Jump to content

NigelL

Members
  • Posts

    210
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    6

Reputation Activity

  1. Like
    NigelL got a reaction from oddysee in Victron grid tied setup from scratch   
    These diagrams do not look anything like my "MultiGrid-II-48V-3000-35-32". It only has a single set of M6 bolts for attaching the battery cables, and an M8 bolt for chassis ground. 
    I made up my own "bus-bars" for combining the Battery, Inverter and MPPT connections. See an old photo of a "work in progress" which shows this 😀


  2. Haha
    NigelL got a reaction from ___ in Neutral/Earth bonding relay Goodwe ES inverters   
    This reminds me - do check that your probes are not plugged into the mA/A/current-measuring input on the Multimeter! This will do a bit more damage than leaving a black mark...! 🤯
  3. Thanks
    NigelL got a reaction from Bobster. in Neutral/Earth bonding relay Goodwe ES inverters   
    This may be useful... https://lamphq.com/led-lights-glow/
  4. Like
    NigelL got a reaction from Gerlach in Busbar / Fuses   
    Hi Gerlach, I bought some of the glands and the sleeving from Rubicon, but they are quite expensive. AC-DC sometimes have stock of the 25mm and 20mm glands.
  5. Like
    NigelL got a reaction from PaBz0r in Busbar / Fuses   
    See my bus-bar solution, with BMV shunt and Fuses.  Uses a Gewiss box (GW44208) and a base-plate split into two sections.

  6. Like
    NigelL got a reaction from Fazil in Busbar / Fuses   
    See my bus-bar solution, with BMV shunt and Fuses.  Uses a Gewiss box (GW44208) and a base-plate split into two sections.

  7. Like
    NigelL got a reaction from Corné in Busbar / Fuses   
    See my bus-bar solution, with BMV shunt and Fuses.  Uses a Gewiss box (GW44208) and a base-plate split into two sections.

  8. Like
    NigelL got a reaction from Gerlach in Busbar / Fuses   
    See my bus-bar solution, with BMV shunt and Fuses.  Uses a Gewiss box (GW44208) and a base-plate split into two sections.

  9. Thanks
    NigelL got a reaction from Kilowatt Power in Excellent free e-book on all things Solar   
    Victron have just released their first version of "Wiring Unlimited" - see https://www.victronenergy.com/blog/2019/09/03/wiring-unlimited/
    Although produced by Victron, this book covers a wide range of topics that apply to any installation, irrespective of the brand of equipment.  Topics covered are as follows:
    Ohm’s Law Power Conductivity and resistance Current, cable resistance and voltage drop Negative effects of cable voltage drop Ripple Battery bank wiring Battery bank Large battery banks Parallel battery bank wiring Battery bank balancing Battery bank midpoint DC wiring Select the right cable Busbars Cable connections Fuses and circuit breakers DC isolation switches Shunt Parallel and/or 3 phase system DC wiring Large system busbars Voltage sensing and compensation Solar panels Communication wiring Data signals Interference Communication cables and connector types Interfaces AC wiring Power generation Distribution networks System current VA and Watt AC wiring Fuses and circuit breakers AC bypass switch Special considerations for AC wiring of parallel and/or 3 phase inverter/chargers Ground, earth and electrical safety Electrical safety Earth wiring RCD Neutral to earth link in inverters and in inverter/chargers Mobile installations Isolation and grounding of Victron Equipment System grounding Galvanic corrosion Preventing galvanic corrosion The galvanic isolator The isolation transformer Enjoy!
  10. Thanks
    NigelL got a reaction from SYC in Solar = Adsl line drops sync   
    I still think there is a possibility that noise is coupling from the AC Mains to the ADSL line, via the Router Power Supply. 
    A transformer-based power supply should not couple noise into the ADSL line.  Alternatively, if you have a small UPS,  try using this to power your ADSL Router with AC mains to the UPS unplugged.
  11. Thanks
    NigelL got a reaction from SYC in Solar = Adsl line drops sync   
    An ADSL router will typically loose sync if there is interference on the telephone line - especially if the interference couples slightly differently into the two telephone wires.
    My guess is that the problem is caused by switching noise, generated on the Axpert AC output, which is being coupled into the ADSL line.
    Suggestions:
    Try a different power supply for the ADSL Router (ideally a transformer-based PSU). Try re-routing the ADSL line so that it does not run parallel to any mains cables.  
  12. Thanks
    NigelL got a reaction from jasonvanwyk in Excellent free e-book on all things Solar   
    Victron have just released their first version of "Wiring Unlimited" - see https://www.victronenergy.com/blog/2019/09/03/wiring-unlimited/
    Although produced by Victron, this book covers a wide range of topics that apply to any installation, irrespective of the brand of equipment.  Topics covered are as follows:
    Ohm’s Law Power Conductivity and resistance Current, cable resistance and voltage drop Negative effects of cable voltage drop Ripple Battery bank wiring Battery bank Large battery banks Parallel battery bank wiring Battery bank balancing Battery bank midpoint DC wiring Select the right cable Busbars Cable connections Fuses and circuit breakers DC isolation switches Shunt Parallel and/or 3 phase system DC wiring Large system busbars Voltage sensing and compensation Solar panels Communication wiring Data signals Interference Communication cables and connector types Interfaces AC wiring Power generation Distribution networks System current VA and Watt AC wiring Fuses and circuit breakers AC bypass switch Special considerations for AC wiring of parallel and/or 3 phase inverter/chargers Ground, earth and electrical safety Electrical safety Earth wiring RCD Neutral to earth link in inverters and in inverter/chargers Mobile installations Isolation and grounding of Victron Equipment System grounding Galvanic corrosion Preventing galvanic corrosion The galvanic isolator The isolation transformer Enjoy!
  13. Haha
    NigelL reacted to ___ in Stage 6??   
    He mentioned something about a piece of instrumentation that was disconnected. Now this part I can believe, that could likely set off a chain of events that could eventually lead to a generator or two tripping. The question, however, is whether someone deliberately disconnected said piece of instrumentation (ie, with malice and aforethought) or did some idiot (who should have known better) disconnect it by accident, or (in my mind the most likely), someone just didn't do their job and didn't notice it wasn't connected.
    So Cyril didn't know about the calamity until he landed in Cairo, so we can give him a pass there. He also cut his visit short and came back sooner. So I figure there is little to fault him on. He must have been royally p*ssed... having just told the press "I visited Medupi two weeks ago and look how big and awesome it is" (I'm paraphrasing) before he got on a plane, only to land on the other side and to hear that things are seriously messed up.
    So I can imagine that when he got back, he hauled a bunch of people onto the red carpet... and they came up with excuses. And someone decided the missing instrumentation could possibly be construed as sabotage (you know, like the bolt in the generator at Koeberg some years ago) and so he went with it.
    But like you, I also don't think it was sabotage. It could be negligence that is tantamount to sabotage (aka firable offense), but I am unsure if someone actually planned it. You know, like that scene in Bad Boys II... Good morning Marcus... Good morning Mike.... How ya doin?.... aaaight.... So, how are we going to f*** up things at Eskom today?.... Gee, I don't know... I don't know... Oooh look... over there! Let's disconnect a random piece of equipment...
     
  14. Like
    NigelL got a reaction from ___ in RCD trip on power off   
    This voltage is most likely due to the input-filter capacitance of some switching power-supplies connected to the output of the inverter. This also points to a possible mechanism which causes the tripping.
    RCDs are designed to trip if there is more than a 30mA difference in current between Live and Neutral. There is a fair tolerance on this level, so one can get RCDs that will trip at say 20mA (your electrician should have a meter to measure the trip threshold). 
    When the Neutral-Earth voltage jumps from 0V to 60V, as the grid is disconnected, this could result in an additional small current between Neutral and Earth - which may just push you over the limit for the RCD.
    The tripping problem could also be a combination of factors - i.e. an overly sensitive RCD, a high residual earth leakage from your appliances (especially "surge-protector" plugs and anything with a heating element) and the problem of the floating Neutral on the output of your Inverter.
    I recommend contacting someone with experience in wiring the Goodwe Inverter.
  15. Like
    NigelL got a reaction from ___ in RCD trip on power off   
    I suggest that you verify the following two things:
    The voltage between the incoming mains Neutral wire and Earth is close to zero.  The voltage between inverter output Neutral and Earth is close to zero. Test this with Mains connected and also with Mains disconnected/Loadshedding. If there is any significant Neutral-earth voltage, or change in voltage as the inverter kicks in, this could point to the source of the problem.
  16. Like
    NigelL got a reaction from anbeng in OK to connect parallel PV strings without fuses?   
    I am planning on having 9 x 330W panels installed as 3 parallel strings of 3 panels in series. I have calculated that this combined array will have a worst-case short-circuit current of 28.6A at max temperature.
    The solar installer has said that they will use cascaded MC4 "Y" connectors to parallel the strings together under the panels - without any fuses between the strings. The combined array will connect to the DC-DB via two 6mm^2 cables (plus extra earth cable). The DC-DB will then just have a single fuse in each of these PV cables. The cable run is about 16m - 18m.
    I thought that one must have individual fuses for each string - both for safety reasons and for obtaining a CoC. In this case it would make more sense to route 6 thinner cables (e.g. 4mm^2) to the DC-DB where one would do the combining/fusing and surge protection.
    Am I just being over-cautious?
     
  17. Like
    NigelL got a reaction from flamegrilled in AMI meters (birectional Meters)   
    It is also worth noting that, even if you get approval to export energy back to the grid, the following rules still apply (for the City of Cape Town):
    You have to remain a net-consumer of electricity over a rolling period of 12 months (i.e. you cannot export more kWh than you use in one year). If, over a month or so, you export lots of more power than you use, any "credit" will carry over to the next month (but will never be paid back to you, because of point #1). This makes it hard to justify the installation cost of an AMI meter. 
  18. Thanks
    NigelL got a reaction from PaBz0r in AMI meters (birectional Meters)   
    It is also worth noting that, even if you get approval to export energy back to the grid, the following rules still apply (for the City of Cape Town):
    You have to remain a net-consumer of electricity over a rolling period of 12 months (i.e. you cannot export more kWh than you use in one year). If, over a month or so, you export lots of more power than you use, any "credit" will carry over to the next month (but will never be paid back to you, because of point #1). This makes it hard to justify the installation cost of an AMI meter. 
  19. Like
    NigelL got a reaction from Fuenkli in AMI meters (birectional Meters)   
    It is also worth noting that, even if you get approval to export energy back to the grid, the following rules still apply (for the City of Cape Town):
    You have to remain a net-consumer of electricity over a rolling period of 12 months (i.e. you cannot export more kWh than you use in one year). If, over a month or so, you export lots of more power than you use, any "credit" will carry over to the next month (but will never be paid back to you, because of point #1). This makes it hard to justify the installation cost of an AMI meter. 
  20. Like
    NigelL got a reaction from ___ in Installation in server cabinet: fishing for ideas   
    Hi Plonkster
    I see that ElectroMechanica have some options - see http://www.em.co.za/Home/Industrial-Plugs-and-Sockets/#2
    Maybe a panel-mounted "inlet" on the back of the cabinet? I'm not familiar with the electrical wiring rules relating to this type of connection..

  21. Thanks
    NigelL got a reaction from PaBz0r in Another Blue install   
    See my post here https://powerforum.co.za/topic/2111-blue-nova/page/2/?tab=comments#comment-58949
    Before I installed the BMV-712 I had no real idea of the real state of charge, so had to frequently check the battery voltage and manually enable the charger (i.e. lots of time and effort). 
    Since installing the BMV, one can rely on the SOC reading, so ESS can work effectively. There is no need to micro-manage anything anymore 🙂
     
  22. Like
    NigelL got a reaction from ___ in basic electronics question re: LED's.   
    You will also need to add a parallel diode (e.g. 1N4007 or similar), connected in reverse to the LED, so that the LED is not exposed to a large reverse voltage when the mains voltage polarity is reversed.  Most LEDs will have a maximum reverse voltage rating less than 10V so will degrade quickly without this reverse diode protection.
  23. Thanks
    NigelL got a reaction from PaBz0r in Victron behaviour   
    Okay - that sounds more like a valid thermal limit rather than a symptom of a faulty unit. 
    See the following links for reports that I mentioned in my previous post. https://community.victronenergy.com/questions/29805/multiplus-ii-5kva-showing-temperature-alarm-on-led.html and https://community.victronenergy.com/questions/29194/multiplus-ii-48500070-continuous-overload-shutdown.html?childToView=29248#comment-29248
    [Edit] I also found a reference to a Victron Toolkit App that can calculate the temperature derating - i.e. how the max power output drops as the temperature increases. I have not tried this app. See https://www.victronenergy.com/blog/2014/10/02/victron-toolkit-a-new-app-for-android-and-iphone-users/
  24. Like
    NigelL got a reaction from PaBz0r in Victron behaviour   
    Hi PaBz0r
    I am not sure if this applies in your case, but there have been some reports on the Victron forums about a batch of the new Multiplus-II 5k units giving over-temperature alarms and then failing after a few weeks.  These over-temp alarms have happened without any large loads or obvious reason.
  25. Thanks
    NigelL got a reaction from Jaco De Jongh in Victron behaviour   
    Hi PaBz0r
    I am not sure if this applies in your case, but there have been some reports on the Victron forums about a batch of the new Multiplus-II 5k units giving over-temperature alarms and then failing after a few weeks.  These over-temp alarms have happened without any large loads or obvious reason.
×
×
  • Create New...