diy solar

diy solar

I'm DONE with MPP Solar

ghostwriter66

ghostwriter66

"Here - Hold my Beer"
Joined
Nov 13, 2019
Messages
1,878
Location
EE from LAX CA -work in SouthTX for giant evil Oil
So I say this after having hooked up well over 25 MPP Solar systems at work ... so this is not one of those bitching for no reason type things (well it actually is) ... BUT .....

The MPP Solar is an excellent system - until its not.

Until you need customer support.

Until you try to read one of their "ENGLISH" manuals.

Until you try to figure out why in 2022 they are still using Serial cables with RG45 connectors on the end (Seriously - have they never heard of a USB connector!!) ...

There's just toooo many lighter, better, faster, cheaper systems coming on board to go thru this MPP headache any longer ... Sure back in the day when MPP Solar was really the only "slightly better than the rest" I would defend them and basically say that there wasn't really a choice out there that we could all afford .. but there is NOW -- and several of them ...

Manuals are mostly wrong - you waste several hours trying to figure out what they actually mean

OMG their WiFi software WATCHPOWER is sooo bad its not even funny - you can't even see anything you need... and everything comes out in PDF format instead of Excel...

There customer support is random at best -- and typically they are answering a question that you are not asking.... Their first answer is always - have you read the manual -- if you say Yes then they say - well tell us exactly what the issue is (which we already had) .. then they send you a response involving UNICORNs and Candy but not a solution...

AGAIN - Who the hell is using a serial to RG45 cable in the last decade ?? -- did they find a huge supply from 1990 they have to use up ... ??? ZERO of our laptops out here have an RG45 connector to plug into ...

My list actually goes on and on .. but all I can say is - before you start drinking the MPP Solar Kool-Aid you might want to look around at other alternatives ... For me personally - I'm done -- your playing Russian roulette hoping that if/when your system has any issues - that someone on YOUTUBE has made a solution because I promise you support is zero ...

Again - everyone of my MPP solar's are still up and running -- BUT it has been an "ass-pain" to get some of them to do what they say they can do.

aaaaggghhhhhhh
 
Of course your laptops don't have an "RG45" connector, because it doesn't exist :)

Old laptops used to have ethernet with a colloquially named "RJ45" connector and hey, some still do. But that would have never plugged into the MPP device, as MPP doesn't have ethernet.

What you need is called a USB to Serial adapter, they are $10 and they exist all day long on Amazon. No USB on your device? If this is your job, why don't you have a proper toolkit?

Where's the content here? MPP provides poor support, that's what I read.

Also, their software sucks, can anything else be compatible?

Finally, what else are you using that has the same level of quality/reliability/price as MPP devices?

Which MPP devices were you using, which were you considering, and what are you using today?
 
I just ditched their watchpower BS and went to SolarAssistant. Wayy better.

Customer service has always been excellent for me, from Ian at Watts247. Getting an answer from MPP in Taiwan is another story. Typically, a full 24hrs to get a response on 1 question.

What problem are you having?
 
ghostwriter66 said:
So I say this after having hooked up well over 25 MPP Solar systems at work ... so this is not one of those bitching for no reason type things (well it actually is) ... BUT .....

The MPP Solar is an excellent system - until its not.

Until you need customer support.

Until you try to read one of their "ENGLISH" manuals.

Until you try to figure out why in 2022 they are still using Serial cables with RG45 connectors on the end (Seriously - have they never heard of a USB connector!!) ...

There's just toooo many lighter, better, faster, cheaper systems coming on board to go thru this MPP headache any longer ... Sure back in the day when MPP Solar was really the only "slightly better than the rest" I would defend them and basically say that there wasn't really a choice out there that we could all afford .. but there is NOW -- and several of them ...

Manuals are mostly wrong - you waste several hours trying to figure out what they actually mean

OMG their WiFi software WATCHPOWER is sooo bad its not even funny - you can't even see anything you need... and everything comes out in PDF format instead of Excel...

There customer support is random at best -- and typically they are answering a question that you are not asking.... Their first answer is always - have you read the manual -- if you say Yes then they say - well tell us exactly what the issue is (which we already had) .. then they send you a response involving UNICORNs and Candy but not a solution...

AGAIN - Who the hell is using a serial to RG45 cable in the last decade ?? -- did they find a huge supply from 1990 they have to use up ... ??? ZERO of our laptops out here have an RG45 connector to plug into ...

My list actually goes on and on .. but all I can say is - before you start drinking the MPP Solar Kool-Aid you might want to look around at other alternatives ... For me personally - I'm done -- your playing Russian roulette hoping that if/when your system has any issues - that someone on YOUTUBE has made a solution because I promise you support is zero ...

Again - everyone of my MPP solar's are still up and running -- BUT it has been an "ass-pain" to get some of them to do what they say they can do.

aaaaggghhhhhhh
Click to expand...

This is a perfect example of why you should spend a little extra and buy from someone like watts247 - Ian gives good support, and the knows the units. This rant just adds to the scores of complaints one can find when trying to get support from the manufacturer.
 
ghostwriter66 said:
AGAIN - Who the hell is using a serial to RG45 cable in the last decade ?? -- did they find a huge supply from 1990 they have to use up ... ??? ZERO of our laptops out here have an RG45 connector to plug into ...
Click to expand...
Not that it'll make you feel any better, but Carrier refrigerated containers' data recorder software now supports Win98! You still have to have a DB9 COM cable however.

I hear ya, when you need the support and it's not there, especially after installing a couple dozen units, it's gotta be frustrating as hell. :(
 
ghostwriter66 said:
The MPP Solar is an excellent system - until its not.

Until you need customer support.

There customer support is random at best -- and typically they are answering a question that you are not asking.... Their first answer is always - have you read the manual -- if you say Yes then they say - well tell us exactly what the issue is (which we already had) .. then they send you a response involving UNICORNs and Candy but not a solution...
Click to expand...
This is why I no longer buy Chinese made Products made for Domestic sale within China.
In the past I have spent weeks trying to get hold of CSR only to finally realize that they know nothing about the product. Yep it's always a bunch of stupid questions that have no relationship to the problem and then they just try to ignore you and hope that you will just go away. My one word of advice is don't fall for stall tactics. They know that the longer they have your money is the less of a chance that they will have to refund it. If the first call fails to get any kind of result then go straight to your CC company and start a transaction reversal. That is something they understand very well and will act on.

With that said I do like Ian at Watts247. He is an excellent buffer between you and them. He will take the hit and make sure the product you get works and he knows a lot about the items he sells.
 
Thanks for sharing your experience, it's valuable to hear from someone who has built 25+ systems. I'm also curious about what you're seeing now as the best values / feature / supportability tradeoff.
 
> and everything comes out in PDF format instead of Excel...

Ok, I'm outta here . . .
--
 
I am having an issue and I can't seem to troubleshoot the problem. My system is exclusively for a detached shop I am trying to run off grid. LVX 6048, 48v Trophy Battery, SanTan Solar used panels 240W 37.2 VOC 2 parallel strings of 10 in series run through a branch connector. At night I don't have anything powered up that can consume electricity except for 1 power strip that has an LED light and a USB converter built into it. Everything else is either unplugged or turned off. I understand the higher consumption rate of the LVX 6048.

(Disclaimer - all of this troubleshooting was done in full sun with no partial shade)
I had the solar panels temporarily on the ground for troubleshooting until I fine tune the system. Everything seemed to be working fine until I went out and my battery was at 32% SOC one morning and not charging even though the panels should have been producing enough power to charge a little bit. (The input on the LVX showed 295V and 516W input from the array). I started troubleshooting panels and found that each array was indicating on a voltmeter 330Vdc. I went to check the resistance and sometimes it was 0 ohms and sometimes it would not register (indicating there is no continuity through the panels). I started checking each individual panel, including pulling the covers off of the back of the panels to check the diodes. Sometimes the panels would have 0 ohms, sometimes not registered. All of the panels showed approx 33 Vdc through the panel though.

I tried to isolate individual strings, and eventually ditched the branch connector to wire just 1 series of 10 panels directly to the LVX and immediately got 330 Vdc and 2kw input showing on the LVX. The battery started charging up with over 30 amps, and things were looking good.....Until a few hours later when I went back out and the battery stopped charging at 78% SOC and the LVX showed back to the 250V and 500w (fluctuating). But the sun condition was exactly the same - full sun, no shade, no load change, etc. I am very frustrated.

I already had problems with 1 LVX 6048 and had it replaced by Ian at MPP Solar US (he did an awesome job with customer service btw) and I hate to bug him again. Especially if I can't tell if its my panels, the battery, or what.

I am about to throw the whole thing in my pond and wire up my shop from the house.

Please help if you can.
 
travisandblair said:
I am having an issue and I can't seem to troubleshoot the problem. My system is exclusively for a detached shop I am trying to run off grid. LVX 6048, 48v Trophy Battery, SanTan Solar used panels 240W 37.2 VOC 2 parallel strings of 10 in series run through a branch connector. At night I don't have anything powered up that can consume electricity except for 1 power strip that has an LED light and a USB converter built into it. Everything else is either unplugged or turned off. I understand the higher consumption rate of the LVX 6048.

(Disclaimer - all of this troubleshooting was done in full sun with no partial shade)
I had the solar panels temporarily on the ground for troubleshooting until I fine tune the system. Everything seemed to be working fine until I went out and my battery was at 32% SOC one morning and not charging even though the panels should have been producing enough power to charge a little bit. (The input on the LVX showed 295V and 516W input from the array). I started troubleshooting panels and found that each array was indicating on a voltmeter 330Vdc. I went to check the resistance and sometimes it was 0 ohms and sometimes it would not register (indicating there is no continuity through the panels). I started checking each individual panel, including pulling the covers off of the back of the panels to check the diodes. Sometimes the panels would have 0 ohms, sometimes not registered. All of the panels showed approx 33 Vdc through the panel though.

I tried to isolate individual strings, and eventually ditched the branch connector to wire just 1 series of 10 panels directly to the LVX and immediately got 330 Vdc and 2kw input showing on the LVX. The battery started charging up with over 30 amps, and things were looking good.....Until a few hours later when I went back out and the battery stopped charging at 78% SOC and the LVX showed back to the 250V and 500w (fluctuating). But the sun condition was exactly the same - full sun, no shade, no load change, etc. I am very frustrated.

I already had problems with 1 LVX 6048 and had it replaced by Ian at MPP Solar US (he did an awesome job with customer service btw) and I hate to bug him again. Especially if I can't tell if its my panels, the battery, or what.

I am about to throw the whole thing in my pond and wire up my shop from the house.

Please help if you can.
Click to expand...
The LVX 6048 I have will not show the available PV wattage only what it is actually using. Once I put it into Grid feedback I get a good idea what the panels are doing in semi real time.
Your battery charging parameters are needed to understand what you have going on.
 
I've had no problems; until today.
One of my units decided it wouldn't recognize the solar panels. Shows 0V and 0A input power, but I measured around 80 volts at the unit's input.
Not looking forward to laboriously checking all the panel connections in the morning, but I'm hoping for an easy fix.
 
robby said:
Serial data transmission is much more reliable than USB. A lot of commercial equipment still uses serial connections because of that. If data transmission speed is not a factor then serial ports are a good choice.
Click to expand...
Agreed. Thats why DB9 is also still around and thriving in IT. Many IT techs still use either RJ45 or serial to DB9 cables to hookup to racks. I do miss the blue ray players that used to come in the laptops though.
 
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