DIY 3 Phase Solar Trailer Build On A Budget

[Supervstech]

Thanks Supervstech for pointing out the pitfall. I am looking at the battery pack for the Smith truck here. It must be the newer one. It's part of an entire playlist about the truck. These seem perfect for mobile solar power.

That’s the older one.

 

[johnshearing]

As I was reading this I was wondering if using three Victron Quattro 48/10000 inverters would give enough power - then you are using a standard 48v battery?
Each leg would be 8000w or 66amps continuous with a peak surge power of twice that.

Thanks for the input Rocketman.
Maybe too small.
I wonder if they make a larger unit?
Also, the spec I read said 19 to 33 VDC for the input.
Maybe a 48v battery will work.
I do not have enough experience to know if I am even reading the specification correctly.

If we are back to a 48 volt battery then 6 of the EG4 6500EX-48 specified by Supervstech would have output power required and they have controllers for the solar panels which the others do not.

So far, the AIM inverter with a SmithEV truck seems ideal for 3 phase mobile solar but it seems I would need a solution to control charge from the solar panels.

 

[johnshearing]

That’s the older one.

Thanks for the clarity Supervstech. I will be sure to look for 2012 or later.

 

[johnshearing]

Also thinking it would be a good idea to put softstarters on any motors to keep inrush current to a minimum.
I would imagine that would allow me to use a smaller inverter to run the motors.
I imagine the choices are using a variable frequency drive or a delta-wye motor starter.
Are any forum members doing this for their off grid pumps and such?
A these solutions will only work for 3 phase of course so likely most have not had an opportunity to try these.

Also, I am starting to wonder - where I have a choice, would it be better to use DC motors and DC motor drives supplied directly from the battery?
I would still need 3 phase power for wood working equipment but well pumps and compressors might be better run with DC motors.
Just thinking and trying to get oriented.

Does anyone have opinions about the ideas?
Much thanks

 

[Rocketman]

Thanks for the input Rocketman.
Maybe too small.
I wonder if they make a larger unit?
Also, the spec I read said 19 to 33 VDC for the input.
Maybe a 48v battery will work.
I do not have enough experience to know if I am even reading the specification correctly.

If we are back to a 48 volt battery then 6 of the EG4 6500EX-48 specified by Supervstech would have output power required and they have controllers for the solar panels which the others do not.

So far, the AIM inverter with a SmithEV truck seems ideal for 3 phase mobile solar but it seems I would need a solution control charge from the solar panels.

If the spec sheet you read said 19 to 33 v - you were looking at a 24v spec sheet. 38 to 66v is the 48v unit

https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Datasheet-Quattro-3-10kVA-120V-EN-.pdf

Anyway good luck with your project!

 

[johnshearing]

If the spec sheet you read said 19 to 33 v - you were looking at a 24v spec sheet. 38 to 66v is the 48v unit.

Thank you Rocketman for pointing me to the correct spec sheet.

 

[Supervstech]

Also thinking it would be a good idea to put softstarters on any motors to keep inrush current to a minimum.
I would imagine that would allow me to use a smaller inverter to run the motors.
I imagine the choices are using a variable frequency drive or a delta-wye motor starter.
Are any forum members doing this for their off grid pumps and such?
A these solutions will only work for 3 phase of course so likely most have not had an opportunity to try these.

Also, I am starting to wonder - where I have a choice, would it be better to use DC motors and DC motor drives supplied directly from the battery?
I would still need 3 phase power for wood working equipment but well pumps and compressors might be better run with DC motors.
Just thinking and trying to get oriented.

Does anyone have opinions about the ideas?
Much thanks

I dpnt know any soft starters that work with 3phase motors... maybe a vfd setup?

 

[johnshearing]

I dpnt know any soft starters that work with 3phase motors... maybe a vfd setup?

Thanks Supervstech,
I was imagining one of these types of soft starters.
Anyway I agree with you - A VFD will do everything a soft starter will do and so much more.
A VFD can create harmonics so I wonder how that would effect the inverters.
Anyway, I will try a VFD if starting AC motors overload the inverters.

A wye-delta starter doesn't use any power when the pump is off and does not create harmonics, so maybe that is a good fit for off grid.

Also, I just realized that well pumps can be DC powered.
Makes sense now that I think about it - EV cars are DC.
Here I stumbled upon a DIY softstarter for DC motors.
That might allow for DC power of less capacity and perhaps less copper.

I am still committed to setting up 3 phase mobile power but thinking about DC motors opens a whole new world of possibilities for my off grid project.

Thanks for helping me to get oriented.

 

[johnshearing]

The YouTube AI brought me to a video by Matthias showing how the EcoFlow Pro can fry sensitive electronic equipment plugged in while running motors with lots of inrush current.
This ties into the post above which talks about reducing inrush current.

Will Prowse posted a rather pointed comment under that video linked above.
Will said the man making the video should have understood that the EcoFlow Pro is a high frequency inverter and is not rated for motors with lots of inrush current. Will went on to say that he should have used a low frequency inverter (perhaps like this one shown by Will) which is designed for use with motors. I will leave it for all of you to look for the actual comment - you won't be disappointed.

In any case, the comment makes me realize that I should be considering the EG4 6000EX All-in-one: 6000W Low Frequency 120/240V Inverter and I should stay away from the EG4 6500EX because this one is a high frequency inverter.

The two links just above are Wills videos about the inverters and both talk extensively about the pros and cons of both Low Frequency inverters and High Frequency inverters.

This whole exchange really opened my eyes and helped me understand that a Low Frequency inverters are what I need to do this off grid project because I will be powering inductive loads with lots of inrush current.

So, thanks to Will

Also, this follow up video done by Matthias shows the effectiveness of using a soft starter when running motors with the EcoFlow high frequency inverter. I will be sure to put a soft starter on every motor possible in my own off grid project whether or not I use an LF or HF inverter.

So thanks to Matthias

 

[johnshearing]

So originally in this thread I asked how to run a 3 phase motor using off grid solar which is typically a single phase inverter and likely to trip out from the heavy inrush current when starting a motor.
Many great solutions were offered.
I just discovered a video showing how to run a 3 phase motor on single phase power using a variable frequency drive.
Really the YouTube algorithm thought I would like it and presented it to me.
It looks like this solves both problems. A variable frequency drive can act as a soft starter to reduce inrush current and it converts single phase to 3 phase.
So a VFD paired with one or more EG4 6000EX All-in-one: 6000W Low Frequency 120/240V Inverters which are built to handle in rush current connected in parallel might workout very well.
Thanks YouTube AI
And thanks to all for the help