Youda

Yeah, I'm using the lamp workaround too, as I was reluctant to spend money on a decent resistor. One 230V 24W lamp per inverter is perfect. Connected it paralell to the DC fuse and the power on sequence is like this:

• connect lamp, it starts to glow
• wait couple of seconds, lamp starts to go dim
• close the fuse
• disconnect the lamp

But just like Plonkster noted, this works only for manual opeation. If the BMS is fiddling with the battery on its own, some other workaround must be implemented. Not mentioning, that if BMS really does, then there's something bad going on (over current maybe?).

@Nicholas, can you check the BMS log files for any suspicious activity? Or ask FreedomWon tech support, maybe?

Hi Nicholas,

I'm not an expert but I've experienced E7 (relay fault) in these two cases:

1) Grid power was applied first, inverter started, then battery was connected. Error 7 was generated immediatelly.

2) Battery was connected, then PV switch was turned on, and grid was turned on just right after that. The result was Error 7.

In both cases the hard shutdown and restart in the correct order solved the issue. So, the battery first, then PV switch on, and grid on as a last step, after a minute or two.

I can't speak for your setup, but if the FreedomWon battery is able to disconnect/reconnect itself automatically, then this could cause E7 for sure. There are quite fat capacitors on the battery side of Infini, so every re-connection of the battery creates a nice huge shock to these caps...and to the DC board too. Originally, Infini was designed to work with Lead Acid, so nobody took possible smart BMS effects into account, as LA+BMS combination is a rare animal. As of today, there's a function in SolarPower called "Activate li-fe battery". AFAIK, it has nothing to do with equalize, but when activated it slowly charges capacitors first, allowing you to connect a li-fe battery without any sparks then.

So, my 2cents: FreedomWon smart BMS disconnected the battery couple of times, in order to protect the cells for some reason and this re-connection caused gradual destruction of all the units.

What do you think? Is it possible?

Wow, I'd really like to know whether it's possible to lower this selfconsumption. Thanks a lot!

Hi SilverNodashi,

did you had a chance to check the site? I'd really like to educate myself on what was the root cause and the solution.

Thanks beforehand,

Youda

Since all the kids are drawing the sun in yellow, I used yellow color to mark my solar circuit breakers

Sorry for the interference, just wanted to say that this approach is same all over the world The current establishment will start with an off-grid PV evidence just to catch-up that renewable energy targets and the next government will introduce a solar tax and grid fees. Because once there's a central evidence of something created, taxing it is the next logical step.

I've heard that Spain implemented a sun tax years ago: https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2015/10/spain-approves-sun-tax-discriminates-against-solar-pv.html

The new law requires self-consumption PV system owners to pay the same grid fees that all electricity consumers in Spain pay, plus a so-called 'sun tax'. Specifically, said UNEF, a self-consumption PV owner "will pay a 'sun tax' for the whole power [capacity] installed (the power that you contracted to your electricity company, plus the power from your PV installation) and also another [second] 'sun tax' for the electricity that you generate and self-consume from your own PV installation (this applies to installations larger than 10 kW)."

Luckilly, the European Union came with legislation that some of the above fees are unacceptable: https://www.energia16.com/653637/?lang=en

Well, I wonder how far will this get in SA...

4 minutes ago, Gnome said:

No offense but are you sure you know what you are doing?

Shouldn't the voltage be 48v for the Axpert 4kW? (thus series not parallel)

Oh yes, this is definitely worth to check!

Anyway, please check the exact type of the units you have, and the voltage they require before any further rewiring, as I'm starting to feel some smoke

Haydn,

just check the voltage directly on the battery input terminal of each Axpert unit and you will find out.

If there will be the same voltage on all three units, then I would check that internal fuses, just like @Gnome noted.

Hi Haydn,

I'm not sure whether you are really asking, or it's just a joke, but error 56 (battery connection open) means that you've disconnected the battery from Axpert.

If you have all the cables back, restarted Axpert and it's still reporting E56, then check the battery fuse or MCB.

Also, if the battery is deply discharged, so the voltage is way bellow the acceptable range, then it might give you E56. In that case, reviving the battery using an external charger will help.

Hi alkafak,

as far as I know, there's no solution for InfiniSolar that's near as good as Shine Wifi and Shine Server. And that's one of the reasons why MPP, Giant and Growatt are so sucessfull in OEMing Voltronics product - they offer better local support, modified firmware and/or value-add apps.

Standard options for InfiniSolar are:

1) SNMP WebPro Card

http://www.voltronicpower.com/oCart2/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=98

With this card, you don't need SolarPower software anymore as all the settings and statistics will be available in the web interface. A little trouble for you might be the fact that it works on the local network only, so in order to get access from anywhere, you have to configure you internet router accordingly (which may introduce some security risks).

2) Wifi Card

https://voltaconsolar.com/solar-products/accessories/wifi-card-remote-monitoring-hybrid-inverters.html

https://voltaconsolar.com/media/wysiwyg/WiFi_Card_user_manual_hybrid_inverters-20171109.pdf

With this card, your inverter connects to the cloud (www.power-datacenter.com), so you can check the statistics from anywhere in the world. Some screenshots are in the PDF above. The fact is that this card is relatively new thing and same applies to that site. In other words, it has just a basic functionality for now.

BTW: With the first card installed, you still will be able to deploy ModBus meter + ModBus server box in order to enable grid-limiting. With the second card, I bet that grid limiting won't be possible as it does not have a modbus port and wifi is not so fast and reliable when compared to RS-485/modbus protocol. So, double-check that before the purchase, if you need to combine these features together.

Regs,

Youda

Hi Hannes7212,

I have Infini Plus 5KW (it's a single phase but quite similar to the 3 phase 10KW unit) Here's what I learned:

• There are 3 or so fans built-in, constantly running. When under load, they speed-up and down and are pretty noisy. A separate shed is a must.
• Have the SNMP WebPro Card installed, which is great for managing thing via web browser, without a need to install SolarPower app. For a shame, that SNMP WebPro Card failed after 2 months and refused to communicate with the inverter. Inverter itself was still running okay. Now, the card crashes once a week or two. I have to buy a new one.
• My Infini draws 2.5A from 48V battery bank during the night, just for selfconsumption. Built-in display and SolarPower App is reporting zero amps, but the BMS and AmpMeter revealed that there's this constant draw. I would imagine that 10KW unit will draw similar current or slighly more maybe. BTW, you have to subtract this amps whenever unit is reporting charging and add them when there's discharge in progress.
• Parallel card is built-in, but parallel cables (comm and current sharing) were not included in the package. If you're going to parallel, just check this before the order.

Summary: Inverter itself is good and realiable, but the peripherals are crap. Don't trust amps it's reporting. Software is the same SolarPower/Pro like the one for Axpert, so it's not the best of breed, but it works at least.

Just few points: "GEN-IN" label will appear on the display only if generator is connected to the GEN INPUT terminal and has been started via dry contact.

If a working generator is connected to the GRID INPUT then the inverter will show symbol for a working grid which is "UTILITY"

Yes, you might be right that inverter does not like the waveform produced. For example, since you are using 3-phase generator, if you put a decent load on one of the phases, the voltage of other two phases might be increased too high. But if there's no load, the generator should be producing acceptable waveform. Especially if it has AVR or Inverter built-in.

Do you have generator connected to the GRID INPUT (via changeover switch) or to the GEN INPUT?

Well, this is what I have set and AC works 24x7 for me. So if the above does not work for you, there must be something else wrong :-/

For switching, I personally use Hager SFT440 which is suitable for 3 phase. For single phase, the SFT240 or similar device should be okay. Just ask an electrician for "manual changeover switch" and he will suggest you the right one. Speaking of wiring, it's pretty easy, given you have 1-phase Infini 5KW:

• connect terminal 1 to the GRID IN LIVE on Infini
• connect terminal 5 to the GRID IN NEUTRAL on Infini
• connect terminal 2 to the ESKOM LIVE
• connect terminal 6 to the ESKOM NEUTRAL
• connect terminal 4 to the GENERATOR LIVE
• connect terminal 8 to the GENERATOR NEUTRAL
• ground should be connected together at all times (eskom, generator, inverter)

This way, the position I will be ESKOM, mid-position will be OFF and position II will be generator.

Hi Daniemj,

Generator

I had a similar issue with InfiniSolar Plus 5KW: I've connected generator to the GEN INPUT terminal block on the inverter, then turned OFF grid and turned ON generator. But, nothing happened. Manual is not really clear on how this should work, but after some investigation I'm convinced that it's like this:

• when the battery voltage drops under a discharge cut-off value, then the inverter will trigger dry contact
• based on the dry contact signal, the generator will autostart
• the inverter will automatically switch from grid input to generator input
• after the battery voltage rises above threshold, the dry contact will switch off the generator

So, if you want to use generator input terminal, you should hook-up dry contact to generator autostart and kill switch. Of course, depends whether your generator is able of remote controll and has a compatible input. For example, my generator has an electric start (like using carkeys) but has no input terminals nor auto choke so the remote controll is impossible. On the other hand, if you want to utilize generator manually, the solution is to install a I-0-II switch in front of the grid input terminal on InfiniSolar so you can select whether you want to have the inverter connected to the Grid or to the Generator.

AC ON/OFF

Here, 00:00-00:00 setting means that the AC output will be on all the time, 24x7.

On 2018/04/02 at 11:58 AM, SilverNodashi said:

I would never buy, or freely acquire a CAT phone again in my life. We brought 6 CAT S50 phones a few years ago and they all broke. My wife's fell off the bed and the screen shattered in a thousand pieces. 2 of them have a broken SIM card slot and the other's also broke their screens. When I contacted support they gave me nothing. Nada. Buggeroll support. Yet my Sony, Huawei and Samsung endure a lot of punishment on a regular basis and don't break like this. 

I have a CAT S60 with FLIR thermal imaging and the phone is quite okay. S60’s inner guts are low-end, but I personally don’t care about having latest CPU, biggest RAM and retina screen.

It survived couple of hard falls, was submerged in 5fts of water, left on direct sun for hours etc. Has a few scratches, but it's still working. The truth is, that these are not made by Caterpillar itself, but it’s a Bullitt group’s product. Therefore, there’s no guarantee of the quality and support you would expect from a CAT excavator, for example. Especially when compared to a lot of Blackberries and Samsungs that I used in the past. So, one CAT model might be good, while other a complete junk.

Thermal imager has a low resolution of 80x60, but it’s perfectly okay for checking wire connections, breakers or any mechanical equipment for overheating. One very bad thing about CAT S60 is, that the Bluetooth connection to the hands-free and to wireless headset has a poor audio quality. Sometimes it literally scrambles the voice. Unlike some other CAT phones, this one does not have wirelles charging, which is sad. But other than that, it’s a good value for money.

I've just read the whole thread and I have to agree with what most of the guys are pointing to.

My 2 cents:

1) 35mm2 cable for 3x InfiniSolar 4K is way too small. Use 50mm2 for all the connections.

2) Also, check the voltage drop on DC fuses, while under heavy load.

3) 2.5m cable between (small) battery pack and array of 3 inverters is too long. Build a shortest possible battery connection and keep in mind that all the inverters must have the same length of cable between the battery and inverter itself. This is explicitly noted in the manual for parallel operation.

4) Lower the cut-off voltage setting in the Infini settings, don't forget to SYNC.

5) Measure the battery voltage and compare that with what inverters are reporting. If there's a difference in readings, you can calibrate the InfiniSolar's ADC in the same way like Axpert.

The link bellow is for 3K version, which is different from 4K. For 4K ask your dealer for "battery calibration SOP".

http://www.ostrovni-elektrarny.cz/support/Voltronic/AccessPort_and_SOP_battery_calibration.rar

Gnome,

Path to the ground - yes, and it's not just the buck converter. There's a lot of other circuits in the inverter (just like plonkster mentioned in his previous post) that may cause troubles when you ground them (or connect to N). Speaking of transformers, high-efficiency inverters tend to avoid them as much as possible, because they are hindering the efficiency and rising the cost of device. Therefore, without knowing what's that particural inverter's topology (or architecture), you cannot be sure that there's galvanic isolation between the components.

Two main topologies ale Low Frequency with Transformers and High Frequency transformerless. For a shame, both can be manufactured as non-isolated, so this won't help you much.

Even in the devices where there's galvanic isolation between the battery and the high-voltage bus, there's no galvanic isolation between the grid-in and inverter-out. Just imagine how big chunk of metal is a 10KW 3P transformer....

So, whenever you want to bond N-in and N-out, you have to check the device capabilities first. That's why some PV installers say that it's okay, while others are strongly against.

@plonkster, by the way, how about Victron and neutrals bonding?

plonkster is correct. This inverter has many operating modes and while in hybrid mode, it draws aprox 80 Watts from the grid. In the offgrid(III) mode, the inverter will internally disconnect from the grid, but will stay synced with the grid frequency. This mode is drawing just 4 Watts.

The technical reason behind issues with bonding N-in and N-out together is based on the fact that most inverters are using full H-Bridge architecture in order to create alternating current from the DC. Now, if the inverter contains an AC battery charger (many PV inverters do), then one of battery poles might have been internally connected with N-in through that charger circuit. If that's the case, then bonding N-in and N-out together effectivelly bypasses some of the IGBT's as seen on the attached picture. Result is a damage, of course. Since vendors are aware of this, they generally do not recommend bonding.

On the other hand, many inverters have the internal architecture that solves the above issue and bonding N-in and N-out is pretty safe with them:

- For example, bonding is OK for InfiniSolar 10K 3Phase and for InfiniSolar Plus 5k also.

- For InfiniSolar Plus 3K and InfiniSolar Super 4K it's not safe and might cause a permanent damage, depending on the harware revision. Same is true for some of the Axpert models and HW revisions.

Please note, that if you will bond N-in and N-out together, then you MUST NOT ground any pole of the battery. Same with PV input - you MUST NOT ground negative nor positive pole. The reason behind this is, that regardless of having TN-S or TN-C grid, the N has a direct connection with the ground somewhere (at the grid transformer or at house DB mostly). That info should be in the installation manual of the inverter, but the reality is that it's missing most of the time. There are some inverters that do allow you to connect + or - pole of the PV to the ground, but these are made specifically for use with GICS/Amorphous PV modules which require earthing for longevity.

BTW: Speaking of diesel generators, it's safe to bond one of the poles with N-grid, because there's no AC-powered charger involved.