diy solar

diy solar

MPP-Solar LVX-6048

Bad news. When I hooked it up everything was going great until I put a load on it. There is an intermittent ticking and my magnetic/low watt fans were acting weird, it wan’t until it got dark I realized what was going on. Needless to say something is amiss with the unit, it must have happened when it got dropped.

It really sucks because the charge controller was working well into the early evening, whereas the Renogy unit shut down pretty early.

Videos attached.



 
Bad news. When I hooked it up everything was going great until I put a load on it. There is an intermittent ticking and my magnetic/low watt fans were acting weird, it wan’t until it got dark I realized what was going on. Needless to say something is amiss with the unit, it must have happened when it got dropped.

It really sucks because the charge controller was working well into the early evening, whereas the Renogy unit shut down pretty early.

Videos attached.



Ouch. Sorry to hear that.

You getting any error codes?

A close up of the screen might help...
 
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Don't know if this would result in the ticking you're hearing... Could be battery cables not tight enough?
Problem - When the unit is turned on, internal relay is switched on and off repeatedly.
LCD display and LEDs are flashing
Explanation / Possible cause - Battery is disconnected.
What to do - Check if battery wires are connected well.
 
Don't know if this would result in the ticking you're hearing... Could be battery cables not tight enough?
Problem - When the unit is turned on, internal relay is switched on and off repeatedly.
LCD display and LEDs are flashing
Explanation / Possible cause - Battery is disconnected.
What to do - Check if battery wires are connected well.
I’ll check them to make sure they are secure when I get back. No service at the cabin and on the waiting list for Starlink.

I hope it’s something simple, that would be way less of a headache. I turned error logging on to see if it throws any error codes.
 
When you connected up the battery did you use a resistor/bulb to avoid overloading the capacitors?

If you tighten the cables at the inverter you probably need to take care not to twist the pcb the contacts are mounted on.

I'm shooting in the dark really but hope it is something simple.
 
I’ll check them to make sure they are secure when I get back. No service at the cabin and on the waiting list for Starlink.

I hope it’s something simple, that would be way less of a headache. I turned error logging on to see if it throws any error codes.
Wow, mine also got dropped. And one of mine (I bought 3) came with a disconnected cable inside. I could not turn it on with battery only and I got no AC output, when it powered on by AC input. Later I found the loose cable, but I don't think that it could come loose when they dropped it.
 

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When you connected up the battery did you use a resistor/bulb to avoid overloading the capacitors?

If you tighten the cables at the inverter you probably need to take care not to twist the pcb the contacts are mounted on.

I'm shooting in the dark really but hope it is something simple.
Check, check, and check. Fingers crossed it’s as simple as a loose cable. Will let you know when I’m back in range tomorrow.
 
Here’s a question these are the fans I’m running. They are DC fans, could that be why they flicker and reset? It doesn’t explain the ticking in the unit when it happens, and it doesn’t explain why they worked with the previous two inverters and not this one, but it’s the only other thing I can think of. Thoughts?
 
Sorry nobody's replying to you. I have no idea. Where do the fans get their power from - presumably an AC-to-DC transformer/power supply?
 
Here’s a question these are the fans I’m running. They are DC fans, could that be why they flicker and reset? It doesn’t explain the ticking in the unit when it happens, and it doesn’t explain why they worked with the previous two inverters and not this one, but it’s the only other thing I can think of. Thoughts?
I would recommend to report this issue to your seller or to the support team of MPP Solar (depends where you ordered from). Probably they are the most indicated to help and to find a solution as you purchased a brand new device. In my case the support team in Taiwan has sent me already 2 firmware upgrades, the first one to fix an error 80 which showed up repeatedly and the second one last night to enable finally the feed-in feature. There are still some issues left to fix, e.g. the data logging, but I'm confident that over the time they will offer a solution for all the reported inconsistencies.
 

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A little more information to throw into the mix. My LVX 6048 finally arrived and is now mounted on the wall.
It has a grid connection L1, L2, N and E. No solar, no battery and no load. All settings are at factory default (grid export is disabled)

With the device connected to grid but powered off its consuming 0.19 amp on L1 and 0.2 amp on L2
With the device powered on its consuming 1.68 amp on L1, 0.67 amp on L2 and 2.0 amp on Neutral

This is considerably more than I expected.

Main CPU version is showing as U1 63 00
Secondary CPU version is showing as U2 60 20

Anyone else had this high current consumption ? Is it worth upgrading the firmware ?
 
That is quite a bit of idle draw. I wonder if its different on battery or PV power?

Is it more efficient to invert DC to AC? And less efficient to convert AC to DC?
 
I left the inverter running for 24 hrs and then measured the the current consumption again. Its pretty much the same.
I've got a query in with the supplier as to whether this is expected behavior.

I'm seeing a Power Saving Mode option listed in the user manual, but no details on how to enable it. So if anyone knows how ...

By my calculation 1.68 amp on L1 and 0.67 amp on L2 gives a power rating of 264 Watts or 6336 Watt hrs/day.
I could be wrong.
This is actually greater than the power I'm consuming on my property at the moment. Something isn't right somewhere.

The 2.0 amp on Neutral seems a little strange, but I come from the world of 240 volt 50 hz so it may be correct.

Once my panels arrive I'll do the tests again on solar only.
 
According to Ian at Watts247 this is normal for this inverter.

During sunlight hours not a problem, I can power from the panels.
Overnight its going to suck more power from the (expensive) grid than I was expecting.

Hopefully what I save during the day will offset what it uses during the night.
Have to buy some batteries I guess.
 
According to Ian at Watts247 this is normal for this inverter.

During sunlight hours not a problem, I can power from the panels.
Overnight its going to suck more power from the (expensive) grid than I was expecting.

Hopefully what I save during the day will offset what it uses during the night.
Have to buy some batteries I guess.
I have a request in to MPP solar to enable power down when solar is lost, battery full charge and in standby mode (on button out). I produced about 20 kWh grid tie mode with 4kw array and loose 3kwh overnight by the unit not turning off ( fans stay running). Lvx6048 Firmware release six days ago to fix grid tie function. I've been turning off PV input and turning off utility input to get it to turn off at night. The battery is full yet I need to disconnect utility. My uploaded videos are on YouTube for mpp solar review. Search Lvx 6048 vid a. Metal_bender.

I calculated around 350 watts of standby power draw. Getting the grid tie to function was a big step forward. More work needed by Mpp solar to make a great product. My unit also had a bent in top left handle as received. Otherwise it was functional. I'm concerned about long term damage with such an impact. All around I was looking for a 48V lithium battery charger, inverter, ups for fridge, and grid tie. The ups function is inefficient and the grid tie is nearly working if they fix the power down function. Overall it's close to what I wanted. I'll abandon the ups function (for fridge) due to excessive power draw. Kevin.
 
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Looks like you are a bit further down the path of pain and frustration than I am. I'll give the videos a look.

If you don't switch off the inverter over night can you confirm that it takes its self consumption power from battery not the grid?
I can always put in a bit extra battery for the overnight power draw, but if it insists on pulling power from the grid even when there is a full battery then that's bad.
 
350watts is an outrageous amount of standby consumption. That can't be right? Especially when an (almost) similar LV6548 is only 65 watts. Even with 2 in split phase is only 130 watts.
 
350watts is an outrageous amount of standby consumption. That can't be right? Especially when an (almost) similar LV6548 is only 65 watts. Even with 2 in split phase is only 130 watts.
These two video show the utility line currents for standby mode.


L1 1.2A *120 = 144W.
L2. 1.4*120 = 168
Neutral 0.8A
312 Watts. If you see an error please let me know.
The battery draw was 0.8A*54V =43W
 
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These two video show the utility line currents for standby mode.


L1 1.2A *120 = 144W.
L2. 1.4*120 = 168
Neutral 0.8A
312 Watts. If you see an error please let me know.
The battery draw was 0.8A*54V =43W
No, I'm sorry I didn't mean I dont believe you, but I dont believe MPP would make something with that high of idle consumption. Could something be wrong mechanically? You did say it was dropped...
 
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