MPP solar is Garbage from E bay

[thealaskan]

Support is non existent especially if you get a hold of Andy Y.

Been Waiting 4 months for a part, because I was sold a defective unit. I keep getting the story it will be here, or it is not in stock at this time.

There is no U.L. rating, and there is no intent to get a U.L. rating as stated, since no application has been made.

The software is buggy, and out of date with no maintenance by the american writers, since 2005.

Which means you can not run the program with widows 10.

Being I bought 4 they think they don't have to fix the 1

 

[thealaskan]

 

[gnubie]

If you want local support buy from the only authorised Australian seller, MPP Solar Australia. If you buy from anywhere else you will be dealing with them, and they may have simply parallel imported direct from China (or is that Taiwan) and have almost no support themselves.

Maximum Solar Co does not appear to list the MPP units on their web site at all. Why buy a product from a place that doesn't even appear to want to say they sell it?

The software is junk. No arguments there, but not running under Windows 10? I just download 1.13SP9 and installed on Windows 10 2004 and it appears to be functional. I don't have a MPP unit but I can see the software is attempting to communicate with the device (by monitoring serial port traffic) so I suspect that if I attached a MPP or simulated the responses it would act appropriately. Here's an admittedly old youtube clip about it too.

What problems are you experiencing with it under Windows 10? How are you connecting to the MPP? Are you finding problems with the USB port driver?

 

[thealaskan]

Maximum Solar Co does not appear to list the MPP units on their web site at all.

That is Max Solar, Maximum does not have a site they are a Ebay seller.

The software is junk.

The inverter comes with Solar Watch, and when contacted about Watch Power, they claimed it was not for the LV series.

How are you connecting to the MPP? Are you finding problems with the USB port driver?

I'm connected by the C series USB, which is fine and recognized. Not 1 unit will provide the temperature when connected in parallel split phase. The program hangs, stops logging, has to be deleted, and in file explorer the directory also has to be removed. I restart the pc and do a fresh install, and disconnect the wifi so it has no ability to update or change.

 

[gnubie]

Sincere appologies. I clumsily managed to edit your post instead of making my own response. Your post has been restored.

 

[gnubie]

Anyway, I think this thread demonstrates why purchasing some things from the local authorised in-country seller is a good idea. Yes, you can buy direct off ebay, but as I pointed out waaay back here, you might have warranty problems.

 

[Deleted-User]

Woody, I'd call Ian in Utah, and see if he can help you out...he has (electrical) connections. I'll dig up a linkie...edit: https://diysolarforum.com/threads/ian-from-utah.3028/

 

[thealaskan]

Woody, I'd call Ian in Utah

Ill give him a try, thanks

 

[thealaskan]

Today I got a tracking # from a different person in Taiwan. Will be nice to get these put back together, and move on to a different part of the project.

Learn'd a lesson.

 

[namesgolden]

take it from a old school IT person, you get exactly what you're paying for with MPP. otherwise go victron or something at 3x the cost.

run the software in a virtual machine or container. it makes ZERO sense to run it on a computer you actually use. keeping a VM alive is so much easier.

 

[Supervstech]

take it from a old school IT person, you get exactly what you're paying for with MPP. otherwise go victron or something at 3x the cost.

run the software in a virtual machine or container. it makes ZERO sense to run it on a computer you actually use. keeping a VM alive is so much easier.

I know the vast majority of readers’ eyes on here just glazed over at that post.

any chance you could post a how to on setting up VM’S on here for the uninformed?

 

[shavermcspud]

I know the vast majority of readers’ eyes on here just glazed over at that post.

any chance you could post a how to on setting up VM’S on here for the uninformed?

Download a free Virtual Machine programme like Virtual box https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads
Run that and you can install any version of windows or Linux inside that and run your Watchpower or similar software inside your new Virtual Machine.

Running a VM has many advantages, it runs in a container so that you can keep a copy of your virtual OS safe and backed up, it also segregates your virtual machine from your host operating system at all times, I use VM's to develop software and also to run programmes I'm unsure of i.e Chinese software that's unverified or could contain nasties. drop me a PM if you want more instructions.

 

[thealaskan]

take it from a old school IT person, you get exactly what you're paying for with MPP. otherwise go victron or something at 3x the cost.

run the software in a virtual machine or container. it makes ZERO sense to run it on a computer you actually use. keeping a VM alive is so much easier.

I appreciate your response, and look back on my posts. I guess you could call it a rant of frustration, for lack of service.

I don't know if it was coincidence, or bringing this to public view, but the hardware was finally provided.

Your thought of a VM, is a very significant thought, and help. I and most likely others, are going to be looking in to this software Idea, maybe it would be better posted under a software discussion were it would have more views and better seen than my rant.

 

[namesgolden]

Any chance you could post a how to on setting up VM’S on here for the uninformed?

There's so many different ways to do it I couldn't suggest any one way.

Myself I would probably just run it on a old laptop next to my controller.

My current VM host is my openmediavault NAS.

 

[shavermcspud]

There's so many different ways to do it I couldn't suggest any one way.

Myself I would probably just run it on a old laptop next to my controller.

My current VM host is my openmediavault NAS.

If your'e going to run it on an old laptop, solely for the purpose surley that negates the need for running a VM?

 

[Supervstech]

If your'e going to run it on an old laptop, solely for the purpose surley that negates the need for running a VM?

If you have a simple backup restore for the laptop, then yes. But a VM setup does the job instantly.

 

[namesgolden]

If your'e going to run it on an old laptop, solely for the purpose surley that negates the need for running a VM?

Nope. If that laptop dies/gets replaced I can spin up the VM in a few minutes. Ideally it would be pushing a nightly backup to my nas.

In my opinion, unless you have a physical hardware reason for it (hardware dongle, no vt-d support), nothing that you rely on should run outside of a VM/container. Individual VM's for specific tasks (VPN, filesharing, testing, solar stuff) is the ideal method.

 

[shavermcspud]

Nope. If that laptop dies/gets replaced I can spin up the VM in a few minutes. Ideally it would be pushing a nightly backup to my nas.

In my opinion, unless you have a physical hardware reason for it (hardware dongle, no vt-d support), nothing that you rely on should run outside of a VM/container. Individual VM's for specific tasks (VPN, filesharing, testing, solar stuff) is the ideal method.

That contradicts the purpose, if the guy is running an old laptop as the only means to run watchpower (a 16mb application), he wont have a way to backup his vm bar USB OR DVD, pretty sure he wouldnt be asking the above question about what VM's are if he already had a nas to run containers or VM's on. and if the laptop dies or the disk goes bad, hes still got to reload the OS first before restoring the VM anyway. might as well take snapshots with Macrium or similar once a month.

 

[iceledoar]

I’m planning on using a raspberry pi for this use, and in the mean time, using a VM to test the os and watchpower together in a virtual environment.

 

[shavermcspud]

I’m planning on using a raspberry pi for this use, and in the mean time, using a VM to test the os and watchpower together in a virtual environment.

I had ICC solar running on a pi with my MPP and it was ace.