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OMG, and they posted all their personal info on a public forum none the less. Sorry this happened, and I don't mean to add insult to injury, but you need to be more cautious than this.

He could have played the victim, and gone nowhere like sooooo many others. He took total responsibility for his own life, and destiny. ?

Sounds like the inverter shorted the battery side. You have fuses on each battery, but I would say you needed to fuse the battery input of the inverter. That's why the wires burst into flames.

I honestly would be more PO'ed about the cracked solar panels. The other issues you had seems like they were taking care of you to the best of their ability given shortages of everything. Back to the cracked solar panels, I assume you bought "used panels", and not "used, and maybe crack panels"...

I've been watching these Signature Solar experience threads. Here's my take. If I own a business, I ship you something, you receive it damaged, you're getting another one at your door ASAP. That would be my policy. I would jump hurdles to make sure these unsatisfied customer threads are not...

I did read all the explanations. Just my opinion of course: It's all cost of doing business. Either your cost is unhappy customers voicing their grievances on a public forum, or the cost of beefing up shipping so the replacement panel gets to the customer. Which one cost you the most in the...

I created a Bluetooth version of @Louisvdw serial driver It's still very early work-in-progress. It only supports JBD BMS at the moment. Code is here: https://github.com/bradcagle/dbus-btbattery Instructions on how to get it going is in the README.md If you need to setup a Raspberry Pi...

The basics of HF vs LF inverters: In a HF inverter the DC voltage is first boosted with DC/DC boost converter (48vdc to 110vdc, well really more like 170vdc because the H-bridge needs headroom to account for load voltage drop, etc) before being inverted. In a LF inverter the DC voltage is...

@Will Prowse I tested their 200Ah and was impressed by the build quality as well around 3:35 is the teardown Also tested their mini 100ah

So I saw your other thread. You tested your panels on the ground propped up on a bucket, and they produced 160w. Now they are on your roof and you're getting 90w. OK so it's very possible you had better control of the proper angle, and direction of the panels when testing on the ground. You...

I've wondered the same. I feel a direct strike, nothing will save you. Most of the time it's nearby strikes that take things out. These near strikes are more manageable, and the surge protectors like the midnight SPD would probably stand a chance I suppose.

Just wanted to give you guys a heads up. If you have a JBD BMS, and have a passcode set because you're concerned someone might connect to your battery, and change settings. This is a total false sense of security, as the BMS responds to a clearpass command, and when received fully removes the...

I've done teardowns of these if you guy's are interested The Redodo as well: Seems the case, and fixture are purpose built to keep the cells safe

If you have appliances that come on by timer (think pool pump), or contactor (think AC Condenser unit) Wire your grid tie inverters in behind the contactor where your AC Compressor is tied. That way you only grid tie when the compressor is on, and you're guaranteed the AC Compressor, and...

My e-trike

Would be handy to have a list of BMSs, and what max voltage they can protect the battery from. Although this may be impractical as I see these BMSs change overtime, even ordering the same spec JBD BMS you might get one that is clearly different from a previous. Do we just have to tear them...

FWIW I find the exact same components in most of these manufactures. I've even found a BMS that is silk screened "Li Time" in a Timeusb battery. Have a look

I'm hoping to update my tracker with bi-facials soon. I'll for sure make a video.

Here's the mini 100Ah if you guys would like to see. Video starts at teardown

@G20 Here's my new PEET tracker with two 435w panels

Well an inverter is a 12v load device, so yes sounds like total BS.

I don't trust no-name Chinese DC breakers. I only use reputable brands for protection devices.

Good info, thanks. Here in Texas our ACs never stop unless they're dead :)

Yup! I did a video on their new offering, which clearly looks like a current model MakeSkyBlue on the inside. Except the interface sucks, and I could not even figure out how to configure anything.

@Louisvdw I forked your great project, and made BluetoothBattery version. Right now it only supports JBD via Bluetooth I'll have the repo setup on github soon. It's not ready for primetime yet, and right now it requires build tools to be installed in Venus OS so bluepy can be installed...

From what I read it's a credit (like child tax credit), not a deduction. So you can still use the "standard deduction" that most people use instead of itemizing.

Yeah, I haven't found the time to continue work on it ATM. I think the Louisvdw repo now has bluetooth, so you might try that. BTW if anyone is interested in my repo I added a Virtual battery driver so you can series multiple batteries, and show up as one. I have two 12v batteries in my garage...

Thanks for the info, I grabbed one too. So we can beat these things up together (y) Smoking deal if it's any good, and with prime there's no risk really if it's junk.

I suspect these brands are just that, a brand. Seems there's a single factory that churns all these out, and the brands can choose the models the factory offers to slap their name on, and market it. Just speculation on my behalf, but there is so much in common from the actual components, the...

Hey Guys, I added a new feature New Virtual Battery Feature [Experimental] You can now add up to 4 bt battery addresses to the command line. It will connect to all batteries, and create a single virtual battery. NOTE for now this only works with batteries in series, I will add parallel support...

Yup, I had a controller short a mosfet, and tied PV directly to battery. I came up with a solution here I used to build, mod, and service tube amps. Those trimmers used to fail frequently, sometimes in a real bad way.

Thanks for clarifying, I was wondering the same thing, and didn't want to get banned for sharing my videos.

Sounds like the battery never got fully charged after you ran it down to 0% that first time. Then you went in, and changed BMS settings, which may have reset the SOC to something it's not, like 50% when it was actually 0% You need to let this battery top off, that probably means not using it...

Me too. Just going to force me to put up more panels that are currently stacked on the ground.

Yeah I just want to raise awareness. So if you really need to secure it, you'll need to either unplug the BT module, or possibly install a switch on the power, or data lines. Or keep something connected 24/7 since they only allow a single connection.

Not all that uncommon. Out of all the shunts I have they don't even register anything under 0.5A

Well I doubt there would be a problem with the cells. I would suspect the BMS Also I agree your original inverter is probably toast.

I've drained LFP cells close to 2v for short period, I've also overcharged them to 4.2v for short period. Capacity tests were fine afterwards. Some BMSs have wider voltage ranges. I suspect this is because a dumb BMS has no logic to account for surge so they just set the cutoff to something...

It may be a fine unit, I dunno. If you buy one ignore the sticker that says 100vdc, and section in the manual that says 80vdc. DO NOT EXCEED 75v VOC Here's the video:

Here's the cells from the Mini batteries. 4 cell group = 100Ah

I always use the epever software to set the rated voltage level

From REPT they call the new process to achieve this capacity Wending. They sent me some for testing, here's the result: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rept-battero-and-powin-team-up-with-320ah-wending-energy-battery-for-8-4gwh-indonesian-cell-procurement-project-301926331.html Also...

If you got a great deal on used, or rejected cells the economics would make sense. If we're talking shady practices anything goes. I'm just putting out possibilities, i have not seen this, but it is possible.

Ballast. I use unistrut suspended off my flat roof with 2x6x6 blocks every 5 feet. Between every 5 panels I have a space with sand bags across the unistrut. Here it is before I added the sandbags

Right that works fine. The op is asking about "two MPPT Trackers in parallel on a single string of PV modules" MPPT on the same string of PV modules would not be fine.

You might want to think very carefully about the 12v vs 48v 12v requires BIG cabling, and massive charge controllers, that cost adds up quick.

In one of my arrays I have 5 435w panels in parallel, I have a blocking diode on each because the panels have different shading throughout the day. Seems to be working fine. Do keep in mind the blocking diodes burn some energy, I measured the voltage drop across the diodes, and found they are...

Far as I know micro inverters do not work without grid. They are grid-tie, unless there's something new. I'm just going get straight to it, you're asking for a huge headache trying to get these loads to work without a battery. Do yourself a favor a get enough battery to keep your loads going...

Parabolic curve, linear, none of that is really applicable with LifePO4. The typical way to measure SOC on LiFePO4 is with a shunt to count Ah going in, and out. Voltage reading give you [ Discharged 2.5v per cell ] [ Somewhere in the middle] [Full 3.65v per cell] So basically three states...

I mean It really just sounds out of balance. It happens overtime, and the BMS built-in balancers really do not suffice with large capacity cells. I limit my charge voltage to 3.4v - 3.45v per cell, and this helps dramatically with cell balance.

Alright fellas, the Schottky diode replacement was a success! The tracker now gets out of the limits much better/sooner. This is the first east to west movement of the day with the Schottkys : This was the first movement with the old diodes:

That red box is your first shingle, cut it to length so it fits perfectly there. Only nail in the nail line, which is the mid point/line with a little sticky tar on it. Tuck the corners (where the "these corners" arrows are pointing) under the existing shingles.

Since this will be covered by your panels you probably don't care about appearance. So get some roof flashing (aluminum comes in a roll) Cut a piece long enough to slide up under the upper shingle row, against the decking. Go in 4 inches or so. Use roofing sealant on the bottom of the flashing...

Don't want to sound like Debby Downer, but one of the biggest mistakes people new to solar make is going 12v with a system this size. Not to say you can't do it, but it makes things difficult. But yes as @timselectric said you'll need wire capable of 350amps, and a 350a class T fuse between the...

Just use "USE" battery mode. It works how you would expect. "US2" sucks, I tried it again with the charge voltage, and the float the same this time. What it does is it charges to the charge voltage, then stops. Then your loads will pull from the battery, then the MPPT will kick in again, this...

Well you don't know the state of charge. 3.3v just tells us they are not 0% So if you just assume they are 50% then the math is: 280ah x 32cells = 8960ah 50% of 8960 is 4480ah 4480ah / 15amp charger = 298.6 hours or 12.44 days

One of the most important safety aspects of a BMS is to monitor the cells while charging, to make sure one cell does not overcharge. Now it's easy to fall into a false sense of security by only charging to 13.7. You can do it, and check each cell, none get out of whack, you feel you've got it...

Anyone else realize this potential problem? Polarized DC breakers such as the ones used in Midnight Solar MNPV combiner box have polarity. The + side must be connected to the highest potential, which would be the PV string. This is required for the arc suppression to function. However...

I agree buying more panels can be cheaper/easier. But space, if you don't have the space for more panels a tracker is a viable option. And also consider bi-facial on a tracker. I need to try this

Build you up a rolling ground mount that stays in the tennis court. If you want to use the court for tennis, just roll it to the side.

If you go LiFePO4 try to get one with Bluetooth. This way you can fully monitor it from your phone.

@HighTechLab Very smart move to be proactive, rather than wait for grievances to pile up!

I played around with the 157w version of these

Well all different makes/models of equipment have different efficiencies/ losses , etc. But spending as much time on this as I have, I have found: 75% of the rated power is a good avg for solar panels MPPT charge controllers 95% is a good avg efficiency Good sine wave Inverters around 90% - 95%...

Well I must have gotten lucky years ago when I was able to run a 55lb ( >50amps ) thrust trolling motor on a 50ah AGM at full throttle :ROFLMAO:

Yeah, the BT hardware (and/or kernel driver) in the RPi is flaky, it will hard lock occasionally, and the only way to recover is to reboot.

I would too, but I figure since he specified lead-acid I didn't want to get pushy :) You could get a LiFePO4 for just a little more.

I'm not, however "you're" coming across as arrogant, and entitled. You were not clear in what you were asking.

The solar will go to the loads, and battery naturally. When the battery is full, the solar should still continue to power the loads. I would prefer the Victron setup over the AIO stuff. If you buy a Victon MPPT, and a victron multiplus II inverter you pretty much have all the functionality of...

I agree It's a 20a controller, so it'll (hopefully) limit charging to 20a

Aright I just tried it with this 10a 48v psu. Still drags the voltage down. I see what it's doing now, it's searching for MPP all the way down to the battery voltage, once it directly connects to the battery it releases. Now on this PSU it only did it once, but I think that's because the battery...

But it's not really a MPPT since it has no "Maximum Power Point Tracking" algorithm. Sounds like you have created a basic buck converter with the ability to maintain constant PV voltage. I'd try one! Maybe you could call it FPP ("Fixed Power Point")?

I did a video using 48v to 12v ASIC Mining. I use quarter brick isolated DC/DC converters, I also have something similar with GPUs in my mining shed. Does your DC/DC output 12v, or 13.8v? Some hardware may not like much over 12v

:LOL: What did I stumble into....

You're going through a lot of pain to attempt to use a UPS as a inverter. You'll probably end up spending more money, more time, and be more dangerous than just buying the proper equipment.

Exactly. Probably would have to develop one. I know of a way to do it, and it's much like how a capacitive active balancer works Watch my video of how active balancers work, and I bet you'll see what I'm thinking: Now don't think I'm suggesting to use an active balancer to do this, I'm just...

Yeah I've been through a ton of different panels new, and used. If you come across a make/model that hits the rated power, or gets real close, it's a true freak of nature ;) The manufacture screwed up, and gave you something too good :ROFLMAO: 75% is about the norm I see. Also I see very little...

Switching PSU's use a High Frequency transformer. It rectifies the AC to DC, then switches that DC at high frequency though a transformer, and then rectifies that again. The Switching frequency is what allows it to accept different voltages. There's a feedback loop from the output of the HF...

Here's my e-mtb conversion. It was originally 29inch but I changed to 27.5+ tires are 2.8, this gives a really nice middle ground between standard mtb, and fat tires.

Here's mine I'm getting ready to expand it to two 435w panels

Yeah, because you need to be certain level of PV voltage over your battery voltage for it to work right. Victron states this in the manual, and I also think it says 24v PV is the lowest you should use. So your 12v PV is not cutting it. You need to double those up, and I bet you're good.

Alright, I'm writing software that communicates with a bms for logging time series database for graphing, but also to trigger relays for controlling things like active balancers, and to control loads based on excess solar, etc.. It communicates via BT to the BMS, and runs on a raspberry pi. So...

MPPT Algorithms search for the max power point. There is no way to synchronize the algorithm across multiple controllers (that I know of). Because of this the controllers will probably be interfering with one another while trying to settle on the power point.

Your charge controller does not know what the actual SOC is, in fact it's probably way, way off. It's looking at the voltage, and that is not a good indicator of SOC for LiFePO4. The SOC indicator on your controller would be close enough approximation for lead acid.

Yeah a good designed should have a 5k or 10k resistor across the cap terminals to drain them when powered off. But that is probably too much of an expense in many controllers :ROFLMAO:

LOL, check this out. TimeUSB battery with LiTime silkscreened on the BMS

I had one do that too, not an EPever. It was a sloarepic branded ipanda. Scary, and the reason why I came up with an automatic high voltage contactor disconnect

The best $8 I've ever spent ;) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MV7PPYP?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

I say security bolts/nuts, and make it unattractive. Security cams unfortunately don't really deter people

Imbalance on the transformer legs reduce theoretical output. Same thing happens with external auto transformers.

I just reviewed the PowerUrus 12v 100ah. It's on Amazon for $400 now

Going to be hot either way. I'd probably still run conduit of some kind if you do attic Keep all your PV connections (MC4, or any branch connectors) tucked under the panels so they are not in direct UV.