[RE-wrenches] Midnite DIY hardware feedback

[Dan Fink]

Hi Allan - I was able to closely examine a Midnite DIY fresh out of the box
that a local colleague installed for a summer neighbor off grid up here. It
hasn't had any issues, but has yet to be heavily used, the HO was not able
to make it up here last summer, so it's just been idling.
My observations:

   - The max wire #AWG size for the DC +/- main cables was way thinner than
   what I would use. #2AWG max.
   - The wiring compartment is TINY, a struggle to even get the lock ring
   for conduit or strain relief gland in there.
   - No realistic way to attach conduit.
   - No 120/240 split phase option.
   - I'm not a fan of high-freq inverters off the grid.
   - I'm not a fan of all-in-one inverter/charge controller combos.
   - Not UL listed.

You get Midnite tech support and warranty of a Chinese product for the
price, which by far beats AliBaba, Ebay,or Amazon.

Not something I would install for myself or for any paying client. But hey,
the 1st 3 letters of the product name are DIY, so.....I've seen far, far
worse solutions for a remote homesteader on a shoestring budget. At least
you can call Midnite and talk to a human if everything goes FUBAR.

Dan Fink
Owner, Buckville Energy Consulting LLC
IREC Certified Instructor for PV and Small Wind Installation
NABCEP Certified PV System Inspector
NABCEP PV Associate
d <dan.fink at greendustrialtraining.com>anbob88 at gmail.com
970-672-4342




On Thu, Apr 20, 2023 at 6:28 PM Sindelar Solar via RE-wrenches <
re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:

> Wrenches,
> Has anyone used, or known customers who have used, Midnite Solar's new,
> inexpensive imported 'DIY' line? Any stories, any feedback on performance
> and reliability so far?
> Thanks, Allan
> --
> *Allan Sindelar*
> allan at sindelarsolar.com
> New Mexico EE98J Journeyman Electrician
> (Retired), Positive Energy, Inc.
> (Retired), Sindelar Solar
> *505 780-2738 cell*
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> List sponsored by Redwood Alliance
>
> Pay optional member dues here: http://re-wrenches.org
>
> List Address: RE-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org
>
> Change listserver email address & settings:
> http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
>
> There are two list archives for searching. When one doesn't work, try the
> other:
> https://www.mail-archive.com/re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org/
> http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
>
> List rules & etiquette:
> http://www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm
>
> Check out or update participant bios:
> http://www.members.re-wrenches.org
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org/attachments/20230421/53a4f45b/attachment.htm>