VFXR3048E in India

[aerojeff]

I installed three VFXR3048E units in rural India. The grid is very unstable but I wanted to have the ability to charge batteries whenever utility was available. The problem is the voltage fluctuates from 90 to 230 Volts and the inverters were continually connecting then disconnecting. I installed voltage stabilizers to try to fix this problem. It worked for a while until the stabilizers failed and now I have two inverters that may need new boards.
It's very remote so I need to find out if I can purchase boards in India to try to repair these units.

Any advice would be appreciated

[raysun]

A quick Google search turned up this Facebook page for Outback Power India. Perhaps they can guide you to a source for service parts.
Outback has equipment manufacturing in India, so it's a good bet an in-county parts depot exists.

[aerojeff]

I contacted and have had WhatsApp conversations with the tech in India. The problem is that they don't have any of the "spare 106" boards in stock. He said they have to order from the US. Tech support in the US sent me to Northern Arizona Wind and Solar. They don't stock it because it's "E" European. I'm trying to find two of these to take with me when I go 1/7/2023.

[raysun]

I noticed Northern Arizona W&S has the VFXR3048E (Export) inverters on sale, bit don't list replacement parts for them.
A supplier in the EMEA regions would likely be the best bet.

[aerojeff]

I'm not familiar with the EMEA region.

How do I make contact?

[raysun]

Europe-Middle East-Asia
Sorry, I'm not familiar with how parts are made available outside North America.

[aerojeff]

Thanks for the help. Northern Arizona Wind and Solar was able to contact Outback and have the parts sent to me. Hopefully they will arrive before I leave.

[raysun]

Good news! NAWS are good people, glad they could help you out.
I guess the lesson here is the unstable grid needs to be disconnected, which the inverter is programmed to do. It doesn't sound like "gimmicking" the input is safe.
Is there a generator at the site for the times the grid is unstable and the battery needs charging?

[aerojeff]

Thanks for the information. Is it possible to connect a battery charger directly to the battery bank so that when utility is available it can charge the bank. Will it cause a problem with the solar charge controllers? This would eliminate the interconnection through the inverters which is where the fluctuating voltage from utility is the issue. Thanks

[raysun]

An external AC charger could be connected to the battery and made to work in concert with the solar charge controllers. The key will be finding a charger that will tolerate the fluctuating grid AC input, that has a charge profile that is compatible with the FM80 charge profile.
The simplest to make work would be a 1 stage constant current charger. It could "opportunity charge" the battery in the equivalent to the FM80 "Bulk" phase. If used at the same time as the FM80 (daytime charging), the combined output current should be such that it does not exceed the maximum rated charge current specified for the battery. The AC charger should be designed, or configured, so it terminates charging when the battery voltage reaches the Absorb Voltage value set in the FM80.

[aerojeff]

Great, I look for a battery charger with that level of control. This will solve the issue of the inverter continuously trying to connect and disconnect all the time when utility is available and hopefully the inverter will stay connected

[raysun]

Great, I look for a battery charger with that level of control. This will solve the issue of the inverter continuously trying to connect and disconnect all the time when utility is available and hopefully the inverter will stay connected

Yes, that should help resolve the problem of the grid affecting inverter operations.
A quick search in India turns up 48V AC chargers for e-rickshaws. This might be a good place to start: https://m.indiamart.com/proddetail/e-48 ... 14533.html

Notice that the model in the link is a two stage charger Constant Current / Constant Voltage (CC/CV). This is equivalent to the FM80 Bulk/Absorb stages. A two stage charger can be made to work if it can be programmed with a compatible "Absorb Voltage" and "Absorb Time". If the charger's algorithm doesn't permit fully compatible interoperability between the two chargers, a hack is to set the AC charger's CV Voltage 0.4V lower than the FM80 Absorb Voltage. That should cause the AC charger to go idle after the Bulk stage is completed.

What is the battery model and specifications?