Only have one.

Performing faultlessly. 

I reckon the 49a charging is too high for a battery backup running off the municipal supply. Could halve it. 

 

 Jaco you are quite correct.  My setup reacts the same.I have recently asked Hein at Full Circle Solar about one unit doing the charging and he confirmed that his setup does the same. 

I had one unit fail and repaired  again.( DC unit and main board).

20 minutes ago, Peter Topp said:

I had one unit fail and repaired  again.( DC unit and main board).

Sorry to hear that, but glad its sorted. How long after the first repair did this one fail? 

 My one unit failed fist ater 10min. The second failure  for same unit after 1mth after repair. The latest third failure for same unit after 8mths after repair.

Edited August 23, 20187 yr by Peter Topp

12 hours ago, Peter Topp said:

 My one unit failed fist ater 10min. The second failure  for same unit after 1mth after repair. The latest third failure for same unit after 8mths after repair.

So three failures in 9 months? I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I had to live with that! :-)

1 hour ago, plonkster said:

So three failures in 9 months? I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I had to live with that! :-)

I very excitedly started this thread a year ago - my excitement was definitely premature. My Axpert has given me faultless service for 3 years. but it seems Voltronic has not learnt from its 2013 debacle where they launched the Axpert too early had numerous failures and quite rightly so pissed of a whole lot of customers. You think @The Terrible Triplett hates Axperts try my mate Dockarl.

 

 

39 minutes ago, Chris Hobson said:

Dockarl

Jip, saw his vids yonks ago, I think you or Edmund pointed me in his direction. 

Looking in SA for a 24v Multigrid, all sold out and I am told even the Netherlands are out of stock. Yes on 24v I am non-standard - but then I am not standard, my Mother says so.

The support and helpfullness from everyone, wow!
Everyone phones back, everyone replies to emails ... even Victron management on a question.

 

Here is a new titbit that I just learned:
So, out of interest, I inquired from my supplier, what about making my older 24v bank into a 48v by adding 4 x T105RE's.
They ask me: Have you USED the bank or was it predominately just standing there on a SOC of 100%?
I replied: Been down to 60% maybe 5 times, average never below 80% SOC.
Supplier: Add 4 more. Once all is connected, EQUALISE them all. You may get 9.8 years instead of 10 years.

Only problem is... I cannot get it over my left toe to justify spending over R10k on 4 more batteries ... $(@*!&#!!!
Anyone out there that has a 48v bank that they want to donate, sell me at a stupidly low price? 

Alternatively here is what I'm going to do:
1) I AM going to source a 24v Multigrid in SA.
2) It WILL be in transit to me, by latest end of next week.
3) I WILL pay the price that I am comfortable with.
Full stop.

... because this is just the kinda challenge I like, for a product I like and TRUST.

Edited August 24, 20187 yr by Guest

33 minutes ago, The Terrible Triplett said:

3) I WILL pay the price that I am comfortable with.

That I noticed. You really take the principle of "I have nothing to lose, I'm going to take a chance" seriously :-)

If you're going 48V, then I suggest holding out for a Multiplus-II. Should be the same price as a Multigrid. It's NRS certified now. I can send you the paperwork if you need it, if it isn't on the main website yet. It should also be on the Cape Town list soon.

1 hour ago, plonkster said:

That I noticed. You really take the principle of "I have nothing to lose, I'm going to take a chance" seriously :-)

The answer is no, right, what can I lose to ask? So, I figured that once one starts asking questions:
And the more no's you get ... The more you learn.
And the more you learn ... The better the questions become. 

Sometimes people realize too late, that it would have been so much better to just give me the things I asked for at the fair price I said I'll pay, saving THEMSELVES a lot of headaches. 

Rather chat here ... on Crit my idea ... pull it to pieces, I can take it.

7 minutes ago, The Terrible Triplett said:

Sometimes people realize too late, that it would have been so much better to just give me the things I asked for at the fair price I said I'll pay, saving THEMSELVES a lot of headaches. 

Relentless badgering. I really had a good laugh when I heard just how far you went to get the price you want :-)

The quotes you got so far are already very good. They are only about 20% above bare minimum... and by bare minimum I mean you technically didn't pay for support.

He told you ... he unbeknownst to himself, he gave me the idea. A long shot, o yes! 

I laughed at myself at the cheekiness of it all.

Hope he also saw the humour in it all. 

 

2 hours ago, plonkster said:

Relentless badgering.

Not shy to ask - yes.
Not shy to "suggest"  a ballpark number as opening bet - yes.
Badgering, relentlessly ... no.

First time is already no, right?
So if the second time it is also no, then I gracefully accept that ... but only the 2nd time. 
And no hard feelings whatsoever.

2 hours ago, The Terrible Triplett said:

Badgering, relentlessly ... no.

Borrowed from a big bang theory episode. Sheldon explains how Leonard managed to get Penny. So it's a good kind of thing :-)

 

 

On 2018/07/28 at 10:43 AM, Jaco de Jongh said:

I have only returned my units this week for the hardware and firmware updates, but was informed that Voltronic has stopped distribution of these models. They are still selling the 5Kw and there is a few 4Kw still available from shops in SA, but seems no new ones will be released from the factory.

I was glad to hear from Paul at Full Circle and a lady at another Solar company that Voltronic is indeed very supportive and that they are doing their part in supplying what is needed to solve this issue. I am glad they didnt just leave the distributors to pull the fat from the fire....

Voltronic has made a fair share of boo-boos up to now, and in the back of my mind I started loosing confidence in them, but I have the units and Voltronic did assume responsibility, so I guess I will give them the benefit of the doubt and see how the units perform when I putt them back . 

I received these inverters back on the 3rd Of Sep, and reinstalled them the 6th. the DC board of one was replaced , but the DC board of the other machine still had some dust on it, so i assumed the supplier found everything in order and decided not to upgrade the hardware on the unit in question.   Ran them in parallel till yesterday with absolutely no problems. Switched off everything yesterday afternoon, disconnected and moved one inverter to its new position about 1 meter from where it was. Powered it up and let it run of battery's during the night. Did a test on the other unit this morning and as I sat down to write the feedback of the test, a nice big bang followed by darkness, and I just new.............

The unit that was not blown the previous time, was running alone at the time. When i reached the unit, I could not see smoke or smell anything indicating that electronic components were blown, but found the 125 Amp fuse on the battery to still be okay, the 125 Amp Dc circuit breaker was tripped and 3 x 40Amp breakers on the AC side was tripped. I tired to reset the Battery breaker twice but it tripped halve way to the top. When I switch on the AC, the unit comes on and it senses the AC as well as the PV but doesn't connect anything. It wont connect load as battery voltage are to below set point, and it cant connect the PV to anything as something on the rest of the DC circuit is blown.

After removing the Unit, I tested and there is a dead short (0.9 ohm) between Battery + and - , there is also a dead short (0.4 ohm) between the DC bus + and -. 

@Coulomb what can cause a dead short over the battery input terminals as well as the DC bus connections. 

 

3 hours ago, Jaco de Jongh said:

After removing the Unit, I tested and there is a dead short (0.9 ohm) between Battery + and - , there is also a dead short (0.4 ohm) between the DC bus + and -. 

@Coulomb what can cause a dead short over the battery input terminals as well as the DC bus connections. 

 

Wow. I don't know the Infinis all that well, but I happen to have one in for inspection at present, so I've had a quick look at the service manual (available from this forum's download section).

It could be one of the battery converter sections:

The above don't seem to be complete; I'd say there would have to be current sense resisor(s) in at least some of the transistors's sources or emitters.

If you were charging at the time, damage might be confined to the upper battery charging part, or if discharging at the time, the lower part. If charging, one or both of the MOSFET pairs and one or both of the diodes could do it. Similarly, in the discharge circuit, one or both of the MOSFETs (which might actually be IGBTs) and one or both pairs of diodes would do it. Or various other combinations of diodes and transistors.

To find out if the damage is confined to the battery board, you could disconnect one of the bus wires (the one I have here has a twisted pair of thick black and red wires from the edge of the battery board to the edge of the main board). Then test the bus on the main board for low resistance.

My guess is that the "transformers" are actually multi-winding inductors (i.e. they have an air gap to store energy). The unmatched dots seem to suggest this. That means that when the primary side fails, there is some energy stored in the inductance, which has to go somewhere. Of course, this is the normal operation of a flyback circuit. So for the damage to spread from primary to secondary, I'd say one of the transistors had to short first, causing the primary to saturate and store more energy to be stored than the secondary circuit is designed to handle, thus blowing the secondary side. But that's a total guess.

Edited October 14, 20187 yr by Coulomb
"mine" -> "the one I have here"

My last say on these units............... Stay away, stay away and stay away........... oh yes just before I forget........ STAY AWAY!!!!!!!

I regret the day I agreed on upgrading from my infinisolar V's to these units, even thought the upgrade was for free and these units were suppose to be better, I am 99% sure my V's would still be running. I am officially parting ways with Voltronic and am considering a Goodwe or something in that lines. 

I might be advertising a free Infini 4k super in perfect working condition soon. I can only offer a 30 second guarantee though. 

My repaired unit arrived today and after spending hours ensuring the wiring is correct, making sure comms and current sharing wires were okay. I switched off every single supply. Connected the battery's and Pv to the returned unit to make sure its settings were the same as the other unit. powered down, connected supply and load, started up the unit, ran it for 5 to 10 minutes to make sure its working, powered down and the brought the parallel system up. Everything switched on as expected, when I ensured they are sharing the load, I put the tools away, and went for the cellphone to make a quick vid for the supplier to thank him for his efforts. On my way back........... big bang,........ repaired unit blown again............  I will never again install any Voltronic product. 

Voltronic sell these units, stopped producing it when they realize its a stuff up, but leave the client with the mess.   

Can I be first in line?

:-)

43 minutes ago, Jaco de Jongh said:

My last say on these units............... Stay away, stay away and stay away........... oh yes just before I forget........ STAY AWAY!!!!!!!

I regret the day I agreed on upgrading from my infinisolar V's to these units, even thought the upgrade was for free and these units were suppose to be better, I am 99% sure my V's would still be running. I am officially parting ways with Voltronic and am considering a Goodwe or something in that lines. 

I might be advertising a free Infini 4k super in perfect working condition soon. I can only offer a 30 second guarantee though. 

My repaired unit arrived today and after spending hours ensuring the wiring is correct, making sure comms and current sharing wires were okay. I switched off every single supply. Connected the battery's and Pv to the returned unit to make sure its settings were the same as the other unit. powered down, connected supply and load, started up the unit, ran it for 5 to 10 minutes to make sure its working, powered down and the brought the parallel system up. Everything switched on as expected, when I ensured they are sharing the load, I put the tools away, and went for the cellphone to make a quick vid for the supplier to thank him for his efforts. On my way back........... big bang,........ repaired unit blown again............  I will never again install any Voltronic product. 

Voltronic sell these units, stop producing it when they realize its a stuff up, but leave the client with the mess.   

I had the Synerji Hybrid 4kw, also a Voltronic product, and it blew up after a week and all I did was disconnect the PV array using the PV disconnect switch and when I switched it back on, BANG. The supplier refunded me after back and forth emails.

I now have the Goodwe 4.6ES for a year with no issues at all. Best thing is there is no noisy fan and it has a 5 year warranty. 

22 hours ago, Leshen said:

I had the Synerji Hybrid 4kw, also a Voltronic product.....

No Synerji is a poor clone of an Axpert.

4 hours ago, Chris Hobson said:

No Synerji is a poor clone of an Axpert.

Yeah. I didn’t like it. What I have learnt in my extremely short time with solar is that u get what you pay for. By the way, is there a way to put power back into the grid in Jhb as a direct Eskom customer with a smart meter?

20 minutes ago, Leshen said:

a smart meter

Not with a smart meter. The smart meter has Reverse current detection. When it detects reverse current it will assume the meter was installed incorrect, or that you tampered with and reversed the meter in an attempt to avoid paying. It will then charge you for the current you push back as if it was consumption. You need a new, pre-configured meter with all the tariffs ext preloaded to allow for feedback into the grid. I have the specific model number somewhere, but have to look for it. 

32 minutes ago, Jaco de Jongh said:

Not with a smart meter. The smart meter has Reverse current detection. When it detects reverse current it will assume the meter was installed incorrect, or that you tampered with and reversed the meter in an attempt to avoid paying. It will then charge you for the current you push back as if it was consumption. You need a new, pre-configured meter with all the tariffs ext preloaded to allow for feedback into the grid. I have the specific model number somewhere, but have to look for it. 

Ok thanks. Please let me know

Just curious there is currently a special running close to me with a "Infinisolar V-II 5KW" inverter in the kit. Is this a no go? - Better to skip the brand, or a specific model? (My default take away is to rather skip anything that sounds remotely familiar to this brand).