GVC

Thanks Chris. I have only given all the wiring a visual inspection. I will now check properly. Thanks

I am thinking that my 5kva Mecer/Axpert is on its last legs. It has lasted a good 3 years this month, but I am now getting a burning smell every time the wife runs the kettle. I opened up the inverter and can't see any melting/damaged components. Even cleaned all the highveld dust out. I recently purchased a Smart Victron 150/45 MPPT external controller for my extra panels and am so damned impressed, that I am now thinking of going all Blue. Besides, I want a device that I can set and forget for the next few years. My choice is now between a very well priced 2 year old Multi 3kVA and a brand new Multi 5kVa. (This damn rabbit hole) Oh yes.....I am planning to run the new Victron on a Venus Strawberry PI that @plonksterdeveloped.

I think the 48V starts from 150/35. https://thepowerstore.co.za/products/bluesolar-mppt-150-35?variant=12362627153982&currency=ZAR&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&utm_campaign=gs-2018-09-19&utm_source=google&utm_medium=smart_campaign&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyLbpovPT6wIVg_uyCh3iZADlEAkYAiABEgLYP_D_BwE

I am now weary of the cheaper MPPT controllers after having just replaced the last fongkong one with a Victron. I certainly have peace of mind not wondering how long it will last. Here is a decent one for a few bucks more: https://www.weable.co.za/power/battery-equipment/mppt-charge-controller/victron-energy-bluesolar-mppt-100-50-vic-bluesol-mppt-100-50.html

Great work @JustinSchoeman

@plonkster I think I will make your day. My 5kVa Axpert has been running for 3 years, and it is busy serving its purpose well. However after learning about all the different inverters on this forum I will be replacing it with a Victron once it decides to give up the ghost. One soon realizes that there is no substitute for quality and longevity of a product.

@Coulomb has posted info on this inverter in 2014 already at the Aeva Forum. (It was originally designed in Taiwan) More information at: https://forums.aeva.asn.au/viewtopic.php?t=4332

Nope.....I don't know where you got that information. The original Axpert was designed in Indonesia (could be wrong) and then moved operation to Voltronic Power in China. Must Power cloned the Axpert from Voltronic Power.

I am tinkering with node-red which is a very user-friendly program and will soon open a topic where you are able to copy my settings as a start and from there you will be able to expand it...if you want to.

I personally would go for a bigger heat pump. I have a gas geyser for the past 4/5 years and after replacing 2 of them and various other niggles have decided to upgrade to a heat pump. I have read good reviews on the ITS brand and will probably go for the 5.6kW.

This one will do all that you want and more. Just keep it plugged into the wall and your devices into the inverter and it will change over automatically. https://www.geewiz.co.za/long-run-ups-inverter-battery/93614-1030-mecer-axpert-3000va-pure-sine-inverter-2x-100ah-battery-8-hour-battery-life-kit-3000w.html#/132-battery_type-100ah_standard_200_250_cycles

Contact @Chris Louw He has 2 x Axperts that he is stripping for spares.

I posted this picture about a year ago. I clean the panels with a normal garden hose. Only hosing dust off with water.

Hi Chris Can I ask what you paid for the new board and contact details if possible. A friends board also popped that he wants to replace.

Have you checked the direction of your non-return valve, as it can only open with the direction of the flow? If it is installed the wrong way around then it will definitely not pump. Or possibly as @Chris Louw has pointed out, your pump may be too weak to open the valve. Maybe remove it for a test?

This is indeed strange behavior. If I switch off the battery and PV supply my inverter switches off, even though the inverter switch is on. I reckon that your inverter stayed on by some or other weird circumstance and when your wife bumped the CB board it eventually switched it off. It will not switch on until you reconnect your batteries. Do you not have a "change-over" switch to either select Utility or inverter supply?

I have this exact same model and it definitely can not run without batteries.

Africa has long been the dumping ground for the "first worlds" old tech. When something new comes out, they clear their old stock and dump it in Africa (and not at a cheaper price).

The more I am reading on these Heat Pumps, the more I am becoming convinced that it is time to put my Gas geyser on standby and install one of these heat pumps. I am already on my second gas heater in 4 years.

@Riccardo I ran it on Ubuntu 16.04. I had a problem when i upgraded to 18.04 and had to reload Emoncms. I have not been using Solpiplog since a lightning strike put my laptop in an early grave...lol. Although it is a great program. More info can be found here. https://www.photovoltaikforum.com/thread/114101-usb-datenlogger-für-pip-serie-solpiplog/?postID=1980319&highlight=solpiplog#post1980319

Seems likely that one or both of your batteries are gone. The fact that they only last one hour and that they charge so fast is a classic example of a damaged battery cell. You need to measure the voltage on the individual batteries while not charging or discharging. The one that is lower by +1.0 volts will probably have a dead cell.

Now that I have some spare time during the lock-down I am thinking that it is an excellent opportunity to kick-start a community based software development program for Axpert-like inverters. As this program is community based it will be freely available to all. (We could even post it on Github for all to benefit} I have written some software in Python and Python Gui for the Axpert, but I decided to try my hand in VB.Net (Visual Studio) and I have modified some code that was made available some time ago on this forum that was written in visual basic. I have turned this code upside down to get a handle on it and modified it to more or less do what I want. I am not a coder by the way and I am only Blessed by being able to read and understand Logic. My thinking is that I will start off with a relatively simple comprehensive program that I will share here and from there we will develop it into something that we can all use. My current format resembles a certain commercial one (which I like), so we will first have to alter it into something unique which we can call our own. Interested non-commercial developers are welcome to message me if they are keen to get involved. Non coders can share all their ideas here.....from design to wish-list. EDIT: And....Yes, the full code will be made available to all.

I would really like to get my hands on the software protocol that they have inserted into the Pylontech BMS to take charge of the inverter. If one adds it to external monitoring software then basically any Lithium can be controlled properly, effectively turning the inverter into an AI. Food for thought.

What is the asking price for the unit if i may ask?

Damn, that is a neat setup. I like the idea of all four batteries connected to the Busbars at the bottom, and the fact that all the connections are at the back of the unit....