I have had issues w/ the FNDC I had to send it back for a reprogram I sent the mate back at the same time too. MOST important thing I learned is that the battery bank MUST be at a full SOC prior to connecting the FNDC otherwise you defiantly will have generator issues. Still having our low voltage "non start" gen problem. Reset all parameters in Mate and we will see what happens from a customer dated 9/25/09 this customer also has had gen not shutting off issues too.
-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of William Miller Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 5:28 PM To: RE-wrenches Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Outback FNDC relay, Flex Net Review Kent: The manual is not clear as to how this is done. Have you considered using a relay in an FX inverter to activate the generator as is done in a system without the Flex Net? Interesting about the SMA claim, but until I hear otherwise, this is just a claim. William At 01:25 PM 10/14/2009, you wrote: William, In all of these systems, the Mate's AGS system is being used to control the FNDC's relay. The Mate's AGS port has been selected so that it operates the FNDC's relay rather than using the Aux output on the inverter. The FNDC is providing SOC info to the Mate, but isn't directly controlling the relay. I agree with you about the potential to confuse customers. And about the inaccuracy of battery amp-hour meters in general. But it is interesting that SMA's main claim about the Sunny Island is that it does the best job managing batteries. It does it by keeping track of the battery's SOC. William Miller wrote: Kent: >From the Flex Net DC manual, page 16: "OutBack strongly recommends using the AGS function of the MATE to control a generator." I assume from your post, you are using the Auto mode to have the relay control a generator, a practice that the above quotation recommends against. This may relate directly to your problems. I have no experience with the Flex Net but I took this opportunity to review the manual more thoroughly than I have previously. My conclusion is that the Flex Net is a great tool for the technically inclined but offers a minimal convenience for the lay person. The State of Charge function may be a more realistic method of determining actual state of charge, but if it operates at all like the E-meter or the Tri-Metric, it is prone to inaccuracy. The variables associated with individual battery banks, particularly as they age, make accurate calibration a moving target. Overall, the Flex net has the potential to increase customer confusion with a proliferation of synoptic (overly succinct) menus. Again, I call on the technicians in the industry to create a user interface with the lay person in mind. See previous rant. I may find I recommend this system for remote locations so I can poll statistics and interpret for the client, but I will not train a client on the use of this unless he or she is particularly inclined. Anyone else have an opinion on the Flex net system? William Miller At 12:13 PM 10/14/2009, you wrote: Has anyone besides me had problems using the relay in the Outback FNDC? I've had three different customers report that their generators failed to turn off. -- Kent Osterberg Blue Mountain Solar, Inc. www.bluemountainsolar.com <http://www.bluemountainsolar.com/> _______________________________________________ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: [email protected] Options & settings: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org List-Archive: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org List rules & etiquette: www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm Check out participant bios: www.members.re-wrenches.org <http://www.members.re-wrenches.org/> No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com <http://www.avg.com/> Version: 8.5.421 / Virus Database: 270.14.16/2435 - Release Date: 10/14/09 06:33:00 Please note new e-mail address and domain: William Miller Miller Solar Voice :805-438-5600 Fax: 805-438-4607 email: [email protected] http://millersolar.com <http://millersolar.com/> License No. C-10-773985
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