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Coulomb

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  1. Thanks
    Coulomb got a reaction from Calvin in Fully patched Axpert King 1 firmware   
    Firstly, a huge thanks to Power Forum user @Youda, who generously paid for Weber and I to buy an Axpert King to work on.
    Version 72.00a and 02.83a of beta patched firmware for the Axpert King 1 (145 V max PV model, not the Axpert King II) has been released:
    https://forums.aeva.asn.au/viewtopic.php?p=97712#p97712
    A teaser image; this is an entire new setting ("setting -1") that we added:

     
  2. Like
    Coulomb got a reaction from Scorp007 in 3kW Fivestar hybrid settings   
    Yes, 4P. The PWM solar charger will drag the panels down to battery voltage (29 V max, as low as 24 V), so having 70 V Voc is pointless.
  3. Thanks
    Coulomb got a reaction from Calvin in Axpert King 1 main firmware version 72.04   
    I  recently came across main (DSP, U1) firmware for the Axpert King 1 (5 kVA, 145 V max PV voltage), version 72.04. The differences I have noticed compared to firmware version 72.00:
    * When a main firmware reflash is started, it shuts down more completely
    * Solar charger output current in QPIGS is reported differently, using PV power / PV voltage and PV voltage, and the factor 100/90. Similarly, PV power uses the 100/90 factor. The PV power is measured by the Solar Charge Controller firmware, so it's possible that this firmware should be matched with a different SCC firmware, though that seems unlikely.
    * There is different logic in the code that compares the transformed battery voltage (voltage at the high voltage end of the DC-DC converter) with the bus voltage.
    *  There is new code in the task that protects the battery and DC bus, where the solar charger output current is compared with 1.7 A. If more than this, there is a factor of 1/0.93 used.
    * Immediately after the above change, there is another change that adds the PFC current to the solar charger current.
    So most of the changes seem to be to  do with solar charger current, and indeed I and others have noted weird, inconsistent behaviour with respect to solar charge current. Hopefully, these changes go a long way to fixing those issues.
    The premature float bug is alive and well in 72.04, as it has been in every Voltronic main firmware I've looked at.
    The dsp.hex file is dated 09/Jan/2024.
    It will be some time before I can produce a 72.04 version of the fully patched  firmware, if I get around to it at all (I do hope to).
    Do not use this firmware update file with any other model, and use at your own risk.
    Firmware upload instructions
    The .rar file's password is 111:
    AxpertKING_5KW_STANDARD_72.04 pw 111.rar
     
     
     
     
  4. Haha
    Coulomb got a reaction from ErichK in The Sun Pays 5kW inverter shuts down   
    That seems poor value for effort to me. I'd first sort out why the battery voltage is collapsing to 32V. Can you put a current clamp meter on a battery wire? 
    My guess is that IGBTs are shorting the DC bus. 
  5. Thanks
    Coulomb got a reaction from kafaa group in Gel batteries - to "equalize" or not???   
    A colleague of mine sold a system with sealed lead acid batteries, with a 10 year (!) warranty, to a customer. The manufacturer recommended high voltages, as this one does. When the battery failed and a warranty claim was made, the manufacturer stated that the battery had been overcharged, so the warranty was void! There was much argument, and I can't recall what the resolution was.
    Some gel batteries, usually those with AGM construction (absorbed glass matrix) do seem to be able to trap evolved gas more effectively, allowing the hydrogen and oxygen to be recombined after vigorous charging.
    So I have no idea what to recommend. Hopefully, the manufacturer knows what they are doing (unlike the one I related above), and that they will honour their warranty if there are any problems. I would however stick strictly to the specifications, which isn't possible with cheap chargers. For example, I would definitely implement temperature compensation, which will reduce the charge voltages at high temperature (and increase them at low temperatures). I would stay away from chargers that regularly overshoot their target voltages. So Axpert types are double contra-indicated: no temperature compensation, and bad overshoots. Something like a Victron, possibly with an add-on for temperature measurements, would seem suitable.
  6. Thanks
    Coulomb reacted to jdeep in AXPERT MAX II 8kw firmware   
    Thanks! I have just found it here:
     
    https://ftps.voltronic.com.tw/V/Voltacon-7FCA9E24D07246188EAD/MAXII_8K_81.07.7z
     
    It looks like it is from 2024/2/20
  7. Like
    Coulomb reacted to Scorp007 in Over voltage problem with Voltronic Axpert IV (5600W) inverter   
    Surges are meant to be clamped for a short duration. Example of a S07 K14 MOV. AC volts=14 DC volts max=22V.
    Under steady voltage it starts conducting at 27V and heats up. As volts is ramped up to 32V over 8 sec. At this point the smoke bomb is ignited and no MOV. 


     
  8. Like
    Coulomb reacted to Scorp007 in Over voltage problem with Voltronic Axpert IV (5600W) inverter   
    A SPD does not clamp the voltage at the rating level. They also conduct very slowly and more as the voltage rises. It is meant for surges by its name. 
    There is no easy quick fix than to ensure you NEVER put too many panels in series and you do allow for a 8% rise in voltage below 25 deg. This depending on the most likely min temp in winter. 
  9. Like
    Coulomb got a reaction from Scorp007 in Over voltage problem with Voltronic Axpert IV (5600W) inverter   
    Circuit breakers operate on current (and a little on temperature), not voltage. The voltage rating of a breaker is the maximum voltage that it is guaranteed to safely disconnect. Exceeding the rated voltage makes it less able to electrically disconnect if you were to mechanically set it to "off", not to have it automatically disconnect.
  10. Confused
    Coulomb reacted to Solo in Mecer 5Kw inverter - blank display after inverter power outage   
    A Mecer 5Kw inverter was working fine, but the batteries needed replacement.
    The inverter was powered off for a few days, the batteries were replaced, and when the inverter was powered back on, all worked except the display was blank!
    The display buttons, LEDs and audio beep still functioned, just no display.
    a few hours later the display came back to life!
    Any suggestions as to the cause?
     
     
     
     
     
     
  11. Like
    Coulomb got a reaction from Scorp007 in Over voltage problem with Voltronic Axpert IV (5600W) inverter   
    I don't believe that this is true. How would it cut the input? I believe that there are 500 V rated capacitors directly across the PV input.  These won't fail immediately if they see more than their rated volage, but will fail much more quickly than they should. But as per below, I suspect that this is not your problem.
    Apologies for my stating that your model has a 450 V PV voltage limit; I must have been looking at an older model's manual, or the MKS IV when you have a VM IV.
    This, coupled with cold temperature (panels less than 25°C) is the combination where the PV voltage is highest. With no load and a full battery, there is nowhere for the solar power to go, so the inverter does not load the panels at all. So we see Voc from the panels. Obviously, strong sunlight (at least initially) leads to the highest panel panel voltage. Eventually, the sun will heat the panels and that will decrease the voltage, but if an over-voltage has happened, then it's too late.
    My guess is that your inverter is reading a higher voltage now than actually exists. Can you carefully check the PV input voltage with a multimeter, and compare it with what the LC Display or monitoring software says? A moderately common failure is for voltage sensing resistors to go low in resistance compared to their nominal value, due to moisture and/or dust creating a path around the resistor, where the conformal coating has worn away or was imperfectly applied or cracked. When the resistors have lower electrical resistance, the inverter reads the voltage as higher than it really is. So I'm guessing that now it's reading above the limits, whereas earlier it was reading correctly, or a little higher but not yet over the limit.
  12. Like
    Coulomb got a reaction from Chris Louw in Over voltage problem with Voltronic Axpert IV (5600W) inverter   
    I don't believe that this is true. How would it cut the input? I believe that there are 500 V rated capacitors directly across the PV input.  These won't fail immediately if they see more than their rated volage, but will fail much more quickly than they should. But as per below, I suspect that this is not your problem.
    Apologies for my stating that your model has a 450 V PV voltage limit; I must have been looking at an older model's manual, or the MKS IV when you have a VM IV.
    This, coupled with cold temperature (panels less than 25°C) is the combination where the PV voltage is highest. With no load and a full battery, there is nowhere for the solar power to go, so the inverter does not load the panels at all. So we see Voc from the panels. Obviously, strong sunlight (at least initially) leads to the highest panel panel voltage. Eventually, the sun will heat the panels and that will decrease the voltage, but if an over-voltage has happened, then it's too late.
    My guess is that your inverter is reading a higher voltage now than actually exists. Can you carefully check the PV input voltage with a multimeter, and compare it with what the LC Display or monitoring software says? A moderately common failure is for voltage sensing resistors to go low in resistance compared to their nominal value, due to moisture and/or dust creating a path around the resistor, where the conformal coating has worn away or was imperfectly applied or cracked. When the resistors have lower electrical resistance, the inverter reads the voltage as higher than it really is. So I'm guessing that now it's reading above the limits, whereas earlier it was reading correctly, or a little higher but not yet over the limit.
  13. Like
    Coulomb got a reaction from Alexyss in New firmware for Axpert Max ii 10KW   
    Actually, this is Max II display firmware version 22.20, which was already posted back in December last year.
    However, the main firmware 82.06 is great; I didn't have any 82.xx firmware at all before that. Thanks!
  14. Like
    Coulomb got a reaction from Chris Louw in Over voltage problem with Voltronic Axpert IV (5600W) inverter   
    The limit for your model is 450 V. It likely won't generate any power over 430 V.
    The difference since April is possibly due to panel temperature, although I expect the highest panel voltage at the lowest temperature.
  15. Like
    Coulomb reacted to P1000 in Over voltage problem with Voltronic Axpert IV (5600W) inverter   
    The PV panels are generating too high voltage, so I would blame them. This fault can easily destroy your inverter so I recommend lowering your string voltage by removing some panels from the string.
  16. Thanks
    Coulomb got a reaction from wael_fathe in Repair of Axpert Inverters : A Journey Started   
    I know it's highly inconvenient (possibly the understatement of the day), but it's not good for the inverter to leave it running in that condition. I accidentally left mine twitching like that for about 12 hours, and it (presumably) caused a fault on the control board that stopped solar charging. Well, the fault appeared right after that twitching. I eventually fixed the solar problem, but now I'm getting fault codes and it won't run the inverter proper, now with fault code 09 (fortunately not due to the usual cause, i.e. shorted DC bus). My working theory is that some capacitors on the control board were marginal, and this twitching tipped some of them over the edge. Replacing one capacitor changed the fault code, suggesting to me that capacitors are possibly the problem.
  17. Thanks
    Coulomb got a reaction from wael_fathe in Repair of Axpert Inverters : A Journey Started   
    This is covered in an AEVA post I co-authored:
    https://forums.aeva.asn.au/viewtopic.php?p=65282#p65282
    But beware! This is only safe with the motherboard on the bench, powered by lab power supplies, with NO bus voltage, and preferably when the MOSFETs are unsoldered and not yet replaced. The control board must not be plugged in, so the soft-start power supply can't generate dangerous voltages on the bus.
    In the above highly constricted conditions, yes.
    The problem is that to turn on the SG3525, you need the control board working, and that means the bus soft start is working, so there will be hazardous voltages about.
    The MOSFETs for polarity reversal protection are present only in fairly old models. The circuit is simple, and is included in the PIP-4048MS schematic trace here. Search for Q42. The MOSFETs are in series with the negative battery input. The diodes of the MOSFET only conduct when the battery polarity is correct. If it is, the power supply is able to run (with slightly reduced battery voltage due to the diode drop), and the DSP sends a signal to turn on the MOSFETs, reducing the voltage drop to a very low value.
  18. Haha
    Coulomb got a reaction from wael_fathe in Repair of Axpert Inverters : A Journey Started   
    I would say so. The only problem would be if the gate drivers can't handle the extra gate capacitance of the larger GP4066D part (140 A versus 100 A for the GP4063D part). [ Edit: And if the power supply can handle the slight extra drive current; I imagine it would. ]
    Does the 3000W model use the same gate drivers (ACPL-T350, marked T350) as the 5 kVA models? If so, you should be fine using the stronger GP4066D chips.
    And you can take that poor GP4063D off the chopping block 😉🪓
     
     
  19. Like
    Coulomb got a reaction from msevestre in Easun Igrid SV 4 5.6kw firmware   
    The only one I've seen is 56.05, which is presumably a step backwards for you.
    Edit: Oops, also see 56.00, which is presumably even older.
  20. Like
    Coulomb got a reaction from deezaloza in Axpert vmii 5kva the battery internal 150 A fuse blown and still short all components   
    Fault code 09 means Bus Soft Start failure. Usually this means that the 400V bus is shorted, usually because two or more IGBTs have failed shorted. As Jadav mentioned above, this often damages gate driver components like resistors and diodes, sometimes also the isolating driver chips, which are 8 pin devices, often white in colour, but can also be black. 
    If you're getting repeated catastrophic failures like this, then it might not be worth repairing a second time. There has been a recent spate of VM II clones, and some seem to be very poor quality.
    Switching power electronics like this is something of an art to design well, keeping inductance low, knowing where to place snubbers and what values to use. These circuits get hot, so it's important to choose components with long lifetimes, which will not be the cheapest parts. 
  21. Like
    Coulomb got a reaction from porzioev in Watchpower, serial comm and mpp solar inverter   
    You can just use any serial comms program; Windows used to come with one, I forget its name. You can send it a carriage return (enter key) at 2400/N/8 (2400 bps, no parity, 8 bits per char). It should respond with what looks like (NAKss .
    One step up from that is the Voltronics comms program, which allows you to send commands with CRCs (Cyclic Redundancy Check characters) automatically added. It's probably a quicker and easier download than a full comms program like TeraTerm. Available from https://www.mppsolar.com/v3/download/ and search for 
    "communication tool" without the quotes. Suggested command: QPIGS (Query ? ? General Status). It should spit out a string of values like line voltage, battery voltage, and much else. QMOD will give a much shorter response, of the present mode (e.g. "(B" for Battery mode). 
    Note that for all of these, you have to ensure that you exited from Watchpower completely with File Exit, not just closing the window. See the Firmware Upload instructions for details.
  22. Like
    Coulomb got a reaction from Alexyss in ISolar SMW 11kw twin stuck at 90V. Please help!   
    Patched firmware versions 264.62 (200 V) and 164.62 (150 V).
    I assume you meant an update to the firmware.
  23. Like
    Coulomb got a reaction from porzioev in Watchpower, serial comm and mpp solar inverter   
    Axpert RS-232 ports are generally as follows:
    +-----------+-------------+----------------+----------+ | Function. | RJ-45 pin # | D9 pin #       | Function | | (PIP)     |             |(provided cable)|(Computer)| +===========+=============+================+==========+ | SGND      | 8 --------- | 5              | SGND     | | TD        | 1 --------> | 2              | RD       | | RD        | 2 <-------- | 3              | TD       | | +12V      | 7 (or 4)    | NC             |          | +-----------+-------------+----------------+----------+  
  24. Like
    Coulomb got a reaction from Dylanjiva in Axpert 3Kw Inverter blown. Do you think it is repairable?   
    Those are actually MOVISTORs, a non-linear resistor used to suppress transients. Basically, it's a very high resistance until a certain voltage is reached, at which point its resistance lowers dramatically to absorb the transient. Every time that they absorb energy, they degrade slightly, until they eventually fail.
    AC-in being shorted is likely because of the MOV. These are well known, fairly inexpensive, and replaceable.
    The battery terminals being shorted is usually because the MOSFETs have failed shorted. These are much more expensive and difficult to replace, although any competent repair shop should be able to do it. When they fail, these often take out some gate driver components, which are much harder to track down. Sometimes it will also take out the IGBTs, and if so, some of their gate drive components. The MOSFETs are often lined up under the edge of a heatsink along one edge of the main board. It's hard to see them without removing the main board, though you might be able to see through some ventilation holes. Burned MOSFETs are usually very obvious: blackened parts, legs blown off, cracked or pitted epoxy.
    There are some capacitors that should be replaced; these protect the MOSFETs from switching transients. These capacitors drying out may have caused most of the damage, although with the MOV failure, some sort of transient due to load shedding is more likely.
    As for whether it is worth repairing, that's a harder call. If you can find the right repair person, it can well be.
    Note that many repair facilities these days don't do component level repairs; they will replace the entire main board, which has about 75% of the complexity of the inverter, and hence a big chunk of the cost. If such a repair is the only option, then it becomes much more marginal.
  25. Thanks
    Coulomb got a reaction from JVS in Axpert 5kw inverter with Hubble AM2 - water damage   
    My guess is that the battery's BMS is not allowing the battery to power the inverter. So the inverter may be OK.
    Can you check if there is voltage at the battery terminals?
    Does the battery have State Of Charge LEDs? If so, do they show the battery as being very low?
    You might just need something to bootstrap the battery into turning on.
    Yes, if you can find someone who can do component level repairs. Most of the high voltage stuff is well inside the inverter, except for the AC-in and AC-out terminals, and perhaps the PV terminals if it's a high PV voltage model (you didn't say).  If it's a low PV voltage model (these are getting rare these days), then I'd say that there is a reasonable chance that nothing too expensive has blown up.
    The battery would almost certainly be worth repairing, if it needs any repair at all. My wild guess is that the inverter went somewhat crazy and discharged  the battery very low. Usually the BMS would protect against it going too low, but some don't. If you can get someone  around with a highish voltage power supply (I have a dual 30 V unit that can be put in series, this would be ideal), then they can probably get the battery bootstrapped up if it's not actually damaged. Then you can see what if any faults show up on the inverter. It might only need a long press on the battery's reset button or similar to allow it to power the inverter, at least for a short time.
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