Recent posts

#1

The "Classic" charge controller / Re: Anyone mounted a Classic t...

Last post by LostInTheBog - Today at 02:09:07 PM

do you have a photo ?
I am not familiar with how the Outback was mounted .
Larry

OK I'm all set to post photos but it looks like I have to stick them online somewhere and link. Unsurprising I guess. I'll figure it out...

#2

System Design and Layout / Re: DCM9040 battery monitor

Last post by Hockey - Today at 01:00:21 PM

Thanks Larry,
I needed a meter that could stay in my living room with the shunt mounted 10 ft away in the outside battery enclosure.

I opened up my a 100A PZEM-25 looking for an undocumented UART (didn't find one ).   But to your need, I found the sense wires come from the board and are soldered to the shunt.   You could extend the sense wires as needed.  Not sure what that will do to calibration.   May need to change the shunt resistor or live with some inaccuracy.

#3

The "Classic" charge controller / Re: Anyone mounted a Classic t...

Last post by LostInTheBog - Today at 12:51:13 PM

Thanks, as soon as I can find a minute I'll scan a few shots from the installation manual. I'll have to fiddle with the contrast a bit cuz they're not super clear, but would be more informative than a shot of my system. (I don't think I ever had a pdf... time to dredge up some old backup disks perhaps.)

In the meantime...

The MX mounts to two brackets that position it right up against the PS2DC such that the front and bottom edges of the two enclosures are aligned, as are the 1" knockouts in the bottom right side of the load center / bottom left side of the MX so they can be close-nippled together.

The MX attaches to the top bracket by its centered keyhole-style hanger hole in the rear plate that protrudes above the enclosure, and to the bottom bracket by 4 screws through the rear of the wiring compartment.

#4

The "Classic" charge controller / Re: Replacing FETs on Classic ...

Last post by Hockey - Today at 11:01:42 AM

Thanks for the reply Bob.  I'll order some new FETs.  I saw some mention of checking gate drivers in another thread.  Is there anything else I should check? 

Using my hobby soldering irons, I needed 4 arms to get the one FET out.  One iron on top, one underneath...  with my son holding the board with one hand, and tugging with needle nose pliers with the other hand.  The scene looked like something out of an open heart surgery.

As an aside, when looking at the Infineon datasheets, I found FET IRFB4127 with similar specs, except breakdown was 200V vs 150V on the IRFB4115.  Max current is lower as well.  Makes me wonder if using the IRFB4127 would bring the unit closer to a Classic 200?  Probably many other things to consider and change (including reprogramming HyperVOC threshold).  So, not planning on doing it, just more curiosity.

Link to IRFB4127

#5

New Product Ideas and Discussion / Re: A CLASSIC PRODUCT ADDITION...

Last post by boB - Today at 01:32:11 AM

Do the Classic or Hawkesbay continually respond to WBjr uart input or do they have to request it? If so how often?

I asking about the BATTvolts and BATTcurrent. How often and how long does it take?

The WB Jr. is queried by the Classic or HB or Barcelona as often as it wants but maximum of 16 Hz I think.

Right now it is being sampled 10 times per second.   You only do things as fast as they are required otherwise it takes extra processor resources.

#6

Lead Acid (Sealed and flooded) / Re: Proposed Solar Charging Re...

Last post by Barry Fields - May 26, 2024, 05:21:03 PM

LA batteries need a timed absorb cycle every now and then.  At least like, once per week.

That is what this regimen does. The time for absorb is adjusted according to results (FLOAT current). Some days longer, some days shorter.

{added text to above} loop backs are fixed time NOT ENDAMPS

#7

Lead Acid (Sealed and flooded) / Re: Proposed Solar Charging Re...

Last post by boB - May 26, 2024, 05:06:58 PM

Ending amps can be fine BUT you can't do that every single day with lead acid batteries!

LA batteries need a timed absorb cycle every now and then.  At least like, once per week.

I don't really know what the ending amps should be ?  I think that the battery manufacturer should show that number.  But they still need to be absorbed.  If you do that, I don't think you need to equalize much, if at all.  Absorb and EQ are both to help reduce sulfation.

With an amp-hour system and LA, the system should really be able to let you know if the batteries have lost capacity.  I know that my LA batteries which happen to be pretty flat these days could be flagged with using the WB. Jr.

As for Float time, during the day when production is good, there is no reason why the solar (or whatever source) can't keep the batteries SOC% from being drawn down by keeping the float voltage just above the batteries resting voltage.  Then there should be more energy left there for the night time.

boB

boB

#8

New Product Ideas and Discussion / Re: A CLASSIC PRODUCT ADDITION...

Last post by Barry Fields - May 26, 2024, 05:03:37 PM

Do the Classic or Hawkesbay continually respond to WBjr uart input or do they have to request it? If so how often?

I asking about the BATTvolts and BATTcurrent. How often and how long does it take?

#9

New Product Ideas and Discussion / Re: A CLASSIC PRODUCT ADDITION...

Last post by boB - May 26, 2024, 04:54:52 PM

The Classic updates SOC 10 times per second.  That is internally though.  The SOC is most likely pulled from the Classic much less frequently, like once or twice per second max.

Internally the SOC is measured in amp-seconds or amp-milliseconds.

For what you want to do, 48 MHz is probably just fine.  I tend to go with faster clock speeds these days.

boB

#10

The "Classic" charge controller / Re: Replacing FETs on Classic ...

Last post by boB - May 26, 2024, 04:50:34 PM

Hockey, from your FET measurements, that is the way to tell !

I tend to measure from gate to source but of drain to source is shorted, which is what normally happens when they blow, you would see similar maeasurements.

0.1 Ohms is definitely shorted.

20 Ohms would mean that FET is possibly good and each FET would have 10 Ohms to Gate which would be why you would see twice 10 Ohms there.

10K Ohms is the gate to source pull-down resistor value so that FET is probably good.

Either way, the insides of the FET have turned to slag basically, as one old wise engineer used to call it.