₦airaland Forum

But noone has answered the Q yet. Which inverters are the best not considering cost?

To be honest, previously I thought my cyberpower was one of the best. Its a generally more expensive than the luminous and sukams out there, but it comes with a separate changeover switch and an AVR apart from whats built in. People say its hard to install, but installation comes as part of the cost. or you can get the simple wiring diagram. I still feel cyberpower is a step above the other 2-3 stage chargers if its installed properly. I've been using mine since last year and have installed for a couple since then and theyve never had any of these fan issues etc. You just have to install them properly with the included accessories, that all...

Nonetheless, i would still like to know the answer to the intial question.

feasy1: fikfik
11.6Kwh generated from 2080W array is quite impressive. If I may ask what city are you located? Has the array harnessed 10kwh plus other days than the day 11.6Kwh was generated. Congratulations on your set up.

Thanks bros feasy. Yeah i've harvested that much a couple times but on average get about 9KVA because the bank reaches 100% SOC pretty fast. the days i get 11KVA, is when they turn on the pump or something during charging.

I'm in Abuja, but I think its because I mounted high up (and recieve no shadow whats so ever throughtout the day) and strictly adhered to cardinal positioning and angle of inclination. Max PV power I've gotten is just about 1,900W (91%) which isnt bad for a polycrystalline array (IMO).

Akanniade: Congrats on your setup.
Your suspicion may be partly correct. The 20hrs means the battery can 10amps over period of 20hrs. Beyond this the voltage dips drastically. You can view it as the linear part of the battery curve. So a 10hrs battery will not be 'linear' on same time period and load as a 20hrs.

At 11.6kwh/d, you are having a pretty good harvest from your array.

So does this mean:

200amp/10hr = 100amp/20hr

should buyers beware of this? as many manufactures will label 200amp and people will buy because its chaeper only to find out its actually 100amp/20hours.

pheleix: I need info on your eTracer CC. Inbox me @my gmail account. Username is same as above . Thanks

Have replied you Sir

earthrealm: SORRY i posted the wrong pic...this one here is the connection at the end of the solar cable i bought...as we can see the 2 connectors are different....i need another connector to be able to mate the 2...thats what am looking for.......

You'll have to cut those cables anyway to connect in whichever array is good for you. I used cable joiners after cutting off the connecttors i ddinet need. Saves costs and what the solar connectors do is just bridge 2 or more wires.

The 4th is under the UPS.

Yes its large but I bought it as used batts. Funny thing is I get about the same autonomy from 8 pieces as when i was using 4 brand new zenith batteres rated at 200amp/20hrs. is the fact that these are 200amp/10hrs (not 20hrs) the reason?

Joy Solar Panels

My current installation:

5KVA CyberPower PRO
HIGH POWER 200 amp/10hr batts x 16
Joy Solar 260W Polycrystalline x 8
eTRACER 60 Amp MPPT Solar Charge controller

[img][/img][img][/img]

bodejohn: Yeah...sign of accomplishment!

wow, nice one.
how many batteries you have?
whats your average load size ?
what the make/capacity of your inverter?
are you using hybrid charging or solar only?
how many panels and wattage now?


Abuja residents, I have new cyber power inverter and zenith batts for sale incase anyone needs. PM me for details

[quote author=George_D]fikfik, earthrealm, all,

inverters come in different forms, shape and configurations. for whatever reason, cyberpower decided to include a beep sound
as part of their inverter model's features. i think this in no way detracts from the functionality or otherwise of the product.

interestingly, this beep feature was well explained in their oem user manual with clear directions on how to turn it off. a little
time invested in reading this manual could have gone a long way in providing necessary guidance in that regard.[/quote]Thanks @George, I did read the manual, just that i had forgotten about that feature. Also probably wanted to utilize the resources we have here in getting a faster reply than researching into my options. Thanks once again.

earthrealm: ooh urs beeps while the inverter is working on batteries?........that's a bad design if so.....na glorified ups be that.
mine only beeps twice when phcn comes and twice whenever phcn restores power...........luminous 1.5kva

open the inverter and see if u can locate the beeping thing..if its easy to disconnect..then do the deed...if not.......call in the pros

Ah, glorified UPS, no o. Nah cyber power o. and the PRO version at that. the beeping isnt constant and annoying like a normal UPS.

Uncle George has also helped confirm it can be switched of by depressing the toggle button.

earthrealm: i think if u turn off the ac input from the wall socket..it will stop charging.....tres simple

Lol, of course.... I don dey old ooooo

Anyway to disable the beeping?

Thanks @earthrealm

Hi Everyone,

is it possible to set a cyberpower inverter to NOT charge the battery. I want to reduce my electricity bill and only have the solar panels charge the battery bank. I have the yellow 5kva version

For Abuja residents too, i have some number of good no name 200amp batteries for sale if anyone's interested. PM me

DUNKA: Goodmorning please kindly assist with the contact details of your JOY SOLAR PANELS supplier at Lagos. Thank you

I got mine from Arthur. 07032862249

Does anyone have a Morning star 45 amps MPPT for sale? I need it tommorrow.

[quote author=George_D]fikfik,

sorry about your unfortunate experience.

morningstar specifically warned against this practice in their user manual.

its so sad you that have to fall a victim.[/quote]As I quiently mope, I accept the reality of the situation I find myself. I also would like to apprecate everyone's empathy. Thanks guys.

I did read the manual for about 5 days thrice and followed the instructions but I wasnt the one that installed it (unfortunately). I just provided guidance. In as much as my technician made a crucial mistake of conencting the power source before connecting the tiny wire, I also fault morning star a little bit in their design. i have an etracer 60 amp MPPT and the small wires such as battery sensor and temperatuer sensor are actualy plugin modules so you conenct the wires away from the device to the head connector of the module and then simply plug the connectied module into the charge controller so there a much lower risk of accidentally bridging stuff. I'm a tiny little bit surprised a innovative company such as Morning Star didnt put such into consideration. The negative terminals are big and so close to the battery sensor terminal thats comparatively tiny. Its just increases the possibility of users making such an error as has happened to me.

Thanks once again and I hope that at least others can learn from this and be very careful when connecting those battery voltage sensors.

Oh and by the way I eventually used 3 series by 4 parrallel PV configuration.

EMERGENCY

When connecting the morning star MPPT, my technician connected the battery sensory to the batt bank first before connecting to the charge controller. When passign the wire (used UTP CAT6 twisted cable about 0.2mm) through the hole to plug into the charge controller the +ve touched the common negative in the charge controller for a tenth of a second with a small spark. After connecting everthing, now my charge controller wont show the green flashing light when turn on the bettery breaker. Have comfirmed 53.5Volts at the charge controller battery bank terminals.

Is my charge controller fried, just because of that small spark wow, this is very sad for me... Please what are your thoughts?

TotalGreen: No.
for a 48volt system, it should be
3 panels in series strings of 4 (12 panels)

Thanks Uncle TotalG, but wont that give me 104.4volts Vmax and 29.88A Imax since my specs are:

Output power = 260W
Vmp=34.8V
Imp=7.47amp
Voc=44V
Isc=8.09amp
I understand from the pix below that may be ok (because the MPPT will regulate the charging votlage and current based on the connected battery bank, but my fear now is on that battery bank side. from this image, does this mean i'll have (260watt x 12) divided by 48V = 65Amps current on the battery side? Its only a 45 amp MPPT controller o. Will energy be waisting?

Thanks All

dsunmade: I currently have 2 100Ah batteries which I use with my 1.4 kva sukam inverter. I am thinking of buying 2 additional 260Ah or 200 Ah batteries. However, I have some worries.
How can I maintain 2 separate battery banks with the same inverter without having to connect and disconnect wires and terminals every time air want to change over? Are there any solutions eg similar to a knife or changeover switch.
Can the Sukam inverter with 13A charging current effectively charge 2 of the 260Ah batteries connected in series?

If it can't effectively charge the batteries, which 3 stage intelligent battery charger and of what rating will you recommend?

first of all, all my comments below are subject to correction by the experts:

a little more info should help. What size battery bank does your inverter charge (in volts). I guess its 24 volts and you have you current 100amp batteries connected in series. If that's the case all you have to do us connect the new batteries in series too and them connect to the old battery bank in parallel (+ve to +ve and vice versa). Obviously the time the new combined batteries will take to charge will be longer. In addition I hope your not adding batteries due to a reduced standby time of the current battery bank. This isn't good practice as the old batteries will reduce lifespan of the new batteries significantly.

there is no need for a changeover as the banks though separate will be connected in parallel to the inverter. So from the inverters point of view its all just one battery bank. Also ensure your batteries don't go below 40% of their capacity for long life.

specs

Dear All,

my panel spec is below.

Output power = 260W
Vmp=34.8V
Imp=7.47amp
Voc=44V
Isc=8.09amp


If I connect 2 panels in series strings of 6 (12 panels) that gives me (please correct where wrong):

Vmax= 68V
Imax= 44amps

I have a:
48v battery bank (2 banks)interconnected with 16mm 9ja wire
45 amps MPPT Charge controller 24m from the PV array
PV array connected to solar charge controller with 6mm Nigeria wire
Three 100VDC circuit breakers connected to positive line from PV array and +ve from battery banks


Is this setup optimum??

Thanks

[quote author=George_D]fikfik,

you must maintain the same cable length for all your strings else the purpose of the combiner would be defeated. use the length of the farthest as your standard measurement.

as for the location, i can only advise that you should study your environment and choose what you think is the better option. if security concerns prevent you from locating it outside then i think you better leave it inside the house. remember that the combiner, inverter and battery bank should all be installed in one location as much as practically possible to prevent voltage drop and power loss.[/quote]Noted sir, Thanks

[quote author=George_D]fikfik,

wiring dc circuits is a little bit different from ac. while in alternating current circuits (ac) the current changes direction every half a second, in direct current circuits (dc) the current travels in only one direction, i.e from positive to negative. therefore, when installing circuit breakers or cut-out fuses as the case may be, you generally install only on the positive side of the circuit for dc. there is really no need to install breakers on the negative side since current travels only from positive to negative. on ac circuits however, you must install at both ends since the current reverses directions every split second.

hope this clarifies?

about my wiring method, i must admit its not the neatest you can find around but that being the case it really shows how a hybrid circuit should be wired. remember though that this is a diy initiative as compared to others who enlist the services of professionals to do their job.

ok, the combiner was introduced to tie in all charging currents coming from either the inverter and charge controller such that each string of batteries receive their own fair share of charge. that way, you eliminate the common failings of parallel battery banks which happens when some batteries don't get enough charge or are discharged more deeply compared to others. in such cases, premature battery death is usually the result.

going forward, it is my intention to re-arrange my wiring and give it a more professional look. this will be addressed in my next upgrade.

for cable lengths, the rule of thumb is to always install your inverter and charge controller as close to the battery bank as practically possible. the longer the distance, the more likelihood for voltage drop and power lose. two feet or less for inverter and battery is what you should remember.[/quote]Thanks Uncle George and uncle Bode.

Concerning cable length again. should i maintain the same cable length from the battery banks (2 x 48volts) to the combiner? One bank is close to the combiner while the other isnt that close (but not that far too). Should I use lthe longer cable length on the one cose to the combiner too?

I also need advise on location. i live in a small block of 4 flats and have my inverter and one battery bank in the dining section of my living room. I'm want to add the combiner in the rear balcony (same wall as dining section) and another 48V battery bank. What are your thoughts on this. For security purposes too, should i put the combiner outside on the balcony (we live upstairs) or inside?

thanks!

Talibanis: Pls, I need some assistance. I have a 3kva 24V Prostar inverter and it seems the fan cooler is no longer working thus making the inverter hot during charging. Apart from that, it works perfectly okay. I have decided not to use it till i get a solution from this honourable house. What can be done since my installer is no more? Any help is appreciable.

Google for prostar distributors in nigeria. If you find any, take it there. if there is none, just open it up and take a look at the fan, maybe something is stuck in between the fins. Most ivnerters do a short self test when first switched on, so you can test it like that. use a mutilmeter to test thevoltage going to the fan too (could be an AC or DC fan, most likely DC). if there's power, then try to change the fam with a similar one. you can get one from a computer desktop power pack of similar size.

Goodluck!!

[quote author=George_D]fikfik,

those cutout fuses can be used both for ac and dc currents without any problems.

if you go back and check the posts you're referring to, i was talking about circuit
breakers (cb) which are different from cut out fuses. under no condition should you use
circuit breakers meant for ac on a dc circuit like an inverter for instance. always use
dc certified types so as to avoid problem of arching and fire out break.

hope this clarifies?[/quote]Yes, thanks Uncle G. but I also remeber a pix from akiannade (or someone's) installation where he used breakers on both the +ve and -ve lines from battery bank to charge controller. youe cut outs are only on the +ve lines and you tied -ve directly. Whats best practice on this (without being wasteful)?

@all
Concerning the combiner (for hybrid charging systems), what are the things to note here. I see Uncel g's and compare it with the recent one from feasy1's but it seems he just connected everything to inverter wihtout really using a combiner (pls correct me if wrong) which seems neater but is it the right thing to do. Please advise me on rules for cable length in this whole multi-charging system too.

Thanks!

Hi everyone. Does this installation make sense? the short side of the panels is facing south and slightly tilted (incliaation in that are if 0.2), but the made the panels touch at an angle (the "V" like shape) whereas they should touch to form a straight line. hope this wont affect performance too much. FYI, its on a slab in between 2 roofs becasue there is a car park on the ground.

[img][/img]

anyone using saturn batteries? They any good.? want to buy some for 47,000 each

Uncle George, i see you cut -outs are the type used for AC installations. I remeber a post somewhere that states there may be arching if you use AC type cutouts/fuses. Is it true?

Thanks

fikfik: sent, thanks so much in advance.

stilll waiting for the code please

3RNEST: e-mail me for your code....

sent, thanks so much in advance.

model no : MTN E303 fastlink
IMEI : 868988010793856
2 tries left

thanks

[quote author=George_D]kibukila,

i would rather advise you to go for zenith 200ah or 260ah if you can afford it.[/quote]i agree 100%.

uncle G et al, what are your thoughts on mixing different panel manufacturers? I'm trying to buy my panels but getting mixed prices and views about effectiveness. Joy Solar is cheapest; suntech is 10k more expensive and solarworld is almost 25k more expensive. I havent even mentioned the almighty SHARP panels. I like good deals as much as the next bloke, but is joy solar really that much inefficient as the more expensive panels?

Also, Uncle George mentioned that i can use 45A MPPT; but 250 x 12 = 3000 watts and 3000/48V = 62.5 amps. how is it possible I can still use 45A for this setup? (I prefer 45 amps anyways due to costs, if i need to expand i can get another one, but how is it mathematically possible)

[quote author=George_D]i get by panels from vitus in lagos. he is at alaba international.

contact him on: 08039644115

tell him warriman referred you

yes, you can use a 45a mppt controller for 12pcs 250w panels, however, like abunafiu told you, your best bet is to use a
60a mppt controller for future expansion.[/quote]Ok, thanks boss. The Morning star MPPT someone offered me 105k for 45A this a good price? and 125k for 60Amp. (no display)

What size of DC circuit breakers should one get? 40A?