Voltage drop, low charge power

[ClassicCrazy]

By the way, it's 5 PM here... Almost no sun. But still goes from 56 to 72V.

When the sun goes down good time to check all the connections mentioned above. Turn off all the breakers  to PV and battery ,  use a good screwdriver ( insulated is best but if you are careful or tape up the metal sides on the screwdriver for safety is okay )  - be careful not to short across any two wires . Tighten all the screw connections you can see - if you find some kind of loose on the PV breakers or combiner -- that is probably your problem.

Larry

[boB]

Will need to check tomorrow during the day I think...

Did the power go up any ?  With bad connections, SOLAR mode will probably find the MPP Voltage at the lower voltage like you had
before and Legacy P&O may rise some but still won't get very good performance.

Check connections now or wait to tomorrow if you can.

boB

[Jose Miranda]

I just checked the connections and the voltages at the combiner. Everything was OK. Voltage was 89V but there is no sun at all...

[Jose Miranda]

Also opened the E Panel and checked all the cables. Everything is tight and in the right place...

[boB]

How many watts is your PV array rating ?

Could check short circuit current during full sun....  OR maybe better, connect the positive PV wire directly to the battery positive (or + bus) and measure the current. 

If it measures a LOT more than you saw today with the Classic, then something might be up with the Classic.  I would not expect or understand that last scenario though.

boB

[Jose Miranda]

I will do this tomorrow. I am going to have to do this on each line, because my multimeter can do only 10A.

[Jose Miranda]

I had to go check the Classic because it as making an alarm sound. Like an ambulance siren! What is that??? I could no find the manual or anywhere else in the internet.

[Westbranch]

This is the DOCUMENTS page  http://www.midnitesolar.com/documentIndex.php

You will find the link, if you click on in the UPPER right of the page that you post from, under the BOLD 'NEWS'
look in the list in the link and you will see ''Classic' there you will find another link to several versions of the Classic manuals '

hth...

[boB]

I had to go check the Classic because it as making an alarm sound. Like an ambulance siren! What is that??? I could no find the manual or anywhere else in the internet.

Not sure why it was doing that. It can happen with an Arc Fault or ground fault.  I have hear it very rarely, make a beep sound but would be short lived.

Did you catch it in the act and find out what it was ?

[Jose Miranda]

This is the DOCUMENTS page  http://www.midnitesolar.com/documentIndex.php

You will find the link, if you click on in the UPPER right of the page that you post from, under the BOLD 'NEWS'
look in the list in the link and you will see ''Classic' there you will find another link to several versions of the Classic manuals '

hth...

Thanks. But I did find the manual. What I could not find was any mention of alarms or sound codes.

[Jose Miranda]

I had to go check the Classic because it as making an alarm sound. Like an ambulance siren! What is that??? I could no find the manual or anywhere else in the internet.

Not sure why it was doing that. It can happen with an Arc Fault or ground fault.  I have hear it very rarely, make a beep sound but would be short lived.

Did you catch it in the act and find out what it was ?

I did catch it in the act, I think... But there was nothing in the screen. Just the normal text.

[ClassicCrazy]

If you have the Classic with Voice features and Chatty Cathy on the  Classic will randomly make all different kinds of sound effects or voices when it changes state . The siren is one of them. It has made me jump a couple times !

Larry

[Jose Miranda]

It has spoken to me a couple of times, in a soft voice... But this one was scarry!

[ClassicCrazy]

if you have the voice feature activated  and Chatty Cathy is what I have - it will say all kinds of stuff , sound effects, etc .
And it will read off the screen of the MNGP depending which one is displayed at the time - some it doesn't read.
At least it does on mine - might depend on what voice stuff was loaded up in it  and if Midnite changed any of the files since the Beta trials which is where I got mine from.
The other day I friend walked in the door and just then it said " I have a bad feeling about this "  ha ha incredible timing .

Larry

[boB]

Jose, can you please look at the revision and date of the MNGP code ?

Just press STATUS several times until you get that information screen.

Maybe the Classic rev too but mainly the MNGP rev.

We have revised the MNGP code a time or two to help with this alarm noise issue but I thought that
it only happened when the ENTER button was pressed in the main STATUS menu.  Maybe there was
a version that had some randomness to this noise ?  I have alerted the engineer about this thread.

Thanks,
boB