48Vdc Cart , Kid with 3 150 Mono 24V panels & Mr Day ?
Im building a plastic protection & covering for the Trace .
Added a leaf to each spring suspension , plus a few more shunts & meters .
This tows a 24Vdc trailer for water pumps , Irrigation from stored water pools .
That looks handy !
It pulls a trailer that has it's own system of power , to make water movement for irrigation .
Right now it is over on the lwr field with it's system of charging up the batterys on the 20 ton excavator . in a few days I'll go down with the golf cart & get the dinosaur fired up & pull the mobile power trailer up.
Trailer is 24Vdc to 12Vdc converter for 12Vdc pumps as it's main job. Has light & voltage sensors so it works when sun up , asleep at night for the peace , or frogs !!!
VT
Does it come with larger diameter wheels as the grass is very tall over here?
How much pressure do you run in the tyres?
Russ
Russ mine is garage sale / weekend out sale that I picked it up .
They have some who go all out on the "Toys" for these things , I just need power way away & I can haul a gen set , but the setup time etc for things that can be quite & easy. Ill need to check on tyre press , but 2 bar /30psi seems correct , but were not driving in sand traps , rough fields , keeps me 5kph/mph .. Good for me so far & if im pulling the solar panelled trailer , maybe less speed. But i can move welders and have done a few repairs . Next Id like a electric giraffe, old & slow like me would be fine.
VT
Ha, I have an old 1982 suzuki stockman 4x4 utility.
It is great but the motor has had 4 rebuilds and is at the end of its life.
I would dearly love the have it coverted to an electric motor.
Range of 20-40 kms would be more than enough for my uses.
A round trip from the house to the far end of our property and back is 18 kms max allowing for a few deviations for cattle/dam checks.
I could fit 2 panels over the trayback section to assist with charging, maybe 4 if I add an over the roof extension onto the front bullbar!
WELL this is not good !!
The KID let the smoke out and crapped it's diapers.
I had just pushed the golf cart out the garage , (storm & wind yesterday night) and then left the panel lowered , daylight but no sun , went down the front drive and back 1km on roads for checking the gate & drop box . I get back & i was starting to see rain drops on the windshield , so I figure , no sun and might as well stick it back in the garage, lucky because i normally get out & walk away. I pull it in & just by chance I look at the kid to see how dead it thinks . I notice SMOKE , WHITE !!
I pull fuses & then disconnect the PV MC4 connector , Figure maybe batterys next , but think , open up the kid & see what has gone wrong . I did't see any burnt or smell burnt hot , all wire looked good . I installed the battery fuse & got all the normal lights & LCD , I then noticed an oil drop on the seat cushion, I see Im leaking yellow fluid out of the kid .
Thats it , Something has gone & the smoke was NOT an imagination of WHAT NOW ?
I have checked the panels 150wattX3 series one string to Battery 48Vdc/ wiring , I don't need two KIDS that are both Black dead , but this second failing KID is different that the emergency cabin 12V setup that I found months ago .
Warranty job? On both?
Back in the olden days, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, that yellow "oil" would smell fishy and be a leaking or blown electrolytic capacitor.
Not sure if they still use that same goo in them but I would imagine that is the likely suspect. A popped or leaking electrolytic capacitor.
Just tossing it on the wall to see if it sticks.
Contact Midnite tech support, it might be a warranty issue if the cap simply failed prematurely.
Tom
Definitely Warranty! Go after the installer.... ;) ::)
WB
I did , I made sure that every wire was secured before removing them & traced if I had any pinches etc. I have a tri-shunt system also that measures loads that I inspected on the hoist . WB/500 is the master with shunts of of that one for gauges of amps used on dash . This unit was working so well , moving fuel out to the mill , powering hedge trimmers & electric chainsaws etc. & were just starting to get into the outside for work.
I drained the oil (PCB's) ? ;) & took a few more pictures .
If I felt brave enough I would power up & read the time in service , but guessing a month on the Cart & 2 months on a temp setup in 2015 .
If you see the orange pointer , that cap went prego top while the Kid got Diarrhea .
Cleanup all done .
VT
Well Im down in Arlington as soon as I can . Family issues , work & flight/drive commitments all play apart.
I'll Call Tech , and say Hi again .
Im also going to pickup some new classic cooling fans .
VT, is there any sign or indication of water getting into the Kid? Ive seen situations like this on boats with water finding its way into the chargers and even catching the boat on fire. I worry a bit with my Kids sitting out in the back field were moisture is extremely high so I did insulate the power shed for the winter but will need to think of high heat this summer. Ill add some fans for ventilation but moisture will still be high during the evening so ill need to be thinking of that and not draw it into the shed or everything will be sweating. Just a few thoughts and hopefully you find the cause even if its a learning curve to share.
Walt
Water has NEVER been in the kid , and like i said the Cart has it's own garage . I have drop loops on the PV wiring before entering roof cap , BUT the panels are larger & sealed .(panels cover the entire cart area) . Nope 2nd kid smoked , but not all yet, I saved the oil & next power up Im sure we will catch the smoke. I'll let Midnight re-insert .
VT
VT Picx #3, what is that wet looking patch from? Oil?
Quote from: CDN-VT on April 06, 2016, 09:58:01 PM
Water has NEVER been in the kid , and like i said the Cart has it's own garage . I have drop loops on the PV wiring before entering roof cap , BUT the panels are larger & sealed .(panels cover the entire cart area) . Nope 2nd kid smoked , but not all yet, I saved the oil & next power up Im sure we will catch the smoke. I'll let Midnight re-insert .
VT
Quote from: BobWhite on April 06, 2016, 08:50:49 PM
VT, is there any sign or indication of water getting into the Kid? Ive seen situations like this on boats with water finding its way into the chargers and even catching the boat on fire. I worry a bit with my Kids sitting out in the back field were moisture is extremely high so I did insulate the power shed for the winter but will need to think of high heat this summer. Ill add some fans for ventilation but moisture will still be high during the evening so ill need to be thinking of that and not draw it into the shed or everything will be sweating. Just a few thoughts and hopefully you find the cause even if its a learning curve to share.
Walt
Just trying to think of things I've seen that would or could be out of your controll as I feel you know what your doing. It's never a good feeling to loose two controllers to a black screen in a short time, or ever :( I do hope to learn the possible cause or the cause.
Quote from: Westbranch on April 07, 2016, 01:12:49 AM
VT Picx #3, what is that wet looking patch from? Oil?
Yup , I had paper towels in the areas of all the oil spots , and in the small round container is the drained oil out of the KID.
I can fire the KID back up , as I did just before i found the oil drop, I had all the leds & screen & then finding the puked OIL , I though ,NAW it's toast . Looking real close no burnt spots or smell , oil from behind the board area BUT seeing a CAP that has i domed top etc. Im thinking I'm reliving the ASIAN stuff Im trying to avoid .
Picture is A Not Reliable product , but lasted a year in use.
VT
Quote
Just trying to think of things I've seen that would or could be out of your controll as I feel you know what your doing. It's never a good feeling to loose two controllers to a black screen in a short time, or ever :( I do hope to learn the possible cause or the cause.
Walt the second kid is the one in the Golf Cart -Mobile Power for the Ranch unit I put into service February that smoked & dumped the oil . The first kid was a beta unit #25 and I found it black screen a few months ago in a back woods cabin that was setup for 12V and only load was if someone went in . This & last year our west coast storms have not required anyone to use any emergency cabin overnight stay , so when I went up just to check , I found a black screen & all fuses good .
The SPD still had a blue led lit , so I swapped in my "last spare" KID .
When I find out what happensd I'll post & let the forum know .
And Walt , some dayz I don't know what Im doing !!!!!!!!!! ;)
The second Kid had the 48Vdc Bank in float for a few weeks & I noticed the temps were 48c were the highest.
VT
I have tried to post tech help TICKET for these dead KIDS and after I have put in all my info 3 times !!!!! on the first serial # 25 I get this screen !!
Im do have the internet , but were not flashlight speed .
I have typed this 3 times in 1.5 hrs wasted , Called & left a message at Midnight 360-403 xxxx on tuesday .
Email Ryan@midnitesolar.com
Thanks WB
Yes I just sent one But !! Anyone know this ??
MidNite Solar Inc. warrants to the original customer that its products shall be free from defects
in materials and workmanship. This warranty will be valid for a period of five (5) years for all
products except the MNKID and MNBRAT Charge Controllers along with the MNBIRDHOUSE1
batteries, these will be two (2) years.
So the first one is made FEB 2014 , i'll need to find the sales sheet on these .
Quote from: CDN-VT on April 08, 2016, 11:52:28 AM
Thanks WB
Yes I just sent one But !! Anyone know this ??
MidNite Solar Inc. warrants to the original customer that its products shall be free from defects
in materials and workmanship. This warranty will be valid for a period of five (5) years for all
products except the MNKID and MNBRAT Charge Controllers along with the MNBIRDHOUSE1
batteries, these will be two (2) years.
So the first one is made FEB 2014 , i'll need to find the sales sheet on these .
I wouldn't be too concerned with Midnite taking care of you, they don't seem to nitpick about honoring their warranties. Pretty sure they can sort out its age from the serial number, if it even matters.
As Westbranch mentioned, Email Ryan and he will get you on the way to recovery. ryan@midnitesolar.com
Tom
Quote from: CDN-VT on April 07, 2016, 02:31:34 PM
Quote
And Walt , some dayz I don't know what Im doing !!!!!!!!!! ;)
VT
Thanks VT, Im glad I'm not alone!!! ;D
Ill keep an eye out to see what happened to the Kids.
Quote from: CDN-VT on April 08, 2016, 11:52:28 AM
MidNite Solar Inc. warrants to the original customer that its products shall be free from defects
in materials and workmanship. This warranty will be valid for a period of five (5) years for all
products except the MNKID and MNBRAT Charge Controllers along with the MNBIRDHOUSE1
batteries, these will be two (2) years.
So the first one is made FEB 2014 , i'll need to find the sales sheet on these .
So this will be your Beta #25 Kid? with the blue lcd display
If you don't remember then look back at the posts concerning the beta Kids and they were given a lifetime warranty.
dgd
DGD , Mine didn't have a blue LCD or did # 13 Serial .
Them are green & running 1811 Firmware .
Tom , Im not worried , but got my receipts just to be sure.
I know & have seen Robin do the way I will always recommend Midnite .
I did speak to Chris in Tech Support today & we do have a good rapport and are working .
I tried the ticket thing , but Who Knows ..
My Beta Brat has been 100% on the electronic fence!
So today I was on the excavator working the fire about 10 meters / 40 feet round of stumps to be burnt , the golf cart was to be used to harvest and power the fans blowing to keep the heat up .. glad we had a good breeze.
VT
Quote from: CDN-VT on April 09, 2016, 12:54:57 AM
DGD , Mine didn't have a blue LCD or did # 13 Serial .
Them are green & running 1811 Firmware .
My Beta Brat has been 100% on the electronic fence!
Sorry, I must have mis-read your posts as I thought you had one of the Beta KIDs but instead it seems you just have very lo serial numbered production KIDs #13 and #25 and a Beta Brat
dgd
No Worries dgd.
I got up super early & pulled a spare Classic & bypassed the KID wiring or extended EZ job for the Classic .
I needed power in the back 60 for a squirrel fan / blower .
when the winter is so wet for so long , I need air flow to create heat and minimum smoke .
So here is one job that the Elly was built for , fan draw 3 amps , Classic was in float at noon & i used the fan most of the day .
Breeze or a good wind helps , stagnate air A fan is required to lessen the smoke & keep the heat up. 40' dia 20' tall is down to a few wet stumps.
Though some might follow.
Showing my ignorance. Why do you need to run a fan when burning off the timber?
To help keep the fire hot and clean so there is less smoke ??? ;D
He is almost in our 'rain forest' where he lives, only a tad drier....it's really, reallllly wet over there...
Quote from: Westbranch on April 14, 2016, 07:51:16 PM
He is almost in our 'rain forest' where he lives, only a tad drier....it's really, reallllly wet over there...
Ahhhh But it's a cool Wet !!!!!
I got rid of 60 stumps , but still have 4 that didn't burn , lost major of it. They started at 4' 1.5m to 6 feet dia some of them .
Its just drying up enough to get the mini-excavator root raking the area. Thats my job for the next week. I need to prep the land to be seeded.
Different here, when we have windrows of pushed timber they can be 1/2 a mile long and 10-15 feet tall of hardwood timber, dead grass, dirt
,snakes, rabbits, goannas all together. We light them up and get the hell away from it as the heat is so intense an smoke chokes you.
Would need a few platoons of 10 ft diameter fans and a small power station to try and redirect the smoke and heat!
A super waste of BTU's to be frank, but no way to the harness the energy.
If I get cashed up from timber logging I will have another 750 acres of logged forest that will be cleaned up and windrowed this year.
Burn that all off and then contour the country and plant with improved pastures, legumes etc and wait for rain.
Sounds bad, but there is little value in decaying timber and wattle regrowth.
Harbours pests and dingos!
I Dropped Both Kids off for Impenitence ;)
The kid with the leaking oil dirty diaper problem had FETs replaced & a few CAPs , Mr S did a great job so I could get back to the frozen north 9 hrs drive away ;)
The Second Dead Kid had no problem ???? Got me ?? So the Dead # 25 Kid will now be used on the golf cart system .
Thanks for all the GREAT work Mr Ryan , Mr S & Michelle @ the front ..
VT
# 25 kid had a bad circuit breaker , POS showed good on a DVM OHM scale but dead on a load test. I open it up and it was missing a spring & part , I opened a few to see.
Ya might see / get pictures
NOPE , Save all type first on this forum & then see if you can add pix. I had the whole song & dance typed.
plus KID was returned with 40 amp blade fuses ?????
#25 has 3 140W 36V panel on a 24Vdc golf cart now , came from mountain cabin
Done in sections of post to save .
Ryan , LOOK here : https://invisionpower.com/
You control the system , Haven't ever had a spammer on our forum ( If we did they would leave because were over the edge)
AND We do push the limits of attachments & TECH info , plus we have our own cloud library .
It's NOT involved with the Business / MONEY / parent .. that way no claim backs .
JFI
Quote from: CDN-VT on April 07, 2016, 08:21:16 PM
I have tried to post tech help TICKET for these dead KIDS and after I have put in all my info 3 times !!!!! on the first serial # 25 I get this screen !!
Im do have the internet , but were not flashlight speed .
I have typed this 3 times in 1.5 hrs wasted , Called & left a message at Midnight 360-403 xxxx on tuesday .
CDN-VT,
you are not the only one to have this problem with the ticket system, I had the same issue trying to open a ticket with my Apple iPad. MidNite ticket system will not save ticket no matter what I do, I called the main line at MidNite and got Robin on first try. He redirected the call to Walt who resolved the problem right away, pretty impressive that I get the president to resolve missing hardware packet on new item drop shipped from MidNite. I was so surprised to get the founder and president that I asked "The Robin?" Seriously MidNite has the best support I've gotten from any manufacturer, I have two early beta kids and have had an issue with one of them twice but the support crew at MidNite are awesome , every issue was dealt with and Ryan jumped over hoops to get it done and very timely!
All in all the reliability of my "Gudgel Built" controllers is by far the best of any that I have ever used.
( Two Classic150's, two beta Kid's , two Trace C-40's)
td
Thanks TD
I was looked after well from Ryan , Ms M from the front desk (She knows me ) and Mr S (Repair Dude) and I have seen Robin say the same thing.
Mr Walter is also a good gent I have dealt with. Many there when I visit have explained the work they do & make me feel as part of the team were all working for.
VT
VT
Rather do VT work
Edit add .
Elly needed a service & grease , after replace the electrons & flushing the electrolyte.
Here is the tri-shunt for me to see whats being used.
Crap I forgot this site has windows 3.1 .
One picture was 4 mb over size & it kills the entire post .
Post the text !!1 THEN add pix 2 so YOU don't loose the work 3 .
Hi Nige
Say, that's a good looking inverter on the golf cart. Handy way to get power where you need it without the roar of a generator.
Isn't it hard on the back running the sawmill off the ground instead of running gear/tires? Guess it depends on the size of the logs you're milling.
Ralkph
Mr Day ! ;)
This is the perfect way to have power on the upper pasture . It keeps my batterys charged for the headset / radio / ear protection , 18Vdc skill saw, runs the larger electric chainsaw And ,after im all pooped out it gets back to the house.The mill & log splitter are manual , so lifting is done with a tractor till I can muscle it .
I'll see if I can upload a few more pix , but yesterdays text of all was wiped
Nige
Is that tape wrapped bar on the electric chainsaw for measureing your wood to length? If so, I have put one or two together. A piece of 3/16 rod with a washer welded at one end, a neodyne magnet at the other. You just put it on the chainsaw bar near the tip (with the magnet). Your first mark the washer is over the end of the log, the next mark fits in the slot you marked with the chain running. Step along, mark, step along, mark, and so on. On smaller stuff (6 inch diameter and under) you can just find the mark and slide the bar ahead and cut right through. When you have a log marked you just pull off the marker stick and buck your wood. Paint it blaze orange for easy sighting in the woodyard and storage shed.
This has made consistent length firewood cutting a breeze. I would kick myself when finding "18 inch" wood being 22", 15" and the like. Made one for the SIL too, at 24" for his big outdoor furnace. That time of year again, just waiting for it to cool off a bit. No working in the woods for me at 30C.
Regards the sawmill, I was just thinking about picking off the milled boards, or do those get shoved onto pallet forks for moving about?
Ralph
The cants I use old serp belts from cars . I take a pix & post .
The metal bar with the tape is a ground off of the teeth from the bandsaw blade & it's springy .
as with the 2x4,6,8,10,12" I lift them onto the transport trailer , Beams I need wife or I use serp belts & a Tractor.
PIX please of your setup
Just found this again after more than a year. Sorry Nige, did you want a picture of the firewood measureing setup? If so, I'lll get a shot of it soon (Feb 2017). The saw is not home right now.
Ralph
Always Ralph , I get may ides from others or pictures .
The electric saw works well for measuring with that band sticking out.
VT