2 bugs(?) I need help with. 250 not "resting" at night, flickering LCD display.

[Aflieder]

Hi all. 

 I've been looking through the forums, and can't seem to find any posts that have the information that I am looking for.
 First off, I have the classic 250 controller.  I've been noticing at "night" that the controller does not go into Resting mode... The only way it Rests, is when I press the top left soft key on the display panel.
  I have the latest software in the CC, and I have run the wizard.. (many times lol)
 
  I did go through all the settings and read and re-read the manual...
I have set both offsets for voltages for battery and panel voltage with a multimeter.. 
  The system consists of the following:

  2 x   "SolarEngine-P100W". - 
       Short circuit current = 6.31 amps
       Open circuit voltage = 22.2 volts
       Rated circuit (Imp) = 5.85 amps
       Rated voltage (Vmp) = 17.1 Volts
        Maximum system voltage = 1000 Volts
Manufactured by S.A.W. Technology (Canada)

8 -   110 Watt monocrystalline solar power panels (generic)
         Voc - 21.5 volts
         Vmp - 18.4 volts
         Isc   -  6.86 A
         Imp  - 5.98 A

Heavy duty #4 gauge welding cable - apx. 60' run for both positive & negative leads. 

12 x Discover EVGC6A-A batteries (EV Traction Dry Cells)
      - 6 volt cells (car battery size)
- running the system in 12 volt array, due to the need to run 12 inverter, and 12 volt lighting.
     
I have 5 strings of 2 panels, roughly 43 volts dc in, and around 40-50 amps in.  Best I've seen so far is around 750 watts coming in. Oh! And I know that the controller is a little overkill right now, but we do plan to expand the system in the future... 

I'm not a total newbie to solar, and I am super quick to pick up new technology..
I think I may have narrowed it down to the "amp limit" settings, but I'm not sure, because I can't find any documentation on these settings...

I have also noticed the LCD panel flickering... Not all the time, and it's quite sporadic... There are no aux inputs or outputs connected. It does seem to only flare up while charging though...


Any ideas how to rectify either of these 2 issues?
I'd rather post here first rather than calling in to Midnight... I know they're busy


Other than that, awesome controller!
And sorry for the long post...

[boB]

Hmmm....

In the evening when you know the Classic should be Resting,  what does the power  on
the main status screen show ?  Is it less than 20 watts ?

If you updated the firmware yourself, did you do the "vulcan mind meld" on
the MNGP to set the defaults in the Classic ??  Possibly not the problem
but might help.

In the Tweaks menu, (press more, more, maybe one more "more"), is the insomnia
option set to On or Off ?   If "On", try turning it Off.

What MPPT mode are you running ??  Just plain "Solar"

Thanks for asking on the forum, too.  Maybe others have a similar question.
Please don't hesitate to call with questions though if you need.

boB

[Aflieder]

Hi boB!

Thank you for the super fast reply!

The input wattage shows 0000. I did forget to mention (sorry) that the CC seems to think that there is more Voltage coming in than there really is at that time too..? Some sort of feedback loop, maybe?
It's pretty straightforward wiring though...

Running in plain "solar" mode, nothing fancy.

Defaults were loaded, but then I went through and did custom tweaks for this system...


Argh! Just changed the "insomnia" to OFF... That was more than likely the culprit, I betcha...
I'll find out tomorrow, since it's already Resting now...

Thank you so much for the help!
Nice to know us newbies can get help here



Still have the much less concern about why the LCD display is flickering when charging though... Should I be worried at all? Everything's running good other than that...

Thanks!
Andrew.

[boB]

Well, this could be good I suppose, regarding the Insomnia, but the defaults ~should~ be setting that
to OFF.  I will look.

On the flickering, is it the back light on the LCD that is flickering ??  That usually means that the Aux supply voltage to the
MNGP  is dropping below 9.5V and then rising again.

If it is just barely visible, then OK, but if it is really going up and down, I wonder more about what is happening.

Try this.   Pull off the Classic top and plug the MNGP cable into the middle (SLAVE) phone jack instead of the
MNGP/Remote jack (top jack) and see if that makes a difference.   Also, wiggle the phone cable from Classic
to MNGP just to make sure it isn't intermittent in its connections since the power for the MNGP is also supplied
through that cable.

If that doesn't help, then it may be time for warranty or to grab a DC volt meter and measure a thing or two.

boB

[Aflieder]

Hi boB,
  Yup, the "insomnia" setting is exactly what did it... I'm pretty sure that it was me, and me alone that changed that setting... I'll slap my fingers for ya...

As for the flickering, I'm pretty sure it's the characters onscreen, and not the backlight. Sorry, I'll look tomorrow while charging. I was out today.
I'll see if I can catch it (flickering) on iPhone video, and try to send it to you somehow..
I know that when the CC is not charging, the display is rock steady, which leads me to believe that it isn't the cable from the board to the display... But, I will check tomorrow and see if it makes a difference.

Thank you for your awesome help, and I'll keep you posted.
Andrew..

[Aflieder]

Hmmm... I think we may have put the scare of boB into this CC... I haven't caught it "flickering" since I posted...  Lol...
I kinda wonder, because I love to troubleshoot, if it had something to do with the "insomnia" mode being toggled to On? I know it's a long shot, but, it's my nature to be curious...   
  I did play with the contrast & brightness of the display. I aimed one of my home surveillance cameras at the display so that I can see what it is doing during my trips out of the house (nudge nudge wink wink)... So, on a side note, any plans in the works for a remote iPhone app? That would totally rule the universe! Lol
  Thanks for the help boB!
Andrew.
Ve6aas.