The eTracer and iTracer equalize just fine.

FOR THE OP asking the pwm and mppt differences...
came across this write up, though i wish a forum member who has both types of cc would hook them for 1wk each, and compare the harvests


8. General conclusion
Temperature
A standard crystalline solar panel with a nominal voltage of 12 volts consists of 36 cells in series. At
25°C cell temperature, the output current of this panel will be nearly constant up to about 17 volts.
Above this voltage, current drops off rapidly, resulting in maximum power being produced at
around 18 volts.
Unfortunately the voltage point at which the current starts to drop of decreases with increasing
temperature. Below that voltage point the current however remains practically constant, and is not
influenced by temperature.
The output power and output voltage both decrease by about 4,5% for every 10°C of temperature
increase.
PWM controller
When a solar array is connected to the battery through a PWM charge controller, its voltage will be
pulled down to near that of the battery. This leads to a suboptimal power output wattage
(Watt = Amp x Volt) at low and at very high solar cell temperatures.
In times of rainy or heavily clouded days or during heavy intermittant loads a situation may occur
where the battery voltage becomes lower than is normal. This would further pull down the panel
voltage; thus degrading the output even further.
At very high cell temperatures the voltage drop off point may decrease below the voltage needed
to fully charge the battery.
As array area increases linearly with power, cabling cross sectional area and cable length therefore
both increase with power, resulting in substantial cable costs, in the case of arrays exceeding a few
100 Watts.
The PWM charge controller is therefore a good low cost solution for small systems only, when cell
temperature is moderate too high (between 45°C and 75°C).
MPPT controller
Besides performing the function of a basic controller, an MPPT controller also includes a DC to DC
voltage converter, converting the voltage of the array to that required by the batteries, with very
little loss of power.
An MPPT controller attempts to harvest power from the array near its Maximum Power Point, whilst
supplying the varying voltage requirements of the battery plus load. Thus, it essentially decouples
the array and battery voltages, so that there can be a 12 volt battery on one side of the MPPT
charge controller and two 12 Vpanels wired in series to produce 36 volts on the other.
If connected to a PV array with a substantially higher nominal voltage than the battery voltage, an
MPPT controller will therefore provide charge current even at very high cell temperatures or in low
irradiance conditions when a PWM controller would not help much.
As array size increases, both cabling cross sectional area and cable length will increase. The option
to wire more panels in series and thereby decrease current, is a compelling reason to install an
MPPT controller as soon as the array power exceeds a few hundred Watts (12 V battery), or several
100 Watts (24 V or 48 V battery).

An MPPT charge controller is therefore the solution of choice:
a) If cell temperature will frequently be low (below 45°C) or very high (more than 75°C).
b) If cabling cost can be reduced substantially by increasing array voltage.
c) If system output at low irradiance is important.
d) If partial shading is a concern

earthrealm:
FOR THE OP asking the pwm and mppt differences...
came across this write up, though i wish a forum member who has both types of cc would hook them for 1wk each, and compare the harvests


8. General conclusion
Temperature
A standard crystalline solar panel with a nominal voltage of 12 volts consists of 36 cells in series. At
25°C cell temperature, the output current of this panel will be nearly constant up to about 17 volts.
Above this voltage, current drops off rapidly, resulting in maximum power being produced at
around 18 volts.
Unfortunately the voltage point at which the current starts to drop of decreases with increasing
temperature. Below that voltage point the current however remains practically constant, and is not
influenced by temperature.
The output power and output voltage both decrease by about 4,5% for every 10°C of temperature
increase.
PWM controller
When a solar array is connected to the battery through a PWM charge controller, its voltage will be
pulled down to near that of the battery. This leads to a suboptimal power output wattage
(Watt = Amp x Volt) at low and at very high solar cell temperatures.
In times of rainy or heavily clouded days or during heavy intermittant loads a situation may occur
where the battery voltage becomes lower than is normal. This would further pull down the panel
voltage; thus degrading the output even further.
At very high cell temperatures the voltage drop off point may decrease below the voltage needed
to fully charge the battery.
As array area increases linearly with power, cabling cross sectional area and cable length therefore
both increase with power, resulting in substantial cable costs, in the case of arrays exceeding a few
100 Watts.
The PWM charge controller is therefore a good low cost solution for small systems only, when cell
temperature is moderate too high (between 45°C and 75°C).
MPPT controller
Besides performing the function of a basic controller, an MPPT controller also includes a DC to DC
voltage converter, converting the voltage of the array to that required by the batteries, with very
little loss of power.
An MPPT controller attempts to harvest power from the array near its Maximum Power Point, whilst
supplying the varying voltage requirements of the battery plus load. Thus, it essentially decouples
the array and battery voltages, so that there can be a 12 volt battery on one side of the MPPT
charge controller and two 12 Vpanels wired in series to produce 36 volts on the other.
If connected to a PV array with a substantially higher nominal voltage than the battery voltage, an
MPPT controller will therefore provide charge current even at very high cell temperatures or in low
irradiance conditions when a PWM controller would not help much.
As array size increases, both cabling cross sectional area and cable length will increase. The option
to wire more panels in series and thereby decrease current, is a compelling reason to install an
MPPT controller as soon as the array power exceeds a few hundred Watts (12 V battery), or several
100 Watts (24 V or 48 V battery).

An MPPT charge controller is therefore the solution of choice:
a) If cell temperature will frequently be low (below 45°C) or very high (more than 75°C).
b) If cabling cost can be reduced substantially by increasing array voltage.
c) If system output at low irradiance is important.
d) If partial shading is a concern

Very informative. Thanks a million!

earthrealm:
THANKS for all the comments...quite an eye opener.

though my cc has never been extremely hot, even on very hot days..
i did the 4 x 4 setup, cos i felt , that wud reduce the load on my panel to cc cables which are rated for 15amps or so...its 10awg solar cable.

wud do 2 x 2 when i buy a new cc

@iamtoobuisy2bother.....noticed something similar in 2 luminous installations that are hooked up to 200 x 2 batts.
1 of the batts appears to hv a lower voltage of BOUT 10.4V WHEN the system is down..................noticed twas the negative terminal batt in one of the installations......cud u confirm which battery also failed in urs...wannna test my theory.
if my theory is right periodically swapping the batteries will counter such

Nope. Just asked my friend. Failure was just random

pls ur experience/view. 20kva sukam inverter will accept nepa input after the breaker on but the battery breaker also at the back when put on wl spark and trip off immediately

Hello House.

Has anyone used this timer before?

How do you connect the wiring?

Clue:
It has 5 terminals:
1
2
3 & 4 (NC - normally closed)
5 (NO - normally open).


Your help and support would be appreciated.

I would soon post the images and results of the Inverter (changed) that woke up those dying Trojan J185. Thanks for all your comments and contributions.

Pharyn:
Hello House.

Has anyone used this timer before?

How do you connect the wiring?

Clue:
It has 5 terminals:
1
2
3 & 4 (NC - normally closed)
5 (NO - normally open).


Your help and support would be appreciated.

I would soon post the images and results of the Inverter (changed) that woke up those dying Trojan J185. Thanks for all your comments and contributions.

juo is a specialist in connecting this type of timer.

abunafiu:

juo is a specialist in connecting this type of timer.

Oga Juo, we dey wait for you o!

Pharyn:
Hello House.

Has anyone used this timer before?

How do you connect the wiring?

Clue:
It has 5 terminals:
1
2
3 & 4 (NC - normally closed)
5 (NO - normally open).


Your help and support would be appreciated.

I would soon post the images and results of the Inverter (changed) that woke up those dying Trojan J185. Thanks for all your comments and contributions.

1 and 2 are live and neutral. They power the timer. 3, 4 and 5 are the switched terminals. NC means that the switch is normally closed (ON) and it opens (GOES OFF) when the timer is activated. NO means that the timer is normally opened (OFF) and closes (COMES ON) when the timer is activated. I use a few of this in my setup, mainly to switch my freezer and water pump to inverter in the money and put them back on NEPA in the evening. I used them in conjunction with contactors because I do not think they can safely carry the required currents. I also use them for my compound lights. They come on at 7.30pm and go off at 5.30am.

Thanks Abu. I think this should help

it has never failed since I started using it

adrusa:


1 and 2 are live and neutral. They power the timer. 3, 4 and 5 are the switched terminals. NC means that the switch is normally closed (ON) and it opens (GOES OFF) when the timer is activated. NO means that the timer is normally opened (OFF) and closes (COMES ON) when the timer is activated. I use a few of this in my setup, mainly to switch my freezer and water pump to inverter in the money and put them back on NEPA in the evening. I used them in conjunction with contactors because I do not think they can safely carry the required currents. I also use them for my compound lights. They come on at 7.30pm and go off at 5.30am.

i am very interested in this... What's the fail-safe mode? If your inverter and utility supply go off, does the timer reset?
I'd love to have a switch/setup that switches my fridge to NEPA when there's power, then to inverter at SOC => 50% when NEPA goes out. When the SOC drops below 50%, it should knock the fridge off the inverter, preserving battery capacity...

Is there a switch/relay/contactor/whatever that can disconnect/reconnect my fridge/water pump depending on my battery voltage?
Like the type that switches off the inverter when the cut-off voltage is breached, and switches it back on at another voltage...

Barezzi:

i am very interested in this... What's the fail-safe mode? If your inverter and utility supply go off, does the timer reset?
I'd love to have a switch/setup that switches my fridge to NEPA when there's power, then to inverter at SOC => 50% when NEPA goes out. When the SOC drops below 50%, it should knock the fridge off the inverter, preserving battery capacity...

Is there a switch/relay/contactor/whatever that can disconnect/reconnect my fridge/water pump depending on my battery voltage?
Like the type that switches off the inverter when the cut-off voltage is breached, and switches it back on at another voltage...

it has a cmos battery that can keep time for over 6 months according to spare in my hand. You will need 30a for pumping machine although this will work because is 16a. Contact kiekie he is the dealer. Believe me this timer will make life easier for you

JUO:
it has a cmos battery that can keep time for over 6 months according to spare in my hand. You will need 30a for pumping machine although this will work because is 16a. Contact kiekie he is the dealer. Believe me this timer will make life easier for you

Yes .

JUO:
it has a cmos battery that can keep time for over 6 months according to spare in my hand. You will need 30a for pumping machine although this will work because is 16a. Contact kiekie he is the dealer. Believe me this timer will make life easier for you

Thanks bro, but how will this timer help in the scenario i painted earlier?
There are times, during cloudy days that the battery state of charge is low. If the water pump comes on, it'll drain the battery and trip the inverter at low battery cutoff. If i had a voltage controlled switch instead of a timer, set it, the pump would never come on as long as the battery voltage is low and there's no utility power from the grid. I'd achieve better control...

So whether during the day or at night, i want my auxiliary loads disconnected when the battery voltage drops below a certain value, and reconnect them when the battery voltage climbs (by solar or grid supply) above another value.

If kiekie has such a switch, abeg hola!

Barezzi:

Thanks bro, but how will this timer help in the scenario i painted earlier?
There are times, during cloudy days that the battery state of charge is low. If the water pump comes on, it'll drain the battery and trip the inverter at low battery cutoff. If i had a voltage controlled switch instead of a timer, set it, the pump would never come on as long as the battery voltage is low and there's no utility power from the grid. I'd achieve better control...

So whether during the day or at night, i want my auxiliary loads disconnected when the battery voltage drops below a certain value, and reconnect them when the battery voltage climbs (by solar or grid supply) above another value.

If kiekie has such a switch, abeg hola!

juo once told me he has voltage control switch. contact him sir.

Barezzi:

Thanks bro, but how will this timer help in the scenario i painted earlier?
There are times, during cloudy days that the battery state of charge is low. If the water pump comes on, it'll drain the battery and trip the inverter at low battery cutoff. If i had a voltage controlled switch instead of a timer, set it, the pump would never come on as long as the battery voltage is low and there's no utility power from the grid. I'd achieve better control...

So whether during the day or at night, i want my auxiliary loads disconnected when the battery voltage drops below a certain value, and reconnect them when the battery voltage climbs (by solar or grid supply) above another value.

If kiekie has such a switch, abeg hola!

bros that device is capable of anything you want. Here is how I use mine, during raining season I set the timer to on my fridge by 11am and off by 2:30pm. Cos there must little sun that can power my fridge during that time no matter how cloudy. During dry season I set it to come on by 8.00am and off by 5:30pm. You can set it to pump the water for 20 or 30 minutes everyday between 12:30pm-1pm that's the peak time for solar panel according to research I did. Lastly the timer has different settings. On, it will be permanently on like a bypass. Auto according to what you set. Off there will be no output. I can provide 30a and above if you need it

Barezzi:

i am very interested in this... What's the fail-safe mode? If your inverter and utility supply go off, does the timer reset?
I'd love to have a switch/setup that switches my fridge to NEPA when there's power, then to inverter at SOC => 50% when NEPA goes out. When the SOC drops below 50%, it should knock the fridge off the inverter, preserving battery capacity...

Is there a switch/relay/contactor/whatever that can disconnect/reconnect my fridge/water pump depending on my battery voltage?
Like the type that switches off the inverter when the cut-off voltage is breached, and switches it back on at another voltage...

That timer is not capable of doing that which you want.
The only device that i know that is capable of doing that is SMA Radio Controlled Socket pictured below.
How it works is exactly what you are looking for; It stays on as long as there is power from the Grid. When its on inverter, it disconnects at your preset SOC. It is fully programmable. It connects with the SMA Sunny Home Manager which monitors the total power flow and you can also monitor it remotely. You have to be on SMA system to enjoy this.

For me, I have been looking for a device that will do this outside the SMA stuff but i haven't found one yet. What i did in my own case was to design the device by myself to switch on a none inverter AC when my battery is floating and turns it off when the battery has gone down to a certain percentage but keeps it 'on' as when there's power from the grid. I designed this device using simple PIC Microcontroller and contractor. I connected my sSOC signal from my Battery Monitor, but in your own case you can take it directly from your FM60 relay contact.

I believe abunafiu can design this device in commercial quantity for us using simple Logic Gates

richmon74:


....but in your own case you can take it directly from your FM60 relay contact.

Make i go dust the manual...

I want to introduce some devices as I promised to be doing long ago.

No. 1 on the list is

MAGNUM PT-100 SOLAR CHARGE CONTROLLER

It is a 100A 200V cc.

I've been testing this device for quite a while now and i can tell you categorically now that it is a good value for your money

If you are hopping to do a large array and the cost of cc have been holding you back, here is the solution.
This device is able to handle up to 6600W solar panels. It is the first 100A MPPT Charge Controller in the market and the price is not what you need to break the banks.

Another beautiful feature is the fact that it can handle up to 187V PV input voltage making it comfortable for you to run larger strings of solar panels in series (up to 4 24v panels) and thereby further reducing the size of cable and thereby cost of cable.

It comes with in built GFDI: Integrated PV Ground-Fault Detection and Interruption/Indication.

It provides higher than 99% charging efficiency and uses less than 2watts of power in night time mode (though i know that Schneider XW 80 600 uses 1watt)

For more details on this device you can visit magnum website or google for the datasheet.

To order for this device use our contacts on our Facebook page 'PBASE Solar'

The second device on my list is

WEMO INSIGHT SWITCH

This is a wifi socket adaptor. It allows you to monitor the device you plug on it on your android/ios phone using it's app. It connects to your home router and to your internet for you to monitor and control it remotely from anywhere in the world as long as you have access to internet. the second picture below is my phone screen i just snapped as i am writing this post showing the details of my freezer consumption. From the picture you can see the cumulative time the freezer has been on, the average time daily, the cost if you are paying bills, the average and instantaneous power consumption, etc. You can also see other devices connected to other of there switches. You can see my living room tv in off state as at the time I snapped the screen.

you can turn on/off any device manually remotely or set any timer mode you want at it runs perfectly.

To order for this device use our contacts on our Facebook page 'PBASE Solar'

Third on the list is

PRAG INVERTERS

One particular feature of the company that has this brand "PRAG" that interest me is the fact that they have listening ears. Unlike their counterparts in the market like MUST, POWERSTAR, VOLTRON, etc in the same design, PRAG is constantly evolving into a professional product not only with quality improvements but also with professional features. When the company contacted us for our reviews on their products sometime ago, we were able to define the odds and suggested possible improvement features to their products which like joke they are implementing one after the other.

When they bring in new product they always give us opportunity to test and recommend. These products has evovled from the first series which had a transformer defect and as such couldn't stand persistent over 50% load. I remember posting one burnt prag inverter sometime ago on this thread of that first series. In the second series, the transformer defect was corrected but there was yet another defect which was failure in switching when public power returns in most of its units. Some of you must have noticed that when the system is in inverter mode and grid power returns, it will still stay on inverter mode irrespective of the priority switch settings. Now, the third series which is the present series in the market right now did not only have those defects corrected but also added a major professional feature, DEPTH OF DISCHARGE' pot, which enables you to set the depth to which you can discharge your battery down to. You will agree with me that this very important feature is hard to come by in most low cost inverters. You won't see it in the likes of Luminous, MUST, POWERSTAR, SUKAM, MOPOWER, MECURY, VOLTRON, etc. You can only find them in premium inverters like SMA, MAGNUM, XANTREX, OUTBACK, VICTRON, etc.

The second picture below shows close up look of PRAG Depth of Discharge button in one of our installations.
Now you know why PRAG is not the same price with the others of the same design.

Remember we still offer great discounts on all PRAG products. Up to 20% discounts depending on which you buy.

You can contact us on
Phone/WhatsApp: 08023033135, 08182218868
email: contact@pbasesolar.com

or visit and 'like' our Facebook page 'PBASE Solar' for more informations

N/B: We do not represent any brand/company other than PBASE Solar. We only advertise and recommend good products. A lot of companies offer us resellers privileges on their products but we turn it down because we cannot defend the products quality.

Pictures below are our installations show;
Picture 1: PRAG Series 1 inverter. Always black and uses LED for display
Picture 2: PRAG Series 2 Inverter. It came in 3 different colours; green, blue and black
Picture 3: PRAG Series 2 inverter with the DoBD button.
Picture 3: close look of the Dept of Battery Discharg

Professional has spoken, case closed

Everytime oga Richmon74 enters the thread. ..its always an assignment for the boys.

tx 4 d updates.

Barezzi:


Make i go dust the manual...

remember you'll need a switching device externally while you configure your AUX conditions on your cc

REAlly amazed at the last couple of posts!.
this forum abi naija get brains!.....people are really thinking n being creative, just wish the government would sit up n create the enabling enviroment......nigeria would b able to stare japan in the eyeballz n say fxxk off...
_{a 1000 apologies for the f bomb}

richmon74:


remember you'll need a switching device externally while you configure your AUX conditions on your cc

Mehn, thanks so much for this, it's EXACTLY what I've been looking for.
Switching device? You mean a contactor?
I'll get a new db for my auxiliary loads, whose supply is regulated by the contactor.

Go Green !!! "Think Inverter~Think Solar*Sun**idea*"
We humbly appreciate our customers patronage so far.May God bless you all !

*AUTHORIZED DEALER SOLAR SHOP LTD PRODUCTS* 
All our products come with 1 year Warranty

For best affordable prices,contact Smartcell Global Services,Lagos Nigeria. Simply call Sir Frankie "08135031951" for purchase,fast delivery and waybills .. Thanks !!!

Buyer’s Nationality:
China Seller:
Must Power Limited
Seller Website:
www.mustups.com
Seller Address: Bldg.D, Huachangda Industrial area, Hangcheng Road, Xixiang Town,Baoan District., Shenzhen, Guangdong, NO.467, National Highway 107, China Initial contact with the supplier: Online Supplier Directory Type of product(s) being purchased: Inverter/Charger, Solar inverter Value of the Purchase Order when the incident occurred: 6,001 to 12,000 USD Destination market of order in question: Nigeria
Type of Complaint(s):
lack of labor, scams & other unethical activities Stage of relationship with the supplier at the time of the incident:
Order #3-5
User Experience:
After buying some limited sample inverters from this seller in 2013, we decided to start full commercial orders in 2014. We ordered 2 different products with total cost of about USD 10,000. In the process of selling the first batch or the commercial order we started receiving complaints of malfunctions and faults from customers. We even found a unit of one of the 2 products did not work at all right at the time of installation despite having no sign of physical damage or ingress of any liquid or fluid. Soon, we realized we were faced with a high failure rate of 10% which reached a peak of about 15% by the time all the units had been sold for each of the 2 products. We complained to Tina Yuan who was our sales contact using email (musta@mustups.com) and by phone (+86 13420968535, +86 189 4872 0962) and by whatsapp at different times but despite her promises nothing was done to address the problem. Several emails were sent to Tina and to the sales team mailing list and most of the emails were not replied. At a point Tina admitted they have received similar complaints from other resellers about the failures of the control board in one of the products which usually resulted in this particular product not accepting mains/utility power for battery charging or bypass operation. She indicated she will arrange for replacement boards to be shipped to us but failed to do so. The last complaint was made to Tina during the last 2015 Intersolar event and she asked me to send complaint again by whatsapp which I followed up with an email but she did not reply to any of these. I informed her I will use all means to report to relevant agencies or authorities about this dumping of poor quality products without necessary support by MUST and the effect this will have on their brand image but still there was no response. Every attempt to contact the senior or executive management of Must Power was also not successful which seems to be deliberate to shield the company from taking responsibilities.
User Recommendations:
I learned that you must not be deceived by Chinese companies that pose as manufacturers but lack real technical support for their products. They may have good website and even showcase products at global industry events. I learned that Must Power does not seem to have any strong technical team as we were never handed over to a technical team to resolve the problems. I advise other buyers to beware of this seller as they do not support their products. They are interested only in selling and collecting payments. This seller appears to be trading company that does some basic assembly of generic components with little value addition other than packaging. If you must deal with this company make sure you have a strong legally binding contract to protect you from potenutial losses due to product failures. Ensure you secure a 3 years warranty for the products at the minimum. Ensure you have information and necessary contacts of their E- level personnel.

Source: www.supplierblacklist.com/2015/06/23/must-power-limited/

My cousin wants to buy this must power inverter so I'm wondering if anyone has had a bad experience with the inverter or is the whole seller above simply unlucky?


Thanks oooo

Good day people,

I am a new member and the contributions have been very enlightening. Thank you all very much for the education.

CHARGE CONTROLLERS AND DIGITAL METERS FOR SALE

I have three (3) new MPPT charge controllers for sale. The details are below

Two (2) Morningstar TS-MPPT-60 > TriStar 60 Amp 12/24/48 Volt MPPT Charge Controller - N130,000.00 each
One (1) Morningstar TS-MPPT-45 > TriStar 45 Amp 12/24/48 Volt MPPT Charge Controller - N100,000.00 each

I also have digital meter displays that fit on the charge controllers and are useful in measuring the performance of the system daily.

Two (2) Morningstar TS-M-2 > TriStar Digital Meter - N25,000.00 each


Please send me an email on mafinowi@googlemail.com for further information.

Keep up the good work all!