OutBack Power Technologies User Forum

fcwlp wrote: ↑Fri May 13, 2022 4:42 pm Mike, no intermediate position on these breakers.

Mike, you were right. I have never seen one trip but have toggled them many times.

The breakers will not go into the ON position, even with no power going to them. Since you are planning to replace the breakers. Take one of the breakers out of the system and see if it still won't go into the ON position. If it does we know there is something else going on. I would recommend that ...

There are two switches on the right side of the panel box on the Radian. I can get one to switch UP (on?), but the other will not. This behavior has alternated between those two switches. When the power first went out, both were in the UP position. I switched them off. Now only one at a time, and t...

On your Mate3s, press the top left button and turn the inverter on. It is likely off.

FWIW, I have not installed any Skyboxes. I think you are basing your concern on typical AC coupled inverters which have a specific ratio of panel power to inverter power that cannot be exceeded. The Skybox and other battery backed system take the PV power harvested with a MPPT Charge Controller (int...

In our area I recommend mini-split heat pumps for my solar customers. For our 2,200 square foot log home we heat & cool with a 18,000 Btu/hr Mitsubishi mini-split. In winter we seldom get below 15°F at night and daytime temps are in the 35-45F range. The image below shows the performance data fo...

Since the generator ran for ~2 hours each time, I would suspect something with the generator voltage or frequency not being within parameters at that time. Do you have the input set to "generator?"

Some comments: 1) Put white tape on your neutral to show it is the neutral. Black and Red are reserved for the hot legs. 2) Your Classic Lite 150 CC does not have a neutral. Neutral is only a function in the AC portion of the system. 3) The neutral and ground are to be only bonded (connected togethe...

Have you updated the firmware on the Mate? Do you have a Mate 3 or Mate 3s? Most likely Mate 3s if bought in last 3-4 years.

On the 12-RES the N-G comes bonded from the factory and is located in the junction box on the generator.

Go to this contact page https://outbackpower.com/opticsre-support-request and make the request. I am sure you will have to prove that previous owner sold it to you.

Interesting technology for a 100+ year old battery chemistry:

Hoppecke Sun Air page - https://www.hoppecke.com/en/product/sun-air/
Hoppecke Sun Air manual - https://www.hoppecke.com/fileadmin/Reda ... ual_en.pdf

raysun wrote: ↑Mon Apr 04, 2022 10:07 am The 440W panels I scored for less than $0.50/W, on Hawaii Island no less, made me feel like I got away with highway robbery

FYI, I did not pay $0.90/watt. An installer does have to make a profit.

It would be interesting to see a teardown of the BMS (raysun are you willing). A simple analog BMS could have a significantly longer life than a more complex digital IC BMS system.

If the RTS is working you will see the temp compensated voltage on the CC display and in OpticsRE on the inverter's status screen. On the CC do you have the Battery Temp Compensation Range set to Wide? If not change to Wide.

I recently upgraded the panels for a customer, who still had his receipts for his earlier panels. - 1995 288W for $1,916 or $6.65/watt - 2009 520W for $2,380 or $4.58/watt - 2022 1,170W for $1,053 or $0.90/watt As with many early adopters in 2nd home off-grid locations they were very frugal in their...

I would also recommend you look at the NEC. All DC PV wires need to be in EMT conduit and most likely in metal junction boxes. Logic is that if it an arc starts at that location the metal JB will contain it. Recommend you look at Soladeck for the roof penetration and also can be used for junction box.

Highly unlikely it is the Midnite surge protectors. Are you able to see what the peak output amps were just prior to the trip, should be last entry in CC log? I recall on my personal system the GFDI tripping due to cloud edge effects causing momentary current spikes. Since I was not using my full FM...

Shut down the inverter and then start checking for loose connections on the batteries and at the inverter, including the connection between the GSLC and the inverter.

Note from the tech sheet on it it's good for 32 amps at 30 VDC but drops way down to only 6 amps at 110 VDC. Reduced current at higher voltage is due to arcing. No arcing at low voltage, but at 80+ V you can create a significant arc with one string of PV panels supplying ~10A (FYI, speaking from ex...

'm actually talking about the conductors from the combiner box to the GLSC which are what that PV input breaker protects. We were "talking" about the same wire run. One way to visualize the issue is, assuming your panels could theoretically output 100A and you accidently shorted the two P...

Long story short, I downgraded from 80A to 60A breaker because 3 of the 4 strings use 6 gauge THWN-2 in conduit. Those conductors don't ever carry more than 60 amps but wouldn't be correct to have an 80A breaker on that circuit. The 4th string is in a different location so can't be combined with th...

Bobbert wrote: ↑Sat Mar 19, 2022 7:50 am Makes me wonder about the quality of all their components.

You bought a good system.

Most often we quote the ampacity of the wire based on it being in conduit along with the temperature rating of the wire. Often overlooked the temperature rating of the connections. For cabinet wiring (e.g., GSLC) one should use the NEC 2014 Table 310.15(B)(17) for free air, which allows for 6AWG: - ...

Battery AH: is the C20AH capacity of the battery as specified by the manufacturer. The C20 AH rating is a good starting point and the one most of us use as it is typically published. The C20 AH battery rating is the capacity of the battery when discharged to a specified voltage in a 20-hour period ...