[RE-wrenches] OutBack Power MATE3 to MATE3S Upgrade

Dave Angelini Offgrid Solar offgridsolar at sti.net
Thu Sep 21 15:27:48 PDT 2017 

Many even had the numbers to Xantrex and before that Trace where it mostly
began. Still have a Trace in the storage bin from 1982.
--Dave


Dave dan at foxfire-energy.comDave
> <html><body><span style="font-family:Verdana; color:#000000;
> font-size:10pt;"><div>And to think there was once a time when many of us
> had Chris and Robin's cell phone
> numbers.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br>Dan Brown<br>Foxfire
> Energy Corp.<br>Renewable Energy Systems<br>(802)-483-2564<br><a
> href="http://www.Foxfire-Energy.com">www.Foxfire-Energy.com</a><br>NABCEP
> #092907-44</div><div></div><div><br><br></div>
> <blockquote id="replyBlockquote" webmail="1" style="border-left: 2px solid
> blue; margin-left: 8px; padding-left: 8px; font-size:10pt; color:black;
> font-family:verdana;">
> <div id="wmQuoteWrapper">
> -------- Original Message --------<br>
> Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] OutBack Power MATE3 to MATE3S Upgrade<br>
> From: William Miller <<a
> href="mailto:william at millersolar.com">william at millersolar.com</a>><br>
> Date: Thu, September 21, 2017 12:52 pm<br>
> To: RE-wrenches <<a
> href="mailto:re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org">re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org</a>><br>
> <br>
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> </style><div class="WordSection1"><div class="MsoNormal"
> style="font-size:12pt;"><span
> style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Dan:</span></div><div
> class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;"><span
> style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"> </span></div><div
> class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;"><span
> style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">I
> have not yet used the 3S.  I have installed a number of Mate3s with
> and without FN-DC units.  I have experienced a fair number of
> glitches and problems with the Mate3 and Optics.  I have a list of
> incidents in a spreadsheet and I am intending to publish them to a web
> site.  It is my general belief that the Outback Mate3 and the Optics
> system are not as reliable as they should be and were released
> prematurely.  It seems every time they release a new version a new
> set of problems emerges.  </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"
> style="font-size:12pt;"><span
> style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"> </span></div><div
> class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;"><span
> style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Here
> is but one example that illustrates the frustration: I was encouraged by a
> top level engineer to use firmware version 003.315.003.  Apparently
> that version was Beta and never released  I experienced problems with
> the display of KW being consumed and was instructed to upgrade to
> .005.  Afterword I noticed the Mate3 was rebooting frequently. 
> Then it was revealed that an auto-reboot function that I had been urged to
> enable in previous versions never really worked until version .005. 
> I understood the reboot would only occur if the system was locked up but
> apparently it reboots every 4 hours (or period it is set to) and sends a
> notification.  Why would one want to reboot equipment every 4 hours
> unless it was locked up?  I request a lot of notices from my Optics
> systems (because it is unreliable) and I don’t need more.  Also, it
> is quite lame, IMHO, to recommend using a function that does not
> work.  Argh!!!  (Then I learned that .005 does not solve the
> incorrect display of kw consumed…Waiting for that to be
> resolved.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"
> style="font-size:12pt;"><span
> style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"> </span></div><div
> class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;"><span
> style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">I
> have been guilty of not reading the release notes.  Read them
> carefully!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"
> style="font-size:12pt;"><span
> style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"> </span></div><div
> class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;"><span
> style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">I
> will say I have not had any problems interfacing the FN-DC with a
> Mate3.  </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"
> style="font-size:12pt;"><span
> style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"> </span></div><div
> class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;"><span
> style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">In
> spite of the problems with the Optics and Mate3 systems, I am desperately
> in need of the functionality these systems promise.  We have more and
> more remote sites, more pressure to provide reliable power and better
> access to broadband internet.  The remote reporting and monitoring is
> essential.  I am sticking with Outback for the foreseeable future but
> I am in constant communications with them to encourage them to fix the
> many problems.  We are all invested in them
> succeeding.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"
> style="font-size:12pt;"><span
> style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"> </span></div><div
> class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;"><span
> style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">I
> hope this information is what you were hoping for.</span></div><div
> class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;"><span
> style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"> </span></div><div
> class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;"><span
> style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">William</span></div><div
> class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;"><span
> style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"> </span></div><div
> class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;"><span
> style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"> </span></div><div
> class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;"><span
> style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"> </span></div><div><div
> class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;"><span
> style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"><img
>   id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image003.jpg at 01D332BF.572CEA20"
> alt="Gradient Cap_mini" wbeuser="dan at foxfire-energy.com" width="80"
> height="35"><br>Lic 773985<br><a target="_blank"
> href="http://www.millersolar.com/"><span
> style="color:blue">millersolar.com</span></a><br>805-438-5600</span></div></div><div
> class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;"><span
> style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"> </span></div><div><div
> style="border:none;border-top:solid #b5c4df 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in
> 0in"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;"><b><span
> style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span
> style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">
> RE-wrenches [mailto:<a target="_blank"
> href="mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org">re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org</a>]
> <b>On Behalf Of </b><a target="_blank"
> href="mailto:dan at foxfire-energy.com">dan at foxfire-energy.com</a><br><b>Sent:</b>
> Thursday, September 21, 2017 9:24 AM<br><b>To:</b> <a target="_blank"
> href="mailto:offgridsolar at sti.net">offgridsolar at sti.net</a>;
> RE-wrenches<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [RE-wrenches] OutBack Power MATE3 to
> MATE3S Upgrade</span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"
> style="font-size:12pt;"> </div><div><div class="MsoNormal"
> style="font-size:12pt;"><span
> style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black">Umm,
> anyone? anyone?</span></div></div><div><div class="MsoNormal"
> style="font-size:12pt;"><span
> style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black"> </span></div></div><div><div
> class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12pt;"><span
> style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:black"><br>Dan
> Brown<br>Foxfire Energy Corp.<br>Renewable Energy
> Systems<br>(802)-483-2564<br><a target="_blank"
> href="http://www.Foxfire-Energy.com">www.Foxfire-Energy.com</a><br>NABCEP
> #092907-44</span></div></div></div>
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Dave Angelini Offgrid Solar
"we go where powerlines don't"
http://members.sti.net/offgridsolar/
e-mail  offgridsolar at sti.net
text 209 813 0060

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