Brian J

I have a clone inverter, when I bought it I did not know that, but I installed it and found out later through this forum. I only paid R8000 for the unit, so my thinking is when it pops I can look for a legit one, as I now know what to look for.
But sofar I cannot complain about this inverter it is working perfectly since installed in April 2019. It is currently running of grid and is home alone while I’m on holiday for the last 12 days, and I check in on it once a day to make sure its o.k. sofar so good. This is a test for me to see what this inverter can do.
Hopefully I get good service from this inverter for few more months or years. I thought I just share this info on my clone experience. 🙂
 

Just an update to this. I have finally fixed the issue, by getting both inverters replaced with new units and updated firmware (71.70).
It would seem (as expected) that the older 71.50 firmware was the issue. The issue did not resolve itself by running the master with the updated firmware and the slave with the old firmware, I tried. Both units need to be running 71.70.
It should be noted Mustek were of no help through this process 👎

I don't know any way around this, unfortunately. Weber and I considered how we would go about patching firmware to achieve this, and decided it was too hard. There are too many CAN packets whose values would have to be faked.
I think the best your friend could do, apart from buying another 64 V machine, would be to only parallel the two with 74.40, and leave some of your loads on the other one. Not ideal, and you'd have to make the charge voltage settings for the one slightly lower than the two (assuming that they all have panels connected), but it could be made to work.

Thanks Coulomb
I also realized now that it is a clone after reading the tread on "Clones"

Here's mine. Unistrut connected with stainless steel angle brackets. I had the brackets lasercut and bended. Sikaflex in-between everything.

Panels secured with standard mounting hardware, but I've added stainless steel angles and ball-bearings in the heads of the cap-screws to prevent easy removal of the panels - the allen key won't go into the head of the cap-screw and if you try to use pliers or a vice-grip around the head of the cap-screw, you won't be able to turn it.

Doesn't look legit.
 

Photo of the label on the side?
Newer units have built-in heat sink for the SCC which now rests on top of the inverter if laid flat.
 

I purchased two infinisolar 4K super inverters in May 2017 to replace the  two axpert units I had to be grid tied.
They were installed in parallel and both units had 12 x 250w solar panels each in series as well as 4 x 12v 180ahr batteries.
Here is my experiance with them.
One lasted 10min. after installation. The dc circuit blew up.
Took both units in to supplier.
The manufacturer admitted to having problems with the dc circuit. 
Both units dc circuit boards were replaced after 3mth wait.
Before and after repair the units did not work correctly in parallel.
After a discussion with supplier after a week was given new firmware to install.
Units worked correcty for about 1mth with new firmware and the same units dc circuit blew up.
Took the faulty unit in and has been returned after 2mths.
The supplier has told me that I will have to bring back the units in the new year as the manufacturer is redesigning the dc circuit board and the old ones will need to be replaced.
The supplier has been very helpful however I do believe the manufacturer has marketed these units prematurely without testing them properly.
During this ordeal I have had 5 power failures without being able to use the units.
For me the investment for the units, solar panels and batteries have been a bust and I am just hoping the new dc circuit boards will solve all the problems I have experianced.
 
 

The operating voltage of these 60 module 250W panels is 30.3V, so 2 panels in series will give 60V which is the minimum PV voltage of the Axpert MKS 5K (which is too close in my opinion).
I would recommend 3 of the above panels in series, or 2x 300W (72 module) panels which will probably have a 36V operating voltage, 2 of which would give 72V which will be a better match to the Axpert.

@Brian J I agree with @pilotfish you are going to have issues with the mppt starting up. Unfortunately this is one thing that you never think of in the beginning. My self was under the impression that you could just add panels to your systems as you need them until I figured out that , in my system , I have to add 3 at a time. 
BTW did you check here on the forum ? I haven't spent much time here on the forum lately but some time ago I saw a add of sorts where panels was offered at very good prices , maybe check with Jayson ..

Plus one for this. Especially if it is a gift. That is one neat little self-contained unit. Even includes the breakers. And because it is really just a MPPT+inverter/charger combo, you get all the usual Victron flexibility (you can add more MPPTs, a CCGX/Venus-GX or even play with a Raspberry Pi solution). It does cost about 25k though, but you get firmware updates for life, excellent support, and a 5-year warranty.
I think they discontinued the 350VA unit that you looked at. These inverters are low-cost units meant for the European market, but they nevertheless pack  power-assist features as well as a transfer switch, so they are excellent for the weekender market.

not too fond of the new plastic victron units, have a look at the multiplus compacts or the easysolar ones, they are great. 
The solis is a grid tie inverter so probably not what your looking for, but im running one at the moment and its flippen great value for money, its all brand name components inside and excellent build quality. the interface is rubbish though.

And it went full circle. As I was reading through the post in the beginning I wondered when will the cars come in , but you are right that is just how it is and no better way to explain.
@Brian J as you are starting fresh and willing to start small there is a few thing that I would consider if I were you. 
1) Your long term goal - So in a few years time where would you like to see your system as this could have a BIG influence as to what you start with. Here is my train of thought.
Solar Panels : They are versatile and can be used with any Inverter as long as the voltages stays the same or compatible so here it should be safe to for some thing like a 250 w panel 
Batteries : Personally I am not a fan of them and they are not that easily upgradeable - most of the time you would need to replace the whole bank if you need to go lager
Inverter - As this is a long term project you should consider a few thing here - If you upgrade to something else can you sell you old unit or use it some where else. 
How soon will you be able to upgrade (Some times this is determined by your "Bonus Month )  if it is sooner rather than later maybe you should wait a bit longer.. 

The list that struck me a bit as, to use a car analogy, as a choice between a Tata Telcoline, a Mahindra Bolero, and a Toyota Aygo. They cost about the same... and Toyota is the better manufacturer... but if you need a bakkie on a budget it's not going to do the job. I'd love to sell you a Hilux... by way of analogy... :-)

Explains why I could not find a spec sheet for it. I also thought the 24V 2400W model is 24V, but Voltronic turns out new models quite frequently so I thought I missed something.
True, I missed that bit. My 1600VA Multi starts an 900W pump without any fuss, so by the same math I'd expect the 1200VA unit to start that pump easily. There's two versions of the 1200VA model, the new cheaper ones, and the older ones that can also be paralleled and run grid-parallel (ESS) or do power-assist. The price difference is 91 Euro (I really really hate our exchange rate... that sounds like so little money until you work it out and it turns into a whopping ZAR1500).
On a similar note, I recently shopped for Kitchen machines for my wife's birthday. You can also get the Russell Hobbs for a really good price, the Bosch (middle of the range and way more expensive), or the Kenwood (mucho dinero). I went with the Bosch :-)

The Axpert above is actually 24v not 12v - the problem with it is the maximum PV array capacity of 600w which is very limiting. It is ok if you have a very specific function in mind, but it is no good in a system that you may want to expand in future.
This is a versatile system that is very easily upgraded in future for not much more starting money than #1, make sure that you are getting the MPPT version if you decide to go this route. This inverter with 4x 300w panel and 4x 100Ah battery would be a good starting point if your budget can reach there.
You will not be able to run a 0.75kVA pump on a 0.5kVA inverter, so this would not be a good choice for your stated goal. Pump starting currents can be quite high so I would suggest not dipping much below 3kVA inverter in order to run the pump.

Only the larger multis (1200VA and up, the ones with VE.Bus) can be paralleled.
I would take the 12V Multi over a 12V Axpert. Costs are similar, and 3000VA at 12V is a little bonkers anyway. The Multi is a much better inverter even if it is smaller. The 48V option is in a completely different league though.
I'm curious... call it market research... why is the Multi on your list? It's a brilliant inverter, it's just clear to me that you want something larger and cheaper :-)

@AC_MANNone of the Axpert /Infini's can handle LiPo's correctly (as part of standard factory software.
However, @Coulomb and friends from the Aussie Forum have put together special variants of the software for this very combination. 
Try 
or just use the search function here for "Axpert Firmware"
Read the Aussie form post as well.

Hi AC_Man. Give me a day and I will PM our Pylon special offer to you. We were planning to go live next week but a couple of days probably will not make a difference. Pylon have just brought out a Infini/Axpert compatible firmware for their US2000B 2.4kW Lithium batteries.

It may come in the form of a .rar archive. I think Windows doesn't handle these by default; if so you'll need a third party app like 7-zip or Winzip to unpack it.

Sorry man but better you catch that early before any damage occurs