Power-One solar Inverter driving me NUTS!!!

[sam_sam_sam]

Tunnel vision is something that is hard to overcome on occasion I have also had it going down the wrong rabbit hole and when I discussed with my self then I would go down another rabbit hole until I found out what was exactly wrong with the device I was working on but by me saying that I also learned a lot about going down the wrong rabbit hole but the next I do not spend as much time down the wrong rabbit hole if I am not finding the answer that I need to find to figure out what wrong with the device I feel your pain

[mitsu2k]

Tunnel vision is something that is hard to overcome on occasion I have also had it going down the wrong rabbit hole and when I discussed with my self then I would go down another rabbit hole until I found out what was exactly wrong with the device I was working on but by me saying that I also learned a lot about going down the wrong rabbit hole but the next I do not spend as much time down the wrong rabbit hole if I am not finding the answer that I need to find to figure out what wrong with the device I feel your pain

Thank you Sam, you are correct. This all comes with experience. I certainly learned a lot from this project and I take what I learned into the next project. So it’s all good. Another great thing is this matter has been well documented in this thread so that the next guy having this issue can hopefully find this site and this thread and get a jump start on the issue.

[CapLeaker]

Awesome! Nice to see a success! I think this is another prime example of not giving up too early. AFAIK This is the first one of these Power One Aurora series being fixed on this GFI hard fault. Very well done guys.

[sam_sam_sam]

Another great thing is this matter has been well documented in this thread so that the next guy having this issue can hopefully find this site and this thread and get a jump start on the issue.

This the reason I post the projects that I work on so if someone else has a similar idea they would know what to expect when wanting to go down a certain rabbit hole and what to avoid this is reason I like this forum

[mitsu2k]

Awesome! Nice to see a success! I think this is another prime example of not giving up too early. AFAIK This is the first one of these Power One Aurora series being fixed on this GFI hard fault. Very well done guys.

CapLeaker, funny that you mention "giving up too early", the day I discovered the burned components I had been making phone calls all day trying to shop a new inverter. I had pretty much given up and was looking at a Fronius inverter for upwards of $2,000. That same evening I decided to take one more look and that is when I discovered the faulty components. After replacing the components I mounted the inverter back and wired it up. Upon turning it on, I got the same dreaded GFI light. My heart sank. I was so disappointed. So I decided to turn on the grid breaker and see if maybe hitting the reset button would do anything. So upon turning grid back on I walked back to the inverter and the red GFI was still on. But then after about 10 seconds or so the relays started clicking away, the red light went out, and the green light went solid. I was totally blown away. Could not believe what I was seeing. Had to slap myself to make sure it wasn't a dream. LOL

[mitsu2k]

This the reason I post the projects that I work on so if someone else has a similar idea they would know what to expect when wanting to go down a certain rabbit hole and what to avoid this is reason I like this forum

That's what I love about you guys and this site. I have been lurking around here for years just taking information and not really giving back. Mainly because my experience level is not as great as you guys and I really didn't have much to give back. Let me tell you it feels good to give back. I have so much respect for you guys that do it on a daily basis and are so generous with your knowledge and expertise. Good job gentleman and THANK YOU!!

[mitsu2k]

Inverter still working and ticking away generating power. I walk out to the garage maybe 10 times a day just to look at it and listen to that sweet ticking sound. I guess it hasn't set in yet. I still am having a hard time believing it as I have been working on this thing every day since early September.

[CapLeaker]

See, things go both ways… you were always bringing back test results better than clock work. Plus you got a strange fault with something interesting for nerds. lol I am sure Sam and Pete had as much fun as I did.
The giving up early thing… sometimes I can’t find the fault right away either on something and then it goes into a fix later pile that I work on when it’s bad weather out. I am sure you learned some tricks and probably you look now for a cheap second hand broken inverter to fix up as a backup.

[sam_sam_sam]

. I am sure you learned some tricks and probably you look now for a cheap second hand broken inverter to fix up as a backup.

I would second this suggestion and make this a recommendation for you as you were able to fix your with a fault that you had not seen before

I am feeling frisky and might buy a one that is not working properly and see if I can repair it after seeing this post but I have to find one for the right price and if the seller does the right write up about what the issue is with the device but this is something that I am looking into because I want to make a small solar charging system with an inverter but I do not want to spend thousands of dollars to do if I can repair one and get started this way

I have done this with other devices that were not working properly and was able to fix them and reuse them my success rate is about 50 to 75 percent so these are not bad odds for me to take a chance with this device as well

If I decide to go down this rabbit hole I will make a new post about it and my adventure and weather or not I was successful or not

[sam_sam_sam]

That's what I love about you guys and this site. I have been lurking around here for years just taking information and not really giving back. Mainly because my experience level is not as great as you guys and I really didn't have much to give back. Let me tell you it feels good to give back. I have so much respect for you guys that do it on a daily basis and are so generous with your knowledge and expertise. Good job gentleman and THANK YOU!!

Do you really think that I know what I am doing hun a lot of times I take an education guess and hope that I going in the right direction especially if I have not been down this road before and or have not seen a certain way that a device has failed this is how I have gained an education guess and hope that I am right but I also try to find the data sheet for guidance so it not all by the seat of my pants

Here is an example of how I was able to figure out what happened to customer desolder station that stopped working because this person did not have the knowledge of how these switching power supply work and I have several of these units and repair them quite a few times in the past

I ended up replacing his switching power supply board because there was “to much damage to it to make it worthwhile to repair” ( “ this is my stopping point for me when working on a board “ ) his board from my collection of spare parts from units that stopped working and was not worth it to repair them just bought a new one and started over again

In fact I actually had a switching board that had weird issues that I was not able to figure out what the exact issue was but I decided to take the switching transformer out of his and put on this board that worked somewhat but when I did that this switching power ic chip took a shit and that was the end of that board so sometimes things go quite way you plan for to go

https://www.badcaps.net/forum/troubl...-station/page8

One note it takes you to page 8 but if you go to page one you will see where several people have had issues with their desoldering station and this is an ongoing issue with this device and it switching power supplies

I have in the past helped other people with there issues with the ZD-915 or other version of this desoldering station on this forum and on another forum that I visit from time to time which I also have and tried other versions but they all have issues with them and I know from experience they have a certain amount of hours of use you are going to have issues to the point that buying a new one is a better solution than to spend more money than the device is worth which does not make sense to do

On a more personal note about your inverter setup what type of batteries are you using for your setup plus what type of solar panels are you using websites would be helpful if possible thanks

[mitsu2k]

On a more personal note about your inverter setup what type of batteries are you using for your setup plus what type of solar panels are you using websites would be helpful if possible thanks

Sam, I am not using any batteries. The solar panels were installed when the house was built. I believe the are SunPower but I don’t know what model they are or any info on them. They are the roof tile type panels that fit in place of regular concrete roof tiles. I have wanted to go up on my roof and remove one to get the model from the sticker on the back but I am afraid of heights and being on the roof might cause me to panic and have an accident. Lol

[sam_sam_sam]

Sam, I am not using any batteries. The solar panels were installed when the house was built. I believe the are SunPower but I don't know what model they are or any info on them. They are the roof tile type panels that fit in place of regular concrete roof tiles. I have wanted to go up on my roof and remove one to get the model from the sticker on the back but I am afraid of heights and being on the roof might cause me to panic and have an accident. Lol

So you do not store extra power that you do not use
How do you use the inverter to power what do you power with the inverter

[CapLeaker]

So you do not store extra power that you do not use
How do you use the inverter to power what do you power with the inverter

You don’t store it. It back feeds into the grid. You get a meter that will read power going both ways. Problem is if the grid is off, so production is lost. And no, it will not help a generator either.

Here comes a hybrid inverter in play, where it can charge batteries and back feed into the grid as well. So when the power grid is down the panels are still working, as the the house uses the batteries and the panels.

[sam_sam_sam]

You don't store it. It back feeds into the grid. You get a meter that will read power going both ways. Problem is if the grid is off, so production is lost. And no, it will not help a generator either.

Here comes a hybrid inverter in play, where it can charge batteries and back feed into the grid as well. So when the power grid is down the panels are still working, as the the house uses the batteries and the panels.

So I assume that the hybrid inverters are considerably more money than a normal inverter or am I wrong with this assumption

Then what is the advantage of a normal inverter when the grid loses power if you have a generator and this option can not be used

[CapLeaker]

It’s cheaper? 10 years ago there wasn’t an option for a hybrid inverter. On a small system no one cares. I got 10kw worth of panels on the roof and that had to be inspected by the power company and I got a new power meter. I tried running my 12kw diesel generator along with the Fronius inverter and it will not sync to it.

[mitsu2k]

You don’t store it. It back feeds into the grid. You get a meter that will read power going both ways. Problem is if the grid is off, so production is lost. And no, it will not help a generator either.

Here comes a hybrid inverter in play, where it can charge batteries and back feed into the grid as well. So when the power grid is down the panels are still working, as the the house uses the batteries and the panels.

Exactly

[mitsu2k]

So I assume that the hybrid inverters are considerably more money than a normal inverter or am I wrong with this assumption

Then what is the advantage of a normal inverter when the grid loses power if you have a generator and this option can not be used

It just helps reduce your electric bill.

[sam_sam_sam]

Thanks for the information about the different types of inverters and what they are mainly used for

Is this solar charging controller worth the money

This website page is having issues with posting a website page from EBay

[sam_sam_sam]

I am looking something very small and inexpensive to get some experience with this topic but I also want to learn more about solar charging technology as well and what it takes to set it up for a small scale for my shed for the time being

I very sorry if I have taken this post off topic a little bit please forgive me if I have done this


https://www.ebay.com/itm/28543063035...M%26aid%3D1110

[petehall347]

beware lots claim to be mppt and aren't up to the job .. victron is where you want to look . but small scale for a shed you could build something with bits in your parts bin . couple of transistors and relay etc . its basically a battery charger and so long as the battery is happy .

[CapLeaker]

Can one comment on a comment? That’s exactly what I got in one of my barns, A single solar panel an old Group 31 battery out of an 18 wheeler and a 1000w true sine wave inverter. Keeps the lights on and charges my cordless tools.