM requirement for the generator will increase the power band of the generator and provide it with a much flatter power curve meaning the turbine will generate more power at a low wind speed of 4 meter per second than it would have in the original configuration when it was rated at 1KW 8 meter per second. The power differential will be significant.
    The wider power band and flatter power curve would also mean the turbine would be able to start producing at a much lower wind speed.
    There will also be a reduction in wear and tear because of the lower RPM ratings extending the potential lifespan of the wear and tear components.
    The down side of these changes are Higher costs due to larger blades and a lower RPM generator.
    The price difference would not be so high and justifies the massive improvement in power production at low wind speeds.
    The other down side would be the increased size in blade diameter and weight of the generator.
    However my belief is that this is the products we need to make wind power more feasible and will increase the viable installation locations because high wind speeds would not be so much of a requirement.
    We will retain the variable pitch tech to ensure safe operation and longevity.
    With all this said we will look at developing options for the 1 2 5 and 10 KW models
    As an example if we do the 10KW model that currently requires a 11.5 Meter per second wind for 10KW with a blade diameter of 7.8 meters at a rotor speed of 200 RPM.
    The resulting machine would have a 13.4 Meter Blade with a rotor speed of 81 RPM to Generate 10KW at 8 meter per second this is quite a substantial size change and this would directly affect the cost.
  25. Thanks
    zsde got a reaction from Kevin Lourens in Hubble AM2 Problem   
    You would need PBMS tools to see the reason for the battery shut down.
    It could be a Under Voltage protection of one of the cells that causes it.
    Without being able to see these details it is hard to guess the reason