So What I was hoping is all the proud new parents could post pictures and testimonials here on there KID. We will try to reward all of you for this with some token of our apreciation. Not sure what that may be but I have some ideas :o
Ryan
Here is my parallel set up with 3Kw of PV on 2 Kids. You will notice the spare control boards from the Classic being used as data loggers.
OK,OK,OK.... so I see 6 shunts with Whizbangs and 3 CCs , one Clasic having a non used MNGP,( it looks like the power comes into the Classic) and then the 2 Kids...???
Ryan, now that you have taunted us can you explain a bit??
I have my Marine Kid fed from my formerly direct connected ancient 4X Siemans SP75 Nominal 12 volt array pushing about 63 volts into the Kid and have seen 300+ watts from a nominal 300 watt array. Deep cold, crystal clear skies with snow cover. Those need your welding helmet to see outside days. I intend to use The Kid on a electric cart I am building to run around the compound here. It will have a "roof" of solar panels to keep it going without plugging it in.
Here it is on my rather ugly equipment wall:
(http://pics.ww.com/d/624947-1/100_5735.JPG)
This is a shot of the Kid, a PSX-240 Autotransformer and the MN BabyBox I used to wire the panels to The Kid and The Kid to the battery. My system has grown in place and needs some major neatening up. At least I am properly fusing things these days.. :o:
(http://pics.ww.com/d/624950-2/100_5736.JPG)
Very happy with it so far. Well built, well packed for shipping and works as expected. The drag and drop firmware upgrade was dead simple. No drivers, no application to install, just connect the USB, put The Kid in upgrade mode and when the "folder" appears on the desktop, drag the firmware file onto it and The Kid just does it.
Anyway, a very nice unit and will be thinking of grabbing another to replace the BZMPPT500 I have on a 520 watt Kyocera array.
As with anything there were a couple little things I would try to "fix". I found the 2 fitting bores in the case seem too tight to attach 2X nutted connectors. I used one snap in and one nutted connector and it was very tight to twist the nutted connector tight from the outside and pretty impossible to get at it on the inside as well. No biggy and considering the way the parts are shoehorned in there probably acceptable. The rubber plug for the USB port on the Marine unit needs to be installed before you mount it to the bracket so would need to remove it from the bracket to uncork the hole and jack in the USB cable, another minor issue. The plastic fuse covers could be a bit more weather tight on the Marine unit but seem fine for indoor. Until the firmware catches up the LEDs only seem to indicate "float".
So there you have it, my review of the Beta Marine Kid #27 I got. Overall, I give it an A- and the - is only because of minor issues.
Tom
Quote from: Westbranch on January 22, 2014, 05:26:14 PM
OK,OK,OK.... so I see 6 shunts with Whizbangs and 3 CCs , one Clasic having a non used MNGP,( it looks like the power comes into the Classic) and then the 2 Kids...???
Ryan, now that you have taunted us can you explain a bit??
The "Box" if you will contains 6 control boards, 6 shunts and 6 WBjrs. It is designed to data log PV volts, PV amps, Battery volts and Battery amps on 3 separate controllers from 3 identical arrays. So for now I have the Kids running through channel 1 and 2.
Tks,
Q: are the 2 shunts on the right side operational? I only see one grey wire connected to each, and 1 loose grey wire..?
No channel 3 is not in use just yet. I have to redo the PV array and then I can start some head to head. Kid vs Classic and others comparison
Initial run of Kid Beta #53.
A very slick compact, capable box, that will get better and better!
Thanks MidNite for the opportunity.
Vic
Hi Vic, I have had a similar problem, solved it (?) by reducing the original by 50% at a time till the forum software would accept it , usually at or less than 25% of original. don't remember the original size though.
Fixed now.
Wb, Yea, some cockpit error ... saved a 99 Kb image, and somehow it resulted in a 5 Kb file ... The Forum SW says that 400 Kb is the max file size, which is plenty. Back to work, Thanks, Vic
Ok fans,
Here is my submission. Big brother and little brother aka the kid. Finally got the beta kid #18. He sure is a handsome fellow.
Cheers...
Damani
Hello form East Texas!!
I got my first Kid a couple weeks ago and I am working hard to get it into action!! I have been very interested in the Kid ever since Robin let it out of the bag that the Kid was more than just an idea. I must say that I am not disappointed at all!!! What a nice piece of engineering and the software is getting better all the time. I doft my chapeau, to the entire team, Rock solid work!!
I'll post pictures as soon as I can. My utilization is going to be outside near my ponds supporting aeration, lighting and other functions. The enclosure will have forced air cooling when needed. I expect to fly my solar panels using a dual axis tracker by the end of spring, but for now a fixed ground setup is all I have for the panels.
I also plan on a RaspberryPI setup for support functions.
KID fits nicely between Classic and MNDC box, from where it gets its PV input.
Power wall after a hide all wires redesign around a gutter type galv/steel electrical conduit. Since I installed this mid last year the RF noise emanating from this room has very significantly reduced. Just a couple of stray wires, earths, still needing rerouting. Wall needs a fresh coat of white paint too :)
dgd
Just completed install of my Kid and so far the results look very good even with overcast clouds. I like all the possibilities the Kid has available. Currently using a 12 v battery bank but when it gets warmer I will be changing to a 24v system. Also is there any software available to access data in the Kid?
Kent
Quote from: Kent3 on March 22, 2014, 11:19:44 AM
Just completed install of my Kid and so far the results look very good even with overcast clouds. I like all the possibilities the Kid has available. Currently using a 12 v battery bank but when it gets warmer I will be changing to a 24v system. Also is there any software available to access data in the Kid?
Kent
Nope - no monitoring software for the Kid . So far the only computer communication is for doing firmware updates. It has been said that in the future there is a chance the Kid could have some sort of serial output but nothing at this time.
The test bed I made up to just beta test the Kid...
Testing with a hybrid mix of Thin Film and Crystalline PV modules.
It's been running for a few months now.
I'm thinking of mounting my Kid (when it arrives) in a cabinet right next to my bed....out of curiosity do they make any noise?
I know at night there shouldn't be but how bout when the sun hits the panels at 6 am?
Chris,
The clicking of the input relay is audible, and often, before sunrise, the KID or most any other MPPT CC will begin testing to see if there is enough power gain to justify running the MPPT Converter. It will often require a number of tries before this power level is equaled or exceeded -- this can require a number of clicks.
There are some settings that will mitigate the number of these attempts.
At times, there will possibly be a soft "singing" from the inductor in the KID, when the input voltage is swept down to near the battery voltage. There are some settings that will help mitigate the number of times that this occurs, as well.
But, in general, power electronics might best be located away from resting/sleeping areas if possible, as most all of these electronic devices emit some noise -- some continuously, and some intermittently.
The KID is one of the least noisy pieces of power electronics around.
Opinions, Vic
I have a Kid in my camper and sleep about 8 feet away and the relay clicking is there but not real loud and never bothers me.
In our old cabin I used the MX60's Click, Clack as an alarm clock to get up and make the essential: coffee.. ;D. CC was 2 feet from my head, but no singing as far as I know... ::)
Thanx for the reply's guys.
The place I'm considering is about 2' from my head......the only other option would be in a cubby with my inverter, but not as easy to get at and see whats going on.
Maybe I'll have to experiment at home with it a bit to see just how much noise it makes....I don't think clicking would bother me as I'm usually up making coffee by then....but the wife sleeps latter then me ;)
Well got it all up and running, and just had to say......I'm very happy with my purchase.
Great product MidNite ;D
New "KID" on the block. Kid #377 12 x 40 watts amorphous parallel VOC 60 volts, 6 x group 27 marine batteries, xantrax 1800 watt inverter.
Can the KID share the same battery negative bus with a PWM controller such as the Morningstar ProStar-15?
Yes.