Victron slow switchover to batteries

[stoic]

Occasionally when load shedding starts, and the inverters switch over to batteries equipment like computers and lights switch off and then back on, while the tv does not power off at all. Loads at the time of switchover is around 700W

Its not always though. he system comprises of 3 Victron Multiplus II and 6 Pylontech US2000. This only started recently and previously the computers would stay on during the switchover.

Is there anything i can look at to resolve this?

 

 

 

 

Edited September 2, 2020 by stoic

[phil.g00]

A mini or micro UPS?

I know they exist, maybe some googling around.

 

[Stanley]

Do the affected computers already have UPS'? I have found that often the culprit is a UPS with a dead battery. The UPS detects the glitch as the inverter transitions from on grid to off-grid and then switches to it's internal battery which, if it's dead, causes the PC to turn off. In these cases simply removing the UPS solves the problem.

Flourescent tube lights will usually turn off and on again because it doesn't take much of an interruption to extinguish the arc inside the tube.

[___]

The Multi takes up to 20ms to throw the switch. That compares pretty well to most UPSes, but you do occasionally get an appliance that's not happy with that. Perhaps it also has to do with the age of the appliance itself. The power supply in a PC for example usually can ride through 20ms, but sometimes they can't anymore.

In my house my Yamaha AV receiver clicks its speaker anti-pop relay out and back in, everything else stays up though.

Edited September 3, 2020 by plonkster

[jykenmynie]

If your PC don’t have a good PSU I guess this might happen, so never cheap out a PSU when your country don’t have a reliable and clean grid. Get one with good capacitors. It protects your sensitive electronic equipment.

[stoic]

it does feel random, and we just started loadshedding and my pc did not dip.

I did realise though that it must be happening a lot less than i think, cause i only notice it when it happens, and when i look at my vgx notifications there is a lot of power dips.

Will this be exaggerated if the power draw on the inverters are high during switchover, cause my borehole is set to auto as well as pressure pumps, so it could be that at that exact point both are on drawing a lot of power.

The PSU on both pc's are fairly new corsair gold power supplies, so i think i can eliminate those. 

 

[jykenmynie]

1 hour ago, stoic said:

The PSU on both pc's are fairly new corsair gold power supplies, so i think i can eliminate those. 

 

Not sure about the exact model Corsair that you've got, but the RM range, for example, has a hold up time pretty close to 20ms. Guess it would also depend on the size of the PSU compared to the draw by the components at the time. That said, my wife's PC has an RM650 in and mine an AX850, both held up fine when our MP II transfers, so far, so that is probably not the issue for you.

Do you suspect the MP IIs are transferring too slowly?

[stoic]

On 2020/09/03 at 1:58 PM, jykenmynie said:

Do you suspect the MP IIs are transferring too slowly?

mot exactly sure, but this thread does make me feel more at ease though

[stoic]

On 2020/09/03 at 3:12 PM, calypso said:

Newer PSU's are far more susceptible to PFC changes.  

it is fairly new, so it might be the reason.

[jykenmynie]

3 minutes ago, stoic said:

mot exactly sure, but this thread does make me feel more at ease though

Maybe you can get someone to borrow you a oscilloscope (I think you can use them like this, maybe there's something else you can also use) to measure exactly how long the transfer time is. At least that should help you clear up whether maybe the PSU is the issue or maybe it is your specific inverter. I can't imagine it being the inverter, because so many people have them.

[Zapnologics]

On 2020/09/03 at 1:58 PM, jykenmynie said:

ot sure about the exact model Corsair that you've got, but the RM range, for example, has a hold up time pretty close to 20ms. Guess it would also depend on the size of the PSU compared to the draw by the components at the time. That said, my wife's PC has an RM650 in and mine an AX850, both held up fine when our MP II transfers, so far, so that is probably not the issue for you.

I seem to be having the exact same issue.

My desktop pc, with a fairly old Corsair VX650 PSU also randomly dies when there is loadshedding, or if we are on loadshedding and the geyser kicks in.  I am even running a small UPS after the victron as well, it has not helped my case,  It never happens when the grid comes back on. Only when it drops away.

I looked today and new computer PSUs are very expensvie.   Im cocidering maybe building some sort of capacitior bank to put before the Pc.

[Zapnologics]

Update on this,

Turns out replacing the computer PSU solved the problem,  the victron does have a fairly slow switch in time, but my pc even died with a UPS inline as well.