[RE-wrenches] OB Skybox "PCS - NPC Gate Fault" error

[Kirk Herander]

Thanks. I got the batteries charging again from grid power by rebooting the
Skybox. They were down to 25% SOC from 100% six days ago when the problem
first started. The error cleared and started charging right away.

>From what you’ve said I assume The error will return at some point. In the
meantime, I’ll talk to my customer about replacing this crazy inverter. I
never did like it much anyway.

I found very limited info on this error online, but it was pretty much
consensus that it’s some sort of internal malfunction which can’t be
corrected. Hopefully OpticsRE will stay up so I can keep a close eye on it
remotely.


*Kirk Herander / **kirkh at vermont.solar <kirkh at vermont.solar>*

*Owner|Principal, VT Solar, LLC*

*Celebrating our 34st Anniversary 1991-2025!!*

dba Vermont Solar Engineering

802.559.1225


On Sat, May 24, 2025 at 7:18 AM Richard Nicol <rich at solartechvt.com> wrote:

> Hi Kirk
> My understanding is the NPC Gate Error essentially cannot be resolved. The
> only remedy is noticing it and resetting the inverter. The inverter will
>  very slowly discharge the battery when it occurs and if they sink below
> 46v the inverter will not initiate a charge, even after it’s been reset and
> the NPC Gate fault cleared. There are a couple other faults the Skybox is
> known for with the same result, PCS-DAB Battery Fault is a common one as
> well.
> I installed 4 Skyboxes and ended up replacing them on my dime. They are
> horrible, apparently Outback contracted out the design and didn’t test
> adequately before releasing. They attempted to patch poor design with
> firmware improvements but were not successful.
> I have one at my house that I pulled from a customer and keep a close eye
> on. The less stable the utility feed the more likely it seems that you see
> these faults. Maybe hardware installed on the utility feed could help
> smooth grid outages, even very short dips, that would the allow the Skybox
> to do its job. It’s frustrating to have a battery back up inverter fail
> precisely when it’s needed.
> Rich
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On May 23, 2025, at 8:16 PM, Kirk Herander via RE-wrenches <
> re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org> wrote:
>
> 
>
> Hey,
>
> Anyone know what this error is about? Yes, it's on my lone Skybox install,
> operating as a grid-tie inverter.
> Primary symptom is no battery charging from the grid. Any clues
> appreciated.
>
> Luckily I do have OpticsRE up and running at the site.
> --
>
>
> *Kirk Herander / **kirkh at vermont.solar <kirkh at vermont.solar>*
>
> *Owner|Principal, VT Solar, LLC*
>
> *Celebrating our 34st Anniversary 1991-2025!!*
>
> dba Vermont Solar Engineering
>
> 802.559.1225
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