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Forum Index : Electronics : OzInverter OzCntrl PCB rev12 Sept2017
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Clockmanfr Guru  Joined: 23/10/2015 Location: FrancePosts: 429 |
Hhmmmm, 130 amp breakers on the DC input,ie from the batteries, that's very interesting. 130amp breaker is cheaper than a 250amp. Oztules, Have you ever had the RCD on the AC 230v output from the OzInverter trip out.? Everything is possible, just give me time. 3 HughP's 3.7m Wind T's (14 years). 5kW PV on 3 Trackers, (10 yrs). 21kW PV AC coupled SH GTI's. OzInverter created Grid. 1300ah 48v. |
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| Warpspeed Guru Joined: 09/08/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 4406 |
Its just a 555 timer that oscillates at about 1Hz with roughly equal on and off times. That drives each of three 8 pin DIP sockets wired specifically for the three different types of gate drivers that I use. Each DIP socket has its own LED or LEDs that should wink on and off if the output(s) are working. I just plug a suspect gate driver into the appropriate socket, if the LED on the output winks on and off its o/k. If the LED either stays on or never comes on.... straight into the bin for that driver. It also has a three terminal screw block for testing mosfets. 555 oscillator onto the gate through a series 10K resistor, and a resistor and LED in the drain. Again if the LED winks at 1Hz its o/k. I can get through a fair pile of assorted suspect parts very quickly and be sure no dead parts get put back in. Took maybe half an hour to make, but it has saved me a lot of messing about and uncertainty. Cheers, Tony. |
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| Clockmanfr Guru Joined: 23/10/2015 Location: FrancePosts: 429 |
Gosh that sounds sexy. Any chance of a PCB board layout/circuit? for the Warpspeed Test Box It would be nice to offer a sure way of testing stuff to those folk that are putting together a OzInverter. Everything is possible, just give me time. 3 HughP's 3.7m Wind T's (14 years). 5kW PV on 3 Trackers, (10 yrs). 21kW PV AC coupled SH GTI's. OzInverter created Grid. 1300ah 48v. |
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oztules Guru Joined: 26/07/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1686 |
Yes, the RCD has blown, but from o/load rather than earth leakage. It is a 5kw rating, but I exceed that sometimes for extended periods, and it trips and reminds me to take it easy. The 68amp breakers are normal din ones x 2. Seems to give me the flexibility I need, and the protection I want. ........oztules Village idiot...or... just another hack out of his depth |
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| Warpspeed Guru Joined: 09/08/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 4406 |
This was just a quick and dirty one off, assembled on Veroboard. Cheers, Tony. |
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Tinker Guru Joined: 07/11/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1904 |
Mad, I suggest you also check *all* of the 1N5819 diodes. I always found some short after the Tip 41/42's went bad. Its a pain to unsolder the diodes but I just measure first if there is 10 Ohm or zero across the parallel pair. Klaus |
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| Tinker Guru Joined: 07/11/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1904 |
I will have to get some of them too. Any particular brand or supplier, Ebay?, recommended? Thanks. Klaus |
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| oztules Guru Joined: 26/07/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1686 |
Clockman and anyone else reading this thread. My reset switch system works perfectly with all my inverters, and can be initiated while under load or any other condition without any problems at all. It must be noted, that Mad tried this ( I was talking to him at the time) and with his unit turned off, and in over current condition, the reset failed him, and his unit imploded. We don't have a clue why or how. I can't see why shutting the power off to an inert control card can do this, never mind me doing it all the time to all my inverters under full load, no load or in o/current condition without a sign of problem... but it has happened to his. I suspect he has another problem in there somewhere, but whatever it is, beware that it has happened to that unit. I use this all the time setting up the o/current control pot... ie I connect to the lathe 5hp induction motor, and just keep resetting and o/currenting until I get the current up to 60 or so amps on the 240v line. I have a dozen or so inverters out there, and this has not happened in all the testing, and field use in many situations. One in particular has had a lot of resetting done in the field, with no ill effects ( I had forgotten to push it up to 60 amps, so it was o/current at 20 amps....( 5kw) which was not enough at that site ). So this a warning that there may be something in this. I would like to think not, but the warning is there. It may have something to do with the extra power supply and driver on his cards, or there may have been damage to the 8010 when the GTI blew it all to hell. We just don't know. I am very comfortable with the system as it is, but beware anyway. ..........oztules Village idiot...or... just another hack out of his depth |
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| oztules Guru Joined: 26/07/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1686 |
Tinker. As you have guessed there are good ones and not so good ones out there. I found that the Noark ones from Rockby electronics work particularly well in this application. I will get the link....... Egad, I bought 36 of them when they were on end of year special for less than 4 bucks. https://www.rockby.com.au/CatresultsSql_12.cfm?Searchkey=breaker&offset=61&stock_no=44409 I bought a few boxes from ebay that were lousy, and stuck on just turning on the power. These ones blow properly, and start up properly. Here they are on Ebay for much better prices http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Noark-1P-AC-Circuit-Breaker-B-Curve-ratings-10A-16A-25A-32A-40A-63A-Qty-12-/152717333355?hash =item238ea9936b:g:eeQAAOSwD0lUbCY1 There are 500vdc 63a ones on there as well .........oztules Village idiot...or... just another hack out of his depth |
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| Tinker Guru Joined: 07/11/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1904 |
Thanks for that info oztules. I will look it up directly. So you just connect two in parallel to get the 130A rating? You may guess I'm unfamiliar with high current DC switch gear. Do you place the breakers to disconnect the pos, neg or both battery cables? Klaus |
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| oztules Guru Joined: 26/07/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1686 |
I just use the AC ones, but they have DC as well.. Appear the same outwardly. I opened them up, and they flick open very fast and over an extraordinary long distance. There are DC ones on ebay as well if you want also. I connect two in parallel on the pos line from the input terminal. I will try to do a post on a unit from start to finish soon, I only intend to build one more. I have run out of aerosharps and inspires thank goodness.... so I am now able to refuse to do any more  Another bloke rang from another outer island today, and I was able to say no at last. I know it's hard to believe, but my units have an excellent name amongst the locals.. silliest thing I have ever done..... peace at last. ...........oztules Village idiot...or... just another hack out of his depth |
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| Tinker Guru Joined: 07/11/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1904 |
So, what's the tally? How many toroids have you re wound by now? I have another 3KW areosharp toroid sitting here. Plus a spare heat sink, already cut. Then there are the spare PCB's, since I had to order 5 of them. No excuse then... I know, its a dreadful disease but fun (to me) and it keeps me mentally & physically busy in retirement. Not sure yet what I will do with a spare for my spare inverter  .Klaus |
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| Warpspeed Guru Joined: 09/08/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 4406 |
That is what I am using. You can also fit a shunt trip to these breakers that can flip the breaker to off for under or overvoltage disconnect. Cheers, Tony. |
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yahoo2 Guru Joined: 05/04/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1166 |
or ground fault protection with a 0.5 or 1 amp trip. I'm confused, no wait... maybe I'm not... |
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| Clockmanfr Guru Joined: 23/10/2015 Location: FrancePosts: 429 |
Warpspeed, That's a shame, would have liked a Disco flasher tester. Everything is possible, just give me time. 3 HughP's 3.7m Wind T's (14 years). 5kW PV on 3 Trackers, (10 yrs). 21kW PV AC coupled SH GTI's. OzInverter created Grid. 1300ah 48v. |
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| Clockmanfr Guru Joined: 23/10/2015 Location: FrancePosts: 429 |
Thanks oztules, I fit a 40amp, about 8kW, RCD on my AC 230v as it leaves the OzInverter, I haven't tripped it yet, but its handy for switching off loads before re-starting the Inverter. In the past I have tripped out DC paralleled up breakers on my battery positive cable, one goes and trips the other. Sometimes it can be difficult to reset as one will the other wont. Or may be they were crap breakers. Hence me liking those Big breakers. I believe they are made in the Philippines for Outback as well, I heard. Everything is possible, just give me time. 3 HughP's 3.7m Wind T's (14 years). 5kW PV on 3 Trackers, (10 yrs). 21kW PV AC coupled SH GTI's. OzInverter created Grid. 1300ah 48v. |
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| Clockmanfr Guru Joined: 23/10/2015 Location: FrancePosts: 429 |
Thanks oztules, and yes I do listen to your comments. For those folk reading this topic, ... ........ it should be noted that I have stuck rigidly to 'oztules' designs and circuits that he tests, sometimes, to destruction, and to date like 'oztules' the Ozinverters out there with our Boards are running sweetly and doing there job. Others on this forum have gone there own particular way with Power boards and such and pushed the boundaries further. Me I am a boring old .... plodding along playing catch up with the bright and whizzing along lads here. Its taken me a year just to get the OzControl board from the Temp sense start/stop to the proper Pin 6 start. But the temp sense On/Off did work well. Everything is possible, just give me time. 3 HughP's 3.7m Wind T's (14 years). 5kW PV on 3 Trackers, (10 yrs). 21kW PV AC coupled SH GTI's. OzInverter created Grid. 1300ah 48v. |
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| brac321 Regular Member  Joined: 30/11/2016 Location: SloveniaPosts: 54 |
Few links to DIN rail DC breakers if anyone need. These are ok, we use them for years on a various systems. They are made quite differently from AC ones. In open state there must be longer distance between contacts, faster switch over and most important: close to the contacts shall be powerful magnets to attract plasma fire back if man switches Off at high current flow. AC one in same situation (high DC current) will heavy damage its contacts or even start burn out... 2P DC 600v 125A 1P DC 250v 100A Same guy offers also DC 63A and 40A 1P and 2P How to test them if they are realy DC and not fake? If you put two together side to side, man can feel magnetizing forces. Or with compass ... OffGrid 24/7: 250w black mono solar panels 6.4kWp, 1x Midnite Classic 150, 1x MorningStar MPPT 60, battery bank 840 Ah @ 48v, modified LF-8K inverter, DC/DC, hot water harvesting, etc. |
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Madness Guru Joined: 08/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2498 |
I have bought a number of breakers from the same people on Aliexpress for less money, I have found them to work well also. Breaker There are only 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don't. |
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| oztules Guru Joined: 26/07/2007 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1686 |
Mad, I thought it only fair that I try to blow my current unit up via the reset switch.... which I fully understand your a bit gun shy of at the moment. So I decided to reset the thing ten times in a row under all kinds of loads up to 4kw ( all I had available out in the shed ).... long press, short press medium length press ( never over 2 seconds... have to think of the 120r too. It can't be too impressed with half an amp for too long) At all times I just ran the loads, pressed the reset and stood back to see what happened. It was very uneventful, it just stops instantly, flashes the 2 pulses...then soft starts under the prevailing loads... never looked in doubt. The load made no difference, it just stops on a dime.... and the restart is smooth and very definite... the 4kw was no problem to it, and I suspect nor would 6 or 8kw ( done that before too) So I am sure we have a different problem in your unit.... and maybe Tinker was onto it. This is not meant to be salt in the wound, but testing with 3v on the VFB won't find this out for you.... only no caps and full conditions will find these things, and the wave differential may be quite small in magnitude, you will need to be looking for it. Nothing I can think of explains the tripping of the current at a level of only a few kw. If you are using my values, then 4kw is about the minimum if I recall. Max is over 20kw and beyond. I have not defined an upper limit so beware of full turn anti clockwise... it shuts down the turn off altogether. I should have another resistor in the string..... but I did it for me.  Best of luck with it. It did 6 months of fairly grueling operation under all conditions as I recall, so your platform is sound when it is running properly... thats an excellent start. Overloaders. Yes I should use DC ones, but I took my original que from the Latronics inverters I had to fix up over here, and they all used AC 50A breakers... so I figured good enough for them good enough for me. Then I found all breakers are not created equal, most worked flawlessly for the last 4 years for the older ones... but some cheapies did not make the first turn on.... they welded ON just from charging the caps... here a magnet won't help, as we were on the make not break. DC ones are superior, but I have lots of ac ones to use up, and they have operated perfectly over a lot of installations. I use 100 amp/string fuses on the battery banks pos lines as a last resort. Without fuses and breakers, the popping and banging continues until there are no longer any viable paths for the current to flow in the inverter... this normally burns the boards a bit under the gate resistors, and blows the fets apart. With 130 amps of o/loader in place ( AC ones at least), there is no visible damage after a blow out... not even a leg off a fet, and usually only one bridge. ........oztules Village idiot...or... just another hack out of his depth |
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