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  • Post in thread: Am I missing something here?

    This reminds me I need to refresh the firmware in my chainsaw.
  • Post in thread: PG&E \ Off-Grid System Design

    I don't think one needs to tell pge that they plug in a battery charger and charge batteries.
  • Post in thread: Where are the inexpensive sodium batteries?

    My inverter is so old it only works with potatoes and nails.
  • Post in thread: What is electricity useful for if you have land?

    Three phase timber mill?
  • Post in thread: Bad Dream

    Woke up in a sweat last night because I had a dream that I spliced some wire and forgot to slide on the heat shrink first.
  • Post in thread: Aaaaannnd ... price makes the decision for me (for some of it)

    I've only ever used Schneider ccs (the 150s) and think that the integration with insight/gateway is worth keeping the brand homogenous.
  • Post in thread: hwy17's Orion battery build

    Neat project @hwy17 thanks for sharing/documenting. Whenever I'm at the hardware store checking out, the owner always asks if I found everything. And I always say no. He says, "What didn't you find?" and I reply, "No idea. I'll know when I get home though."
  • Post in thread: Off grid incinerating toilets. Who uses one?

    Buckets/coir/straw works extremely well, but I wouldn't want to deal with that outside of my family. These days it's only me who ever uses that system. The flush toilet is the only thing that goes to the septic, which significantly lowers the load (joke) it needs to support. Everything else goes...
  • Post in thread: Freezer to fridge guys, need a recommendation please!

    Used an 8cuft simple chest freezer with an aftermarket controller for three years at 45degF for beer kegs. Last five it's been at 55 for wine. It's a good idea to put a small fan in there pointing up/down to break stratification.
  • Post in thread: Schneider XW Pro - End of Sale???

    I bought a pdp to wire up 2 xwpros. One extra ac breaker kit, but because I have a spare conduit box lying around and a crimper, I just bought the extra dc breaker so I could skip buying the whole kit. Seemed $$ for just a box, breaker and some lugged wires. Anyone have a recommendation for a...
  • Post in thread: Well pump

    I use both Dankoff for above ground spring cistern pumping, and Franklin Fhoton for my well. The Fhoton system is very well built. It works direct from solar, but I bought and extra box that allows you to use 120 or 240. It's the 3p pump with soft start. Not cheap, but neither is Grundfos.
  • Post in thread: Fuse Holder

    Built some fuse holders to go inside some Sunpower batteries I am rebuilding. The straight tab on the left and the s tab on the right have female threads built in - the nuts on the bottom just hold the insulator and hence the fuse is supported. So, creep of the fiber insulator will not cause...
  • Post in thread: I'm finding product solar reviews are basically worthless.

    The most scripted and convincing reviews are usually worthless.
  • Post in thread: If you had to relocate, what would you differently?I

    If you ran the still without a condenser, wouldn't that be a humidifier?
  • Post in thread: My jk 200amp bms didn’t come with bolts. What’s the size?

    OK thanks. My jk bms did come with terminal screws. The are phillips head.
  • Post in thread: Prepping for impending grid outage

    If you look at studies of the black death in the middle ages, you will find that most economies continued to function as best they could, and that in general, things did not run amok, relatively speaking. Those scenarios are vastly more extreme than what have been presented to the populations...
  • Post in thread: How many kWh of batteries before you noticed a major change in things?

    I went from 14kWh to 52. Assuming it isn't right before a big storm, now I leave a bunch of lights on at night in the garage and inverter shed just to keep the mouse pressure down. It works. Accidentally forgetting the car is charging is no longer an issue.
  • Post in thread: Changing my mind gas cooking

    Bear in mind, it is likely pulsing 1500W at those lower settings.
  • Post in thread: Why is bulk/absorption voltage used?

    I think the discussion here should be best taken to the optimal charging protocol for a single cell, not a series combination with a bms. If the 3.45 (or whatever) bulk limit, the 3.45 (or whatever) absorb, and 3.35 (or whatever) float is chosen because of balancing issues, so be it, but if it...
  • Post in thread: help choosing well pump setup

    I have a Franklin fhoton helical rotor setup and it's been flawless. Takes cd from panels to the controller box. I also bought the 120/240 box to allow ac power, and I've just been using that with an extension cord. I have the solar panels, just haven't mounted them yet. Soft start, water is...
  • Post in thread: XW+ Pulsing with Air Fryer Load

    It's a current model Breville air-fryer. I could understand some pulsing with a crummy pid in on-off mode for temp regulation when at/near temp, but the pulsing during warm up is poor design in my opinion. I wonder if a 240V European model would cause the same audible effect from the XW...
  • Post in thread: Bricked xwpro?

    Got it, thanks. The insight has been powered by a separate power source for all of my tests/experiments. Haven't got to try anything today with the rain - didn't feel like covering the laptop with a bag to make the trip to the garage... :)
  • Post in thread: Schneider XW Pro - End of Sale???

    But in off grid, with ags possibly triggering during a period of >60 total over all inverters, you are in a situation like on grid. In this case, you'd have to be in a surge state for both (if using two xwpros) during the transfer. A single pro is something like 27 or 28A at max capacity...
  • Post in thread: Another telsa fire

    Perhaps someone tried to steal its catalytic converter earlier in the day.
  • Post in thread: Connecting JK-BMS to Inverter - Any major advantage?

    Seems proper to me. For me, one bms com advantage would be to alter the charging limits of the scc or genny if one or more bms goes down. I don't know how to make this happen with schneider without a bunch of programming wizardry which is not my wheelhouse. For an all-battery cumulative soc, say...
  • Post in thread: hwy17's Orion battery build

    Curious as to the thermal dissipation of the bus bars. Why wouldn't they present the same or less resistance as any other cabling? I'm trying to borrow a smartphone thermal cam from a coworker, for solar thermal water panel check, but can hit my bus bars if I ever get it from him. Should cool...
  • Post in thread: Aaaaannnd ... price makes the decision for me (for some of it)

    I currently run an xw+ with the minipdp and two ccs, but have had the standard pdp and 2 pros sitting on the bench for months now. I'm totally off grid, so it's no light or hot water and internet until it's all swapped, so kind of a nail biter if I discover I missed ordering some ferrule or...
  • Post in thread: XW+ Pulsing with Air Fryer Load

    Maybe it is agitated with the presence of two xwpros in a nearby building....
  • Post in thread: What refrigerator are you using?

    Don't know but not much. Can check the model when I'm home. I remember we had it delivered from home depot.
  • Post in thread: Aaaaannnd ... price makes the decision for me (for some of it)

    All open loop on my end and no worries. The ags works, but for some reason, the scheduled exercise has a mind of its own in terms of the day it chooses to run. I think in general all the schneider stuff works very well until you try to grid sell, use ac coupling, or go closed loop battery. Of...
  • Post in thread: Will PV panels get any cheaper?

    So what's the price in guineas and shillings? :)
  • Post in thread: automate power on/off of water heater

    Yes you do it indirectly by using the battery/mppt V. I don't understand all the confusion. You dump load with a relay at float or a bit below. If it can float from solar, you dump. If not, you dip, relay opens, and no dump. What am I missing?
  • Post in thread: peukert Exponent vs SOC

    Makes sense - thank you.
  • Post in thread: SunPower SunVault 6.5kWh battery

    They are lfp 2p16s. I have eight running on jk inverter bms. Open loop to an xw+.
  • Post in thread: Jk inverter BMS - voltage loss?

    Is the bms off or discharge disabled when you take the reading? If so, that could make sense.
  • Post in thread: My jk 200amp bms didn’t come with bolts. What’s the size?

    I know there are some generic torquing spec for electrical connections for nut-on-lug types, but usually these are for rigid posts/studs, and not some much weaker pcb mount stuff. I think the jk terminals are m6.
  • Post in thread: Schneider XW Pro — SunPower v1.2 BMS Settings?

    I took the sunpower proprietary bms out and replaced with jk. 8 6.5kwh batteries. Open loop with schneider xw works fine now. I could never figure out the signal the hub was supposed to send the the sp bms to keep them on. Hopefully switching to dual xw soon to make the 52kwh shine.
  • Post in thread: Grounding is a Conspiracy!!!!!1!!!!

    I guess I watched Stefan's video to see how long it would take for me to disagree with something, as an electrochemist and neurobiologist. 1:30 or so. I do walk around barefoot a lot though.
  • Post in thread: Charging One Off-Grid System from Another

    Thanks. Sounds right to me - seems like the ac2/gen input is more limited, in a good way, in terms of the system considering it an input only (no selling back....
  • Post in thread: Solar advice for my hot tub

    While sunshine eggo is not wrong, let me offer an alternative scenario. A couple of years ago, a neighbor offered up two solar thermal panels. Not evacuated tube, just the copper pipes with fins in a box with glass. I got them home and amazingly they didn't leak. A year before, we bought a...
  • Post in thread: XW+ AC Coupling

    OK - I will check to see how it's set when I can drag my laptop out to the shed. Thanks,
  • Post in thread: hwy17's Orion battery build

    That's what I use too...
  • Post in thread: Anybody tried new JK BMS with inverter communication support?

    If it resets to factory, I don't see how it is a safety issue if the charge/discharge being 'off' is factory too.
  • Post in thread: Recovering bricked / bootloader schneider context XW inverter with InsightHome

    Wetware reflash.....
  • Post in thread: Lunar energy? ;)

    Imagine how much you'd get with bifacial lunar panels! ;)
  • Post in thread: Martians

    Do they mars ground their systems with marsing rods?
  • Post in thread: hwy17's Orion battery build

    Did 1/4" x 2" for mine. Seat of pants also. Looked at what some others did and upped it a notch or two. One thing I need to do is enclose it, for mice mostly. Really don't want to have to do a full box with tons of grommets, but nothing is jumping out at me. I have eight batteries all 1agw wires...
  • Post in thread: JK BMS Sourcing for 10+ scale orders?

    I bought 8x jk inverter bmss from hankzor aliexpress.
  • Post in thread: Solar cable sizing calculator surprise!

    10awg is ~1ohm/1000' so the above looks correct to me.
  • Post in thread: Ground Mount To Level or To Slope Natural Lay of Land ??

    If you make the shortest post basically 0 height, how tall is the tallest? I'm on a slope and did a 3x6 array that way. Tallest is about 7', but I made it a few degrees off south. If I went directly south, the tallest post would have been 12' high.....
  • Post in thread: Higher V Pump for Direct DC to Pump Solar Thermal

  • Post in thread: Wire management

    Recent install for friend used an ell as a makeshift weatherhead. Conduit is running up one side of gable roof and ell was at ridge, so there is an inverted v there so to speak.
  • Post in thread: Anybody tried new JK BMS with inverter communication support?

    Not exactly, but just connecting up one jk, I can see it in insight local. Now, I really have no need for a bms to tell my inverter/charger/charge controller what to do when I can tell it what to do, so planning on operating in open loop mode with V control. I've never seen any documentation...
  • Post in thread: Recovering bricked / bootloader schneider context XW inverter with InsightHome

    Yeah, like a little hole you push a pin in to set everything back to original firmware. Could have used that a couple months ago when everything was so bricked (in a pro) that all insight selections, including restore defaults, was greyed out. In the end I believe it was BECAUSE I was using an...
  • Post in thread: Recovering bricked / bootloader schneider context XW inverter with InsightHome

    Certain fungus can work like ctl alt del for wetware
  • Post in thread: What is electricity useful for if you have land?

    Since I upgraded from 12 to 52kWh, I've been leaving lights on in outbuildings to keep mice away. Working well. Funnily enough, one place I've been controlling is the exposed bus bar for the batteries.
  • Post in thread: Tariffs and other other discussions.

    I just bought something from digikey the other day and they added a tariff charge at checkout.
  • Post in thread: I just received approval to operate - thanks to this forum!

    A cabin just means it's mostly brown.
  • Post in thread: Scored Schneider Context XW Pro 6848

    Can't wait for them to discontinue the mppts so I can get a good deal on one... :)
  • Post in thread: Conext XW+6848 and Gateway v1.17

    Gateway (basically insight facility) works fine with xw+.
  • Post in thread: Recovering bricked / bootloader schneider context XW inverter with InsightHome

    Indeed. Joking. But I wish there was that function.....
  • Post in thread: Off grid incinerating toilets. Who uses one?

    Depends on what you eat and how healthy you are. Dog crap is a lot more nasty than mine and many people have no problem with it being scattered uncovered all over their backyards. If your crap has diseases in it then you have diseases, and might want to deal with that.
  • Post in thread: Enphase IQ8s will now AC couple with Schneider XW Pro

    Maybe not helpful, but I've been using one xw+ with the rest of the schneider equipment, not panels or batteries (4x simpliphi 3.5s) of course, and it's been running solid for 5 years. Off-grid, dc coupled, 2 mppt 60 150s. I would use Schneider again. When I was originally commissioning...
  • Post in thread: Anybody tried new JK BMS with inverter communication support?

    Can't remember, but I don't think I changed it from default. It shows up in insight home as pylontech (I'm pretty sure).
  • Post in thread: Schneider XW PRO Settings – fine tuned

    I see. I think.
  • Post in thread: Bad Dream

    Probably more worth sweating over the 56" diameter fir that I have to fall. It's about 6' from my electronics shed.
  • Post in thread: Schneider xw pro 6848 f45 fault

    I ripped out the sunvault bms and swapped in jks. Now everything does what I want it to.
  • Post in thread: Question About Cable Size for Float Switch

    I think that is a waste of high current carrying wire just for a trigger. How about triggering a relay and run 18awg or so?
  • Post in thread: Schneider XW Pro - End of Sale???

    I'll run with chase nipples, thanks. That is what I've done in the past, with some duct seal smooshed in for wire that exits not in conduit. Thought maybe the bushings would take up less space for internal pass throughs.. .
  • Post in thread: Ferrules/Pins Question

    Indeed the ferrulesdirect ferrules don't fit on polarwire, at least not the 6awg. I tried chamfering the end of the insulation a bit, but that was only enough to get it started. So I think I'll cut most of the ferrule collar off and use some phase tape or heatshrink to rigidize the assembly.
  • Post in thread: Schneider XW Pro - End of Sale???

    You could check too if Sunpower is discontinuing the sunvault. It has xwpro guts.
  • Post in thread: JK PB2A16S-20P No Communication

    And once your fireware is up to date, you can use the other rs485 ports. My rs485-usb adapter was wired incorrectly for this application as well.
  • Post in thread: Freezer to fridge guys, need a recommendation please!

    Mine's within a degree F top to bottom with a 2W fan. Earth. You?
  • Post in thread: Schneider XW Pro - End of Sale???

    I thought for residential they now limit max rooftop voltage to 80V or something like that?
  • Post in thread: Combining Strings With IMO Disconnect?

    Thanks. It's two mppts. 2 of the strings need to be combined for 1 mppt, and the other 2 strings need to be combined for the other mppt.
  • Post in thread: Charging One Off-Grid System from Another

    My current system has been working more or less flawlessly for four years. One Schneider xw+, 2x mppt 60150, 5.7kw panels, 14kw kohler genny that almost never is needed, scp, gateway, and 4x simpliphi 3.5s, voltage controlled for 56V bulk/absorb for 6min and 54V float. Also ags for the kohler...
  • Post in thread: Changing my mind gas cooking

    Always wanted some 220 kitchen receptacles to run European devices (slightly higher power usually). Been on gas my whole life, but seriously considering electric if I get the 2 xwpros installed.
  • Post in thread: Ferrules/Pins Question

    So using my lug crimper first is not recommended, right? The ferrules crimps look like they leave a series of ridges.
  • Post in thread: Schneider XW Pro - End of Sale???

    So if you are in a no generator situation, you could have 120A breaker for a bridged system. With the possibility of a qualifying switch from genny, maybe 70A bridged.
  • Post in thread: Schneider XW Pro - End of Sale???

    What is the problem some are having with generators?
  • Post in thread: Sunpower 6.5kwh Guts

    The appearance and specs look identical to one of the growatt offerings. The manual for that specific model indicates that it will shut off if it doesn't hear anything from the pcs. The wiring instructions show it connected to a growatt inverter with an rj45 comm port. Anyone ever run a...
  • Post in thread: Sunpower 6.5kwh Guts

    If I do my own bms, it would at least be nice to salvage the case. All the bus bars and voltage monitoring wires are in place. Plus, some of the bus bar jumpers look integral. In the close view, the cable bundle upper left is all the cell voltage measurement and temp sensors. On the right...
  • Post in thread: Fuse Holder

    No, just a block that I machined. The exposed nuts could be recessed, with some compromise in rigidity. There's enough other metal exposed, so I didn't think that just protecting the nuts was all that important.
  • Post in thread: Rebuidling/Stripping Sunpower 6.5kWh

    Maybe then I'll just torque then down on some strips of 1/4" G10. Have some of that around.
  • Post in thread: Schneider XW Pro LED Flicker

    I see.
  • Post in thread: Sunpower 6.5kwh Guts

    Each 'cell' looks like a tesla pack form factor. There's alternating gold and silver sawtooth zig-zag markings on each end, which seems to correlate with +/-.
  • Post in thread: Sunpower 6.5kwh Guts

    Do far no luck. I did determine that it's not the battery that has the pcs connection back to the insight facility that determines which battery powers up - it's which is master (powers up fine) or slave (lights on battery flash, but doesn't actually turn on). You determine which is mater or...
  • Post in thread: Schneider XW Pro LED Flicker

    You said earlier you can't use the grid because of no bcs. What happens when you remove the neutral connection to the grid with also both L1 and L2 disconnected?
  • Post in thread: Anybody tried new JK BMS with inverter communication support?

    Yup - should, left to right, 4851, can, 232, 4852, 4852
  • Post in thread: Charging One Off-Grid System from Another

    Was only going to try to charge at 8A or so. To do this, I just set the 'generator breaker size' setting to 10A. Any other settings other than this 80% derating breaker size thing?
  • Post in thread: Schneider XW Pro Export cycling and solution that worked

    Perhaps your last trick works because the mppt V reading on the battery side is a little different than the xw battery reading?
  • Post in thread: Sunpower 6.5kwh Guts

    Looks like the pcs is connected via com, not rs485. Would there be any harm in trying this and seeing if I can get the batteries to stay on? Might the insight facility see them on their own, or would an xwpro be needed in the xanbus network? Thx,
  • Post in thread: Sunpower 6.5kwh Guts

    It's these batteries (images taken from web):
  • Post in thread: Combiner/Breaker for Panels for eG4 6000xp

    Do you think that there is any eg4-specific reason they want breakers on the mppt inputs? I have them on my schneider 60-150s, but that's because I didn't understand the components when I built it. I'm thinking a 4-string IMO isolator right at the inverter/mppts would be good if I ran all four...
  • Post in thread: Charging One Off-Grid System from Another

    So, I had mentioned in another thread that I thought I might have fried one of my xw pros. All settings in insight home greyed out - not changeable. I had thought this had correlated with my messing with some bms from sunpower, and possibly connected some over voltage wire/adapters between the...
  • Post in thread: Miter saw causes AFCI trip on Schneider XW but not on grid

    Not sine wave?
  • Post in thread: Schneider xw pro 6848 f45 fault

    Yes, and specifically the "bms" 100A version, although I don't use the coms to from the inverter or ccs. They are wired to the rj45 ports on the front of the sunpower units, just not doing anything now. I tried poking around with the jk desktop app to see how it would see several bms in...
  • Post in thread: Sunpower 6.5kwh Guts

    A correction - I was using the abbreviations incorrectly. These units are 2p16s.
  • Post in thread: Miter saw causes AFCI trip on Schneider XW but not on grid

    I start my 10" miter all the time on xw+. But.... no afci breakers. Yet. Am planning on redoing my main panel, qo, with afci where it might help. Am planning on keeping some standard breakers around. The house wiring is sup par as we inherited it. Small place, so not too much work to rewire...
  • Post in thread: EV Bi-Directional working in the wild?

    @timselectric you mean a car-based inverter and then transform it back via a charger, or just use the 30A 240V for a dedicated house circuit or two?

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