₦airaland Forum

bigrovar:
It's one more to admire the design of Victron mppt blue solar chargers.
... ... ...
Like Pranil noted a while back. How a cc is designed matters a lot.

Insufficient data. I've made the same mistake with Midnite Classic CC and deliberately tried again twice. The iTracer I use for backup has survived the same on numerous occasions (intentional and unintentional) while I was learning my ropes; Xantrex had no issue either. Seen abunafiu survive a similar situation with his MorningStar Tristar 150.

As the article Pranil posted states, running at full power might have something to do with it. My understanding of the issue is that most MPPT CC have some tolerance built in for these disconnections. The problem might have to with the amount of power (my Midnite was at full power around 1pm yet stayed alive; my own heart nearly gave out as I thought that was the end).

NiyiOmoIyunade:
As I was reading your post I remembered something the Ariston water heater rep kept emphasizing - pressure!!! - he kept trying to get us to buy the more expensive pressurised water tank instead of non- pressurised insisting that the non-pressurised could not withstand anything above its rated limit at all and would soon start leaking at the seals.

Did you eliminate pressure above the Protek's rated capacity as a root cause of the leaks?

I am glad that at least you found a work around to deal with the leaks

My "hack" still works though it's got an ever so annoying and irritatingly persistent problem.

kiekie1:
Hello fellow forumites,
I visited a site yesterday under emergency to inspect a 1.5va luminous ion inverter and duo luminous batteries set up . Whilst on site , I observed the batteries were already swollen & condemned. I was already of the opinion that the inverter malfunctioned and over charged its batteries. I took the inverter system home, under proper test & observation , I noticed the said system charges real good and floats after full charged. What would have spoilt the batteries

My money is on thermal runaway

Ativ:
The NTEL ZTE MF28 comes unlocked and supports all known 3G and 4G networks in NIGERIA including Glo’s band 28.
What’s the Netgear router model?
Will a WiFi extender extend file sharing via NAS?

I've actually had it a while but been in the box. Until last week. It's the N900 WNDR4500, me thinks.

Chuckdee:
Hi Saipro,

Most routers with inbuilt 3G/4G Capability don't come very cheap. The tp-link TL-MR6400 (See attached pictures)will serve you as it has a sim slot and has Lan ports too. It goes for around 50k Here in Abuja.

For your Second issue, I use a TP-link wifi extender that has worked flawlessly for me. Not only does it give you a lan port for your midnight classic, it also extends and improves that your already existing wifi a whole lot... (see attached pictures.)

It was $20 when i bought it
Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NR2VMNC/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Exactly what the doctor ordered; thanks!

Barezzi:
@Saipro,
1. Get a 3g/Lte modem (Huawei makes several variants)
1a. Disable the wireless ssid on the modem.
2. Connect modem to a firewall to secure your network from "them"
3. Hook up firewall router to a POE switch (Edge, unifi, tp link etc)
4. Connect a unifi AP to the switch (Unifi makes several variants)
5. Centrally locate the AP. You'll get magnificent coverage. You can connect as many wireless devices as you like.
6. Connect a Powerline adapter(ethernet over power line device ) to 3 above(the poe switch)
7. Connect the second part of the adapter to your classic, and viola!! No need for wireless extenders.
8. Connect as many Lan devices as your switch can carry(example your TV points, NAS server, etc)

I did something similar, but mine is an overkill

Thanks!
Kinda seems like your idea requires through a PC at some stage (the Huawei modem?)
The NetGear hs NAS capability via USB (also inbuilt firewall and some other security features).
I have a number of switches too (leftovers from a datacenter project).
Trying to avoid anything beyond PnP if I can.
Would wanna avoid the overkill as well.

I apologise for going off topic but I need to solve two problems and need the most efficient way to do it. My personal workaround is largely inefficient. This is the first issue:
I recently acquired a dual-band NetGear router for large homes. It accepts LAN input. I have a MiFi and a Wireless Modem but both have limited coveragein and around the building.

What I want:
A 3G/4G device which accepts a SIM and has LAN output yet won't break the bank.


The second issue:
I need a WiFi extender which can plug into the LAN sockets of my Midnite Classics. I recall having read from one or two people here using them (dapsyra comes to mind). I want to use whatever it is you've used which works.

makavele:
Good day honorable housemates,

your son is stepping up to 48V system in no time;

and based on user reviews . .i am still undecided on which particular inverter brand(s) to go for except the CC (which will be a 60A Tristar)

so i need personal reviews on inverter brand which would do best at 48V at somewhere around 4kWp panels

Thanks

If low budget, the MustPower PowerStar (EP series or VIL) would do fine. I presume you'd be conversant with its idle power consumption and operating temperature bracket of 60^oC to 65^oC.

A Prag would serve almost as well. For mid-range budget, speak with Victron users (local and international reviews look good).

If you would be willing to splurge, Outback (VFX 3048E or the FXR series) or Magnum (MagnaSine series).

makavele:
I replied you; brov.

Please check.

Seen.
Gracias!

makavele:
Will send a link for one as soon as I can get on a computer. They don’t even use up to 5 W and are brushless

Eagerly anticpating your link(s)

makavele:
Will send a link for one as soon as I can get on a computer. They don’t even use up to 5 W and are brushless

Much appreciated

DMerciful:
Battery going out of sync is the biggest challenge to series batteries. I am changing the configuration of a client system to 12v bcoz of this. For me the max system voltage should be 24v..best is 12v.

Can be a nightmare especially because, by the time you're noticing, it's probablytoo late (the same weaker batteries tend to keep drifiting and you're forced to do equalizing charges more often - pretty hard on the entire rack). A short term solution is to switch to the next lower bank config voltage value and run a series/parallel but it seldom helps for long as a weak cell tends to mysteriously appear in the stronger string used in keeping the weaker one in check. Given me no small misery with a few who clients habitually abuse their battery banks.

makavele:
For space & energy sakes . . a normal house standing fan would be an overkill . .
he could use a simple USB/DC fan mounted close to the controller . . kapish

I happen to use the 3rd one (first row) and it has been superb so far.

edit: you can cut off the USB end and extend the wires to your heart's desire.

Been looking for a 24VDC or 48VDC fan to get some ventilation to my batteries, which are boxed in a corner or the premises. Something not too big, not too small. Will use the logic of the Midnite's AUX1 to ensure only while batteries are charging.

Such a fan should not exceed 20W consumption (30W tolerable). Any suggestion?

makavele:
Theoretical not practical . . .



Yes it's superlative doesn't mean it doesn't happen . . .
The time is now 10.45 ... and it has been very sunny since 8am here . . If I turn on all the loads my inverter can carry (maximum);
and the sun keeps up like this till about 5pm . .with little or intermittent shades . . . then verily verily i say unto you, I will do x6 of my array
QED.

Court!!!!

I'm joining the party late. Is yours an ePSolar iTracer too?

mukhcech:
Yes they are LiFePo4 batteries sir.

That was lots of information you got for me there. thank you.

I am only trying to get a minimal setup for a student(My wife) in school. I have a relatively normal Solar setup with Flooded battery in my home. Though I have always been charging the LiFePo4 batteries with Nepa light.

Because of Budget, kindly help me out of this situation/
Can the MorningStar and Xantrex be PWM type CC?
Can I still regulate the FIX charging Volt and Current if it is PWM?
And lastly Would a 120W solar panel be optimum for just 1 battery.

Thank you once again. I am grateful.

Get a 100W panel instead. Safer choice (to ensure you don's exceed max charging current).
Xantrex and MorningStar make world-class PWM CC and I recommend them for bigger projects. For your project, a regular PWM CC would work. Given their propensity for overshooting the mark, set the bulk/absorb voltage to 14.2V (usual deviation is typically about 0.2V above the set limits and transient in duration).

mukhcech:
Good day my people... Viva FTA. Guys this is my battery and the charger information.... Pls can I get a minimal solar setup to charge this.... Our transformer don blow. Please help me mention the gurus in the house. Thanks.

My Batteries are 40ah...The real problem is getting a CC that can give the same output as the Charger. Thank you

CC Saipro

Well, those are LiFePo4 batteries. And they're wonderful in performance. Lightweight and pack a punch but do poorly with inductive loads. Had a few units. The inbuilt BMS works pretty well. Kinda special charging needs. CC CV means CC CV in this case. Being lithium, they can go boom! when stress charged. That particular brand also seems to live for years if you avoid full discharge/full charge cycles (it's quite happy with 95% charge with a weekly top off to 100%).

Now that we've addressed their needs, I see you have 3 batteries in the picture. Not sure how that works out (2 in use and one spare? One at a time? 3 in parallel?). Whatever the case, charging all three at once without going over the top ... a single 200W panel should suffice. A single 280W panel is the optimum. Give or take (and aiming for battery longevity, a single 250W panel is the middle ground. Or a PWM with current limiting capabilities (MorningStar and Xantrex come to mind). All these suggestions presume you're charging 3 batteries and charging them at once, assuming the same state of charge for them all (lithium batteries aren't fond of imbalance either)

Whatever you do, never feed more than 5A into any single battery. Fix charging voltage at 14.4V for fastest charging or 14.2V for an absurd battery life. Your choice.

makavele:
^^^ Are those not brand new items you are selling up there? And you're saying *NO WARRANTY*

Jame, James, James, how many times I call you ?

Heh heh heh

Considering the previous fiasco, why am I not surprised?

Anyway, the point is, this time, the buyer beware clause is clearly stated. The choice is yours.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
What brand of desulfator are you using? PowerPulse, BLS or something else?

The brand is Infinitum
Hasn't disappointed me in many years. Bought the first and was impressed thus got two more. Recently got 4 more.

And yes, short commutes are the natural enemy of any vehicle battery.

kiekie1:
Long time Sir, hope your car desulphator is still active after all this years

In fact, I just got a couple more.[/b]

Mute testimony: a client's bank (nearly 3 years old) had one of the 12V batteries beginning to show signs of drifting. One cell in particular kept dropping the ball on end-of-charge S.G. values.

Enter the desulphator. A week later and everything is working fine (added a desulphator to the second battery in the string as well). No equalisation. No extended absorb. No other variable altered. True, it might be snake oil to many but [b]mine work. And I am satisfied, as are my clientele. As I often say, "... whatever gets you through the day."

earthrealm:
yeah, i went for a cheaper cc then, the jury is still out on the desulphator, i think there are fakes and those that work, my chinco car batt is 3yrs 3months now, v6 4ltr engine with constant ac use.
installed the desulphator abt the 2yr mark when i noticed reduced performance, it has continued serving me till date. most chinco car batteries crap out in 2yrs or less

You tell it as it is!

nursemyke:
Who said what OP posted was not true? With entry point of doctors being level 12, they earn as much as that with those who do multiple jobs also known as PP plus those that are keen on collecting 10% from pharmaceutical reps and private lab owners. They earn this much yet you see them opening thier mouth to shout marginalisation and wants to down tool. Yet they are the head of very health institutions, they head all the juicy departments and who is now marginalising who? They divert patients to thier private practice, they engage in polypharmacy just to sell for a Pharma rep in exchange for 10 %, they send patients to go to do lab tests mostly not relevant just to get commission from the labs. God is watching them in 3D.

First off, no doctor starts off at Grade Level 12. Let's put that aside and address the other "facts".

What percentage of doctors fulfil the above stated?
0.1%?
0.2%?
Perhaps as high as 1%

How many doctors engage in PP? Where are these PP points to start with? How many hospitals do you know without full-time staffers?
How many doctors' paychecks have you seen? Quoting figures from government approved circulars which would probably never be fully implemented? Definitely not hearsay (you're beyond that - as is your audience).

It's nice to be sensational while reporting things (gets the crowd eager for more) but we need facts to move us forward, not drama.

Quote your sources (better yet, paste legit links here; not of sites claiming to know but of agencies/institutions actually paying) and your credibility would be upheld.

PS: I know numerous doctors, work with them, have them as friends, extended family members and have one as a brother.

One love
Peace
I'm outta here!

Edit: for the record, most doctors in employment are in private firms. A few more in state institutions. Discounting wages of those in NGOs, states mostly pay less than the federal institutions and private mostly pay half or less (asides some really big ones in the larger cities which might pay even more than the federal ones). Permit me to answer one of my questions above and tell you that the salaries paid are quite different from those approved. Then again, that isn't peculiar to people in the medical profession as we all groan under delayed salaries, outstanding wages/benefits, ill-treatment, substandard facilities and poorly implemented policies.

DMerciful:
For us in the equatorial region(6• towards north actually), 6• facing south is recommended or almost flat. Flat would have been better however u need the natural washing angle of rain water to ensure the panels are cleaned during rain fall. Note that the sun moves from the tropics of Capricorn to the tropics of cancer on a 6months basis so ur harvest facing one direction will be affected grossly by this movement therefore u must balance it out when installing.

You are right. Wanna add a few refinements from data in the field.

Flat works best in the tropics indeed. You'll soon find dust and water pooling an issue to regularly contend with. With regards to that, even a 5^o slant is better than laying them flat.

Next to that, a slight South. I think I set mine to 8^o.

From experience in SouthWestern Nigeria, next to that, slight East (you'd amazed at how much energy harvest you can get before the sun is overhead at midday, by which time South rules (unless directly overhead). If in doubt, go out at midday on any given day of the year and check using shadows.

When pressed for space, North comes up next.

Panels facing due West should be considered for either extra harvest or last resort when there is nowhere else to place the array.

Always remember, Nigeria is a huge country. The rules in Lagos do not apply the same way in Takum, Yola nor Maiduguri. This is from experience, not reading of some chart off some book or the Web.

makavele:
Magnetic south; about 65 feet elevation !

Would a picture be too much to ask for?

And by 65 feet elevation, you mean distance off the ground, right?

makavele:
Are you sure that CC is an MPPT type ?
By my calculations, it is stepping down the voltage to battery level ( and multiplying by charging amperes) to give Power..
Without upping the charging current using the extra voltage . . . Maybe I didn't check it well, will do again . . .

Not bad at all, but in the end, how did you string the panels?

By 7 A.M, I am already seeing circa 150 Watts, though on a larger array !!

North-facing PV array?

dgr8truth:
more vexing is the fact that essential running load on the inverter is just 710 watts.

Two options:

1. Changethe inverter to a 48V model and get a good MPPT CC (more expensive on the short run but guarantees ease of mind nonetheless)
2. Maintain status quo but get rid of all thee PWM CC and change to a single MPPT CC capable of handling a battery bank of that size (charging with multiple CC is often a recipe for early battery failure even when zealously watched over).

I can help with either option.

dgr8truth:
The batteries are dead and buried already.

I'm curious on the how they died (battery type/make/capacity/absorb voltage/float voltage/absorb duration, DoD, charging means [dual or solar only], etc), if you don't mind telling.

kiekie1:
Sir, that ain't what we wer debating! Its all about having hot water continuously with rest of mind , and also energy efficient .. The example I gave about 72hrs is more or less like a theoretical example if we have very DULL WEATHER for 3 days but you know there must be sun to aid in warm water if not totally hot as the solar vaccum tubes are sensitive ! If you have a mighty battery bank of 48v 600-1000a upwards , you can always give your old ariston 10L electric heater a shot .. I wont really advice same if you are just managing 48v 200a or equivalent , you must be ready to replace batteries due to abuse because hot water is like an addiction .. Meanwhile, not all men/breadwinner have time to keep controlling/monitoring water heating affairs at home if connected directly to a miniature solar system et small battery bank.. Mr Pranil system is automated-controlled .. Cheer's

When my water heater setup clocks one calendar year, I'll give the house my own review. It works fine for me, sunshine or no sunshine. And trust me, it is very battery friendly. The don't-try-this-at-home clause is the only reason I haven't published my report to the house. Besides, it's not to be attempted by beginners.

kiekie1:
Kudos to your set-up! How do you run your 1500w water heater 24hrs ? What's your battery bank capacity and solar capacity ? Remember you stated you had no space on your roof for the non pressurized solar water heater but if you can work on your piping, you can use a pressurized solar system .....

I do have a different approach these days and it works just fine for me. And my Ariston 50L tanks can retain the water hot for 3 days (2 days with use). Like Pranil, I'm having the best of both worlds without needing extra tanks.

Dam5reey:
Conversion loss, should be negligible in such an array set-up..
also note he was asking about 1 panel not the whole setup

I do not quite understand what you mean by the words in bold.

Dam5reey:
I disagree with that... 220 Panels 140 + 80 has produced 201 watt peak going to the battery..CC is PWM In July... So he should get close to 100% on bench test

PWM excel under the conditions you've given. He's referring to an MPPT (with conversion losses). More isn't always better. I am sorry I revisited this but my conscience kept pricking me.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
As far as I know Outback is right up there in thesame class of premium controllers as MorningStar, Midnite, Magnum e.t.c. I don't recall anything negative at all about the Outback brand.

In fact Midnite Solar is a breakout from Outback and was founded by the same guys that worked on the Outback if I recall correctly

@Saipro, Pranil please help provide perspective - I think you guys have done the most research on the technicals for all these charge controllers.

Thanks for the reference. Been a bit busy lately so I'm somewhat irregular on the forum. I'll be popping in once or twice a week.

There's really nothing wrong with the OutBack. Splendid equipment worth every dollar. Possible downside is fan failure. The Classics for all intents and purposes are OutBack FMs built with a future perspective and a host of other enhancements. Let's just say the Classic is the one edging its predecessor out.

The Magnum is great but a bit pricey. It came straight from the lab thus each production batch seems to have an edge over the previous one. Solid firmware support (according to the company) and 100A @ 48V is no joke. You could roast an whale with such currents.