Still struggling to find the local app useful through the mist of out-of-date or absent information about it, which is regrettable considering that remotely monitoring our power-source on its mountaintop home was a primary reason we went with Midnite.
Turned logging on - no effect. Amp hours monitor still running backwards half the time. Still have a total of 3.23 million amp hours recorded in six days of operation. Still have to arrange a totally unnecessary trip up the mountain to the device in order to ascertain its registration code so that I can unlock the app and not have to go up the mountain, the fact that I would need this information having been kept secret from me until I actually required it to log-on.
Jesus wept.
And now I find on an obscure, presently inaccessible page in the app something called 'Battery Status Meter' with Values of 10% efficiency, Capacity (Ah) 5, Compensation %/C zero.
????????
Is this what the Classic thinks it's presently charging? A 5 Ah capacity battery? At 10% efficiency? No wonder our back-up power supply to the radios had to cut in at 9.00 pm yesterday when the power being delivered by the 325 Ah AGM battery the Classic has been connected to for six days dropped below 11volts, and that after a reasonably sunny spell.
Where is this documented? What does 'efficiency' even mean in this context? I'm well aware (having been told) that Midnite expects its customers to intuit their way through these things but it's a closed book to me.
Alarmingly the local app is also telling me that it has run Equalisation for two hours, despite the fact that Equalisation is set to manual, the button has never been pressed and equalising our AGM battery would invalidate its warranty and wreck it.
I've already spent far more hours trying to get this wretched device to do what it is supposed to than should be necessary and I'm clearly going to have to find yet more. I've had similar experiences working with technical stuff from China that follows its own impenetrable logic and has a user manual translated out of Mandarin by a schoolboy with three years of English lesson under his belt.
ps Am presumably going to have to update the firmware as the App shows it to be Rev 1070 and the current one is 18something. Have reached step 21 in the how to do this manual, and am really glad that we still have the Xantrex C35 the Classic was supposed to replace standing by to run the site again.
Viola,
You really really need to update the firmware. Old firmware does not deal very well with the Local App hence the nonsense values and behaviour.
dgd
Hi dgd.
I probably should but having waded through all 19 pages of instructions concerning upgrading the firmware, taken suitable note of all the warnings and assessed for myself all the many opportunities for the whole process to turn into custard (and seen some of the threads thereon in this forum) my inclination is to leave the damn thing alone on the basis that if it's working I'm ahead of the game.
As someone who from my desk can upgrade the firmware on a couple of dozen wi-fi radios many miles away in about 30-seconds I can't recall facing a more heavy-handed, convoluted, disaster-prone process than this one.
With the bout of weather that's coming I'm sorely tempted to utilise the next trip up the mountain to pull out the Classic and revert to the tried and trusted Xantrex to see us throught the winter, rather than faffing about for days more trying to get this precious, pretty bit of kit to do its stuff.
Viola,
I can understand your misgivings about the firmware update process, the Classic is a sophisticated controller and AFAIK the only top end controller offering a user firmware update capability. So its definitely worth persevering with.
If you do decide to pull out your 150Lite and use the Xantrex then I will offer to do the firmware update for you if you want to go to the bother of sending it to me BUT definitely try the update process using a laptop with W7 or W8 at the Classic site first.
dgd
Quote from: dgd on May 21, 2014, 11:23:19 PM
Viola,
I can understand your misgivings about the firmware update process, the Classic is a sophisticated controller and AFAIK the only top end controller offering a user firmware update capability. So its definitely worth persevering with.....
I have to agree with Viola on this, and disagree about the only top end controller with up-datable wares. I've done several painless updates on my MS MPPT 60 controller (charger and network sides) and on my XW Inverter.
But so far, my laptop does not even see the Classic connected with the USB :-\
Thanks for the offer dgd, but I need to be able to do it myself given that I'll presumably have to be perform future firmware updates in order to cure the bugs introduced by previous ones. Whoopee.
What still isn't clear to me is whether the upgrade is really necessary - if all it does is make the local app work properly it isn't all that useful given that while pretty, and interesting, knowing what the Classic is doing doesn't exactly helpful if its not doing enough, and I'll know that anyway when the backup gets triggered by low voltage on the main battery - as looks probable again tonight despite a reasonably sunny day.
I'm getting a price on the Whizzbang junior and shunt, but given that the Xantrex and two 120 Ah lead-acids ran the site perfectly satisfactorily without all these bells and whistles I have to wonder if throwing more money at it isn't a waste of the Trust's limited resources.
What I need to know is why the Classic is underperforming so spectacularly. If it's to do with the settings in the 'Battery Status Meter' sheet in the App I'd like to kow why I still haven't come across any reference to this, and the need to configure it correctly, in any of the Midnite Classic documentation apart from a passing reference to it in the video on programming the app for the WhizzBang.
Oh, wait. I forgot. I was supposed to have intuited it.
Viola,
Ok, it appears from what you are telling us that there are more issues if the Classic is not producing your expectation of power.
Why did you decide to change from the C35 to a Classic Lite?
What is the PV panels details you have as input to the Classic, make and model of panels, maximum power voltage (mpv) and Amps output. If you have several panels or an array of panels how are they wired to the controller? in parallel? in series strings? or combination of both?
What batteries do you have and what is the battery bank working voltage, usually 12v, 24v or 48v.
What voltage do you see from your panels as input to the Classic?
Can you post here an image of your local App display when power is being generated from solar panel input?
dgd
Quote from: dgd on May 22, 2014, 02:36:57 AM
Viola,
Ok, it appears from what you are telling us that there are more issues if the Classic is not producing your expectation of power.
If the Classic's default expectation is a 5 Ah battery with 10% efficiency it's probably performing superbly. When I can get up there to read the registration number off of it and then come back down again with the ability to access and program it remotely via the local app with the right information I expect all will be will and all things will be well and flights of angels will sing me to my rest.
QuoteWhy did you decide to change from the C35 to a Classic Lite?
The lead-acid batteries on site were coming up to six years old, and checking/maintaining their fluid levels imposed a need for regular visits to the site I could live without so we elected to replace them with a sealed unit. We're also looking to expand the site with another AP and I'd read that MTTP is more efficient than PWR meaning, hopefully, we wouldn't need to add any more pv panels. Research on the web suggested Midnite was the best of the bunch, as well as being watchable over the network. This site is the access point for half the network and handles the backhaul to our fibre connection in Picton, and is mission critical for us.
QuoteWhat is the PV panels details you have as input to the Classic, make and model of panels, maximum power voltage (mpv) and Amps output. If you have several panels or an array of panels how are they wired to the controller? in parallel? in series strings? or combination of both?
We had to build this site on its hilltop from scratch and it was a community effort - hauling stuff up there and crowbaring holes in rock for railway-iron supports set in concrete. We initially provided a frame for three BP380J 80W panels but at that time could only afford - and only needed - two. When we needed more power a couple of years later the BP panels were no longer available and the only one we could get to fit the space available was a nameless 85 Watt Chinese one. They are chained in parallel to the Controller through a DC breaker.
QuoteWhat batteries do you have and what is the battery bank working voltage, usually 12v, 24v or 48v.
Battery is an AA Champion C12V325. 12 volt, 325 Ah AGM.
QuoteWhat voltage do you see from your panels as input to the Classic?
Downhill with the wind behind it it's sometimes 18 volt, occasionally 20 volt. We took out the Xantrex and lead-acids in favour of the Classic and the AGM last Friday, with the Classic programmed by toothpick as per instructions. I eventually managed to get the local app working and make contract with the thing over the network for my first sight of the Control Panel on Tuesday of this week. I have seen 180 Watts on the dial with the thing in Bulk MTTP mode but that was only briefly and it spent most of today in float mode at about 40 Watts putting around 4 amps into the battery at 13.8 Volts.
QuoteCan you post here an image of your local App display when power is being generated from solar panel input?
Will do it tomorrow when the sun's shining. If the sun shines - forceast is for NW gales and rain tomorrow.
I understand we suck and you hate us but for the under performing I will try to help. (I have decided not to try to defend against all the negativity anymore)
The battery meter settings on the Local App would not even be in the Classic as it is to old in the firmware dept. Also the battery meter settings have nothing to do with charging they only pertain to the SOC% meter.
DGD hit on it and I did not see an Answer. What is the VOC (Open circuit voltage) of the PV array? If there was a C35 in there it is probably low and that causes heartburn for any MPPT charger.
Ryan
Viola,
The input voltage into your Classic is too low to allow MPPT to work efficiently.
An MPPT controller needs a reasonable voltage input ABOVE the battery voltage. In the case of a 12v battery this would mean at least two nominal 12 volt panels (which your panels are) in series to make 24v. The actual voltage input will vary up to the Maximum Power Voltage the panel can make - in your case 18v per panel.
In your situation with three panels I would wire them in series to give an MPV of just over 50 volts.
The Classic would certainly be able to use Solar mode MPPT to charge your 12v battery and even in less optimal weather conditions there may be sufficient voltage to keep charging.
Those shaded out areas in the local app setup are only applicable when the WBjr is connected. They are meaningless to your present set up and do not mean anything.
Ignore them and the low default values in them.
They do not effect the normal operation of the Classic
I agree that the local app manual and documentation need updating.
dgd
Quote from: mike90045 on May 21, 2014, 11:30:50 PM
I have to agree with Viola on this, and disagree about the only top end controller with up-datable wares. I've done several painless updates on my MS MPPT 60 controller (charger and network sides) and on my XW Inverter.
But so far, my laptop does not even see the Classic connected with the USB :-\
Ok, thanks for update on MS controller, last time I used one there was no firmware update ability so it's changed with the mppt60.
When you say
does not even see does this mean you have followed the firmware install instructions and it fails at some stage of the process? Or have you just plugged in USB from Classic to your computer and computer does not respond?
Dgd
You have got to be kidding. You want the whizbang and SOC to work using 1070 firmware. Sorry not gonna happen.
All of this heartache could have been avoided if you had come here at the outset. Its called a support forum for good reason.
You NEED to upgrade the firmware. Midnite works differently, the firmware is constantly updated on a rolling basis incrementally adding new features. Its this that means that it has the latest and greatest featureset. You cant have one without the other. Its an ethusiast product, not something you can plug, play and walk away.
But frankly if you havent sorted out your Vmp issues, your problems are a good deal greater than Midnites controller. Good luck with that! But should you decide to become a little more concillatory youll find plentry of volunteer help here.
Quote from: viola on May 22, 2014, 05:32:58 AM
I have seen 180 Watts on the dial with the thing in Bulk MTTP mode but that was only briefly and it spent most of today in float mode at about 40 Watts putting around 4 amps into the battery at 13.8 Volts.
When the battery is full and the charge controller goes to Float charge stage, the power will necessarily be
lower than when in Bulk where the power is needed.
How long was it in Absorb (after Bulk) before it went to Float ? It should normally stay in Float
a while... Usually a couple of hours or so. Maybe you have Ending Amps set above zero and so
it went to Float early because of that ?
I ask how long because you mentioned it was in Bulk briefly.
OK, here's the screenshot of the Panel taken a few moments ago at 10.00 on a very overcast day. In fact the device, like my Uncle Henry, is spending more of it's time currently 'resting' tho' the input voltage then goes up to 18. I've seen as much as 18 watts on the dial, too, with a grand amount of 0.7 amps being sent to the battery.
Zoneblue - why should it ever be necessary, when buying something from a reputable concern, to have to go to a public forum to discover how to use it? Fora are great for enthusiasts to pick over the finer details and discuss new and better ways of doing things but all I want is a reliable power supply for the wireless broadband I'm supplying to my neighbours, on a voluntary, non-profit basis. If I've correctly followed the manufacturer's instructions to installing and maintaining the system I rely on it to work.
I did discuss pv voltage with a solar installer on the basis of what we have and the advice was to leave it as it is. I also ran a thread on it on "http://www.solarpaneltalk.com" and was advised that parallel or series was swings and roundabouts, with higher line losses at higher currents, plus higher voltages tend to run warmer which means you're wasting watts heating the air. Also the VOC of our panels = 22, and as the Classic Lite Quick Start Guide tells me the "SOLAR mode is best suited for .... un-shaded PV arrays that are at least one nominal vote above the battery voltage." As parallel gives me at least one nominal volt above the battery voltage what possible reason should I have for rewiring the array into series?
Quote from: boB on May 22, 2014, 06:32:04 PM
Quote from: viola on May 22, 2014, 05:32:58 AM
I have seen 180 Watts on the dial with the thing in Bulk MTTP mode but that was only briefly and it spent most of today in float mode at about 40 Watts putting around 4 amps into the battery at 13.8 Volts.
When the battery is full and the charge controller goes to Float charge stage, the power will necessarily be
lower than when in Bulk where the power is needed.
How long was it in Absorb (after Bulk) before it went to Float ? It should normally stay in Float
a while... Usually a couple of hours or so. Maybe you have Ending Amps set above zero and so
it went to Float early because of that ?
I ask how long because you mentioned it was in Bulk briefly.
I doubt what the panel displays has any relationship to reality - it was showing itself in Bulk this morning for a short while with input volts less than the battery voltage and an impressive 1 watt on the dial.
Quote from: viola on May 22, 2014, 06:47:09 PM
I did discuss pv voltage with a solar installer on the basis of what we have and the advice was to leave it as it is. I also ran a thread on it on "http://www.solarpaneltalk.com" and was advised that parallel or series was swings and roundabouts, with higher line losses at higher currents, plus higher voltages tend to run warmer which means you're wasting watts heating the air. Also the VOC of our panels = 22, and as the Classic Lite Quick Start Guide tells me the "SOLAR mode is best suited for .... un-shaded PV arrays that are at least one nominal vote above the battery voltage." As parallel gives me at least one nominal volt above the battery voltage what possible reason should I have for rewiring the array into series?
Ok, unfortunately the solar installer gave you poor advice. Its NOT best to leave it (the PVs wiring) as it is.
Again whoever on solarpaneltalk.com told you parallel and series was swings and roundabouts also was simply incorrect, in your case of using an MPPT controller where panel nominal voltage is same as battery voltage.
Sice you have 3 PVs my simple advice is to wire them in series for a MPV over 50 volts and use the Classic in solar mode.
I have looked at the online Classic quick start manual and I can't find the part about 1 nominal volt above battery voltage. However this makes sense as NOMINAL voltage means 12volts for your PVs and battery so the only way you can get
one nominal volt above battery nominal voltage is to series connect at least TWO nominal 12 volt panels or use a nominal 24volt panel.
And that part about higher voltage PVs running hotter and heating the air is nonsense - especially in your setup with a mere 240watts of PVs.
OK, I'm sorta worn out on this issue.
Final advice:
1. Update the Classic's firmware
2. Rewire your 3 panels in series.
3. Set Classic into SOLAR mode.
4. Relax ;) one of those Marlborough Winery tours always did it for me :o
dgd
Viola
I also tire from the constant barrage of over and over negativity towards MidNite. I get the fact our documents are not up to expectations but also you must realize the Classic just like the Outback controller or the Morning Star controller or any others are electrical devices and the manufacturers assume a level of knowledge on the Solar systems as a whole. With that said I am more than happy to help and explain anything that needs explaining all I ask in return is you maybe tone down the negativity in every post please.
As DGD pointed out the statement about one nominal voltage above the battery is true. What that is saying is you have a 12 volt battery so you need a 24 volt "Nominal" panel. the VOC in your case is 22 so the Nominal voltage of those panels is 12v.
I concur with DGD that all 3 should simply be wired in series and all will work very well.
Ryan
I believe somewhere in your statements was the fact that you want to add another AP to the system. If that is the case, it might behoove you to look for a similar Voltage but of slightly higher out put (90W?) and use the 4 panels in 2 parallel/series configuration.
The higher output panel will be tempered by the smaller one to match the output. Thus you would have 2 strings of equivalent voltage (at 24 volts) and more amperage as needed.
If your expansion is greater than that, get all new panels and buy a few extra...
Going back to a professional solar installer to tell him that he was fundamentally wrong should be interesting. It might also be amusing letting the good folks at solarpaneltalk know that according to Midnite they don't know what they're talking about.
Was rather surprised to see this - attached pic - just before lunch, but it only lasted a few moments and the Classic has been limping along at a nice safe 30 or so watts since.
I've wasted too much time on this - the local app panel is just eye-candy anyway. Even with out-of-date firmware the Classic should still be capable of doing a basic job but patently it isn't. Best thing I can do is to pull it out and put the Xantrex back with its POTS tweaked to accommodate the AGM.
We might one day have use for the Lite on one of our less critical feeder sites, and until then it's pretty enough to make a conversation piece as a door-stop.
Quote from: Westbranch on May 22, 2014, 08:42:46 PM
I believe somewhere in your statements was the fact that you want to add another AP to the system. If that is the case, it might behoove you to look for a similar Voltage but of slightly higher out put (90W?) and use the 4 panels in 2 parallel/series configuration.
The higher output panel will be tempered by the smaller one to match the output. Thus you would have 2 strings of equivalent voltage (at 24 volts) and more amperage as needed.
If your expansion is greater than that, get all new panels and buy a few extra...
Hi Westbranch. It's only for a couple of weeks either side of mid-winter that power has been potentially an issue for us - and then only in a prolonged spell of overcast weather. Our radios will run down to 8 Volts and we've a backup system that cuts in when the main battery voltage drops to 11v. That happened occasionally in previous winters with the Xantrex in the system and I was hoping that the claimed greater efficiency of MTTP would give us a little more elbow-room, but with a new bigger battery anyway I doubt that adding another 1 amp maximum to the draw will give us a problem for 98% of the year if ever.
At our other main stand-alone site - built to incorporate the lessons learned with our first - we've a 200 Watt pv panel plus a 700 Watt wind generator with the same 235 AH 12v AGM running through an IVT 18318 Controller and have never had anything less than 95% availability, so if we do find we need more power at the other site just adding a wind generator is as far simpler option than rebuilding the frame for the pv panels. And as I recall we simply set up the IVT according to instructions and it's performed beautifully every since. It probably hasn't seen the light of day for more than two years. But then again, it's German of course.
Viola,
The comments I made about the professional installer was that you received poor advice.
I do not represent Midnite and I am quite capable of defending my views to anyone whose advice is that parallel and serial PV connections are swings and roundabouts. Pure nonsense.
Perhaps the advice you received from these people may have been different if you had explained you were installing a Midnite MPPT controller and you had three parallel wired 12v panels.
I think that if you do indeed use the Classic as a door stop then that really is a poor decision - when all you really need to do is invest a little effort updating the firmware and rewiring your PV junction box.
dgd
Viola, You are quick to shoot down the C150, but you have purchased Chinese floor scrapings for batteries and then use them in a critical situation, have you checked that the batteries are not sulphated??
Why did your supplier not update the classic before it was sold? 1070 is old firmware needs upgrading,
Dgd is on the nail get the basics right, and all will be well in the world ..
MGP
Quote from: MGP on May 22, 2014, 11:21:43 PM
Viola, You are quick to shoot down the C150, but you have purchased Chinese floor scrapings for batteries and then use them in a critical situation, have you checked that the batteries are not sulphated??
Why did your supplier not update the classic before it was sold? 1070 is old firmware needs upgrading,
Dgd is on the nail get the basics right, and all will be well in the world ..
MGP
G'day.
No reason to think the battery is defective but there's always the chance the Vendor flicked a duff one onto us. After all, it seems the Classic must have been sitting on a shelf gathering dust for a terrible long time. Of course with the Lite there's no way one can ascertain the firmware version until you have local app access.
dgd, I dedicated an hour this afternoon to Googling 'pv: series or parallel' but it seems to me nowhere near as clear-cut as you suggest. Indeed, it all comes across as somewhat big-enders v. little-enders. Sure MPPT doesn't work well within a volt or so of the battery charge, but on the other hand it seems too wide a separation doesn't work as well, either. Most often the argy-bargy came down to suck it and see.
The quote was from the Midnite Solar Classic Lite Quick Start Guide 07/05/12, p.17. On the same page Midnite tells us: "If the array has a VOC (Open Circuit Voltage) of less than 125% of the battery voltage Solar mode will not work as well so Legacy will be a better choice." It seemed from that reasonable for me to assume that a VOC of 180% the battery voltage should be OK in Solar. Indeed it seems to suggest to me that Midnite have spent a lot of time refining algorithms to work in exactly the kind of low-voltage scenario we have, and I haven't seen anywhere in Midnite's documentation a recommendation that high-voltage/low current is preferable to the reverse.
Our bottom line is that we built our solar-panel frame to cope with the winds sometimes experienced on the hill-tops around here with the result that getting to the junction boxes and re-wiring the panels is NOT an insignificant operation. Had I recieved any warning from anywhere when researching this upgrade that a change to series would be required I would not have bothered.
Next time I can get back up there I intend swapping the Xantrex back in and if it does as good or better a job of servicing the battery as the Classic - which wouldn't be difficult given its present performance. If it does .... anyone want to buy a barely used, possibly dodgy Classic Lite 150?
Viola, did you try Legacy mode rather than "solar" mode ?
Please give it a try before changing the Classic out for the XW again.
Thanks
Quote from: viola on May 21, 2014, 08:37:08 PM
Still have to arrange a totally unnecessary trip up the mountain to the device in order to ascertain its registration code so that I can unlock the app and not have to go up the mountain
May or may not assist, but if you can get my newmodbus code onto a supported machine (mac, FreeBSD or Linux basically), it can tell you the serial number of the device and save you a trip up the mountain.
# ./newmodbus -d `cat classic.addr`
Read 2 (data) bytes from addr 28673
Read 2 (data) bytes from addr 28674
Read serial number 5007 from device
What was the outcome of this?
BTW i use 24v panels with my 24v lead acids in Legacy mode and it works great. I will eventually run them in series but so far it's doing a great job. Some how i feel there are quite a few things wrong with the setup in question.
You are using 60 cell panels on a 24V bank? Are you certain? and how do you know it works great?
Most people find that an unworkable arrangement unless the panels are 1foot from the controller, and the controller has top of the line headroom requirements, synchronous rectification etc.
Havin said that though some 60 cell modules actually have vmps up into the 32, 34 range. That will help!
Well technically they are not 24v panels but that's how they are advertised. The Vmpp is 35.5v. They might struggle in summer when it's hot but the days are so long and sunny it doesn't matter.
I originally had the controller in solar mode which cut my production a fair bit but so far its great in Legacy. If i read the Midnite's efficiency graph they seem to be the most efficient when the input voltage is closer to the output voltage. The gain might be negated by the higher voltage drop i will be seeing through my cables. By the way my panels are a good 30m from the controller and before the classic i was using a simple PWM (Plasmatronics) controller.
Quote from: jimbo on June 16, 2014, 06:16:01 PM
Well technically they are not 24v panels but that's how they are advertised. The Vmpp is 35.5v. They might struggle in summer when it's hot but the days are so long and sunny it doesn't matter.
Yes, the 12/24v labal has long outlived it usefulness, if it ever had any.
Also true about summer. If you study the IV curves the power falls off much quicker above vmp than it does below. The real challenge may be holding absorb if you set point is higher eg 29+.
Quote
I originally had the controller in solar mode which cut my production a fair bit but so far its great in Legacy. If i read the Midnite's efficiency graph they seem to be the most efficient when the input voltage is closer to the output voltage. The gain might be negated by the higher voltage drop i will be seeing through my cables. By the way my panels are a good 30m from the controller and before the classic i was using a simple PWM (Plasmatronics) controller.
30m is quite a bit for 30V. When you double the voltage you quarter the power loss. What size cable are you using? Im fairly sure you will be losing more in the cable than in the controller.
My absorb voltage is 29.4v but temperature compensated drops that to 29.2 (off the top of my head). It doesn't like to equalize in summer with much load on the system.
I haven't actually measured the cable size (i did not install the system) but i'm sure there will be a small loss. I have been meaning to change all the wiring but never get around to it.
Quote from: zoneblue on June 17, 2014, 12:30:06 AM
When you double the voltage you quarter the power loss.
Yes. But... does it matter? The cable loss goes as the square of the current. During bulk charge is when the current is highest and the loss hurts the most. As current tapers off during absorb, the cable loss becomes less and less important. In many systems, charging current starts out low in the morning, and by the time mid-day full power is possible, the batteries are absorbing.
When designing a system we usually use Imp (which is seldom achieved) to calculate cable loss. The real loss is usually much less.
Regarding equalization, currents should be low (relative to bulk current) and cable loss is often blamed for the voltage drop of the hot panels.
Please understand that
I am not arguing for thin cables... but just trying to put them in perspective. Raising string voltage very often just shifts heat production from the cable to the controller.
Quote from: jimbo
The Vmpp is 35.5v. They might struggle in summer when it's hot but the days are so long and sunny it doesn't matter.
And that is the bottom line :)
Things could change if jimbo wishes to harvest full power all day long with opportunity loads... thicker cables and/or higher string voltage may needed.
--vtMaps
Great explanation :)
Vt, youre spot on in principle, no argument. However the perspective was 30m at 30V? If i did that here on my 6awg, id lose 16% of my average peak power.
http://www.calculator.net/voltage-drop-calculator.html?material=copper&wiresize=1.296&voltage=30&phase=dc&noofconductor=1&distance=30&distanceunit=meters&eres=60&x=48&y=15
Using your model, if we use instead the average (sun hours) throughput ( which for say yesterday was 2566Wh over 6 hours,) is 430W, then id still get 4% loss.
http://www.calculator.net/voltage-drop-calculator.html?material=copper&wiresize=1.296&voltage=30&phase=dc&noofconductor=1&distance=30&distanceunit=meters&eres=60&x=80&y=16
But that will be low because the losses will bite harder in the top half of the 'average'. Youd need to do a proper integration to get a true answer.
Becasue of the above, the risk is that the bank never reachs absorb at all.
I actually think Jimbos modules are 72 cell modules, so the voltage is there in principle, but id be watching the losses in the period just prior to reaching the absorb setpoint. Why not do an experiment: measure the voltage at the array, and at the input and output of the controller just as absorb is reached. Its easy to do.
Edit: distance fix
Yes i would like to test it one day but the wiring up on the roof is very messy and hard to get to.
Off the top of my head there are 2 runs of 5 AWG for 100 feet (you had 300 feet) which gives a drop of around 1.88v. If it is 6 AWG then the drop is 2.37v. Not much but does affect the system when equalizing with high loads on.
As stated this is not ideal and will be changing the wiring when I get around to it.
So how much efficiency is lost through the midnite while dropping the voltage?