A question on a solar system in Zimbabwe using an Axpert 5kva inverter. On some days and not others, around midday, the inverter switches from supplying  solar power to using battery power. Come evening the pylon batteries are down to 3 lights. Zimbabwe at present only really receive grid power from around 10pm at night to about 5am the next morning. We have been through the settings on the inverter and made a few adjustments but have not sorted out the issue. Any advice would be much appreciated.

42 minutes ago, OwenPower said:

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Hi Owen Welcome here on the forum. 

Please supply us with some more info so that we can try and assist you. 

1. How many panels do you have and their Wattage, If you can maybe tell us how they are connected it will also help. For example  3 in series and 2 strings in parallel or something in that line.  
2. How many batteries and their Amp Hour Rating   I see its Pylontech's, Ho many do you have and is it the US2000 or the US3000 Model. (Just to get a better picture of your system - I don't think they play a role)
3. What is the load like when the inverter does this. 
4. And then Lastly, the guys who really know the Axperts would like to know  the settings of your inverter, So it would be great if you can list them so long. 

Here are the answers to your questions:

1. 9 panels of 335w each, connected in 3 arrays of 3 connected in series  to give 9 x 335w potential output

2. 2 x US2000 pylon batteries.

3.  Load at time of switch is either very low  or not much above 700 to 800 watts.

4. The guys in Zimbabwe  have changed settings a few times so I'm not sure of their current settings . Will come back to you as soon as I have these. May take a few days. Apologies.

 

Many thanks

Also, is the inverter an Axpert King or equivalent? They seem to be experiencing this dip and freeze issue the most.

I have this same problem. Please help. 

 

Hi All, 

I have just joined the forum and trying to follow up on this conversation as I am experiencing the same issues with my Axpert inverter

was there any solution suggested?

Regards 

Elangeni

On 2019/10/08 at 11:46 PM, Dangreen said:

Could it be a setting?

I don't believe so. This seems to be a new firmware bug.

If you users can pin down exactly when it happens, reliably, then it's possible we might be able to patch it.

1 hour ago, Centurionsolar said:

HI Guys,

Ok, we see A LOT of systems posting to our www.centurionsolar.co.za cloud portal, and have thus far been able to collect the following information about this "event".

1.  It mostly happens with the high voltage mppt version, but we have also seen the 145VOC axpert do it.

2. Most of them are systems that are in parallel, but again we have also seen a few that weren't.

3.  Almost ALL of of them has the Solar power balance feature enabled, together with the "all inverters must see pv before pv ok".

From a fixing perspective, we have heard that plugging in watchpower and doing a factory reset on each inverter and after that setting the minimum settings (charger source priority, output source priority, battery type together with corresponding charge and discharge voltages) gets things going again.

There's also a new firmware patch out that people claim fixes it on the mksII (450VOC) version, here is the link (use daily for the password to unzip):

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ct96idrzsroc48a/AAA3LJ4Q8Ddex7xCIqwsqbu5a?dl=0

That's about what I have so far, I hope it can help someone

 

Kind Regards

 

Hi,

Do you maybe have the latest firmware for the Axpert King?  I'm currently on 71.50

Hi Bloubul7,

I have on my Mecer SOL-I-AX-5M with versionMKS5K74.40P should I bother with your version. I have no issues as of yet.

Regards

55 minutes ago, Kawaman said:

Hi Bloubul7,

I have on my Mecer SOL-I-AX-5M with versionMKS5K74.40P should I bother with your version. I have no issues as of yet.

Regards

Also running 74 40 no problems .

@Chris Louw If it behaves, leave it alone.

Thanks Chris

3 hours ago, Kawaman said:

I have on my Mecer SOL-I-AX-5M with versionMKS5K74.40P should I bother with your version.

No. The Mecer SOL-I-AX-5M is NOT an Axpert MKS II; it has a 145 V max MPPT (please correct me if I'm wrong).

Frustratingly, there are exceptions, but generally firmware with a major version number of 74 (i.e. 74.XX) is not compatible with a firmware with any other major firmware version number (such as 71.71, which has a major version number of 71).

So it would not work any way. My preliminary analysis is that the firmware will NOT prevent you from trying this, so attempting to flash with an Axpert II firmware in an Axpert MKS machine (such as the Mecer SOL-I-AX-5M) won't work and could well result in a bricked machine.

Before updating firmware, please check my Can I update my firmware, and if so to what? post. It's slanted a bit towards patched firmware, and it's heavily slanted against 450 V SCC models, but still has a lot of information about what firmware revisions go with what machines.

Edited October 17, 20195 yr by Coulomb
Added slant against 450 V SCC models.

8 hours ago, Centurionsolar said:

Ok, we see A LOT of systems posting to our www.centurionsolar.co.za cloud portal, and have thus far been able to collect the following information about this "event".

Wow!

This is really valuable data. Not to mention a firmware (you called it a patch, but it's a complete re-compile) that supposedly has the fix.

It's possible that I can find out what they've done, and patch other firmware for other models. But it seems to me that if there is a fix for this model, there should soon be a fix from the manufacturer for the other models as well.

I just checked, and the main premature float bug is still present in the this latest factory firmware, version 71.71. Sigh. But we can deal with that.

Thanks for whatever part you had in making this happen.

On 2019/10/17 at 12:18 PM, Chris Louw said:

Also running 74 40 no problems .

Hi all,

I also experience this issue with the Axpert MKS 5K with BYD batteries and BMS.  I'm currently on version 74 20.  Would like to try out version 74 40 as mentioned by Chris Louw.

Can someone maybe direct me to a link where I can download it?

Thanks

Graham

On 2019/11/06 at 9:54 PM, gbubb said:

Would like to try out version 74 40... Can someone maybe direct me to a link where I can download it?

The link is in a post by CenturionSolar 8 posts back in this topic.  Oops, that's 71.71 for 450 V models, with 64 V I believe.

Edit: It's in the attachment to this post by Kawaman.

Edit2: "non 64 V I believe" → "with 64 V I believe"

Edited November 8, 20195 yr by Coulomb

This is good news, thanks @Centurionsolar

I've got the MPPSolar 5048MG (@71.40) so I guess can flash this Axpert MKS II 71.71 firmware, correct?

@Coulomb: I would really appreciate (and with me some others I know with a 5048MG) if you could patch this firmware! 😎

(also birdibird on AEVA)

@birdibird The best is what I did and contact the official Agents of Mecer "Axpert" Inverters https://mustek.co.za/support/ 

If you are in Cape Town surrounds you can ask for a Mr. Craig Jacobs the Solar Expert at Mustek Cape town, have your Model Name ready, he will in-turn email you the correct firmware for you to flash.

Mustek are all over S.A choose your area in the link provided.

On 2019/09/26 at 2:41 PM, OwenPower said:

A question on a solar system in Zimbabwe using an Axpert 5kva inverter. On some days and not others, around midday, the inverter switches from supplying  solar power to using battery power. Come evening the pylon batteries are down to 3 lights. Zimbabwe at present only really receive grid power from around 10pm at night to about 5am the next morning. We have been through the settings on the inverter and made a few adjustments but have not sorted out the issue. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Hi there I had the same problem with basically the same system but I realised it only happens when I monitor the system through Bluetooth if I do it through the PC I have no problems

@Kawaman: Why do you recommend me to contact an agent?

@Centurionsolar posted a link to a upgraded firmware for the Axpert MKS II which is in my understanding the same machine as the 5048MG.

I am just double double checking with you guys if that is correct before I flash it. 😃

14 hours ago, birdibird said:

I've got the MPPSolar 5048MG (@71.40) so I guess can flash this Axpert MKS II 71.71 firmware, correct?

I replied to this on the AEVA forums, but I'll copy it here for PowerForum readers.

That's a great question. The 71.XX factory firmware seem to be a bit muddled. For example, 71.70 and 71.80 are for Axpert King / PIP5048MK models, yet version 71.71 seems to be for the Axpert MKS II with 64 V.

So despite the considerable gap from 71.40 to 71.71, it looks like it should work. I presume your model, being a PIP, has the 64 V option? (In other words, can setting 26 go past 58.4 V?)

Quote

I would really appreciate (and with me some others I know with a 5048MG) if you could patch this firmware (for LFP)!  8-)

As it happens, Weber and I are not particularly interested in the models with 450 V max SCCs. However, we are in communication with a German forum user who may be able to take on the patching of these models, starting with version 71.71. So there is hope!

Hi guys,

Sorry if this is posted in the wrong spot, I was looking for some place where this would be most suitable.

Just some questions out of curiosity and maybe someone can relate or have similar issues, questions, answers or data relating to this.

1. What is the difference in setting program 16?
I have my inverters setup to SLb, meaning that solar energy provide power to the load first (UCb - allow the utility to charge batteries). So far we had sunny days and there were never any problems going into 16:30 to 17:00 with full batteries. Had efficiency of around 4.5.
Unfortunately we had clouds on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, which had the batteries not fully charged going into late afternoon/night time. Efficiency dropped to between 2.5 - 2.9. (Today was 3.8 and batteries were fully charged and are currently (midnight) at 55% drawing around 800w per hour). I also try to have all of the heavy loads be done at around 14:00 in the afternoons. Only one thing I have 0 control over however remains.

1.1 The inverters switched to grid on different days at different times depending on SOC at around 22%. Problem is, one day it went back to battery at 50% SOC and other days it went back to battery when the PV produced enough to supply the load (it charged well over 4 hours on grid power). Charging of the batteries went a bit slow as well for the said days from PV.

2. Will it help to change over to SbL so that solar energy charges batteries first (and allow utility to charge). I have already changed to this setting tonight and will monitor it for the coming week or two, but I doubt if we will have the same weather conditions as last week.

3. Do point 2 above have a negative effect on battery cycles as my current setting showed a cycle each day which is understandable and acceptable.

4. Is there a downside to have different settings on each inverter, let’s say one inverter is set to supply loads first and the other is set to charge batteries first? ie one is set at SLb and the other at SbL?

5. Is it better to switch to SUB in such days so that the batteries can be charged. We all know that load-shedding is around the corner.

6. What will the difference be in setting program 11 to 20A per inverter rather than 10A per inverter? Changed program 02 from 50A per inverter to 40A per inverter as I saw the batteries showing slightly more than 100A which also do not show on the graphs with the silver line effect.

Work from home so most days I can be here to see how things run, sometimes I am at clients and can’t control certain factors. Did however installed Emoncms on my wife’s phone so that she can at least see the SOC and if the grid is there or not so that she can actually control the one issue I still have in my household that can have a influence on the load used that are supposed to charge the batteries :).

With the clouds we had poor power production but because of the silver line effect I had spikes that show peak power probably for a second or two as high or a bit higher than what is expected to be max on a PV array. Using ICC to monitor, but not to switch anything. Graphs show a slight different story than the snap shots on the gauge tab.

By not being on the grid excessively I have brought down grid usage from +- 32kWh per day to the new lowest of 34kWh for the week. If the batteries did not charge so much it would have been less for the week :). Last night however the batteries including the load sucked up 17kWh from the grid, it went to grid around 1:30 and only got off at around 5:40. 

Using 2 PV arrays of potential 3 780 watts each (12 x 315w)

2 x 5kVa inverters (Synapse 5.0K+ / aka Axpert King)

4 x US3000 Pylontech’s (still trying to resolve the cable directly to the inverters, just need to plug in and test, have not gotten around to it).

Rpi and ICC for monitoring purposes including the battery monitoring cable, no switching, only monitoring.

Since changing the batteries to the Pylontech’s they have only gone to grid once in the first week since 28 October, but three times this weekend with the poor sunshine conditions. 

Edited November 11, 20195 yr by Wilfred
Weekend

For some reason it switched to grid at 00:05 out of the blue, need to go investigate.

 

I flashed firmware 71.71 and all went fine. My first impression is that it charges the battery longer than before having setting 32 on auto.

14 hours ago, birdibird said:

I flashed firmware 71.71 and all went fine. My first impression is that it charges the battery longer than before ...

Well done. 71.71 is supposed to have fixed the dips and freezes which I suppose might result in "My first impression is that it charges the battery longer than before". Please let us know if it has indeed fixed the dips and freezes.

If so, there may be an Axpert King firmware that also fixes the dips and freezes that seem to plague that model at present.

Hi all,

Just wanted to give some feedback, maybe it helps someone else too.  My Axpert are on version 74 20 and wanted to flash it to 74 40 as Chris Louw mentioned he had no issues.  I thought I'd first try out a few settings I've read about the Battery Equalization setting (Setting 33).  Here are the settings I've applied/changed and since the update I'm happy to report that my issues now seems to have resolved as I've noticed a few times the PV's switching off but this time round, the batteries were kept at float voltage and as soon as I draw some more watts or the battery volts start to drop below float, the PV's switch back on again (and not only the next morning, it did so immediately):

Settings 32 through 37 were set as below:

• 32 (Bulk Charge Time) = AUT
• 33 (Battery Equalization) = EEN
• 34 (Battery Equalization Voltage) = 57.6
• 35 (Battery Equalized Time) = 60
• 36 (Battery Equalized timeout) = 120
• 37 (Equalization Interval) = 30

I've also changed setting 16 to CSO to charge the batteries with the Utility if Solar is not available.  Setting 11 goes with this one and I've set setting 11 to 10A.  I would prefer to actually NOT charge the batteries using Utility but I did notice that it does not charge using the utility until the system transfer to the Grid, so using the batteries first.

I truly hope this can help someone else as this drove me NUTS.