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Jaco De Jongh

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  1. Thanks
    Jaco De Jongh reacted to Cassie in Power Tools / Battery Tools   
    Hi Jaco,  I might be very late.  See your post dated back to 2018/08/22    But I want to tell you about my experience with battery tools.  First one (2006) was also a 12v Ryobi  ni-cad or something like that.  Wow! very impressed the first week, second week not so good, third week it was flat when I reached the top notch/step of the ladder - then it was ignored.  Second drill about 2 years later a Ryobi 18v again ni-cad or something like that.  Thought it would be better after 2 years, new technology etc. - but the same story.  I realised then that battery tools are just rubbish.  
    Then visited my son in Canada in 2014 and noticed that he's got some impressive battery tools.  A drill and an impact driver, both 20v Lithium Ion.  I really couldn't believe the power and the extended period of usage on a charge.  And the impact driver and the Canadian square-hole screws were just an eye opener for me.  I immediately went to Home Depot and could only afford a Black&Decker 20v Lithium Iron combination set.  It had the one motor with 2 slide-in chucks.  One for drilling and one for impact-driving.  I came back with it and it is still as strong as the day I bought it back in 2014.    In 2016, I again visited my children in Canada and US and bought a combo DeWalt 20v (Lith iron) set for my other son in South Africa (he build wooden houses and decks in Limpopo).  A complete drill and impact driver with brushless motors for less than what the DeWalt 18v (Lith Ion) non-brushles drill only, in South Africa costs.  Only 18v Lith ion  tools were/are available in South Africa until I walked into ACDC last year and saw on promotion a ACDC branded 20v Lith ion drill and impact driver on promotion.  I bought both for under R 2000 and also bought another impact driver for my son in Limpopo.  And I must say these ACDC branded models are very impressive, my son compared it with his DeWalt tools and said his first choice when building is the ACDC impact driver.  To conclude:  I still have the old 18v Ryobi, but is going to use it as the driving mechanism (powered by a 20v DC transformer) for my remotely controlled pet door, and lastly I've dumped all flat and star screws in the dustbin - have only a variation square hole screws in stock in my little tool room.  Thanks to Lithium ion batteries,  battery tools are now an essential part of my arsenal !
  2. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from Youda in What does it means if the red Led "ALM" light comes on   
    It will happen every 48 or 72 hours (Cant remember ) if you dont discharge your batteries. It does happen in battery backup systems without PV panels and self consumption. The alarm is not serious, but it remains annoying. I found a site a while back explaining what in the firmware causes this, bu cant seem to find it now. 
     
    EDIT: Wait here it is. its under the Victron Q&A section.

     
  3. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from Mark in What does it means if the red Led "ALM" light comes on   
    It will happen every 48 or 72 hours (Cant remember ) if you dont discharge your batteries. It does happen in battery backup systems without PV panels and self consumption. The alarm is not serious, but it remains annoying. I found a site a while back explaining what in the firmware causes this, bu cant seem to find it now. 
     
    EDIT: Wait here it is. its under the Victron Q&A section.

     
  4. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from Rclegg in Type of roofing recommended for solar panel installation   
    Very interesting figures, i never saw them interpreted like this before. If you look at a spec sheet of a normal Canadian solar panel, you will see 0.37% per degree. Do you mind sharing the 20 degree vs 40% theory. I need to size my future arrays accordingly if this figures are correct 😉. For interest sake, is this 20 degree differential measured from 0 degC or from 20 degC or only after 25  degC, or does it apply to a 20 degC increase in general. 

  5. Confused
    Jaco De Jongh reacted to Anonymous in Type of roofing recommended for solar panel installation   
    You get the exception to the rule 😉 fact is it gets really hot under solar panels that is why you need a gap between the roof and the panels for air flow your panels loose efficiency when they get too hot 😉Panel temperature has a large effect on efficiency. A 20° Celsius increase in panel temperature can reduce efficiency by as much as 40%. Natural convective air cooling around the panels is essential to ensure efficiency losses are minimised.
  6. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from Rclegg in What does it means if the red Led "ALM" light comes on   
    It will happen every 48 or 72 hours (Cant remember ) if you dont discharge your batteries. It does happen in battery backup systems without PV panels and self consumption. The alarm is not serious, but it remains annoying. I found a site a while back explaining what in the firmware causes this, bu cant seem to find it now. 
     
    EDIT: Wait here it is. its under the Victron Q&A section.

     
  7. Thanks
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from phil.g00 in BMV through USB hub   
    Had the same issue till i replaced the el-cheapo, problem free for 2 years after that till the day I replaced my Lead Acids with Pylons. 
     
    I would recommend this option if one of the VE-Direct ports are free. 
  8. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from SYC in Type of roofing recommended for solar panel installation   
    Kliplock works best for me, the clamps are non intrusive and  no compromise made in regards to the integrity of the roof. 
    My second option would be normal "Clay" Tiles. They slide open, you fasten the bracket and slide them close again. Very little changes for leaks.
    Corrugated and IBR also works fine, but you have to drill screws through them that might lead to leaks ext if not installed correctly. 
  9. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from Fuenkli in Victron Quattro Grid back-feed.   
    This is all great in theory and we mentioned this a few times in the past, but to build something like this proves to be another story all together. The cost involved as well makes me believe that asking the municipality to change the meter might remain the best option overall, especially if it can be done at no cost like with mine. 
  10. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from ___ in Victron Quattro Grid back-feed.   
    This is all great in theory and we mentioned this a few times in the past, but to build something like this proves to be another story all together. The cost involved as well makes me believe that asking the municipality to change the meter might remain the best option overall, especially if it can be done at no cost like with mine. 
  11. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from ___ in Victron Quattro Grid back-feed.   
    2 ways only. Run in HUB1 or replace the prepaid. Last option will be the best.
     
  12. Like
    Jaco De Jongh reacted to Louisvdw in Can I add Color Control GX to a system with a venusGX   
    You can only have one GX device. If you just want a display use a tablet or a phone or any device with a display that can connect to an URL on your Wifi/network. Old phone like @Mark suggest is a good option. 
  13. Haha
    Jaco De Jongh reacted to Wick in Can I add Color Control GX to a system with a venusGX   
    See this VictronConnect informational video. Notice how you can click "remote console" and it will show equivalent display to CCGX, on your phone.

    On my EasySolar-II GX, I've connected to its wifi network from laptop, gone to http://venus.local in browser, and opened that same CCGX-style view by pressing "pages" at the bottom of the remote menu.

    So there really are a few ways to make it happen!
  14. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from Fuenkli in Why your BMS is not an optional extra   
    His questions seems fair, no need to start a new thread... 
     
    Wow, be careful @Wick, this kind of attitude will not be tolerated on Power Forum. 
    @ebrsa has been a member of this forum for a few years already and his by no means a "newbie". Lithium's might be new to him, but thats why his asking...
     
    Rest assure,  not at all..
  15. Thanks
    Jaco De Jongh reacted to VisN in Apartment Solution - Quiet and Preferably Blue   
    Installation done. I'm really happy with it. way quieter than expected when idling. The fan switch is located to the right of the Jean Muller battery disconnect and when engaged, makes the system completely silent.
    Thank you @Jaco de Jongh for the customary wonderful service and patience. Thanks @plonkster for the ' Silence fan' assistant tip.  
    The problems encountered during load shedding have all been mitigated.

     
     
  16. Like
    Jaco De Jongh reacted to ___ in Simple UPS for mostly fridge, lead acid or lithium?   
    I think the usual bickering about a more efficient DC setup can be skipped. The OP said she (if it be fair to guess the pronoun in this internet age) wanted the fridge and freezer on there. Those things have induction motors, which means you need AC, which means you need an inverter. The end 🙂
  17. Haha
    Jaco De Jongh reacted to introverter in Simple UPS for mostly fridge, lead acid or lithium?   
    adding to the "how crazy is it to stick a home fridge on a UPS/backup power supply?" topic... my position in favour of doing it is also influenced by the following... (I decided to try harder to reduce my wordy posts ... so the kids can help if the adults struggle):
        🔌 📉 💡 🚫 🕯️ ❄️ 🌡️ 📈 🍗 🛒 👨‍🍳 🍽️ 🤢 🚽 💩 🧻 🙊 🤮 🥶 🆘 ☠️? 🕓  ⛅☢️? 🧪 🚀
  18. Like
    Jaco De Jongh reacted to ___ in ART SOALR 410W PV FOR SALE - R2200   
    Not to get too much into politics, but it is also somewhat predictable. Competing labour-wise with China is a tough call. China also subsidised those manufacturing plants which made it even harder for our guys to compete. The proposed solution (this side) to levy some kind of tax on those imports would have helped, but ultimately that is also the wrong answer. Interfering with the free market usually bites you later on.
    Then again, we've been doing it in our car industry for years... can't import a cheap second hand vehicle from Japan... no no no, that would kill our second-hand market.
  19. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from Wick in fuses, CB, RCDs OK? (newb)   
    I use 80 Amp fuses on the + as well as - cables when installing a 3kva. I also use 25mm cable feeding the inverter.
    12 amp fuses per sting ins fine. Again on the + and - wires. Installing a breaker in its place will just increase the cost without any value adding to the system. 
    You dont need a fuse between the battery and the MPPT, the mppt clips its current on the 70 amp mark and can not supply more current than that. In the event of a short circuit the MPPT will switch off, so the current will never reach higher than the rated 70 AMps, Again the fuse will not have any function in the circuit. 
  20. Haha
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from Mark in Getting started in Pretoria - Installer recommendations?   
    Why would you need to trick someone or find someone gullible to do this. I am sure there is proper installers that would be happy to help?
  21. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from Wick in For Victron!   
    Yes!! They nailed it............... life will truly be empty without Victron.. (3:22)
    Thanks for sharing... 
  22. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from Fuenkli in Cable size   
    16mm for 63 Amp, 10mm for 50Amp, 6mm for 40Amp, 4 mm for 30Amp, 2,5mm for 25amp and 1.5mm for 15Amp. Over normal residential distances, for longer distances you would upsize the cable. This is SANS in a nutshell, different mounting methods might have different current carrying capacity ratings. 
  23. Like
    Jaco De Jongh got a reaction from ___ in Goodwe 5048d-es with 20 solar panels. Parallel or series.   
    I have limited experience with Goodwe, but on two installations I have seen that Goodwe shuts down with PV Overvoltage?/Overcurrent? Alarms (during cloudy seasons) if you exceed 6500 Watt in total. In your case you are already on 7260Whp  and adding 2 additional panels in your case will result in a total Array size of 7920whp.
    I agree with this, 6500 already includes the 30% oversize limit. Adding more might not be wise, but it remains your choice. 
  24. Thanks
    Jaco De Jongh reacted to Coulomb in Read parameters from inverter using Adruino   
    I was surprised to see that I haven't uploaded a protocol document to this forum. I have now: https://powerforum.co.za/files/file/54-axpert-rs-232usb-protocol-manual/
  25. Thanks
    Jaco De Jongh reacted to Louisvdw in Anyone order from wholesale solar before   
    The top registrar changed the privacy of the owner details. You now have to query the registrar where the domain is held to get any contact info. 
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