Well, it seems as though my Beta Kid (#35) is a happy Kid, finally! My second 135 watts panel came in today. We had it mounted on the pole with the existing panel we purchased a week or so ago.
It was pretty interesting, trying to convince the installer (installation was included with buying the second panel) that controllers do exist which will allow higher array input voltage than nominal battery voltage. Boy! He was adamant about not wiring the array in series, seeing that I only had a single 12vdc battery on the other end of the controller.
So, I disconnected the solar input while he was outside working on the array. He finally connected the two panels in series. I connected the input to my Kid afterward, and showed him that it would not "short circuit" the controller. (Here in Cambodia, you typically will not see MPPT controllers. The installer had never seen one, in fact. He got his first glimpse of an MPPT controller in my home, this afternoon.)
Since it was a bit late in the day by the time we finished everything, I will make it a point to check and see how everything performs come morning. I will post an update afterward.
Oh, I was finally able to calibrate the Kid, as I had a proper multimeter brought over from the states. So, I no longer Hate my Kid! (http://midniteforum.com/index.php?topic=1992.0) ;D
It is still operating using the first Solar Input.
Very nice!
But I think soon, you will be able to ditch that installer and expand the array yourself!
F.E.F.;
To be perfectly honest and blunt:
Your installer is so very far behind the curve you really should get rid of him / them.
Even his "concern" is completely wrong.
Excess voltage into an old style simple controller will NOT "short it out", that is a catch all phrase for those with no real experience with electrical systems and electronics.
Anyway, just my opinions but you need an installer that is familiar with 21st century RE equipment.
There is very much more to it than the mechanical installation.
As mentioned earlier in this thread you can probably figure most of it out yourself rather than taking bad advice from this installer.
Tom
LOL. You guys have never been to SE Asia before, have ya? Trust me, what he thinks he knows - is cutting edge technology here. :D
This would be pretty well typical of most installers here, I would dare say.
When we had our first array installed, they cut the MC4 ends off the panels, because that is just how they do it here. They do not have extension cables to connect to the panels. If we come here and try to use western logic and ways when doing something, they will look at us as though we have lost our bloody minds.
I would say, and I imagine Midnite Staff can probably confirm this - I am probably the ONLY person in the entire country with a Kid controller. If not the only one, one of very danged few.
One reason they take so many short cuts is, the vast majority of people in SE Asian countries are too poor to be able to afford a "proper" installation. PWM controllers, for example, are the only controllers offered from the solar industry. MPPT controllers would be rarely sold, to anyone. So, it's done "on-the-cheap", in many cases. Don't even think about combiner boxes, etc.
That's just how it is here, fellers.
Quote from: DMJ72 on July 27, 2014, 11:36:35 AM
Very nice!
But I think soon, you will be able to ditch that installer and expand the array yourself!
Considering you can hire laborers to work for you, for $2.50 to $3.00 / day in country (the going rate), I doubt I will ever do manual labor again. Not to mention, I have been retired since the early 2000s.
Quote from: TomW on July 27, 2014, 11:57:16 AMAs mentioned earlier in this thread you can probably figure most of it out yourself rather than taking bad advice from this installer.
You see where I go for advice. :) No worries about that happening EVER, I assure you.
Quote from: Free Energy Freak on July 27, 2014, 01:23:16 PM
LOL. You guys have never been to SE Asia before, have ya? Trust me, what he thinks he knows - is cutting edge technology here. :D
I was in Viet Nam in the late '60s, if that counts. It was not exactly cutting edge then, either, but those guys were pretty good at using what was at hand to rig booby traps.
I was truly amazed how much stuff they could pack on a bicycle and get it through the terrain!
I agree on the manual labor bit. I don't do much any more myself and wish labor only cost $3 a day! Lucky if you can get labor for $30 a day and that actually will work around here.
Tom
Quote from: TomW on July 27, 2014, 02:17:32 PMI was in Viet Nam in the late '60s, if that counts. It was not exactly cutting edge then, either, but those guys were pretty good at using what was at hand to rig booby traps.
I was truly amazed how much stuff they could pack on a bicycle and get it through the terrain!
I agree on the manual labor bit. I don't do much any more myself and wish labor only cost $3 a day! Lucky if you can get labor for $30 a day and that actually will work around here.
First, thank you for your service, sir. I am a huge supporter of our military fighting men and women.
They haven't changed much, aside from the bicycles now being motorbikes (100cc, 110cc, and 125cc mostly). The most I have counted is 7 passengers on one motorbike.
The cost of labor is cheap in most of these countries, still. (About $10 USD / day in Thailand. About $2.50 - $3.00 / day in Cambodia. About $6.00 USD / day in the Philippines. Not sure about Vietnam, Laos, or Burma.) Of course, the cost of living follows suit, which is the main reason I reside here.
Anyway, back to the Kid. I do not regret buying the Beta unit and being part of the program, although I was probably the last person to get his controller, because of a stupid mistake I made regarding shipping from one friend to another, trying to save time getting it to me.
Now that I am actually learning the functions of the Kid, albeit slowly, it is becoming easier for me to operate the unit.
The one test I want to put it through, is to over PV the unit prior to the end of rainy season, to see if I can still maintain the maximum output on rainy days.
Hah! Getting senile I guess. $30 a day should have been $30 an hour. :o
Your thanks is appreciated.
Tom
Fef,
Just looking at the pic you posted of the KID, I think it will work a lot better now with the two serial connected PVs and higher input voltage
Its the cables into the KID that appeared quite small to me. What gauge # are they?
Since the battery is 12v then you could be getting 20+ amps from the KID. I think the KID connectors will take #10 but if the battery is more than a metre away I would use at least #4 and just a soldered on inch or so of #10 to connect to the KID.
Or maybe you have already done something similar?
dgd
Quote from: dgd on July 27, 2014, 07:12:41 PM
Fef,
Just looking at the pic you posted of the KID, I think it will work a lot better now with the two serial connected PVs and higher input voltage
Its the cables into the KID that appeared quite small to me. What gauge # are they?
Since the battery is 12v then you could be getting 20+ amps from the KID. I think the KID connectors will take #10 but if the battery is more than a metre away I would use at least #4 and just a soldered on inch or so of #10 to connect to the KID.
Or maybe you have already done something similar?
Hi dgd,
The battery is just below the controller, not even 1.5 meters to the floor. It's under an open staircase. In AWG, the wire would be #12.
Well, it's just before 7am, here in the Land of Wonder. The Kid is doing it's job and in BulkMPPT. It is just waiting for more a bit more energy to be collected from our nearest star.