IPN Network Meters vs. OutBack [RE-wrenches]

Phil Undercuffler, Positive Energy phil at positiveenergysolar.com
Fri Jun 20 15:25:09 PDT 2003


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Christopher Freitas - OutBack Power" <cfreitas at outbackpower.com>
>
> Sheesh - some people want it all immediately - but also want it to be
> fully developed, tested and on-the-shelf at the same time...

Hear me now.  This is not whining--this is crabbing, and there is a
difference; the former is unjustified.

There are many things I love about working with Outback.  When I call with a
question, I get the guy who wrote the programming.  If we have an untested
theory as to what something will do I don't get the answer of "gee, maybe
that would work..."  I will tell the world that I have been in the field
with the cel phone on one ear as Chris has gone to the testbench and made
SURE that it would work.  And I have believed him, and it has worked.  We
haven't sold much Brand X equipment since Outback has become available.

But lest you forget, Christopher, you and Marty came to my very building on
08/13/02 to introduce the FX inverter, MX controller, and the Mate and Hub
that had been seemingly "two months away" since early that summer.  I will
not apologize for my cynicism.

It's the product development on my customer's nickel and "that promised
functionality is not yet supported" that I object to.

Perhaps I'd be happier if I were just shipping boxes, but instead I've got
to answer questions from my clients.  Heck, not only that, but I've got to
figure out how to make things work.  So when the documentation is incomplete
and everchanging, the hardware is always two months away and the factory's
response is "sorry, that isn't supported before serial #500, and models
before #3200 can't stack, and units before 3447 won't show the right numbers
at that voltage...." you can just imagine my frustration.

> Phil - you should have made time to come out here to MREF (Michael Welsh
> says hello to all) before you complain about "vaporware". We have the
> production HUB and MATEs on demo - we also have already completed two
> OutBack trainings already which have included working HUBs - and the
> response at each by all was very positive...

And I am grateful for the effort the Outback team makes to support training.
However, I have learned that there is a wide gulf between demo products at a
presentation and solutions in the field.  My suppliers do not have HUBs in
stock, and although their computer shows an estimated ship date of 7/15,
they follow that with the words "but I don't know how real that is."  I will
believe it when I can put my purchase order in the fax machine and
reasonably expect to receive the UPS shipment within 5 business days.

> The "clunky" aspect of the MATE was in most part due to the lack of the
> HUB being included - with the HUB included, the ability to jump from a
> meter or setting on one inverter to the exact same meter or setting on
> the next with a SINGLE button press - is simply amazing.

Again, I will have to take your word for it.

> The new MATE software allows "one button" EQ and shared battery temp
> comp sensors - which I think are nice items but not essential to the
> operation of a system.  We still need to do some field testing of it,
> admittedly.

Ditto.  And as you acknowledge these are not essential to operation of the
system--they are just the things you stood in front of me and said loud and
proud set you apart from the competitors.  And we've been waiting upon.

> As far as the availability of the Smart Shunt - It will be available
> when it is done.... Not sooner...
>
> Phil - I suggest you be careful with throwing around the term
> "vaporware" around me again in the future...

And which term would you would prefer?

> If I seem upset - I am. It is very fustrating to put huge amounts of
> effort and personal time into developing our products - and then have
> people whine that its not available yet...

See the top of this post.


Phil Undercuffler
Positive Energy

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