help in Illinois [RE-wrenches]

Wed Jan 24 11:10:51 PST 2001

Steve, Backwoods Solar:

The SW can be programmed to limit the amount of grid power used to charge a
battery bank.  It's a  fairly easy thing to do and the inverter can be kept
in the SELL mode all the time.

1) Menu heading 10--Set Max Charge Amps AC to the lowest setting which is 1
amp.  So, whenever the inverter goes into the battery charging mode, the max
amps used from the grid is always 1.

2) Menu heading 18--Grid Usage Timer allows the user to control when and for
how long the grid will be used to charge the batteries.  You can either
defeat the battery charging capability entirely by setting the "start charge
time" the same as "end charge time" which means that the grid will never be
used to charge the batteries.  Or, if you want the grid to supply at least
some amps to keep the batteries from discharging too deeply, set the time
for X number of hours per night.  In my grid-tie systems with battery
back-up I've usually set the grid usage timer to charge the batteries at the
1 or 2 amp rate for 6-8 hours at night just to make sure that the batteries
will be a full state of charge nearly all of the time.

I hope that this is helpful.  All of this info can be found in the
wonderful, sleep inducing 89-page SW Owner's Manual.  Working on a remote
job in southern India several years ago, the manual was one of the few
things I had to read for weeks so I read it from front to back then back to
front.

best of luck,
marco
ProVision Technologies, Inc.
Hilo, Hawaii

I have an inquiry from Illinois on a topic I am not the best source for.
Burl Anderson at (309)342-5660 has SW series set up for interactive sell. He
has surplus by 9 AM and wants to sell all day, but at night he finds it
charges from the grid even though he has enough batteries to go all night
and still sell power before noon the next day. He wants to prevent it from
grid charging at night, just draw down batteries through the night, and has
enough PV and battery to still return to sell mode about 8 or 9 in the
morning. He says he switches manually between sell and FLT modes twice a day
presently.  I suggested a timer to connect the grid only daytime, or using
the voltage controlled relays... but we are weak on the details of sell, not
our specialty.  Anyone in Amherst or Illinois area have the answer and want
to contact a potential customer who is planning to keep adding PV?   If so,
go for it.

Steve Willey   steve at backwoodssolar.com   www.backwoodssolar.com
Backwoods Solar Electric Systems
A catalog business on a mountain
2 miles from utility lines,
powered entirely by our catalog products.
IF UTILITY POWER IS 1/2 MILE OR MORE FROM YOUR SITE,
get our free 160 page solar-electric Planning Guide/Catalog.
(Your postal address required - Our list is never given or sold).
Phone(208)263-4290  Fax (208) 265-4788  in Idaho, USA

----- Original Message -----
From: <info at backwoodssolar.com>
To: <RE-wrenches at topica.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2001 7:36 AM
Subject: Re: DR charging oddities [RE-wrenches]

> No, actually its set up like that but it is a 120 volt to 12 volt
> transformer wired with secondary in series with primary, as an
> "autotransformer". rated 5 amp primary and 50 amp secondary, turns out it
> handles 5000 watts through that way.
> Steve,  Backwoods Solar Electric Systems www.backwoodssolar.com
> A catalog business on a mountain
> 2 miles from utility lines,
> powered entirely by our catalog products.
> IF UTILITY POWER IS 1/4 MILE OR MORE FROM YOUR SITE,
> get our free 160 page solar-electric Planning Guide/Catalog.
> (Your postal address required - Our list is never given or sold).
> Phone(208)263-4290  Fax (208) 265-4788  in Idaho, USA
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: jay peltz <jay at asis.com>
> To: <RE-wrenches at topica.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2001 10:37 AM
> Subject: Re: DR charging oddities [RE-wrenches]
>
>
> > Is this a standard buck/boost transformer that you are talking about?
If
> so a
> > good idea!
> >
> > Jay
> > Peltz Power
> >
> > info at backwoodssolar.com wrote:
> >
> > > Right on the ratio. Many automotive battery chargers have the same
> problem.
> > > Usually it is caused by the generator having a nearly square wave
form,
> > > missing the peak of the sine wave curve.  Especially brushless
> generators.
> > > You can see it on an oscilloscope.
> > >
> > > A good cure is the 10% voltage boost transformer from Vermont Solar.
We
> > > sell them with no bad result due to the boost.  You can use a Todd
> Transfer
> > > relay externally so that boosted power only goes to the DR inverter or
> to
> > > the automotive type charger and not to the house loads if concerned,
but
> we
> > > have never encountered any harm done to anything using that
transformer.
> I
> > > am not sure if Trace endorses that application, but they do want the
> problem
> > > remedied on the generator end.  I have suggested that an added relay
in
> the
> > > DR that flips in one more winding turn on the low voltage side while
> > > charging would really cure it. I have tested that in weak automotive
> > > chargers and it works.
> > >
> > > Backwoods Solar Electric Systems www.backwoodssolar.com
> >
> >
> >
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> >
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> >
> > ____________________________________________________________
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>
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>
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>
> ____________________________________________________________
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 RE-wrenches-unsubscribe at topica.com

To check out the other RE-Wrench participants:
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 www.homepower.com

For info contact list moderator by email:
 michael.welch at homepower.com

____________________________________________________________
T O P I C A  -- Learn More. Surf Less. 
Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Topics You Choose.
http://www.topica.com/partner/tag01