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Sun GTIL2 1000 Limiter doesnt work

kaizday

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May 27, 2021
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hello,

i have this Sun gtil2 1000w that is supposed to support the limiter, but for some reason, it doesnt appear to be working correctly for me, unless i configured it wrong or misunderstood the number.

my current set up: the limiter goes from Internal to one of the main leg in US 2 phase. the inverter is connected to one of the phase. on the screen, it seems to detect the load need just fine (positive wattage) but it wont limit anything and my Emporia still reports negative number.

as u can see in my setting page, if i dont limit the battery/solar power, it would just dump as much as it can into my circuit.

am i doing something wrong?

tia
 

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hello,

i have this Sun gtil2 1000w that is supposed to support the limiter, but for some reason, it doesnt appear to be working correctly for me, unless i configured it wrong or misunderstood the number.

my current set up: the limiter goes from Internal to one of the main leg in US 2 phase. the inverter is connected to one of the phase. on the screen, it seems to detect the load need just fine (positive wattage) but it wont limit anything and my Emporia still reports negative number.

as u can see in my setting page, if i dont limit the battery/solar power, it would just dump as much as it can into my circuit.

am i doing something wrong?

tia
I believe you’ve got your sensor on the wrong leg (not the same leg you’ve connected the AC output to).

So the sensor is detecting 64W and the GTIL is maxing out at the 220W maximum you’ve specified but dumping it into the other leg so it has no impact on what the clamp sensor is reading.

When I first got my GTIL, I sacrificed an extension cord to experiment. Cut off some insulation so that I could install the sensor around the hot wire and plugged the GTIL into the end of the cord. Then, by plugging in various appliances such as hair dryers and space heaters, I was able to watch it do its thing and gain confidence before booking it up into my breaker panel.

Another issue I’ve run into is that some appliance cords switch hot and neutral. Not a biggie - you’ll just see negative AC power and need to reverse the direction of your clamp sensor.

Also, I assume you know your settings impose a 220W upper limit on output power. To get up to the ~850W maximum output capability of a 1000W G2, you’ll want to uncheck that lower left box…
 
I believe you’ve got your sensor on the wrong leg (not the same leg you’ve connected the AC output to).

So the sensor is detecting 64W and the GTIL is maxing out at the 220W maximum you’ve specified but dumping it into the other leg so it has no impact on what the clamp sensor is reading.

When I first got my GTIL, I sacrificed an extension cord to experiment. Cut off some insulation so that I could install the sensor around the hot wire and plugged the GTIL into the end of the cord. Then, by plugging in various appliances such as hair dryers and space heaters, I was able to watch it do its thing and gain confidence before booking it up into my breaker panel.

Another issue I’ve run into is that some appliance cords switch hot and neutral. Not a biggie - you’ll just see negative AC power and need to reverse the direction of your clamp sensor.

Also, I assume you know your settings impose a 220W upper limit on output power. To get up to the ~850W maximum output capability of a 1000W G2, you’ll want to uncheck that lower left box…

thank you very much. i dont know where i got the idea that the leg side doesn't matter so i never tried. and yep, you are correct, changed the CT to the other leg and it appears to work now.

and yea, i set the upper limit because the limiter didn't work. all good now. thanks so much again!!!
 
thank you very much. i dont know where i got the idea that the leg side doesn't matter so i never tried. and yep, you are correct, changed the CT to the other leg and it appears to work now.

and yea, i set the upper limit because the limiter didn't work. all good now. thanks so much again!!!
Do you have a second 1000W model or just the one?
 
Do you have a second 1000W model or just the one?

i only have one right now, just wanted to see how well it works. how's about you? and are you running it off a battery or straight from PV? i am thinking of building a 24v pack, still trying to find a good aliexpress seller.
 
i only have one right now, just wanted to see how well it works. how's about you? and are you running it off a battery or straight from PV? i am thinking of building a 24v pack, still trying to find a good aliexpress seller.
I’ve got two and just hooked them up to my 24V LiFePO4 battery - works like a charm.

Who knows yet about reliability / lifetime, but so far, my only gripes are that the efficiency is piss-poor (~80%) and the frequently-fired fans are loud (even at modest output levels).

But ease-of-wiring makes these an absolutely fantastic product class.
 
I’ve got two and just hooked them up to my 24V LiFePO4 battery - works like a charm.

Who knows yet about reliability / lifetime, but so far, my only gripes are that the efficiency is piss-poor (~80%) and the frequently-fired fans are loud (even at modest output levels).

But ease-of-wiring makes these an absolutely fantastic product class.

yeah, i agree with all of your assessment.

another question for you, what protection devices do you have for your setup? i see that a lot of people invested in SPD for both AC and DC sides but i also see that many ppl dont have any. Especially for a battery based like yours and mine, i m curious if a DC SPD needed?
 
I’ve got a pretty sweet setup.

BMS is always there as fallback protection at the cell level (disconnects battery negative).

Then the GTILs run out of steam well above an 8S LiFePO4 empty battery level (and can be programmed to stop even higher).

Then my Epever has a programmable relay that I’ve set to stop discharge at the minimum level I want to discharge the battery to (~15%) - this controls a cheap 23V/120V relay I hooked up. That first relay also has a timer which I’ve set to Peak Hours, so unless the battery never charged up enough to make it worthwhile, the first relay will fire up the inverters at the beginning of Peak Period and discharge until the end of Peak Period or the battery reaches the Low Voltage Limit I’ve set, whichever comes first.

Then the Epever has a second programmable relay I’ve set for higher voltage levels to avoid the battery ever getting fully charged (clear sunny high-output days). When the battery charges to ~50% full, that second relay will fire up the GTILs through a second relay no matter what time it is (and stop if battery discharges to the ‘Reserve Voltage’ level I’ve set - the charge I want to reserve for Peak Period).

So yeah, I’m using a pair of contact-type relays not to protect the battery in any way but to program/control the GTIL to turn on only during periods to realize my goals (maximize discharge during Peak Hours and start discharge during non-Peak hours whenever there is enough incoming charge to push the battery above ~50% full).

The way these GTILs just plug into an outlet makes it very easy - I just built a dual-phase (L1 on left, L2 on right) ‘smart outlet’ that contains both relays so L1/N and L2/N only reaches the 2 GTILs when my Epever charge controller wants discharge to begin.

[PS. I considered SPDs (which I use for my electric home brewing setup) but chose contact relays instead because of the efficiency loss and heat generation associated with SPDs.

Contact relays have much lower resistance than SPDs but won’t deliver anywhere near the same lifetime (switching cycles).

For electric brewing where you’ll need to switch ~1000s of times per brew session, SPDs are definitely the better choice.

But for solar power generation, where each contactor will only switch once per day, contractors are the better choice.]
 
Hola,

tengo este Sun gtil2 1000w que se supone que es compatible con el limitador, pero por alguna razón, no parece estar funcionando correctamente para mí, a menos que lo configuré mal o malinterpreté el número.

mi configuración actual: el limitador va de interno a uno de los tramos principales en la fase 2 de EE. UU. el inversor está conectado a una de las fases. en la pantalla, parece detectar que la carga necesita bien (vataje positivo) pero no limita nada y mi Emporia aún informa un número negativo.

como puede ver en mi página de configuración, si no limito la batería/energía solar, simplemente descargaría todo lo que pueda en mi circuito.

¿Estoy haciendo algo mal?

tía
Hola, tengo el mismo inversor y me aparece error grid, no se como solucionarlo, agradezco infinitamente si alguien me puede ayudar.
 
Dear frends. About durability,I have two Grid tie inverters of 1000W series. The one I bought two years ago broke due to a short circuit in the MOSFET this month. I am currently asking with the aliexpress seller, but it would be better to confirm how long the warranty is.
The kw saved by the device is displayed as 2100, I think it's too early to break even though I can get the original. .
 
Dear frends. About durability,I have two Grid tie inverters of 1000W series. The one I bought two years ago broke due to a short circuit in the MOSFET this month. I am currently asking with the aliexpress seller, but it would be better to confirm how long the warranty is.
The kw saved by the device is displayed as 2100, I think it's too early to break even though I can get the original. .
Please let us know how your warranty experience unfolds.

How did the device fail?

Did it just stop working or was it a more serious failure involving smoke or anything else?
 
I have been contacting with the seller, the response is slow, and the communication is not good. .
I'll let you know the result when is done.

Due to the failure of the primary( DCDC) side, the internal fuse are both shortened and the external breaker tripped.
I think the cause is that the mosfet broke down in short mode internally. I didn't see the moment, but the fuse was blown
i did set the limit as 700W but the durability may not be so good, I plan to replace the fet with an upgraded one made in Japan
 
I have been contacting with the seller, the response is slow, and the communication is not good. .
I'll let you know the result when is done.
Good luck. What was the length of the warranty the seller stated when you bought your inverter?
Due to the failure of the primary( DCDC) side, the internal fuse are both shortened and the external breaker tripped.
Thanks for the additional detail but I’d like understand more clearly what you mean:

There is one internal fuse per unit, correct? So are you saying that the one internal fuse on the one inverter that has failed was blown or is there a second blown fuse somewhere?

The ‘external breaker’ was wired by you, I assume, but was that an individual breaker for each DC input (from the battery) or was it a single breaker on the DC battery output to both inverters? What size was the breaker (and what size was the internal fuse?)?
I think the cause is that the mosfet broke down in short mode internally. I didn't see the moment, but the fuse was blown
So you believe an internal MOSFET broke down and shorted, causing DC input current to exceed internal fuse rating so the internal fuse blew and prevented further damage, correct? Still confused about where the breaker is and what caused it to trip???
i did set the limit as 700W but the durability may not be so good, I plan to replace the fet with an upgraded one made in Japan.

So assuming the vendor does not offer you a replacement under warranty, you plan to try to repair the inverter yourself?

Would love a picture of the failed MOSFET once you get that far…
 
Good luck. What was the length of the warranty the seller stated when you bought your inverter?
>one year and expired.
Thanks for the additional detail but I’d like understand more clearly what you mean:

There is one internal fuse per unit, correct? So are you saying that the one internal fuse on the one inverter that has failed was blown or is there a second blown fuse somewhere?
No, There are 2 of 30A fuse DCDC input side for a unit and both broken. There is no fuse for AC side.
Also When the FET broken in short mode, all DC fuse get to blow.
The ‘external breaker’ was wired by you, I assume, but was that an individual breaker for each DC input (from the battery) or was it a single breaker on the DC battery output to both inverters? What size was the breaker (and what size was the internal fuse?)?

So you believe an internal MOSFET broke down and shorted, causing DC input current to exceed internal fuse rating so the internal fuse blew and prevented further damage, correct? Still confused about where the breaker is and what caused it to trip???
The external breaker only protects the wiring, so if you want to protect your GTI,
I recommend using a electro-magnetic breaker.

To be honest, even if the reaction speed is several msec, it's enough time to burn the FET, i think it doesn't mean much.
EA940NA-4_IMG_MAN_OUT(01).jpg

So assuming the vendor does not offer you a replacement under warranty, you plan to try to repair the inverter yourself?

Would love a picture of the failed MOSFET once you get that far…
I often repair DC AC converter FET failure is common.
it will be happen if it is operated beyond the limit or near the limit.

If you don't want to damage your GTI, better to to run it at 1/2 rated or less.


I'm sorry if it's hard to see, the FET on the right side is close to the DC side is broken
1675615782286.jpeg

















I just ordered the FET, I will review it again when the repair is completed.
 
>one year and expired.
So are you expecting any consideration from the vendor or do you just plan to fix it and move forward?
No, There are 2 of 30A fuse DCDC input side for a unit and both broken. There is no fuse for AC side.
Got it, thanks. So perhaps one 30A fuse for both + and - and they both got blown from the short.
Also When the FET broken in short mode, all DC fuse get to blow.
Got it.
The external breaker only protects the wiring, so if you want to protect your GTI,
I recommend using a electro-magnetic breaker.

To be honest, even if the reaction speed is several msec, it's enough time to burn the FET, i think it doesn't mean much.
EA940NA-4_IMG_MAN_OUT(01).jpg
It seems like the integrated fuses actually do a passable job protecting the the GTIL after a transistor is shorted. I have a fuse on my battery but the 30A fuses within the GTIL will blow way before that if a transistor shorts…
I often repair DC AC converter FET failure is common.
it will be happen if it is operated beyond the limit or near the limit.

My GTILs are operating at under 300W 99% of the time (offsetting refrigerators).

On the rare times the electric oven is used, they will max out at 800W of output power each (1000W of input power) so if I want to extend my lifetime, it sounds as though I should think about limiting to a lower level like 600W or 400W…

If you don't want to damage your GTI, better to to run it at 1/2 rated or less.
I’ve had mine for 18 months and over 1000 kWhs of offset each. No issues so far but if you think as little as ~10kWh per year running at max could harm them, I should think about limiting to a lower level.

What is the continuous runtime (burst length) when your GTIL was running a full-power? I don’t think mine tun for even 5 minutes straight before the electric oven element shuts off for 5-10 minutes…. I suspect it is more likely to be continuous operation at max power that shorts the transistor rather than cumulative…
I'm sorry if it's hard to see, the FET on the right side is close to the DC side is broken
View attachment 133371

















I just ordered the FET, I will review it again when the repair is completed.
I think you’ve just convinced me I should keep operating as I have been to learn what kind of lifetime I can expect. If replacing the FET is as easy as you suggest, that might be the easier route for me as well…

Of course, another option is to add another inverter in parallel. This provides redundancy against any failures and reduced output of each inverter to 50%…
 
So are you expecting any consideration from the vendor or do you just plan to fix it and move forward?
It seems that they don't want to do anything because of expired of support ,i give up.
Got it, thanks. So perhaps one 30A fuse for both + and - and they both got blown from the short.
Two 30Afuses between the + circuits, nothing on the negative side.
Got it.

It seems like the integrated fuses actually do a passable job protecting the the GTIL after a transistor is shorted. I have a fuse on my battery but the 30A fuses within the GTIL will blow way before that if a transistor shorts…


My GTILs are operating at under 300W 99% of the time (offsetting refrigerators).

On the rare times the electric oven is used, they will max out at 800W of output power each (1000W of input power) so if I want to extend my lifetime, it sounds as though I should think about limiting to a lower level like 600W or 400W…


I’ve had mine for 18 months and over 1000 kWhs of offset each. No issues so far but if you think as little as ~10kWh per year running at max could harm them, I should think about limiting to a lower level.

What is the continuous runtime (burst length) when your GTIL was running a full-power? I don’t think mine tun for even 5 minutes straight before the electric oven element shuts off for 5-10 minutes…. I suspect it is more likely to be continuous operation at max power that shorts the transistor rather than cumulative…

I think you’ve just convinced me I should keep operating as I have been to learn what kind of lifetime I can expect. If replacing the FET is as easy as you suggest, that might be the easier route for me as well…

Of course, another option is to add another inverter in parallel. This provides redundancy against any failures and reduced output of each inverter to 50%…
If we can only use half the output or less at this price, I think that a hybrid inverter might be better considering the cost advantage. I think i will renew the system to hybrid one next year.
 
sorry I forgot to mention one thing, the fuse and FET were broken, and in addition to that, the board (copper foil) leading to the FET was also burnt out.
I think there are many people who break the FET with this converter, but I wonder what everyone will do when it broke? go to trash box?
 
It seems that they don't want to do anything because of expired of support ,i give up.

Two 30Afuses between the + circuits, nothing on the negative side.
Two 30A fuses inline between battery + terminal and the same internal electronics? That would be strange. Are the two fuses in series?
If we can only use half the output or less at this price, I think that a hybrid inverter might be better considering the cost advantage. I think i will renew the system to hybrid one next year.
I got my 2 GTILs for $275 each, so hybrids are still a long way from approaching half of that pricepoint.

The upgrade I’m considering for when my GTILs give up the ghost is to get a pair of Victron Multiplus IIs (or possibly only one and keep a single GTIL for the other leg),

The MP II is $1400, so 4-5 times more than a GTIL, but I includes an AC battery charger and supports more advanced features such as ‘absorb solar export’ if you have an AC-coupled solar array…
 
I repaired the faulty FET and let it work for a week, I'll give you feedback.

Repairing was not difficult if you have the tools, but I thought it might be difficult because the production of the parts has already ended.
(I bought a fake once. . )
when i look at the board, the parts used may differ depending on the release date, version, and model, so I won't go into details.
What I learned from this problem is that it is better to have guarantee at least 3 years or after-sales support..
 
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