Got my 4, 400 W Dokio panels today and I had to do a quick test to see how it would charge my Ecoflow Delta Pro. First I figured I’d try two panels in series. Do I hooked everything up it seemed to work well. I had full, midday sunlight. So now I’m gonna go for 3 in series. I unplug one of the connectors and I swear I heard a pop. As I look at the connector I realize there’s a label that clearly says “DO NOT DISCONNECT UNDER LOAD”. My heart sank. So I covered the panels and hooked it up again. Fortunately, everything still worked. I feel like I dodged a bullet.
Almost let the smoke out
- Thread starter jondrew55
- Start date
werepuppy
Solar Addict
This type of appliance really should have failsafe engineering. No amount of labels can substitute for that. People will read the labels AFTER they see the smoke.
Well them thats on them and their work method…. Not the product…not everyone needs to do DIY builds … mistakes have taught me a lot more in life than successes ..as you don’t forget them
Chicat
Solar Enthusiast
Thought it was kind of common sense not to disconnect under a load
werepuppy
Solar Addict
It's not a DIY product. That is different.
So how could the system/failsafe be designed to prevent someone disconnecting under load?
MC4 with like an arc arrester or something?
werepuppy
Solar Addict
Something like that. Diode, back to back zeners to catch the high voltage pulse, mechanical interlock on the connector (you have to shut off the box before unplugging), whatever.
wpns
Solar Joules are catch and release
Three pins in the connector, when the shorter pin disconnects it stops the current draw before the other pins pull out. Club Car golf carts use this. Also lets the onboard computer know when there’s a charger connected and prevents driving away with the charger connected.
How so? Have you never unplugged an appliance while it’s on? I mean, this is obviously on me because there is a label on the connector, but it’s black on black molded into the plastic and hard to notice. There were no instructions with the panels. Now that I’m looking thru this forum, it sounds like a pretty typical rookie mistake.
Looking thru more material I see maybe I should get a PV cutoff switch? Can that safely interrupt the power so you can unplug the panels under load?
wpns
Solar Joules are catch and release
Indeed, though you'll have to either:
Remember to use that switch
OR
Remember to shut (at least) the SCC down
before pulling the MC4 out.
Sure AC all the time, but they have 0v crossing a lot, so that helps out.
MC4 is a cheap connector to reduce initial installation time only.
Adding anything to the cost to “human proof” a rate potential error while sounds good will never be adopted.
To be “ human proof “ is impossible…there will always be a group who can defeat the intent of any safty improvement …and the “concern crowd” keep adding on and on on to the point whatever it was is now too expensive, no fun anymore , must be over 18/21 or against the law.
Is anyone out here old enough to remember a real Jungle Jim set in grade school.? (Monkey bars )
Having the coach teach you during physical-ed how to climb and descend a 3” rope and not fall 25 ft onto the gym floor.
Etc etc etc…….
The only safety device was the strength of your grip… your co-ordination…your mental control.
Life cannot be lived with out some risk….
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werepuppy
Solar Addict
All of us are around safety devices all the time that cost some money to implement. Seat belts and air bags on cars are an obvious example. Use common sense. The Ecoflow is consumer electronics, not DIY gear. Imagine a TV set that electrocutes you or even just stops working, if you unplug it while it is turned on. That TV would be off the market after the first or second incident. Obviously when we DIY stuff, we take more responsibility. We still have many threads about how we need to put more fuses in our self-built circuits, in case of accidental shorts.
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