Hi guys, 

I have been doing some research on voltronic axpert inverters. My dad will be purchasing one very soon for His house. He asked my opinion and I would like to help him as best possible given his limited budget. 

We are looking for a 5kw unit to run essentials during loadshedding(some lights, TV,fridge WiFi etc) nothing major. However upon diving into a myriad of different models it got a little overwhelming. The inverter will be coupled to a Hubble AM-2/5kw battery. 

I have narrowed down the selection to the Axpert VM III for its affordability and its rich features. Could I get your guys input in whether this is a good option?

I read in the user manual that this unit has BMS that can communicate with lithium batteries? My first question is does it work well? And is it worth having over the normal voltage based setup on most other Axpert inverters?

Question number 2, is that it has a lower AC charge amperage of 60 amp when compared to other axperts like the king that have 100amp charging. I know the Hubbles charge reccomendation is 0.3c-0.5c however it is marketed to have 100a max charging current(1c) how can I calculate rough charge time? Would it it be wrong to assume the Hubble is 100ah battery, so charging at 0.5c would be 50amp and as such it would be a rough 2hour charge to full? The concern obviously being charging the battery between loadsheds. Having a higher charging current would be better to have for options. But high charging currents aren't great for the battery's longevity, so I just want to ensure 60a charging with regards to speed will be sufficient?

Please feel free to reccomend any other axpert based inverters and brand. Or brands to stay away from. Looking to spend between 10-13k. 

Thanks a mil!

Edited May 20, 20233 yr by The_Jelly
Spelling

Hi The_Jelly, welcome to the club.

Obviously you want to use it as an UPS. I do not know all the Axpert models. First make sure that it is an Off-grid model. I use 2 Axpert/Synerji MKS 5K in parallel and am happy whit them. Concerning the battery you are right, prevent charging over 0.5C. And you do not need it. I guess that under normal circumstances the batteries will only be half discharged (2.4kWh) after a load shedding. So you have to recharge only approx 50Ah, plenty of time until next LS.

It sounds as if you are not considering solar panels at the moment?  Maybe you will never have panels because you might be prohibited from installing panels, or you might stay in a stack-simplex where you don't have your own roof, etc.  However, if solar panels are on your list, or a possible future expansion, you need to consider the solar charger specifications.  If you have a tiny roof or difficult orientation, an inverter with a low power/voltage MPPT might be OK.  Otherwise select an inverter with a high power/voltage MPPT.  I would consider one of the Kodak models.  They are stocked by many suppliers, spare parts seem to be easily available and it is a true Voltronic, i.e. not a clone. 

You are correct with your battery charging reasoning.  You might want a higher current charger if you ever were to consider adding a 2nd battery.

Low voltage MPPTs  - normally have Solar VOC = 145V
High voltage MPPTs - normally have Solar VOC = 450V - there can be a slight variance between models and manufacturers

Edited May 20, 20233 yr by Modina

49 minutes ago, Beat said:

Hi The_Jelly, welcome to the club.

Obviously you want to use it as an UPS. I do not know all the Axpert models. First make sure that it is an Off-grid model. I use 2 Axpert/Synerji MKS 5K in parallel and am happy whit them. Concerning the battery you are right, prevent charging over 0.5C. And you do not need it. I guess that under normal circumstances the batteries will only be half discharged (2.4kWh) after a load shedding. So you have to recharge only approx 50Ah, plenty of time until next LS.

Hey man, thanks for your response. It's greatly appreciated. And thank you for confirming the charge times, I completely understand now. 

28 minutes ago, Modina said:

It sounds as if you are not considering solar panels at the moment?  Maybe you will never have panels because you might be prohibited from installing panels, or you might stay in a stack-simplex where you don't have your own roof, etc.  However, if solar panels are on your list, or a possible future expansion, you need to consider the solar charger specifications.  If you have a tiny roof or difficult orientation, an inverter with a low power/voltage MPPT might be OK.  Otherwise select an inverter with a high power/voltage MPPT.  I would consider one of the Kodak models.  They are stocked by many suppliers, spare parts seem to be easily available and it is a true Voltronic, i.e. not a clone. 

You are correct with your battery charging reasoning.  You might want a higher current charger if you ever were to consider adding a 2nd battery.

Low voltage MPPTs  - normally have Solar VOC = 145V
High voltage MPPTs - normally have Solar VOC = 450V - there can be a slight variance between models and manufacturers

Hi there, thank you for the very informative reply. We are not considering solar at this time. It's for UPS as you discribed. The house however has a very large unobstructed roof so I will ensure we purchase a higher voltage MPPT unit for future use. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. 

Another great point raised with the second battery. I never considered this. I completely understand the charge rates now so I will now search for something that can also accomodate this if price allows. Their usage however will be quite low as we are being strict with what is to be considered essential. 

I was actually looking at the Kodak's in particular, but read on another post that the kodak was a clone. Thanks for confirming this. How does the mecer and RCT units fair against the Kodak/Synapse/phocos?

Lastly growatt and luxpower are these reputable brands with back up/repair locally? And should these be considered? These do not seem to be voltronic units and I have left them out as options becuase of this. 

 

22 minutes ago, The_Jelly said:

How does the mecer and RCT units fair against the Kodak/Synapse/phocos?

Mecer and Kodak and RCT (and some others) are simply rebranded Voltronic Axperts.  For instance, a Kodak OG plus 5.48 is an Axpert King 5kW.  Get whatever one is the best price, but avoid the clones.

The only true Voltronic Axperts that I know for sure are RCT, Kodak & Mecer.

I presume the following to be clones, but maybe there are some that may be genuine.  Would be good if others could point those out.

Must
Phocos
FiveStar
Synapse
SUN (ACDC)
MCE
FCS
TheSunPays
GRW Growcol
Navasolar
Top Solar
Lalela
Kingstar
Sunmart
Vito
TechGeeks
Ecom Light

19 hours ago, Modina said:

The only true Voltronic Axperts that I know for sure are RCT, Kodak & Mecer.

I presume the following to be clones, but maybe there are some that may be genuine.  Would be good if others could point those out.

Must
Phocos
FiveStar
Synapse
SUN (ACDC)
MCE
FCS
TheSunPays
GRW Growcol
Navasolar
Top Solar
Lalela
Kingstar
Sunmart
Vito

So in researching the VM III I came across this article which under point 2 states that the kodak is a clone. 

https://10best.co.za/home-inverters/

I will still do more research but would be great if more people chime in to confirm.

Once again thank you for all the assistance you have provided!

 

14 minutes ago, The_Jelly said:

So in researching the VM III I came across this article which under point 2 states that the kodak is a clone. 

How does that point 2 in the article state its a clone? 

The Kodak VMIII (OG) is not a clone. Its a  rebranded Voltronics Axpert by SegenSolar, and they support their products locally very well I need to add. 

The VMIII (now superseded by VMIV) is a value line product based on the Axpert  MKS. Amongst other, they have no PWM fan control, and becomes more noisy than the ones with control. Also it only support Pylon as far as BMS support is concerned. 

I would rather dish out the extra bucks for the MKS IV  (Kodak OG5. 6) , and you also have extra 600W of throughput. 

11 minutes ago, BritishRacingGreen said:

How does that point 2 in the article state its a clone? 

The Kodak VMIII (OG) is not a clone. Its a  rebranded Voltronics Axpert by SegenSolar, and they support their products locally very well I need to add. 

The VMIII (now superseded by VMIV) is a value line product based on the Axpert  MKS. Amongst other, they have no PWM fan control, and becomes more noisy than the ones with control. Also it only support Pylon as far as BMS support is concerned. 

I would rather dish out the extra bucks for the MKS IV  (Kodak OG5. 6) , and you also have extra 600W of throughput. 

Copied from point 2 of the article:

"The KODAK Home Inverter has been updated to a new version, a tried and tested Voltronic system it’s one among the hottest and affordable inverters on the market.

It is basically an Voltronic clone and does have the same features as the VMIII above."

I am not trying to discredit any brand merely doing some research to avoid any issues. The writer potentially used a poor selection of words?

I however thank you for your valuable input and reccomendation. 

Sad that the BMS is limited. I have had a look on the Hubble website and they also stipulate there, that it's not compatible and voltage based charging will need to be used. I was considering the cloud link, but there are many that aren't happy with it, but it seems to only be with the AM-5 batteries.

I did not even consider fan noise or PWM so it's a very interesting feature to watch out for. PWM fan control seems like quite a no brainer and can't see it adding crazy costs to implement. All inverters should have this! 

Thank you for afirming the Kodak and it's support. I will look into the VMIV and the OG 5.6 and concur with you that the extra 600w will be welcomed. I will check for pricing and compare everything.

The use of "Clone" is sometimes used incorrectly

The truest meaning of Clone in the Inverter context is an "unofficial" Copy,reverse engineered often and with sometimes dubious parts

The second use sometimes is instead of Rebrand aka Licensed where the manufacturer buys the technology and relabels it for their use

Clone is also sometimes used interchangably with "Axpert-like"

 

There's a big thread on how to try determine if you have a Copy-clone or a Rebrand-clone,including checking the Serial numbers and Parts

 

This being said I believe the RCT and Mecer units are Licensed units that can even be paralleled between Brands (so identical hardware and software)

22 minutes ago, PsyWulf said:

The use of "Clone" is sometimes used incorrectly

The truest meaning of Clone in the Inverter context is an "unofficial" Copy,reverse engineered often and with sometimes dubious parts

The second use sometimes is instead of Rebrand aka Licensed where the manufacturer buys the technology and relabels it for their use

Clone is also sometimes used interchangably with "Axpert-like"

 

There's a big thread on how to try determine if you have a Copy-clone or a Rebrand-clone,including checking the Serial numbers and Parts

 

This being said I believe the RCT and Mecer units are Licensed units that can even be paralleled between Brands (so identical hardware and software)

I belief that the fact that Phocos launched the Axpert like Any grid inverter that also sells at a 50% premium at an European show that it is not a clone. The MPPTs have different voltages etc. The frame does look the same as the Voltronic inverters. Just my own take on this brand. It also has a very good reliability score. 

1 hour ago, PsyWulf said:

The use of "Clone" is sometimes used incorrectly

The truest meaning of Clone in the Inverter context is an "unofficial" Copy,reverse engineered often and with sometimes dubious parts

The second use sometimes is instead of Rebrand aka Licensed where the manufacturer buys the technology and relabels it for their use

Clone is also sometimes used interchangably with "Axpert-like"

 

There's a big thread on how to try determine if you have a Copy-clone or a Rebrand-clone,including checking the Serial numbers and Parts

 

This being said I believe the RCT and Mecer units are Licensed units that can even be paralleled between Brands (so identical hardware and software)

Yeah I hear what you saying, I really do feel the writer is being misinterpreted.

Awesome! So basically can't really go wrong sticking to Mecer and RCT. Compatibility and local support.

42 minutes ago, Scorp007 said:

I belief that the fact that Phocos launched the Axpert like Any grid inverter that also sells at a 50% premium at an European show that it is not a clone. The MPPTs have different voltages etc. The frame does look the same as the Voltronic inverters. Just my own take on this brand. It also has a very good reliability score. 

Awesome thanks for your input, the more options available the better. Things are beginning to feel alot clearer. I have a spreadsheet going with models, pricing and specification differences, so as I get feedback from here I'm adding to the list to try narrow down best bang for buck. 

2 minutes ago, The_Jelly said:

Awesome thanks for your input, the more options available the better. Things are beginning to feel alot clearer. I have a spreadsheet going with models, pricing and specification differences, so as I get feedback from here I'm adding to the list to try narrow down best bang for buck. 

I think the heart of the Luxpower SNA is also Axpert based. 2 x MPPTs is an attraction as well as the lower starting voltage. Well priced I would say. 

Following @PsyWulf

good post I have also seen original brands accepting a fee to just add a seller/manufacturers name on their product. One would then assume it is the same quality and this fee is just for marketing. 

Not on inverters but on batteries. 

11 minutes ago, Scorp007 said:

I think the heart of the Luxpower SNA is also Axpert based. 2 x MPPTs is an attraction as well as the lower starting voltage. Well priced I would say. 

The only worry I have with luxpower is it's not as well known or widely used. So there isn't a whole lot to go on. I went to have a quick look and agree with you, it seems great value for money. I just need to dig in deeper before truely considering it as an option. 

30 minutes ago, Scorp007 said:

One would then assume it is the same quality and this fee is just for marketing. 

Hubble/Esener/SunX come to mind

1 hour ago, The_Jelly said:

The only worry I have with luxpower is it's not as well known or widely used. So there isn't a whole lot to go on. I went to have a quick look and agree with you, it seems great value for money. I just need to dig in deeper before truely considering it as an option. 

Just listening to people it seems a lot of installers are recommending them. One would assume they talk out of experience.

On 2023/05/21 at 7:17 PM, Scorp007 said:

Just listening to people it seems a lot of installers are recommending them. One would assume they talk out of experience.

Okay so I have checked out the luxpower unit. It seems very interesting. A tiny bit more cash for dual mppt's and better interface and WiFi.  Seems a no-brainer on paper. Also on Enway's listing it states compatibility with Hubble batteries on its BMS. So all in all its looking like the best option.

From what I have found, it carries a 2 year warranty. RCT and Mecer are the same and Kodak looks to have a 3 year. 

so the only question I have is what is the support like and who can repair them? The axperts are a dime a dozen so having these looked at, problem solved and repaired will be easier. 

Sunsync have thier repair centre in JHB. So who looks after Luxpower from a repair or problem solving perspective? If I can confirm this then I might be looking at the luxpower unit as the one to get. 

and can anyone confirm that they Share boards or components with an Axpert?

Thanks for everything this far!

Edited May 22, 20233 yr by The_Jelly
Formatting