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PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 4:47 pm GMT EstGMT 
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Minnow
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Location: San Mateo, CA
I checked all connections for tightness and continuity that I could check. I disconnected one string inside the Xantrex and then went to bed. On computer startup the same windows defender question came up but this time I unchecked the box that said "always ask this question when opening this file". I have checked DC voltages on both strings and they are both 310, one connected and the other is not. The voltage on the circuit board going up is 310. I checked both legs of AC and its connections and it is total 244. I unscrewed the lid to where the fuses are kept and checked voltage, 310, (just from the one string still connected). I pushed the white square button and it said manual shutdown. I switched the disconnect to off and then pushed the white reset button again so it is in the depressed position. I switched the disconnect back to on. It did its count down and then said insufficent solar energy. I have waited an hour and took a screen shot displayed below. all morning has been some of the brightest sunshine on the panels and it is now almost 12:30 past noon and the system has not started up yet. I don't like to disconnect and connect dc wires during this much brightness so I will wait till tonight and switch strings to see if that makes a difference before I submit to Xantrex customer support.
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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 5:08 pm GMT EstGMT 
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Minnow
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It is now 1:03 and the system just started up for the first time today and is producing 1200 ac watts


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Jan 21, 2007 8:01 pm GMT EstGMT 
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Red Cobra Delta Guppy
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You have done all that you can do, call Xantrex in the morning and request a replacement inverter. You can tell them you did significant debug with help from this site and all things point to the inverter


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 1:07 pm GMT EthGMT 
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Minnow
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I am still in contact with Xantrex about this current on going problem which is still occurring with the new replaced inverter. I originally replaced just the inverter and left the original lower conduit box installed. When the same problem kept happening, I decided to replace the lower half as well to remove any doubt about the inverter. My question: Is the tracker inside the inverter somehow adjustable? My original inverter minimum DC Amps read .06 The replacement inverter reads .1 In comparison to Mike's .02 Mike's seems to "start" earlier than mine even though his faces west and mine is more of a southeast facing panels. Everytime GT View reads offline and the MPPT reads 600, I can go outside and read the inverter which displays, "Insufficient Solar Energy" Sometimes it will come back online in less than 2 minutes. Other times the system will stay offline for hours, like yesteryday from 9:42 am until 11:34 am during which time the DC Amps registered .13 What is the relation between MPPT and DC Amps?
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 Post subject: Re: Xantrex 3.8 shuts down short periods
PostPosted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 1:59 pm GMT EthGMT 
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Guppy
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clyde wrote:
I have 18 Sharp 208's connected 2 strings of 9 homerun to xantrex gt 3.8 about 18 feet of equal length.
-snip-
Thanks
Clyde


Huh, I have Sharp 208's also, 22 of them, 2 strings of 11.
That usually gives me (after all the start-up dithering while my panels are lit by ambient light, no direct sun) :
VDC DC Amps MPPT DC Pwr AC Pwr Eff
310.1 1.35 310.4 423 421 99.53
and thru the rest of the day, voltage stays the same (give or take a couple of volts), and the current climbs up, then down, till sunset & shutdown. I've seen only a couple of times, an offline indicator on the GTview, but it seems to not show as a gap in my log files.

The oddness of your voltages (which I'd expect your power production voltages to be about 48V lower than mine) Maybe 9 panels are below what reliable start-up voltage is ?
GT sizer tool : http://www.xantrex.com/support/gtsizing ... p?lang=eng
suggests 9 modules, if they are on a hot sunny roof, are just barely at the mininum voltage. [ 202VDC output, 195V min input voltage ] Add some wire losses, and you have a mess.
Maybe a bad connection under load, on a MC connector that didn't get fully engaged ?
I had one bad panel with an odd brown spot on it, have you checked your panels visually ?

You can use the DC disconnect on the bottom of the GT, to kill the power, then you can connect/disconnect wires without arc welding them, but they still have 300V @8A in them ready to bite your skin. Maybe there is a bad wire in the conduit runs, try grabbing a spare hunk of 30' os so, and try a new wire run.

_________________
"Since the dawn of time it has been mankind's dream to blot out the sun"
Montgomery Burns


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 3:08 pm GMT EthGMT 
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Minnow
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New Development:
I was on the phone with Xantrex support, after 45 minutes online and several questions/answers, I was asked to disconnect GT View from the inverter and then the inverter started to produce.
So let me clarify what happened in today's session at 3/15/2007 10:30am, my system had not started up all morning, GT View Data:
10:29:27 Vdc=302.7 dcA=0.13 MPPT=600 dcPwr=39 acPwr=0 Eff=0 acV=247.9 acWattHr=0 HS Temp=66 Freq=60 Status=ST:4 STS:0000 8010 0010 8010 FA:10
As soon as I disconnected the cat5 cable in the inverter, the system started to produce 2700 Watts. I plug the cable in and the system goes to 0 watts Insufficient Solar Energy. I disconnect cable and system goes to 2750watts every time I tried within a 10 minute period.
Conclusion: Somehow Gt View and/or hardware between Gt View and inverter has an effect on the inverter's operation.
I am using GT View 1.9 Beta Software... Beta always brings questions but many others are using same software and system with no problem. I use Comm port 2 with 32 Write to Disk Interval (seconds)
This leads to Hardware questions:
I purchased two RS232 to Cat5 adapters, one into the serial port on my computer and the other in the Xantrex serial port. In between the two adapters I have 25 feet of Cat5e new cable. The computer is 2.6Ghz with 1Gb memory and runs Windows XP.
Resolution:
I have 2.5 months of Gt View Data logs showing variable shut down periods of 2 minutes to two hours. This is with Gt View hooked up and running constantly with the inverter. Until there is a solution, from this day forward I plan to have the data cable disconnected at the inverter and then at the end of the day hook up the cable to get some kind of total daily records to compare with the previous months of data records. I will not be able track any time period during the day but at least I will be able to have a daily total comparison. I don't see another option short of staring at the inverter screen all day and physically writing down the data.
At this time a second defective inverter has not been ruled out.
It is now 12 noon and the system has produced 4320 AC Watt Hrs in last 1.5 hours


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 3:28 pm GMT EthGMT 
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Red Cobra Delta Guppy
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I am thinking your string voltage is to low .. I'm pretty sure the GT's need to see 300vdc to start up, its possible, connecting, disconnecting the RS232 might make a small change in Vdc reading, as your reporting 302, right on the edge of startup.

Ken, From Xantrex support also sent me an email about this system, but I think more fault analysys is needed to find to core fault. GT-View has no ability to control the inverter, it just sends standard RS232 commands all of which just ask for data.

I think someone else posted about the number of panels in your string being to low

Keep us updated, it always good to find out the causes of this rare enduser issues!


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 4:02 pm GMT EthGMT 
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Guppy
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clyde wrote:
New Development:
I was on the phone with Xantrex support, after 45 minutes online and several questions/answers, I was asked to disconnect GT View from the inverter and then the inverter started to produce.


Hmmmm...... I saw this just once on my system, I was in the process of connecting the serial cable (just 3 wires per the connection list) ( was rerouting to a cleaner installation so the cable would not get snagged, and pull the laptop to the floor) to the laptop, and without the laptop glitching at all, I heard a 60hz hum from the inverter, and saw the laptop was displaying OFFLINE, and was counting down from 5 minutes, inverter reconnected, and has been fine since. Maybe a stray leakage path on a control line is freaking the inverter out ?

_________________
"Since the dawn of time it has been mankind's dream to blot out the sun"
Montgomery Burns


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 7:49 pm GMT EthGMT 
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Minnow
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Joined: Thu Jan 18, 2007 1:04 pm GMT EthGMT
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I know 9 panels is on low end of sizing tool. Original plan was to incorporate 2 strings of 12 versus 9. It was changed to accommodate roof layout. I have thought about adding another 4 to 8 panels but that would mean parts of a string would be south facing and part would be west facing. What would be the effect of imbalanced strings in regards to sun angle? ie not all panels in the string would be on the same plane.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 1:29 am GMT EthGMT 
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Red Cobra Delta Guppy
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I would suggest you debug one issue at a time ...

First, I would suggest you add a panel from one string to the other and run with 10 panels and see if things run OK, then tackle what follows once you current problem is understood and veriifed solved


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