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--></style></head><body lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple"><div class="WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Friends:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">I recently managed to blow up a Hub 10.3. We are using Beldon 600 Volt rated Cat-5 cable and it is a bear to make up on RJ45 connectors. It seems I managed to short at least two of the leads. Apparently there is no overcurrent protection in these hubs. I saw a rather sizable spark generated inside the Hub when I plugged the defective lead in. Now we have Ethernet cable testers in all of the rigs and we test each cable before connecting. Outback, if you are listening, this should not be. The circuitry should have protection. This little boo-boo cost me over $250.00. Bad design!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">I also recently managed to damage a Mate3. I am not quite sure how it happened, but I suspect I reversed a hub lead with a router lead in the back of the Mate3. The symptoms were: worked fine except would not connect to the internet. No traffic lights on the router. The Hub leads do carry power, so the possibility exists that swapping the leads could cause harm.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">I asked a technician at Outback if swapping leads would cause this problem. I was told in no uncertain terms, “Yes.” “No.” “I don’t know.” Does anyone else on this list have any experience with this problem?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">If indeed the easily-accomplished swapping of leads into adjacent connectors in a hard-to-reach area of this controller will cause its demise, this seems like bad engineering. We will be strain-relieving these cables in such a manner as to make it impossible to swap them.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">While I am on the subject, we continue to have problems with the Mate3 dropping data. Unlike Enphase, that buffers data and can store it until connectivity is restored, the Mate3 just loses an hour of data here and an hour of data there. Anyone else experience this? Outback, can you improve on this?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">We have had less problems with our Optics systems going off-line. It happens, but less frequently. This used to happen so often we devised relays that are remotely operated using a Control-by-Web system to reboot the Mates when they locked up. I am interested in anyone’s experience in this particular area as well.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">We had sourced 600 volt rated Cat5e to run alongside high voltage leads. I confess ignorance in that until a few weeks ago, I did not realize that the garden-variety Cat5e is rated for 300 volts. This is suitable for colocation with the voltages usually found in off-grid systems. It may not be adequate for string systems that exceed the 300 volts. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Anyway, that’s what I have been learning the hard way lately. I hope someone can learn from my mistakes. If anyone has anything to add, I am always looking for extra input.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Sincerely,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">William Miller</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><img width="64" height="28" style="width:.6666in;height:.2916in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image002.jpg@01D22E50.2AB4F790" alt="Gradient Cap_mini"><br>Lic 773985<br><a href="http://www.millersolar.com/">millersolar.com</a><br>805-438-5600</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p></div></body></html>