Solar house generator I started DIY back in 2000 - My path from Trace to Xantrex (on FLA battery) to XW Pro inverters on Tesla Model S batteries

[dougbert]

Here are the 1 line schematics for the AC and DC sides of the TO BE 240v system

UPDATE: I moved the schematics to post #1 and keep them updated there for reference

Solar house generator I started DIY back in 2000 - My path from Trace to Xantrex (on FLA battery) to XW Pro inverters on Tesla Model S batteries

2024-01-09 Version Update When I started this thread back in 2019, I did not realize it would turn into a build thread of my system. It documents What and Why I did things as well has How they were accomplished. It also shows designs that didn't work out, and also designs that did work out...

diysolarforum.com

For each of 4 panel arrays there is a contactor/relay with the control coil line managed by the JITB controller. If the JITB determines a problem it disables the contactors, thus turning OFF the solar input into the system. This one of the protection protocols to protect the Tesla modules.

Other protection protocols are:

1) Settable Temperature range for charging the modules, thus protecting the modules from damage or fire potential
2) Settable Voltage range for charging the modules, thus protecting the modules from over voltage charging. Low and High voltage Cutoff
3) Allowable Cell variance

The JITB will disconnect the battery from the DC Buss if said issues are detected

 

[dougbert]

Got the isolators so I have begun adding the buss bars

here is a pic of the top of the POS side



2 inch wide, 1/4" thick



had to notch a shelf board to make some space between it and the bar



only hanging by top isolator. Determined the bolts I got were 5 mm too long, so picked up some washers on the way to work today
thus the bar is not fully bolted down yet. Once that is done, will mark bar for drilling some holes for fastening the cables to





will be pushing the modules further back IN on the shelf to make more cable room in the front and away from the bars.
Need to move 1 row of modules from 2nd shelf to 1st shelf, so there will be 3 rows per shelf

 

[dougbert]

Finished installing the POS buss bar, after 3/8" holes drilled. only broke 3 small drills

 

[keepsake]

The day and time to test your system was yesterday, sorry.

I did test it prior to storm and it worked then.

 

[keepsake]

xw4548 never qualified on AC2.
If I send generator in ac1 its fine. And grid on ac2 fails to see a freq sample. ac2 from grid does show L1, L2 voltages, and the combined V, just no Hertz.
Has anyone ever attempted to diagnose or repair an AC board in an xw4548. Mine is out of warranty. Seems a shame to replace entire board for something simple.
Has anyone else experienced this ac2 freq issue ?

 

[dougbert]

local hardware store received water pipe insulators, picked one up and placed it on my buss bar

seems good, after hookup, will zip tie it for secure protection

 

[Hedges]

seems good

Famous last words?

Do as I say, not as I do. Never make assumptions.

Using non-UL insulation

A while back I bragged about creative use of heater hose as tough, large size insulation for electrical terminals: https://diysolarforum.com/threads/fire-never-cover-lifepo4-with-wood.19373/page-12#post-238207 It seemed like a good idea at the time. More recently, I was wiring up...

diysolarforum.com

 

[dougbert]

Famous last words?

Do as I say, not as I do. Never make assumptions.

Using non-UL insulation

A while back I bragged about creative use of heater hose as tough, large size insulation for electrical terminals: https://diysolarforum.com/threads/fire-never-cover-lifepo4-with-wood.19373/page-12#post-238207 It seemed like a good idea at the time. More recently, I was wiring up...

diysolarforum.com

thanks will it check out

 

[dougbert]

darn it...best laid plans and all

got rif'ed today, part of the 10% reduction at my company, they have 5000+ employees, 30 at my local office. They let go 3 people at this local office

so the XW Pro order will be put on hold, while I look for further employment, but while looking for a position, I can polish what I have

later, dougbertInExile

 

[Jennifer]

That sucks Doug, sorry to hear that. I was RIF’d from Boeing, it’s never fun.

 

[dougbert]

@Hedges

I think I found a better protector for the buss bar. Was watching DavidPoz on YT and his review of the EG4 batteries and an upgraded cabinet where they protect the bus bars, video here starts where he describes it

I actually have a similar raceway and began mocking it up this evening and I think it will fit just fine.
I also like where Signature Solar put heat shrink on runs on the bus bar where there are NO holes, so I ordered some heat shrink that I think will fit my 2" bar

https://amazon.com/gp/product/B08SQNTF4J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and the raceway

https://amazon.com/gp/product/B00006HQV5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Jennifer]

Just uploaded, may have some tips you can use in your Schneider system...

 

[dougbert]

Just uploaded, may have some tips you can use in your Schneider system...

thanks

I also saw this (I follow ben for sure) and he is describing some XW Pro issues discussed in some other threads here, have had for the past year. As ben mentioned there are some issues with AC Coupling on the AC Out of the XW

As ben points out, if one is DC coupled (as I am) things work great. Since I currently am not on netmetering, these problems don't effect me.

thanks for the point out

 

[dougbert]

are pics of my POS bus bar in the plastic race way



adding some washer spacers, I got the bar in the middle of the raceway

it won't be easy to connect the cables, but there will just be 2 cables now, 4 later, on each side
will be adding the heat shrink after it arrives tomorrow

 

[Jennifer]

Wow, that looks sharp... much less getto than the pool floaties, and a bit less flammable I'm sure

 

[dougbert]

got the heat shrink - red and black, 4" flat, 2" when rounded, been cutting it into sections that fit between the bonding holes.
Largest shrink I have ever done. Not too bad, mostly lying flat without bumps

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08SQNTF4J?ref=ppx_pt2_dt_b_prod_image

 

[dougbert]

bar with red shrink applied now installed

raceway for NEG bar arriving on sat

 

[dougbert]

While looking for a new job, I have also been working on little solar tasks that have been queuing up for some time, one being the above bus bar deployment, cleaning up the "power room" and fixing more wiring - all hardware stuff

Then there is software stuff:

I am learning about Modbus and how S-E has used it on their products. THIS is nice
So I have accomplished the following:

1. Found I needed to ENABLE ModbusTCP in the Network->Modbus menu on the Gateway/InsightLocal
2. found pyModbusTCP python library that allows me to read data from each of my MPPT CC's - installed with 'pip3 install pyModbusTCP'
3. Wrote a simple python program to extract a few details

I will grow this into a Prometheus reaper which will feed into Grafana for graphical display of the state of my system
cool stuff.

I run the linux OS, in the Mint distribution on my main amd64 PC, but will move to a raspberry Pi I use for reapers/harvestors

 

[dougbert]

The git repository for this MPPT harvestor/reaper is at https://github.com/dougbertwashere/mppt60

so a good time for someone to learn git and python and have a Conext MPPT 60 charge controller and gateway/InsightLocal box

 

[Jennifer]

Uploaded today..... they've been getting lots of Youtube "Madonna Wanna Be Influencer" reviews lately, they must be shipping off free Inverters everywhere....