s/v Ninaa Ootakii - Multiple Midnite Chinook Wind Turbine Integration

[Stone]

*waves*

s/v Ninaa Ootakii is a power hungry beast...

System is 24v.
Bank is 8 L-16 Lead Acid batteries.

EQ: 32.3 Absorb 29.6 Float 27.0
Absorb time is 2:00
EQ time is 1:00

Charge controller is a Midnite Classic 150, about 6' from the panels and 5' from the battery bank.

System has an average constant 8.4a draw. (Drifts from 4a to 12a, all accounted for)

I have 2, 24v Midnite Solar Chinook Wind turbines installed on my forward mast (only place they would work).

Wiring is 10 awg, and about 14' electrically from the turbines to the dump load controllers.

The battery connection in the schematic is actually the forward end of 40' of 4 awg cable (ancor) that runs to the battery bank.

So, as I understand it, if I make this final connection, the turbine controllers will sense whatever my Classic 150 is doing ( EQ: 32.3 Absorb 29.6 Float 27.0 ) and promptly dump all the power it makes, to the dump loads.

Basically making them useless when the sun is up.

At night, they should charge as long as my bank isn't full.

None of this seems like it's supposed to work this way, so I'm guessing I'm missing something obvious.

Help?

[Stone]

Now I'm worried about all'y'all. I've never had a post sit this long unanswered, lol.

Tldr; How do I hide the voltage at my batteries from my wind turbine dump loads, so my solar doesn't cause my turbines to dump load all the power they make during the day?

[boB]

Well, how to keep the dump loads from taking over during the day ?

What does the dump load controller or dump load switch consist of ?  Is there an online manual we could look at ?

Does the controller have an input that can disable it from turning the dump load on with a logic signal of some sort ?

It may be possible that the Classic, using one of its Aux outputs, can make the dump load controller dump at a higher voltage that would be more reasonable for the charging stage you are presently in.

A Solid State Relay  (SSR)  controlled by the Classic's Aux may make that possible by using the Waste-Not mode which goes active when the battery voltage gets just above the charge stage voltage.

If the dump load controller voltage can be adjusted higher, that setup might still be good for a fail-safe in case the Classic should reset or something while the wind is blowing a big one.

boB

[Stone]

You are more likely to have a good manual for the dump load than I am, lol

(This is a pair of Midnite Solar Chinook wind turbines)

The manual I have is this one: https://www.midnitesolar.com/pdfs/10-331-1_REV_J_Chinook_200-MANUAL.pdf

At this point I'm well and truly stuck, and this seems to be one of those questions that either everyone knows the answer to, so no one writes it down, or it requires something arcane.

My current classic 150 settings are
EQ: 32.3 Absorb 29.6 Float 27.0
Absorb time is 2:00
EQ time is 1:00

So if we could tweak the dump load (they're MidNite Solar MNCDL300 's ) to measure higher than 29.6 at the battery bank that might work?

[FNG]

You are correct the dump load is a simple manual device and does not communicate with other controllers. It should be set up to be higher in set points than the solar controller, so it comes in as an emergency device. You would need to disable it while you EQ also.

If I were setting the system up, I would use a diversion load driven from the solar classics that comes online "Above" the setpoint like say using Waste Not High and set it to a positive offset, so the diversion only comes on when something pushed the battery above the solar controllers set point.

That all said if you set the chinook diversion controller to Con2- SLD and Con3-OVP it will regulate at 30.2vdc so that is above your 29.6 you would need to disable the controller when you EQ of course

[Stone]

I think my brain just slipped a gear, lol.
(I have no idea how to do it like you would do it)

... that said, I can figure out the jumpers and send it.

Thank you!

[Stone]

*sigh*
so got wind today, and the turbine brake switch definitely works.
(slow rotation of both turbines when on, normal when off)

with the solar panels disconnected, I was charging at 3a per the Wiz Bang Jr.

Further investigation shows that one of the diversion loads has an LED lit, that the other does not.

Both turbines and dump loads are configured identically.

What does this led being lit on one but not on the other mean?

(I think it says D2?)

[boB]

Stone,  could you get a picture of that whole circuit board ?

I would like to see what the part number of it is.

The number would start with an  8-   something

Might be something like an  8-044-1   or  similar.

boB

[boB]

AhA !  I see now.  It is a Kid clipper.  I thought this was from a Classic clipper.

If I see the PCB part number  (8-???-?)  then I may be able to figure out what D2  LED means.

boB

[Stone]

I'm not sure where to look, these are the numbers I could find easily.

[boB]

Actually, this is a MidNite dump load controller.  I don't yet know or see what D2 is supposed to mean though.

Looking.  If not today, I should be able to find what that means tomorrow.

boB

[Stone]

Thanks boB, I appreciate it.

[Stone]

*bump*

[Stone]

Does anyone have a schematic for the Chinook dump load controller?

[boB]

Does anyone have a schematic for the Chinook dump load controller?

Yes, if I can make sure I have the right PCB and rev.

I could not read the circuit board part number under the wire in this picture...  And the Revision letter.  I think the Rev is "A".

boB