So didn't someone here dim the backlight on his inverter because he never looks at it? :-P

Just now, plonkster said:

So didn't someone here dim the backlight on his inverter because he never looks at it? :-P

Think it's more a case of saving a few mW on the self consumption side 

We need to recruit an SMA fanboy... so that I can also brag about my stuff being cheaper...

I fell off my chair laughing at that one Plonk! 

 

But Plonkster, ignoring them for the moment, keep this between us, we have to let them keep on telling us what excellent products they have and what awesome prices they bought them for.

The fact that we have conceded it is a good 5 year inverter, I have said it is a brilliant training inverter, still they keep on knocking, let them eat cake is what I say.

We just need to be patient for 5 years for if ANY ONE of them loses it with theirs, they CANNOT buy Vickies and if they do, they will be seen as a traitor to their own kind and never can we accept such traitor in our mids, having dissed our side for so long, how can we? 

So let them have their fun, and cake, we know we will never downgrade to a Axpert. We can afford not to, even if we have to eat bread. 

Ps. The list of frustrations are growing I see. It takes but one vocal person from their side to really lose it here on the forum, for their side to weaken.

58 minutes ago, plonkster said:

So didn't someone here dim the backlight on his inverter because he never looks at it? :-P

That would be me. Stuck a magnetic white board to the front of the inverter so at least it now doubles as a office white board. I use to spend quite a lot of time fiddling and checking but I suppose the novelty has worn off and with Ed's software and PV Output I can see what has happened during the day.

I really would not be fussed if the controls of an inverter was via jumpers or LCD and buttons. Setup once and leave. Maybe after a month or so you would want to tweak your settings but essentially the less you fiddle the less can go wrong. I have not update my firmware due to my "if it ain't broken don't fix it" philosophy. 

Line is drawn, let the clock start. 

7 minutes ago, The Terrible Triplett said:

We just need to be patient for 5 years for if ANY ONE of them loses it with theirs, they CANNOT buy Vickies and if they do, they will be seen as a traitor to their own kind and never can we accept such traitor in our mids, having dissed our side for so long, how can we? 

Nah if my Axpert fails I'll just say that I no longer need to play in the sandpit. Mommy says I can play with the big boys now. If it doesn't  fail I'll continue to berate Victron as expensive antiquated kit. Win-win as far as I can see. 

17 minutes ago, Chris Hobson said:

Nah if my Axpert fails I'll just say that I no longer need to play in the sandpit. Mommy says I can play with the big boys now. If it doesn't  fail I'll continue to berate Victron as expensive antiquated kit. Win-win as far as I can see.

We will be seeing you coming a MILE away ... but, you did send me that little doodlethingkie, so maybe we can consider safe passage in the event of your missus allowing you to come and play with the big boys. (rofl)

Yeah Chris go for SMA if the Axpert fails 
If it turns out I have to replace mine in 5 years at least I can play with some new hardware again

We have totally trashed this thread. Not even the Classifieds are sacred.

Ok chaps if the Voltronic (sorry TTT) kit was NOT available due to the Chinese have taken it off the market or they have imposed sanctions since we have not started teaching Mandrin in schools yet, (OK we don't really teach anything in SA schools but that is another debate altogether) what would you buy?

PLonky and TTT will be pleased to know it would probably be Victron. So I like blue. Perhaps it is camouflage blue like those ridiculous hunting outfits that came out in early 2000s.

Error corrected: Victron changed to Voltronic I obviously need a beer.

Edited July 26, 20169 yr by Chris Hobson
Corrected an error

Outback.

2 hours ago, plonkster said:

We need to recruit an SMA fanboy..

Will  MLT Powerstar 6kVa users fill the gap? 

1 hour ago, Chris Hobson said:

I use to spend quite a lot of time fiddling and checking but I suppose the novelty has worn off and with Ed's software and PV Output I can see what has happened during the day.

Aaah yes, that's exactly what I was hinting at :-) This is precisely why some people want the Beaglebone Black option: Why on earth buy a CCGX at double the cost if it sits somewhere inside a case/room where the LCD is never used? Not everybody use these things at home you know...

Anyway, do not get me wrong. My Toyota/Hyundai analogy is perhaps not too far-fetched. it took the Japanese 20 years to become the masters that they are. In the beginning, you would not touch a Dustbin (Datsun) with a barge pole. It took the Koreans only ten years to do the same, and become as good as the Japanese. The Chinese are now around ten years in. So how do you feel about a Chana for your next car? A Chery? How about a Foton Thunda? But of course this is electronics, not cars. If I'm going to blow 18k, do I chance it on the Chinese option?

It's all moot anyway. The choice was made three years ago before the Axpert was even available locally. Time will tell :-) Like with Hyundai, I may well be wrong.

1 hour ago, Chris Hobson said:

Ok chaps if the Voltronic (sorry TTT) kit was NOT available due to the Chinese have taken it off the market or they have imposed sanctions since we have not started teaching Mandrin in schools yet, (OK we don't really teach anything in SA schools but that is another debate altogether) what would you buy?

Quite simply - whatever fitted the budget at the time. No other way to manage things. If it was another "Axpert" or "Infini" type then so be it.  If It was an SMA/Outback or Victron then yes please...!

Most of you here are quite technical, want to learn more, care to solve problems yourself, help others solve theirs, have fun learning and you are very good at it.

All of you.

Collectively you all have become very experienced with the units and are very astute in making them work far beyond what anyone could have imagined, right down to electricity meters giving issues.

For that I have a LOT of respect for you bunch.
 

16 hours ago, Chris Hobson said:

We have totally trashed this thread. Not even the Classifieds are sacred.

Ok chaps if the Voltronic (sorry TTT) kit was NOT available due to the Chinese have taken it off the market or they have imposed sanctions since we have not started teaching Mandrin in schools yet, (OK we don't really teach anything in SA schools but that is another debate altogether) what would you buy?

PLonky and TTT will be pleased to know it would probably be Victron. So I like blue. Perhaps it is camouflage blue like those ridiculous hunting outfits that came out in early 2000s.

Error corrected: Victron changed to Voltronic I obviously need a beer.

I would definitely go for a transformerless inverter again, and do like the Hybrid option - less cabling and less units (holes / rawl bolts) to mount on the wall. And it's far lighter than the 50KG stuff I have to mount on a regular basis. Old lady "tuned" me one day, "Yiss boet, you probably don't need to go to the gym, hey!". 

I like something that gives instant feedback, hence not too fond of the victrons. They are good, and good enough for a "set-and-forget" person but not me. 

 

 

P.S. Having worked with Axpert, InfiniSolar, Victron, MicroCare, SMA, Outback, PowerStar, Imeon and many unbranded chinese / Indian stuff, I would probably use whatever is available at a good price. IF my Axpert dies in the next 8 years time. If not, oh well. 

1 hour ago, SilverNodashi said:

They are good, and good enough for a "set-and-forget" person but not me. 

That is a very good analogy Silver. Well said.

 

1 hour ago, SilverNodashi said:

would probably use whatever is available at a good price.

Probably the most comfortable place to be, even more satisfying if you can try a make, client needs a urgent inverter, sell it to client, get another one. Nirvana.

Would probably do the same, truth be told, if I can buy and sell if I don't personally like it, but it still being a good product, would start with Outback. Hulle is mooi.

2 hours ago, SilverNodashi said:

transformerless inverter

The only truly transformerless units are the high voltage GTIs (350V or more DC input). If there is a boost stage involved, there is a transformer involved :-)

I must admit, TTT had me seriously consider going Blue in a Green world.

I will agree that Victron has got a better track record and had time to prove its reliability, but they are real pricey. If I want to do with Victron what I want to do with Infini, it will cost me 3 times the price and then Victron can not manage the power the same way Infini can. Reliability VS Functionality. I understand that some guys on the forum feels that it is a risk buying Axpert/Infini, but at least, for me, it will now be an calculated risk

I have learned a lot in a week and a halve from all of you and changed my future solar plans about 20 times. All of you made me rethink different options over and over. Thanks for everyone who took the time to answer my questions.

@The Terrible TriplettThanks for all the time spend in supplying me with answers in the back ground, I like your passion for Blue.

At the very least, we both learned a lot.

Just to confirm, you did see the posts from Plonkster re. programatability, I asked him the questions you asked me so I learned a lot!
He is the most qualified person on Victron on this forum, that I know of.

See here: 

 

Just sold my 75/15 and Morningstar controllers to 2 newbies who want to start, slowly and carefully. Already got a new 100/30 in and a 150/35 soon. Why 2, have 2 sets of panels.

Here is the fun part. One newbie has a 800w Axpert, one of the first ones ... he is done with it. Going Blue - his choice, not mine. Joke is on him as he was on Blue then he went Axpert with a lot of fanfare, now he is done with Axpert, for keeps.

FWIW, re. the next Axpert supporter voting blue:
Yes told him of firmware upgrades.
Yes gave him this forum address.
Yes told him of SolarMon.
Yes he had a BMV that he gave back - he REALLY believed in the SOC of Voltronics, could not sway him, batts are shot, now he understands the value of a BMV and software. 

So I did not bully him at all, he asked for Blue.

You get what you pay for :-)

Sent from my GT-I9195 using Tapatalk

On 8/8/2016 at 8:18 PM, plonkster said:

You get what you pay for :-)

 

What amazed me again tonight, when I took down the wot, 4(?) year old Morningstar, it is still looking as it was the day I took it out of the box. Brand new.

Sad thing to see the MS go. Forgot I added the temp sensor so that it can adjust the charging automatically based on batt temp, it auto equalises and you can adjust EVERYTHING on it. Plug in, adjust and forget it is there for 4 years. Much more configurable than even the Blue.

Why the change?
When I realised that since I started measuring that I seldom get above 830w from the 3 x 310w panels, I decided se dinges, I am NOT replacing the wires, go for a 150/35 controller and connect them series en kry klaar. Volts could hit 136v so 150v max is cool = Problem sorted.

So I will end up with a 100/30 controller so I can have 2 x 200w panels down to 12v for light system and the 930w for the main system. Just need to make a call on the batts.

Currently all the panels provide power to one set of batts and I see the 2 x 200w seldom add value between 11 and 3pm. Smaller controller goes into float.

So once the changes took place, I will measure and then in winter, one year from now, if I still need more panels, I will add another 3 x 320w panels, after I sold the 150/35 and upgraded to a 150/45, for I do not see me getting more than 450ah of batts if Eskom ever does come back with woes or they pull this stunt: The lights go out in Zimbabwe 

I have faith in the new split parties with no majorities to sort Eskom as well as SAA and a few others out in due course. 

And THERE, got a 150/35 controller!!! Will arrive Monday.

1 year old, used but a few months, for a very good price, cable for the Multiplus included. 

@Chris Hobson - got the 100/30 for a steal after you caught that 2 x 200w panels will not work on 75/15 on 12v ... now I can, 440w on 12v. Problem sorted.

 

FWIW
I test running a 100/30 (930w panels) and 75/15 (400w panels) charging the same battery bank. Same settings on both.
The two controllers are in sync. Same time in bulk, absorb and float whilst the load is powered. I am SERIOUSLY chaffed.

Thank you Morningstar for being the first ever to say it can be done.

Now I can go bos, if I wanted to. Add as many panels as I want when I want if I want, I can go 12/24/48v if / when I want. Man I love separate devices.

 

Now I must just wait patiently for my 2nd hand 24v 3000va Multiplus to arrive. I have NO idea when or who has it, nor do they know they have it. They are going to give it to me at a price that I can just say: Thank you. 

Then the Phoenix runs off-grid stuff only, Multiplus, with @edmundp help, will become the main inverter powering a lot more in the house, separate from Eskom, with the smallest possible cheapest battery bank I can put on the Multiplus for I hear they can ramp up the controller to meet the load, yet not damage the batts, whilst using a larger array. I like.

Then I will be done with my system.

2 hours ago, The Terrible Triplett said:

cable for the Multiplus included

Which one is that? There is only the mk2 for talking to the vebus, and the vedirect for talking to the mppt. There is also a vebus->vecan cable for directly linking the multiplus and the vecan mppt controllers. As far as I know there is no cable for directly linking vedirect and vebus. So I'm curious, what cable is this? :-)

 

2 hours ago, The Terrible Triplett said:

The two controllers are in sync

Probably just very well callibrated :-) But you can synchronise them, the vedirect and vecan controllers can be set into a kind of slave mode and networked, so they all follow the master. You can also set them into BMS mode (for working with Lithium Ion banks), so the BMS controls them.

The more I work with this stuff... man I'm like a kid in a toy store... and I already have the toys! It's like legos, discovering more things you can do. Occasionally you need to load new firmware to get new buttons to push... but this little blue boy is a happy chappy.