back to 2022.08.14 new combiners and replacing some CCA

6 in conclusion:


This (long overdue!) test proved to be very productive. I got lots of take-aways from it:

- the new 6ga OFC on the battery and inverter harness did an excellent job of preventing voltage drop to the
inverter and also kept the wires cool during the load test.

- the green meters on the panel combiners look outstanding, but the red ones are really going to bug me

- the idea of adding 8 more panels to improve solar production during overcast was 100% validated

- using the portfolio bags made panel transport a breeze

- I recently purchased a larger inverter (3500/7000w MSW) to upgrade the smaller (1000/2000w TSW) but I
think that may be a bit of a white elephant, as I don't expect it to be needed often, and it really gulps power.
I EASILY popped a 150a (battery) fuse trying to run a hair dryer off my TSW inverter.

- handing the new panel combiners is so much easier than the prototype ones - not having to watch where my
fingers go when energizing the panels saves me a lot of stress. And knowing they'll be fine if they get
rained on and I don't need to worry about stuffing them in a bag and making sure water isn't running down a
wire into the bag is just another load off my mind. Peace of mind is worth the extra effort!

- I wish the solar controller displayed more information. Not being able to see panel/battery/load watts is
very annoying. The new controller has an improved (onboard) display, and I look forward to testing it. I'll
have to get a harness made for it soon.

- I wanted to test my LiFePO4 battery on solar charging, but I just didn't have the time. I've got a rough
300w controller and a smaller 130w controller (that needs to be put in an enclosure) that I'll test at my
next opportunity. Unfortunately, both of these are low panel voltage controllers, so I'll probably just go
with a powerpole distribution block for the panel combiner if I want to parallel multiple panels.




last updated 11/30/2023 at 20:12:59