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Sol-Ark 12K 59V problem fixed!

fisherus

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Nov 16, 2019
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A year ago I purchased another Sol-Ark 12k. I opened the box and perused the manual to see if any changes were made. After not finding any, I put it back. The following week, I fell 19ft. off a scissor hoist while hanging a light fixture in my shop, resulting in 14 fractures. 11 surgeries and over a year later, I opened the box to register the serial number and to my surprise, found this Sol-Ark 12K is made for 59V. Because I am using LTO SCiB batteries and need to have a Nominal voltage of 60V, this one will not work for me.
After almost a year of trying to get this problem resolved by Sol-Ark and the altE Store, altE has resolved my problem and replaced the 59V model with a new 63V model. New service manager was extremely helpful.
 
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This doesn't make sense unless I'm missing something.
If the nominal voltage of the inverter is 59 volts, why is a 60 volt LTO a problem?
 
As a DIY’er, I bought two 12K’s at that same price in May 2021, I’d say you’ll have to go much lower to get any bites.
 
This doesn't make sense unless I'm missing something.
If the nominal voltage of the inverter is 59 volts, why is a 60 volt LTO a problem?
Because it won't charge high enough to get the best curve from my battery bank. My LTO SCIB batteries are 64.8V and I intended to charge them at 61V with a Nominal of 60V and a Minimal of 48V. Therefore, my BMS'S will never make it to top charge. The maximum charge of this inverter is 59V.
 
Because it won't charge high enough to get the best curve from my battery bank. My LTO SCIB batteries are 64.8V and I intended to charge them at 61V with a Nominal of 60V and a Minimal of 48V. Therefore, my BMS'S will never make it to top charge. The maximum charge of this inverter is 59V.
So this is still a 48v Nominal Inverter, not 59v Nominal?
 
Sorry about the fall. I went about 14’ onto my concrete shop floor. Similar results. Hope you are feeling better. I’m about 2 years out and things are better. Lots of pt.
 
Because it won't charge high enough to get the best curve from my battery bank. My LTO SCIB batteries are 64.8V and I intended to charge them at 61V with a Nominal of 60V and a Minimal of 48V. Therefore, my BMS'S will never make it to top charge. The maximum charge of this inverter is 59V.
I'm not an expert on Sol Ark, but many inverters that list their charge parameters on a spec sheet can be changed in the unit settings. I'd be surprised that Sol Ark would only go to 59. Like you, I also have some LTO, but mainly for a small dedicated system. When I looked at the charge profile, it didn't appear there was that much energy at the high end of the charge profile. Are yours Honda Fit units? (Toshiba) I charge mine right now on a lab grade charger, to 31v, then series them. (Temporary)

What BMS are you running?

I guess what I'm getting at is don't be quick to sell off that inverter. It is a good unit.
 
Apparently when Sol-Ark first came out with the 12K it was made with a 59V top end charge maximum rate for a short period before they changed it to the present 63V rate that they have now. I'm assuming that the Alt-E store had some older stock in this configuration that they sent me. This unit works great for all lithium ion and other types of batteries except for the ones in the configuration of my LTO SCiB batteries. I could reduce each battery by 2 cells and make it work but I will lose almost 4.7Kw of storage by doing it. The other problem is that to do this, I would also have to buy different BMS's and rewire every battery. This would be a huge job with a loss of return. The only other option is to use this one and use a lower Nominal charge rate, which is the best option if I keep it. I will still be losing quite a bit of power in my battery bank but not as much work, however the problem here is that the BMS's won't ever top balance my batteries.
 
Which LTO are you using? Do they have the welded buss bars? Could you reconfigure them by cutting buss bars, and tapping the plates, or some other method to allow for new terminals? My Fit batteries are very hard to modify, and I decided it wasn't worth the mess. I don't have as many as you, so it isn't as big of a deal.

Well, you could sell them. LTO are easy to sell. Or, like you said, just reduce the charge limit. Unlike other battery chemistries, you won't ever be able to use the "extra" life, because there is so much cycle life to begin with.

hey...good luck!
 
Hello and do you still happen to have the solark 12k? And why not get some different batteries?
 
So the highest Nominal charge I can get is 58V and my BMS will never top.
You sound like you want to use your BMS as a charge controller. Hitting your BMS cutoff should not be your daily charging goal, rather the opposite. What are your battery maker's recommended charge/float parameters?
 
61V
The Toshiba LTO SCiB batteries are 64.8V and their sweet spot is between 60V Nominal and 48V Minimal. My BMS are at 59.7V
 
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Thought I would let those of you, who have graciously lent me advice, in on the current situation with my 59V Sol-Ark 12K. After almost a year of bantering back and forth between Sol-Ark and the alt-E store, who I purchased it from, alt-E has decided to replace the unit. So, it looks like my off-grid farm will finally have a new 48V system in place this year, as soon as the weather permits finalizing the installation. I will be piggybacking another one shortly after, when my new house is finished.
 
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