₦airaland Forum

richmon74:
There are no short cuts to this thing. It is either you pay small small many times or you close your eyes and buy something reasonable at ones. the price difference may not be too much.

Ill recommend PRAG series for your cousin. Outside the fact that they are improved quality of the others, they also offer support should you by any chance spoil your device. They have;
- 1kVA 12V
- 1.2kVA 12V
- 2kVA 24V
- 2.5kVA 24V
- 4kVA 24V

For your info their power factor is 1.25 so to get the Real power (watts) from the above apparent power, just divide it by the power factor.

Check any of the model that best fits your need and if you are interested I'll give you discount on their retail prices online.

Agreed. Another way is to get a small working setup with base features you want (the right inverter and the right charge controller, all the while having cables sized for the intended future load). Gradually add PV panels and batteries to you arrive at your destination. Gleaned the idea from a few fora online and it's worked perfectly for me.

Buying cheap can be costly and ruin a lot of other equipment in tandem, returning you to square one. Was in Asaba earlier this week and some dude paid dearly for going cheap - two rooms burnt and he was lucky not to ose the whole house to fire. Pay peanuts, get monkeys.

richmon74:
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'

Sorry for the late response to this older quote. Nice one. I once felt offended by a post of yours but discovered you meant no harm. Indeed, you seem to be a man of integrity. I've called you a few times without disclosing my Nairaland identity and you appear true to the cause. You're certified okay.

Regarding the above touted product, it looks good (almost too good) and the spec sheets are remarkable. I've been following the product since it was RTM a few months. Luckily, a friend got one to test for free before it became available in the market and in his words, "they have too much staked in their name than to release a product that wouldn't performed as advertised." His main grouse were ports and switches reserved for "future revisions and software upgrades" which were currently redundant. And I replied, "that in the least implies planned support for the device for years to come, much more than I can say for devices dumped into my country's market."

I've changed my current CC to a Midnite 150 Classic after having discussed at length with one of the designers on whether it could do what I wanted. Incidentally, the same dude was part of the Schneider/Xantex crew and the Outback FM series could mostly be attributed to him hemce their close similarities to Midnite Classics as well as the same reliability across all three brands.

In my opinion, this is the charge controller to have if one plans for significant expansions in a home system. When richmon74 installs and tests a few units (as I'm sure he's eager to), I'd like to have feedback and reviews posted here. Thanks Richmon74

The eTracer and iTracer equalize just fine.

Talenty:
Na wa for you oo, with that wall the whole gurus in nairaland cannot track IS20C, either increase the dish height or take the dish about 30 feet backwards if you have the space.

That's strange. I receive IS20 with 78% on 1.83p on SRT4922. My dish is positioned similarly, in fact, it's almost right against the wall with the lower 1/3 facing the wall directly. Didn't stop me though my dish is a bit bigger at 2.4m.

I think patience might be the key. Else, the blockage might be all you're experiencing. By the way, if your dish isn't motorised, your ... (azimuth, I believe) might be off.

Cheny:
Alrite,just do a little twicking of the lnb and compare signal levels. As for the keys the image below will explain better my earlier post.

The mistake I made was scanning the channels in before making adjustments to the keys. The blindscan gave sime insight on this as the newly "blindscanned" channels were the only ones working. I delleted all previous channels and rescanned (not blind this time) and presto! the channels all started showing.

I noticed the keys didn't need to match exactly. In fact some were as much as 4 units off (03974 vs 03978) yet the decyrption worked. That means the trick was to have the keys before scanning the channels. Tweaking the keys after scanning the channels didn't work for me.

Cheny:
OK now that u have a little breakthrough, just tweak ur lnb to different skews and see if there is signal increase. And make sure the ident is exactly the same as the frequency of the particular channel when entering the keys.

Sorry to repost but I noticed you replied just as I was editing my post. Kindly read the post above yours again. I still have significant fluctuation though tolerable now. Thanks

Cheny:
Apart from the hbo,are other tps fluctuating? 2ndly,how did u enter the keys?

All the tps are fluctuating. I remembered the basic properties of longitudinal waves and reflective dishes and realised I was "seeing" interference from a noise source. I promptly retrieved my scalar ring and installed it. They're a bit more stable now and fluctuate +/- 5%.

For the keys, I saw the preloaded keys under 03974. I choose PowerVU and set the keys manually by entering a new one at 3978 just in case.

Just now, I experienced a breakthrough. Out of desperation, I did a blind scan. Blindscans often mess up tps sp I avoid them unless I'm desperate. I'm desperate. My HBO now shows. I now have three HBOs at 3974, 3975 and 3978. The 3975 HBO for which there are no PowerVU keys is paradoxically the only one showing. Pretty good picture. Cracks when the signal drops below the lower 60s%.

I'm unable to watch anything but flickers on the NHK channels and I don't know what the SONY channels look like as I somehow seem unable to pick them. Any help?

PS: Regarding my fluctuation problem, I think I might have a clue now. The 2.6m dish is a mere 3.5m away from nine 240W solar panels, a veritable source of noise. Luckily, all my cables are double insulated with copper and aluminium foil shielding hence my being able to watch TV at all. It however shouldn't block my SONY channels hence I still need help.

Saipro:
..... my HBO @68.5^oE has never shown. Always scrambled. I've tried every trick everywhere on this forum. Signal strength is 68% on an SRT 4922. What could be the problem?

By the way, my HBO signal strength is actually never stable and constantly keeps swinging from 58% to 78% hence my choosing the average of 68%. The dish is very stable as is the LNB. The signal is simply crazy and I can't tame. My primary concern is however to WATCH something on it. Anything.

olason:
my brother some of this lnb jus get name for nothing. inverto ultra gave about 5% gain, the others too tried but d one way that Umassor brought beat the rest by 4% Though some gurus will tell u if they handle the inverto utra or other ones like inverto red, etc dat it will beat stargold hands down, its very possible but from what we achieved on dat day its d stargold dat carried d day. will post some technical details and som pictures later.Do u know you decoder could b the cause? even lnbs too. more info education coming later.

Thanks. That's really cool and nice of you.

To the rest of the house, my HBO @68.5^oE has never shown. Always scrambled. I've tried every trick everywhere on this forum. Signal strength is 68% on an SRT 4922. What could be the problem?

olason:
Hello house, i did carry out a surgery work on my dish this past weekend with one of the best and very amiable, gentle gurus around Umassor, by name. i wasn't satisfied with my signal on hotbird especially with fox sport at 56%. So on that wet saturday ..just imagine Umassor his brother and i set out to work, it was very lively, fun watching him at work. We tried about 12 different LnBs jus to see the best of them, this are high end LnBs, just to mention a few, we had inverto utra, fuji star gold, digisat, old fuji, etc. we tried them one after the other. it was so much fun seeing what signal percentage each one of the LNBs gave us. After series of tape measurement, adjusting here and there, bolts, angle inclination, and so on and despite the drizzling rain we where able to add wait...8% gain on foxsport, from 56 to 64 on a 3meter dish. even on my hispasat that i was formally getting 56-57 jump to 64% too. On hotbird initially i had about 950 channels suddenly jumped to 1,049 channels, also i was getting about 84 channels on Hispasat suddenly jumped to 139 channels, even Nilesat dat i was having 134 stations suddenly became 254, i said wao!! this cant be true, this a good testimony to the fact that you can always achieve more when u put your best into somting you love and that 3 heads is better than one. which LNB did the job? its d oneway star gold LNB.. the old type ooo. most of the new ones are fake. My humble Appreciation goes to my brother, my friend UMASSOR Wilson the only guy i know that has tracked PTVSPORT in lagos with 4meter, who despite the rain came all the way to my base , to you brother too, to my sweet wife who provided entertainment for us i say thank you and God bless.

I'm glad you went through all that trouble. As an enthusiast who knows that it might take weeks of fiddling to find the perfect mix, I humbly ask for data from your research findings. I have about 9 LNBs with me here including the Inverto Black Ultra, Inverto Red and Invacom QPH-031. What signal strength did you have with the Invertos?

I've seen a few requests for Note 3 OS. It's always on [url=here]www.sammobile.com[/url]. Simply type in your model number and you;re presented with a list of OS of differing Android versions for different regions.

My own problem: My Note three has a problematic area in the middle of my screen with is unresponsive to touch (using the fingers) but the entire screen works fine with the S-pen. I took it to a Samsung office but they're denying me warranty because the screen has a scratch in a corner even though it's only 5 months old. Ideas, anyone?

PS: the phone has quite poor GSM signal reception but the WiFI is outstanding.

Talenty:
Just read from page 962 to get all your questions and pictures.

Actually, I did just that but seemed to somehow miss those details. I'd appreciate some help, even if privately, so as not to clutter the thread.

moses4all:
Why the the whatsup forum,what is wrong with this one.And u want forum members to follow you,as for me i will be last one to leave and the many pages ,the forum has, sat school will be around for many years to come.

It's a mere suggestion. I already put a response limit.

beejay28:
I personally object to dis, if some honourable guru's decided before now to hide things, enthusiasts like myself won't av the privilege of learning most of what I've learnt from this forum, come to think of it, there re so many sites talking about stuffs similar to what is discussed here, the company that broadcast this re not equally senseless, they sure know that their channels re being viewed, what do i stand to gain if i get something free and hold on tight to it, remember MBC was free for so many years.

It's not about hoarding knowledge In fact, it's quite the opposite. I get a lot of WhatsApp pings and a lot of what I say ends up verbatim on these pages. Rather than answer scores of pings in a day, I could answer a few with the same info being available to all. By the way, I assure you such WhatsApp groups already are in existence. I'm merely suggesting a unified platform. It's by no means mandatory

I'm thinking of starting a WhatsApp group specifically for serious members of this FTA forum. My number is +2348023902305
The moment I get 30 hits we launch, unlike we're against the idea.

Talenty:
My signal has increased to 66%. I tried 3 lnb 2 supermax and one strong but only one worked. Look for supermax lnb. The long one. Don't use the short supermax that has rings on it's neck. Buy the long one and watch the wonders.

I have the long one. Two questions:
1. did you insert the dielectric and if yes, which orientation is it (pix if possible)?
2. Are you using your scalar rings?

temizeee:
THANKS TO KIEKIE1...I SENT HIM HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY TO HIM(close to a million naira) WITHOUT EVEN MEETING HIM IN PERSON BEFORE...HE DELIVERED SO PROMPTLY IN LESS THAN 36HRS.. i RECOMMEND HIM TO ANY INVERTER USERS WHO NEED SOLAR_INVERTER GOODS HE IS 100% TRUSTED AND GUARANTEED TO DELIVER WHAT YOU ORDER.
ALSO THANKS GOES TO UNCLE DURODEE. HE STOOD BY ME THROUGHOUT(don't know we are very close to each other here in ogbomoso_OYO state) GOD BLESS YOU.

I've bought over a million naira worth of goods wothout meeting Frank (Kiekie1). Only recently did I meet him. Regarding the shipping of goods after payment, he's pretty dependable. Keep up the good work Frank and let your clients always have glowing testimonies - don't ever let us down.

I'll break my silence awhile. It's agonising to keep quiet at times in a random house.

tradeplusib:
in need of a 96v 30A charge controller, any suggestions please

If what you're after is an MPPT charge controller, I think most of the conventional ones handle about 150VDC VoC by default. Do the math from there.

JUO:
still waiting for someone to explain to me how this toy works. Something inverter and cc can't is what we are made to believe that this toy can do, hum

I can testify it certainly works. I can as well assure you it's not for all scenarios or even most scenarios. Batteries damaged from abuse derive the least benefits while those which have either suffered neglect (sat a long time without charge) or had a few undercharge cycles seem to be its forte.

chris81964:
It is like snake oil. Some swear by its properties.
Why do you think you need to desulphate your non flooded batteries?
Simple reason I buy flooded batteries is that I can accomplish this by overcharging it periodically to move the liquids at the bottom to the top. In a Gel or AGM how do you intend to accomplish that?
My 2 cents. Sorry my 2 kobo

Desulphation is actually a plate thing while the charging current handles the mixing of the fluid. Many desulphators could be considered to be like modified PWM chargers (they need a charging source - whether coupled or inbuilt).

In the case of AGM batteries (in my personal experience), desulphation is not a straightforward thing and requires a lot of patience. I have used as many as 14 cycles of charging-desulphation-charging to get some back to nearly full capacity. About 25% of those sitting around for long have gained nearly full capacity. About 60 - 70% (depending on capacity and brand) have attained between 60 - 80% restoration. The remaining 5 - 15% were either unresponsive after numerous cycles or retained too little capacity to be of much use.

Specifically for the mythical AGM batteries (not sealed lead acid), I noticed :
1. Totally "dead" batteries often require a slightly higher than typical voltage and low current to "kickstart" the process.
2. Batteries of 55Ah and lower aren't good candidates. These respond more to controlled overcharging. Desulphators should be installed right from the onset else you'll have little or insignificant benefit.
3. Batteries 250Ah and above require industrial grade desulphators or those specifically labelled for such capacities. The regular desulphator would try your patience to the limit before getting the results you desire (works on the long run).
4. Open the cell caps (many AGM batteries are almost impossible to open without sawing off the top). If the cells are dried out, you're wasting time and other resources. I wouldn't recommend it but while experimenting, adding a sufficient amount of distilled water till the tops are no longer powdery (but not soaked) and leaving for a day or two (while connected to the desulphator but not charging) seems to give remarkably good results. Resume charging after 24 hours of "settling".
5. AGM batteries are tough to desulphate. Try at least 5 days of charging with desulphating-desulphating alone-charging with desulphating before you check for results (assuming your batteries are between 100Ah and 250Ah). Be mindful of the voltage rating and other manufacturer recommendations for your desulphator.
6. I've seen people trying to desulphate the small UPS batteries. I think it's a sheer waste of time (I've tried it too, just to be sure).

Feel free to add more to the list, based on your experience. That's the purpose of the forum.
And as Chris rightly noted, it is indeed like snake oil. For some, it works like magic; for others, baby oil would have been preferable to the nonsense called snake oil.

chris81964:
Every one is learning. rather than chastise teach. They come to this forum seeking knowledge or correction of long held notions. The American wire chart is correct if you use awg as your size which some people do.
Brothers and sisters don't be afraid to ask for clarification. I prefer to be called stupid than be quiet and smart and burn my house down. We all can contribute to improving our community and society.

If it weren't for your post, I'd already chosen elective mutism. After all, I have tried different cables with different current strengths and differing wire types. I'm speaking from experience not textbook stuff. The books are for guidance; the real world varies, even with identical equipment under comparable conditions. The solar forum is relatively new to me but electrical systems and electronics are not. I simply offered advise on what is safe rather than what "works". No worries, it won't happen again.

Thanks Abu and Chris

NoMoreTrolling:
Nah, it's a 24V system, so the current at 800 watts should be like approx 40A. Yeah, the cables would be way too small if it was a 12V system. I had to measure the diameter with a tape, to try to guess the gauge of the wire minus insulation, and it checked out on the AWG chart. Anywho, I'm gonna try to loosen the batteries up and reconnect them without the washers and test when I'm less busy.

The AC I'm talking about has a Variable Frequency Drive, I think, so it doesn't need more than 800 watts to start up as the compressor speed is stepped. So I figure it'll be pretty much the same load as the cooker, though I still have to buy it first and confirm this info.

Have a look at this table of Amercian Wire Gauges to guide you in the future. Wire ampacity capability and power transmission ampacity don't necessarily go hand in hand. I'm putting it here as a reminder for myself too.

richmon74:
The one thing you must not is that these inverters have their THDs over 10% meaning the output wave form is no more pure sine wave after about 50% load capacity and it gets worse as you increase the load.

But for the cable ratings I can say with authority that that cable attached to those inverters are capable of handling 100% of their load capacity without warming up.

What I'll advice is that you unhook the inverter, clean up both the battery and inverter contacts and reconnect them firmly and run the test again.

No intention of berating you. We're all here to learn and I might also be wrong but 16mm² cable on a 1.4kVA 12V Sukam is a mismatch anyday. Assuming no efficiency losses, kVA = kW

80% capacity = 0.8 x 1,400W = 1,120W
In a 12V system, that's an amperage of 1120W/12V = 93.3A
Wow!

If that isn't a mismatch, it sure does come close.
By the way, I have one of such Sukams at home and it's the same 1.4kVA. It's why I'm asking for his system voltage rating. Even at half that amperage (46.7A assuming a 24V system), drawing significant current for long does heat up the cable = further losses and further heating = further inefficiency. All these ignoring the signinficant waveform distortion amd lowering of efficiency as has truly been proven occurs when you load these inverters beyond 50% - as cited by NoMoreTrolling.

Those cables are small.

PS: Assuming normal inefficiency of 85%, when you say you're drawing 800W, you're actually forcing the inverter to work at closer to 950W power draw, assuming everything is coming from your battery bank. That's almost 80A if it's a 12V system. I'm just saying .....

NoMoreTrolling:
lol, @ fire extinguisher

Nope, I didn't plug the cooker directly to the inverter, just a room wall socket wired into the distribution panel which the inverter supplies. However, I did plug the cooker into a kilowatt meter and the reading was about 798 watts, approx 800 watts. Only other load on at the time, was a single 11 watt energy saver bulb. Thing is, the overload alarm didn't even go off, so it must have registered that the power being consumed was less that its rating, yet the wires were still hot in all trials and smelt burnt in like 2 out of maybe 5 trials.
......
......
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Funny thing is, I already bought my mppt tracer charge controller, remote monitor, fuses... and was now saving for panels, before I realized a bigger inverter should come first it's really always good to think far ahead in the RE world so your not just buying mismatched systems

Eventually, we all want more. Welcome to yet another addictive hobby.

Regarding the Sukam: If it's a 24V inverter, well, that means we'll have to go with the loose wire theory. Do bear in mind once more that inductive and capacitive loads don't behave quite the same way as resistive loads; even though they might have the same power rating, their operational parameters are pretty different. The resistive load you've tested your system with is the worst case scenario (excellent choice for testing system limits). Your A/C wouldn't do the same though.

On the off-chance: I have a Sukam at hand too and it's the same 1.4kVA but it's a 12V -> 230V inverter. I hope that's not what you have. If it is, while you might well be within the running limits of the inverter's capacity, you've either reached the limits or well exceeded the ampacity of the cables (I think they come with 16mm² cables). You're intended to run at such limits for brief bursts, not continuous power draw even though 800W/1,400W = 57% capacity (ignoring power factor and assuming 100% efficiency) based on the weakest link (your input cables). Don't ask me why, I didn't design them so.

NoMoreTrolling:
Thanks dude! I will definitely check out the install. I actually did it myself and didn't use a washer, just a nut to tighten the connection between the battery terminal and the cable ring terminal. An electrician recently worked on something in that room and had to disconnect and reconnect the batteries, so I'll check.

Though the hottest part of the wire, from my observation, was the negative part coming out of the inverter. That wire was supa dupa hot!!! If I had my way, I'd have installed 2 gauge wire in there, but since it's pre-wired, I'd have to open it up, which is a no no.

I've seen you use some PRAG inverters in your install, how are they working out for you? I know the 4kva 24V&48V PRAG don't come pre-wired, so you can basically do wire sizing yourself to get the correct AWG for the system.

I can't get specs of the wire the PRAG 2.5kva uses, but I wonder if it looks safe (pic attached). it seems they are joining two wires together to up the amp carrying capacity.

Well, current actually flows from the negative to positive terminals, the reverse of conventional teaching.

Another possibility overlooked is that resistive loads don't necessarily mean other loads aren't in operation, even within a single device (was the device connected directly to the inverter?)

All too often we encounter devices which consume (up to twice!) more power than their advertised rating. Before you condemn the inverter and look for faults where there might be none, get another device and try out the inverter again. Monitor carefully. Have a fire extinguisher at hand.

temizeee:
NOT REALLY THO, SLOW N STEADY WINS THE RACE......DON`T YOU THINK?

With adequate foresight and good planning (or the other way around), one could establish a small/moderate system and grow it to a moderate/large one. Rome was not built in a day.

abunafiu:
will surely visit your shop one of these days though i have made so many empty promises in the past.
Eku ise sir.

@saipro, i saw ur msg. many thanks bro.

Expect me next week!

c0ogumo:
Yes, visit us at
www.solardepotng.com

Where is your Ibadan office located?

abdykb:
Do you mean if i get good lnbf i can have nilesat with 1.8m ?

Depending on your location and your skill, yes

By the way, extensive reading suggests my iTracer MPPT might have a voltage switching MOSFET failure. Firmware issues too might present themselves this way. If what I read is to be believed, My MPPT CC has somehow been relegated to a PWM CC which works at factory preset values.

Time to invoke the warranty clause.

I bought a few SMD LED bulbs recently (10W, 20W and 30W). The 20W is blindingly bright. 10W is enough for many a floodlight.

Three days surviving on a backup PWM. Three days of poor insolation. One statement. In bad weather, there's no basis for comparison between PWM CC and MPPT CC.

MPPT rules!

PS: It's a Xantrex/Conext C60 PWM CC

It's not about hurting products. Many of these dealers actually field a vast array of products. The worst you'd do would be hurting one line of products. The people who would however learn from your observations and inferences (as you too undoubtedly have learnt from others) would be innumerable.

Your silence would be most damaging to novices.

After a few emails being traded, I got this from customer care:

"Hello Sir


The controller maybe have been damaged - charge MOSFET be short or driver failure, so that charging cann't be controled, same as the solar panel be connected to battery directly.


You can contact the salesman to change new one."

Suddenly, I feel like I'm being drawn into the world of "needing to know and having everything within the realm of needing" as often occurs with FTA enthusiasts

Believe me, I have seen the error in my ways. I think I'll prefer the MorningStar Tristar. The Midnight CC is however tempting as it currently comes with a coupon for a free WhizBang Jr Shunt. Incredible value, if you ask me. My defaulting on both brands earlier was because of the annoying need to but a separate display which could easily have been incorporated pro bono. I looked down on it as a cheap marketing gimmick to maximize returns. Selling 6-pack hotdogs yet making buns only in 8-packs