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Bl4d3

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Posts posted by Bl4d3

  1. Hey all

    So I have 3 x TheSunPays 4.8kw LiFePO4 batteries.

    2 of them were purchased in February 2020, the 3rd was purchased about 2 months ago.

    I am having a problem of uneven discharge, the new battery discharges faster and ends on 17% SOC while the other 2 will end at 40% SOC.
    The voltages across all 3 are the same (including cells).

    I contacted TheSunPays and they say the new battery will discharge faster due to the lower internal resistance because its newer, which makes perfect sense.
    Is there anyway around this to get the batteries to discharge at a similar rate as we are loosing about 22A of capacity due to this and the new battery would in turn degrade faster.

     

    All 3 batteries BMS are connected together and the positive from the inverter is connected to the top battery with the negative at the bottom battery.

     

  2. If you dont mind me asking, what is your reason for wanting to move away from TheSunPays inverter?

    I've got 2 of their 4kw units and they're running quite nicely.
    They've also recently released proper monitoring software with SoC control, all you need is a Pi, battery cable (for Lithium batteries) and internet.
    Software is free as well.

  3. So it seems we have come to the conclusion of what happened.

    2 x 15A fuses were dead on arrival.
    We replaced the 2 fuses last night and we got the following output :

    9 x Canadian Solar 360w Poly - 3.00kw
    4 x JA Solar 535w Mono - 1.5kw

    This was in cloudy conditions when there was a bit of a break in the clouds.

  4. 3 hours ago, Coulomb said:

    I think that 15A is too close to the panel output. Try 20A fuses.

    It would be better to have both strings having a similar mounting arrangement. Otherwise, you risk one string pushing power into the other string. 

    Thanks

     

    We will give the 20A fuses a try.

    Ideally we would have done a similar mounting layout but due to space constraints, we could not.

    Would adding a diode in line work sufficiently to prevent back feeding?

  5. Hi all

    Hope someone can help me.
    We've got the following installed :

    2 x TheSunPays Axpert 4kw/5ka Clone units (Axpert MKS clone, low voltage)
    3 x TheSunPays 48v 100Ah LiFePO4 batteries
    9 x Canadian Solar 360w poly panels (3S3P)
    4 x JA Solar 535w Mono panels (2S2P)

    The problem is with the JA Solar 535w panels that is connected to the Slave inverter.
    2 panels are flat mounted on IBR, 2 panels are mounted on tiled roof at a 25ish degree tilt north facing.
    The panels are brand new and we commissioned them over the weekend, today was the first test run.

    Voltage readout at the DC Isolator is 90v

    At peak sun today we only got 500w out of the 4 JA panels while the 9 Canadian Solar panels hit 2.7kw.
    The panels were not in shade.

    Charge limit on the slave inverter is set at 60A, batteries were at 35% and load was roughly at 1kw throughout the day.

    Each series circuit has its own positive and negative running to them, each lead is then fused with 15A fuses (2 x fuses for each series circuit, 1 on positive, 1 on negative).

    I went to check now, and 2 fuses were blown (no continuity, no resistance, nada).
    We have 2 theories.

    1. The fuses were DoA
    2. The panels amperage went too high and caused the fuses to blow. The Data sheet however says the panels Short Circuit current is 13.79A and Maximum Power Current is 12.90.
    Hence why we used 15A fuses.

    I would like to hear what forum members think what happened so as to guide is roughly in the correct direction.

    This was a DIY install.
     

  6. Hey all

    So currently we have an array of panels wired in 3S3P.
    The roof its mounted to is an IBR Roof that is at a slight angle (angled towards North).
    A row of 4 panels are mounted with another row of 5 panels mounted behind it, all at 30 degrees.
    Model : Canadian Solar 360w Poly.
    Image for better reference : (Excuse the old Satellite image, the white represents the IBR Roof)
    image.png.1a684eb90b33e54aab54b074f9391f91.png

    The problem we are facing is that the 4 panels in the front are casting a shadow on the lower half of 4 panels on the rear, effectively causing us to loose the bottom halves of those 4 panels.

    So to fix this, we plan on lowering the 4 front panels to a point where we don't get shading of the rear panels, we assume near to 5 degrees of tilt.

    What would the expected power loss be due to dropping the tilt by so much? I have guesstimated 15% which would mean a loss of roughly 200w. But we would gain +-600w from the rear panels not being shaded.

    Thanks
      

  7. 17 hours ago, PierreJ said:

    Axpert inverters are not grid-tied, so the approved inverter list does not apply. Your install is classified as a "Passive standby UPS utilised as off-grid hybrid SSEG".

    You don't need an engineer to sign off on the system, but you will need an electrical CoC, and if there is a changeover switch then you'll need to attach a test report for that. The form you need to fill out and the related info is available here:

    https://www.capetown.gov.za/City-Connect/Apply/Municipal-services/Electricity/apply-for-authorisation-to-install-a-small-scale-embedded-generation-system

    You are allowed a maximum battery charging current equal to 25% of your main breaker (i.e. 15A AC), but I don't believe a breaker is required for that if you can limit it in software. Because your solar is "off-grid" it doesn't really matter how many panels you have.

     

    Thats great new, thank you.

    Fortunately, we don't pull more than 60A 48v DC / 13A 220v AC when charging from grid. Limited by software and hardware

  8. Digging up an old thread.

    We have only become away of this over the last weekend, this poses a problem because our install is quite a bit larger than what CoCT allows and we are expanding (more panels already purchased)

    Our system comprises of :
    2 x 4kw TheSunPays Axpert clone Hybrids
    3 x 100Ah TheSunPays LiFePO4 Batters
    9 x 365w Canadian Solar Panels
    4 x JA 535w Mono Panels (on its way)

    Would simply installing a 15A breaker between the inverters and Grid solve the problem and make us compliant? We of course still need to register and what not.

    My main concern is that its Axpert inverters and they aren't on CoCT 'approved' list even though the list states its really set in stone and is just to be used as a guide.

  9. On 2021/03/15 at 8:06 PM, Pumba said:

    R12000 to rectify the first installers poor workmanship - wow. You are lucky the house didn't burn down. In this solar game there seem to be many chancers out there.

    As they say "Consumer beware!"

    2 month update

    System working well other then an issue with the 1 inverter but that will get sorted later this week.

    Cables are no longer hot and fuses are no longer blowing.
    Even in autumn, the system is outputting an extra 400w than it previously did in Summer.

    I will give credit where credit is due, the original installed installed the panels as best they could given the space, cabling and overall install was also quite neat and tidy.

    Edit : After closer inspection, it would seem that the original installer has learnt a lesson from this thread and is now wiring his newer installs correctly.

  10. On 2020/09/19 at 10:25 AM, Leosol said:

    Good day.

    H

    I have 8 4.8kw 100amp lithium sun pays batteries with 3 axpert inverters installed. Is there a way to balance or equalize the batteries? The inveter does not communicate with the batteries and icc does not yet have software for the communication between the inverter and batteries. 

    Where can I find communication cables for the batteries as they did not supply me with the cables and will the batteries communicate when I install the cables to balance and equalize with the BMS software on the batteries?

    Thank you

     

    You can get a cable from TheSunPays, they also have software to monitor it called TSPSolarBot

  11. 19 hours ago, Coulomb said:

    I assume that you mean 1 x 10 kWh Dyness Li-ion battery.

    I think that 10 kWh is too small a battery for a 9 kW load. That's an 0.9C load. Yes, you'd want the utility to take over for that load, but I think that when that sort of load comes on suddenly, the battery voltage sags too low too quickly, and the power supply (or something else) inside the inverters can't cope with the sudden dip in battery voltage, and the inverters' computers "faint from lack of oxygen to the brain", so to speak.

    Yes, it's poor and should not happen. There is possibly a hardware fault causing it, though you'd expect at least one of them to keep running, certainly the most recently added one. But maybe you just have too much resistance in the battery cables, or possibly an isolating switch or fuse? Check for voltage drops with a multimeter when there is a moderately large load, like a water kettle. There should be no more than 0.1 V drop from battery positive to any inverter battery terminal positive, and same for the negatives, preferably half that.

    Final thought: are all three inverters running identical firmware?

    What are the chances that because its pulling close to 1c, the battery BMS is kicking in and shutting off the battery and throwing it into protection.
    That would explain why all the inverters are switching off considering the inverters need a battery connected to run.

    The Dyness 9.6kw battery has a maximum output of 4.8kw

    image.png.15dca8a36d18318330ca9f1672a7d9b4.png

  12. On 2021/05/04 at 8:40 AM, TSPHeino said:

    For those that are interested in SoC control for The Sun Pays lithium batteries and Axpert type inverters, please have a look at the following option: https://shop.thesunpays.co.za/pages/online-solar-monitoring     and to monitor online : https://tspsolarbot.com/register . The software is still a work in progress and is updated weekly with new features.

     

    As for the original post question, please get into contact with The Sun Pays developers to add requests for the existing software [email protected]

    Thanks

    Installed v1.16.1 last night and seems to be working except for one bug.
    Have been in touch with Gerrit and Pieter.

    I have also suggested adding in SoC control, such as what percentage to go back to grid and back to battery.
    Battery is at 81% but still on grid

  13. 8 hours ago, 87 Dream said:

    Electrickery proudly sponsored by Voltronics 😂😂 must a relief it's still working though. Reminds me of my LR Defender. Hopefully she gives you some good endurance & mileage before she gives up the ghost 🤣

    87

    The idea is to not turn it off again 🤣

  14. We had the inverter repaired and has been working fine for about 1 month.

    So today we received a new battery for our system.
    Following what is recommended, we charged up our 2 x LiFePO4 batteries to 100%, then connected the new battery only to the inverter to charge up to 100% so that we can then connect the 3 batteries to each other and let them sit for an hour so they can balance between themselves.

    When powering on the inverter, it started with its relay clicking and screen flashing again every 1 second.

    The new battery was at 34% SOC at about 48v (if memory serves right).

    Would this be an error caused because the battery voltage is too low?

    Fortunately we do have a new inverter as well which we are using to charge up the new battery

  15. Hey all

    Is anyone else running a 3D printer on their solar setup?

    I have an Axpert Clone 5KVA 4kw inverter and a Tevo Flash 3D Printer with AC Heatbed.
    The problem I'm having is the heatbed is causing the fluorescent lights in the house and garage to flicker, only when on battery mode and solar mode.
    On bypass it doesnt flicker and also when bypassing the inverter entirely it doesnt flicker.

    Any idea what could be causing this, I'm assuming the inverter is not liking the AC heatbed.

    Link to the 3D Printer : https://www.tevo.cn/products/3d-printers/tevo-flash/

  16. 15 hours ago, 87 Dream said:

    Hi Bl4d3

    What type of BMS are you running on this setup with your batteries? This would unlock the capabilities you would like & hence some are more capable than others.

    There was a great discussion on the forum about the overall BMS & inverter comms & just how important that could or shouldn't be. 

    I think most on this forum are sold to the idea that this Comms is so critical purely because it's found on many expensive brands. I beg to differ in that argument. How are you controlling your SoC? By voltage guestimation? If pure SoC charge is all you looking for even a Victron Smart shunt can do that for you. But monitoring remotely & adjustment might also be your aim. 

    Please tell us more...

    87

    So the batteries have their internal BMS and from what it seems like, there is no known way to communicate with it at all. There are talks of a software that will be released in the future but other than that, nothing can communicate with it.

    Currently the inverter is set to fully charge the batteries and then change back to grid once they hit 48v. The issue being is that we dont know what SoC 48v is. For all we know it could be anywhere between 40% and 5%.

    Monitoring remotely and adjusting the inverter to change over at the correct SoC is most ideal.

  17. Hi all so we have the following :

    9 x Canadian Solar 360w
    1 x TheSunPays 5kva / 4kw Axpert Clone (soon to have 2)
    2 x TheSunPays LiFePO4 100AH 48v batteries (possibly expanding to 3 or 4)

    Now as it currently stands, the batteries can not talk to the inverter. The batteries can also not talk to ICC, the inverter/s however can talk to ICC.

    So my question is, if we get ICC, how can we get some sort of reliable info on SoC from the batteries to the inverter?

    I have been reading around and it seems that installing a Voltronic BMV-702 will do this?

     

    Has anybody tested this method or is there an alternative way?

     

    Obviously changing batteries would be ideal but we are not made of money and we would like to stick with TheSunPays as they have given exceptional service by answering all our questions as far as they can.

  18. On 2020/11/14 at 3:28 PM, Solar Assistant said:

    An update on this post.  Devices for the following inverters have already been allocated:

    • InfiniSolar V1 & V2
    • Axpert King
    • Axpert Max (@wtjaden takes the last one)
    • Axpert VM

    The following is still available:

    • Axpert King in parallel (2 or more)
    • InfiniSolar Super in parallel (2 or more)

    Thank you for the interest so far.

    Would you possibly be offering comms with inverters and batteries from TheSunPays?

  19. 1 hour ago, JpPaulKruger said:

    I’ve been contemplating on doing a contactor solution on the PV input side. With a sonoff timer to say turn on PV at 9 in the morning and off at 4 in the afternoon.  But now that the ICC software support teams notified me that the ICC will work on my inverter, I’ll be buying one and use this to control the 01 setting on a time schedule.  I just want the inverter to stay on utility after a certain time. And obviously if I force it into utility mode, the batteries will not work during the night. Only during day to assist PV and when we have Loadshedding.

    Would you be able to pm me those comms with the ICC team?

    I have a 4kw/5kva Sun Pays victron clone with 2 x 4.8kw lithium ion batteries (their older ones without the screen) and we were told that the software cant communicate with the inverter and the batteries. The problem being that there is no comms between the inverter and batteries, ICC would be great for this.

     

    We've been waiting on Sun Pays to release a firmware that can communicate.

  20. On 2020/05/11 at 4:20 PM, Ryeman said:

    Thanks, I do not have PV array connected thus could not try that, I ended up taking the unit in for repairs on Saturday  to Nungu Solar and got back the repaired unit today.  They will still send me the report on what was faulty  but the receptionist indicated they had to replace a card in the unit.

    Will install and monitor, thanks for all the suggestions and feedback.

    Did they advise what was wrong?

    Our inverter is doing the same, relay clicking and screen flashing.

    Its just out of warranty, we sent it to the place we bought it from for assessment. It arrived there and worked fine, today they tried switching it on and it wouldnt power on, relay clicking and screen flashing.

    They think it might be the control board or the motherboard so they are testing that now.
    Problem is the control board is R980 and the motherboard is +- R5000.

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