Recommended troubleshooting gear?

[flammafeuer]

What gear would you recommended for someone building a new off-grid setup? I see that ammeters are something that seems common, any specific ones that people would swear by? I have a multimeter with probes, but that's really the only electronics diagnostic tool I have.

 

[SamDeleted]

https://www.amazon.com/KAIWEETS-Multimeter-Auto-ranging-Temperature-Capacitance/dp/B07Z398YWF/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=2AY3R02AA6T9P&keywords=KAIWEETS+HT206D+Clamp+Meter%2C&qid=1700859906&sprefix=kaiweets+ht206d+clamp+meter%2C+%2Caps%2C382&sr=8-3

I've got this one ,very happy with it

 

[prometheanfire]

klein cl900 is what I'd do, for inrush (and use).

a pre-charge resistor is a good idea too, maybe a good label maker :D

 

[flammafeuer]

https://www.amazon.com/KAIWEETS-Multimeter-Auto-ranging-Temperature-Capacitance/dp/B07Z398YWF/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=2AY3R02AA6T9P&keywords=KAIWEETS+HT206D+Clamp+Meter%2C&qid=1700859906&sprefix=kaiweets+ht206d+clamp+meter%2C+%2Caps%2C382&sr=8-3

I've got this one ,very happy with it

Thanks, can it measure inrush/startup/surge current? I clicked the link but didn't see a question/review search.

 

[SamDeleted]

Thanks, can it measure inrush/startup/surge current? I clicked the link but didn't see a question/review search.

It can certainly clamp amps, and has a hold at max / min , but not sure if it's sensitive enough for what you're doing

Others more knowledgeable might chime in ?

 

[flammafeuer]

It can certainly clamp amps, and has a hold at max / min , but not sure if it's sensitive enough for what you're doing

Others more knowledgeable might chime in ?

Basic debugging, estimates of current usage. 2.5% accuracy at that price seems like a good start

 

[flammafeuer]

klein cl900 is what I'd do, for inrush (and use).

a pre-charge resistor is a good idea too, maybe a good label maker :D

Think the current price is reasonable? What do you use the precharge resistor for?

 

[SamDeleted]

 

[SamDeleted]

Think the current price is reasonable? What do you use the precharge resistir for?

When you first wire an inverter to a battery its capacitors can draw a LOT of current (amps) all at once , sometimes so much it can cause damage to the system

We use some kind of resistor to 'pre-charge' the capacitors slowly over a few seconds rather than all at once

 

[Rednecktek]

A decent amp clamp meter with DC measurements.
An old car headlight.
Wires with alligator clips on both ends.
Basic wire tracing kit (for checking continuity on long wire runs when you don't have 200ft long probes)

 

[flammafeuer]

A decent amp clamp meter with DC measurements.
An old car headlight.
Wires with alligator clips on both ends.
Basic wire tracing kit (for checking continuity on long wire runs when you don't have 200ft long probes)

What's the old car headlight for? Have a recommendation for the wire tracing kit?

 

[Hedges]

Here's the meter I got to cover everything solar and battery. Harbor Freight Ames CM1000A

check all panels are connected and working on fronius 27kw

we have a Fronius 27kw inverter connected to the grid with 90 x 375w jinco panels. The installer is no where to be contacted anymore. All this time, the inverter was not connected to the internet as there was no internet close to that building. Now I have connected the inverter to the internet...

diysolarforum.com

 

[Rednecktek]

What's the old car headlight for? Have a recommendation for the wire tracing kit?

I've seen quite a few times where it seems like panels are dead because you're getting voltage on the leads but no amps into a controller from a panel. With a broken wire you'll see that but if you can put a load on the wires it fails. An old car headlight will put enough load on a wire to see if you're getting phantom voltage and no amps (the light bulb stays dim/off) or if the controller is borked (the light bulb gets bright).

Even a super cheap wire tracer can be used to check connectivity over a really long wire run.

 

[Crowz]

Carpenter pencil for pre-charging. It replaces the need for a pre-charge resistor and you can write with it too

 

[prometheanfire]

Ghost voltage can be handled with low impedance capable meters (LoZ mode on the klein).
The wire tracer is a good call.
I've heard a pencil led can be used as a resistor.

 

[Crowz]

I can attest the lead pencil worked. I used a carpenter pencil when I setup my 48 volt battery. Minor spark as the pencil touched the terminal.
Very leery the on the first go of it but worked nicely and have been using pencils ever since.