<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt">Hi Drake:<br> I was recently troubleshooting a system with Sanyo 210s and an SB-4000US inverter. The installation worked most of the time, but would blow the 1A GFCI fuse when it rained, due to humiidity. Replacing the fuse would resolve the issue, until it rained again. Finding the fault was difficult, but with a megger tester, I was able to isolate the issue to the SB combiner box. When I connected the megger inside the combiner box, the test revealed a visible arc occuring on the surface of the SMA combiner box circuit board. The circuitboard had been damaged by the tip of a screw driver during installation. I had been called in to service the project after the original installer went out of business. <br>Nick Soleil<br>Project Manager<br>Advanced
Alternative Energy Solutions, LLC<br>PO Box 657<br>Petaluma, CA 94953<br>Cell: 707-321-2937<br>Office: 707-789-9537<br>Fax: 707-769-9037<div><br></div><div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br><div style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><hr size="1"><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">From:</span></b> Drake <drake.chamberlin@redwoodalliance.org><br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">To:</span></b> gilligan06@gmail.com; RE-wrenches <re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org><br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sent:</span></b> Sun, November 7, 2010 5:19:12 PM<br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></b> Re: [RE-wrenches] SB Power during countdown<br></font><br>
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Gilligan,<br><br>
Below is the data you asked for:<br><br>
A) Measure and Record DC Voltage between Positive and Negative
(VOC). <font color="#0000ff"> 0.0 to 0.1<br>
</font>B) Measure and Record DC Voltage between Positive and
Ground.
<font color="#0000ff">0.0 to 0.1<br>
</font>C) Measure and Record DC Voltage between Negative and
Ground.
<font color="#0000ff">503 VDC<br><br>
</font>No sign of rain. <br><br>
No evidence of a ground fault. If a fault exists, it is
intermittent. The system worked fine for a week with the new
inverter. Since it went down, I've done repeated checks and found
no evidence of a fault. Fortunately the system is close by.
<br><br>
There is one string of 10, Sanyo 210s. The installation is 9 months
old. The only J-Box is in the attic and is dry and wired very
cleanly. The system worked great until a few weeks ago.
<br><br>
I will check the rotation of wheel on the meter again, when we get the
GFP fuses in. I think the inverter was producing power.
<br><br>
No Spark on the DC wires. <br><br>
Note: The first inverter did NOT blow the GFP fuse. I worked
intermittently. <br><br>
Has anyone had problems with Sanyo modules faulting? <br><br>
Thanks,<br><br>
Drake <br><br>
<br>
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