mbzn

My personal opinion (running kodak inverter and batteries),+ i had a spare raspberryPi around. Is that solar assistant was well worth the money. Everything is well documented and had zero issues getting it going. As a open source user it was difficult paying for software but well worth it.

I have kodak fl5.2's on my og7.2 working flawless. I believe they use the same bms as the pylontech. I would not hesitate to go kodak again although i have zero experience with pylontech.

Hi, I have decided sa would be a good addition to my system. I would be buying the software only. I have a pi3a around that is not used, and am concerned about it having only one usb port. My battery and inverter communication is good so this setup would be fine. I would like to find out what the benefits are when connecting the battery to the pi? If the benefits are good I'll swap around pi's to use a 3b instead. Thank you

I might have a an idea why this is. Was your batteries full at the time you tried this? I found that my battery bms changes this setting constantly.(not on sa but on the inverter itself) when the batteries are full/above 96%, the max charge current is low. Once i draw from the batteries it can go up. I dont know if this is a sa problem or if that limit is overwritten by bms. I dont have sa but found this happening on the inverter settings itself and might be what you're experiencing.

That shouldn't be an issue then, can it be that the bms is limiting you. I'm just thinking, I'm am by no way knowledged on the matter. Mayby ask somone like segensolar to check the inverter via internet. I think you tag them in the post to get a response.

What is your setting 02, 11 and 16?

As for the switch(I'm not an electrician nor do i have all the sans codes) but it seems the sans 164-1 plugs was the main issue as there was a possibility to touch the terminals while being unplugged. They are sort of phased out. The newer ones 'sans 164-2' has this sorted so the plug is already disconnected before the live terminal is exposed. My guess is 164-1 needs an isolator whereas 164-2 dont. I might be wrong though, so better let an informed sparky answer to this. As for the dc, even wired cameras has dc wires to them and i dont think it's covered by coc, afaik because you can unplug the power supply it's not considered part of the site's wireing, also 12v dc is not considered dangerous to a person. Again, please confirm with an qualified electrician before installing solely on my limited knowledge.

Mine changed it's behavior after I connected to a pc via serial cable. Maybe the disconnect and reconnect from wifi is what did the trick. It did add another inverter to the list when i open the app(same s/n, but the first one stays offline now).

Your batteries might take you further than you expect. Thats 14 units of eskom in there. Cut the high loads during the night and you'll pretty much be set. After a few week you'll know where you're short and can invest accordingly.

Ravenshield, that might work or you just got lucky after that. I gave up on mine and after a while it was there when i opened the app. Does yours have a stable connection logging every 5min or does it have gaps (can be seen in history). Mine sometimes has a 2 to 3 hour gap although the inverter is about 5 meters line of sight from the router. Edit: Just had a look, seems the connection has been stable for almost 2weeks now. Maybe it fixed itself

Deon your last post is correct, some of these db's do have one slot blanked on either side as you get busbars that takes up a slot wich you would want covered. The blanks they use is moulded with the box and can be broken out.

I also had inconsistent trips though my setup is different (explained below) wich was solved with a new earth leakage. My informed friend(he does instalations) said he had a lot of cases like this. The old EL tested fine.... I have my inverter supply after the EL basically on the eskom side of the db. From the inverter i have another EL feeding my lights and plugs. Inverter is an axpert off grid type. I have no changeover or any other fancy equipment in place. Each EL has it's own neutral bar.

Also had this struggle then it suddenly worked, i do see the wifi dropping from time to time, somtime for a few minutes other times for hours. It's on a dedicated IP so the problem is on the inverter module side. Looking in to free raspberryPI options.

To add to the question and the last reply, in regards to the mppt limits. If a pannel is rated 18.5 amps on 1000W/m2 but 15A on 800W/m2. Would this be safe on a max18A mppt, or would it be better to go with higher volt lower amp pannels(seems this is the case as anyway)?

Thanks, I will do so, currently my install covers all my oulets and lights but using the grid(bypass mode) mainly and battery when power is out. Solar will help the battery when installed. Looking to start with 3 or 4 pannels, and eventually have 6+ kw on the roof. My ideal end system will have a second inverter and 3/4 batteries with pannels covering the roof.(Dreams)

Hi guys, I'm new. I installed my self a kodak og7.2 with kodak battery a little over a month ago. Currently using as only a load shedding backup but looking at being completely off grid in time. My plan is solar in the near future as soon as budget allows, then a second 5kw battery. Slowly building my system up. Till date i haven't had any problems and quite happy so far, had 2 situations where i worried about battery levels but haven't had it shut down yet. Still reading the forum gathering information but will start my questions in time. Thanks to all the guys sharing knowledge so far, it's an informative read.