diy solar

diy solar

Epever is money down the drain.

Symbioquine said:
The AN controllers are sold in several different voltage ratings; 60V, 100V, 150V, and 200V.
Click to expand...
At the end of the spec sheet ''2. The voltage point is for 12V system, please *2 in 24V system, *3 in 36V system, *4 in 48V system.''

Does this also apply to Voc?

The spec sheet for their auto ranging pwms is clearer with Voc proportional to battery v

pollenface said:
The manual for my AN's says the controller will be damaged if the PV input exceeds 40v with batteries disconnected.
Click to expand...

I read this as- ' A 12v system may survive battery disconnection when using the usual 12v panels (Voc<22v). 24v systems may and 48v systems certainly will not. Unsuitable for batteries with BMS at the higher voltages!!'
 
Last edited:
sunshine said:
At the end of the spec sheet ''2. The voltage point is for 12V system, please *2 in 24V system, *3 in 36V system, *4 in 48V system.''

Does this also apply to Voc?
Click to expand...

No, (if I'm understanding which part you're talking about) that refers to the largest "system voltage" of the battery side. This is largely independent of the supported PV open circuit voltage range - though it is relevant in that the PV voltage needs to be higher than the battery voltage for power point tracking to work.

Here is the Epever Tracer AN naming rules from the documentation;

1628562630676.png
 
pollenface said:
The manual for my AN's says the controller will be damaged if the PV input exceeds 40v with batteries disconnected.
Click to expand...

I'm curious if you can include a picture/screenshot of that part of your manual. I just searched the Tracer-AN manuals (both 10-40A and 50-100A) and didn't find a reference to "40v".
 
Symbioquine said:
I'm curious if you can include a picture/screenshot of that part of your manual. I just searched the Tracer-AN manuals (both 10-40A and 50-100A) and didn't find a reference to "40v".
Click to expand...

I just downloaded the manual and went through, couldn't find it either. I'm sure I read it in my "paper" manual at home. Will have a look when I'm home in a couple of days. Otherwise I must have dreamed it and you can disregard what I said.
 
rickst29 said:
With the EPever controllers, you must ALWAYS have the batteries bank connected before the Solar PV is connected.
Click to expand...
This is Quite Common with virtually every SCC, so they can sense the Voltage and setup accordingly for the Battery Voltage.

SPECIAL NOTE: EPEver has NO HyperVOC type of Capability, very few SCC's do so. This is a "Buffer" which is added on top for "gentle" overproduction taking into account Cold Weather Performance increase.

Sadly this results in certain issues. IF anyone lives in the northern climes where it gets cold, the most overlooked factor is that Solar Panels produce more energy in the cold. If everything is wired for the Max Input Limit for solar panels in mid-summer and then it gets cold, you can have 10% Above the limit and get a cooked SCC.
 
rickst29 said:
Here are my main reasons for my preference: The finned aluminum heatsink on the 'BN' seems more effective. But more important, I have never seen reports of a BN failing to perform correctly, and in compliance with its programmed parameters (from an MT-50). There have been several reports of AN misbehaviors here, and elsewhere. And the AN is only rated for 100V maximum PV voltage (which I wouldn't push past 70-80V in the real world), while the BN is rated at 150V (which I wouldn't push past 120V). The AN is also an older model.

I have used only 'BN' controllers in my various installations, and I've had no issues or callbacks which involved "issues" with the controllers. For all of those preceeding reasons, If I needed to go past 40A or 24V, I would choose the eTracer, and not the AN series. But it does cost a lot more.
Click to expand...
My AN supports 200 volt tho..

Maybe only the larger models 50-100a which is in another category of ssc support over 150v?
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20210814_222953.jpg
    IMG_20210814_222953.jpg
    83.8 KB · Views: 13
There are two groups of AN Tracers

The smaller 10-40a / 60-100v group; and the larger 50-100a / 150-200v group.

After doing a bit of reading the BN does sound more attractive, i think I'll use them in a future build.
 
Steve_S said:
This is Quite Common with virtually every SCC, so they can sense the Voltage and setup accordingly for the Battery Voltage.

SPECIAL NOTE: EPEver has NO HyperVOC type of Capability, very few SCC's do so. This is a "Buffer" which is added on top for "gentle" overproduction taking into account Cold Weather Performance increase.

Sadly this results in certain issues. IF anyone lives in the northern climes where it gets cold, the most overlooked factor is that Solar Panels produce more energy in the cold. If everything is wired for the Max Input Limit for solar panels in mid-summer and then it gets cold, you can have 10% Above the limit and get a cooked SCC.
Click to expand...
Interesting. So will the damage be apparent?
I connected my 40A Renogy Rover SCC to my panels without the batteries briefly, could that be why it doesn't disconnect on high Voltage?
 
Steve_S said:
This is Quite Common with virtually every SCC, so they can sense the Voltage and setup accordingly for the Battery Voltage.

SPECIAL NOTE: EPEver has NO HyperVOC type of Capability, very few SCC's do so. This is a "Buffer" which is added on top for "gentle" overproduction taking into account Cold Weather Performance increase.

Sadly this results in certain issues. IF anyone lives in the northern climes where it gets cold, the most overlooked factor is that Solar Panels produce more energy in the cold. If everything is wired for the Max Input Limit for solar panels in mid-summer and then it gets cold, you can have 10% Above the limit and get a cooked SCC.
Click to expand...
This is correct, and EpEver specifications say that '150 maximum PC Voltage' truly is a hardware maximum, recommending that panels be configured with no more than 138 Volts nominal maximum disconnect voltage. If the input voltage reaches 150V or above, they probably fry.
 
rickst29 said:
This is correct, and EpEver specifications say that '150 maximum PC Voltage' truly is a hardware maximum, recommending that panels be configured with no more than 138 Volts nominal maximum disconnect voltage. If the input voltage reaches 150V or above, they probably fry.
Click to expand...

This is partially correct. Some models do have a max 150v nominal PV open circuit rating.

The max open circuit voltage is different for different models of Epever controller. The available values (I know of) are 60v, 100v, 150v, or 200v. You can look at the last two digits of the model number to tell which one you have. (Sorry to repeat my post above, but this is important!)

1638206460496.png

It's worth noting that the lower value from the manual (e.g. 138v) is a guideline while the upper value (e.g. 150v) is the the specified limit. Depending on the temperature ranges where you will be operating the solar panels it could be much lower or maybe a little higher.

TL;DR; You need to do the math using the temperature coefficients from your specific solar panels and weather data from your town/area, don't just guess. (Also you should include some safety buffer in your calculations in case of truly anomalous weather.)
 
time2roll said:
Is it too early to put in a plug for a Morningstar solar controller. My MPPT-60 has been flawless for almost 10 years.
Click to expand...
I had mine drop in the RV and it is all dented. Another time I had a short while it is online. The thing works perfectly. It is a damn tank.
 
My BNs support 150v (2x 40a). Theyve been installed and functioning for almost a little over 6 months. no hiccups, no problems.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
New off the grid project in The Philippines looking for some advise.
Replies
4
Views
521
Greg P
G
Back
Top