All my current Trace SW customers are still functioning normally off the grid. I think we have a couple brothers to thank for that! One helluva inverter. My more remote off grid clients (including me) can't do online monitoring because the satellite internet is such a big load 24/7. I am experimenting with Packet Radio and Arduino into an APRS web node locally. I like OpticsRE, but if the internet cnx is squirrely, as so often in remote areas, it goes offline a lot. And the data kernalization is really coarse, need to offload from the SD card logger to get what I need, and that's a 5 hour drive.
Dan Fink Professor of Solar Energy Technology, Ecotech Institute IREC Certified Instructor™ for: ~ PV Installation Professional ~ Small Wind Installer Executive Director, Buckville Energy NABCEP Registered Continuing Education Providers™ NABCEP PV Associate 970.672.4342 On Mon, Oct 8, 2018 at 9:57 AM Ray <[email protected]> wrote: > Latest news: The SW inverters came back from the dead. They rebooted > everything several times, and they're working again. Once again 20 years > out, the Trace proves why we built an industry around it. We probably > will replace them, but now we have a bit of time to plan it out. Thanks > everyone for the replies. I'll keep you all posted on what we decide to > do. > > Ray Walters > Remote Solar > 303 505-8760 > > On 10/8/18 8:50 AM, Michael Morningstar wrote: > > Replacing old SW’s has accounted for about half of my work load for the > last two or three years. When my clients have limited means and a single > SW4024, I install a MS4024 w/conduit box, and leave everything else intact. > Often, when dealing with really remote sites, I can have the client send me > some pictures of the “power wall” and I can make one trip out showing up > with everything I need too make the swap in an few hours. My service truck > is stocked for every contingency to do so. > > > > Dual inverters, I lean towards a pre-wired MS4024PAE Mini-Magnum power > center. That’s a pretty quick swap too. > > > > When customers do have the means, or say it's is a new client who > purchased a place with a legacy system, then I just start from scratch, In > that case I specify Radians, either 4 or 8kws, because the Mate 3’s make my > life so much easier. I get calls all the time from folks who have Magnums > and ME-ARC controllers……….”How do I get back to %” Plus with the Mate 3, if > these get wonky, I can have the client send me pictures of the “Events” so > Iknow what were up against. Way more problems with Magnum reliability in > the last few years too. > > > > The question I think about all the time is why is it that all my earlier > systems and those installed by others do so well. I mean, I have built > hundreds and hundreds of SW based systems with modest arrays with a great > success rate. Long battery life and minimal equipment failure. Nowadays I > feel like Im running around putting out fires and wasting my life on hold > waiting for “tech support”. I almost never see ten years with FLA’s. > > > > I love it when I come across an Ananda power center, what a blast from > the past. > > > > Michael > > > >> On Oct 7, 2018, at 6:02 PM, Ray <[email protected]> wrote: > >> > >> Greetings Esteemed Wrenches; > >> > >> I have yet another customer whose 20+ yr old Trace SW inverter has > flown off to inverter Nirvana. I have replaced a few over the years and > never quite solved the quandary of whether to replace the entire power > board, or to retrofit a Magnum/ Outback in place of the SW, and keep the > old Trace DC enclosure. In this particular case, he has a pair of SW 4024s > on an old Ananda power center. I'm considering taking the system to 48 v as > well, since this will let us use the Magnum 4.4 kW inverters. This however > will also involve rewiring 20 yr old arrays of 50 and 75 watt modules...... > >> What is the consensus on the best replacement practices on these legacy > systems? I have several out there with the clock ticking down. My current > idea is to just keep the Ananda and use Magnum's extension boxes to connect > up the new MS 4448 inverters. Its a tough call: I've replaced a few single > SW installs and reused the Trace DC enclosure, and cursed working in those > tiny boxes. In other cases, I've put up a whole new system, but wondered > if that was over kill too. It seems to be a case of more field > installation hours vs more equipment costs. > >> > >> Sure be handy, if someone made an SW replacement kit, there are still a > bunch of them out there. > >> > >> As always, thanks for all your comments and ideas, > >> > >> -- > >> Ray Walters > >> Remote Solar > >> 303 505-8760 > >> > >> _______________________________________________ > >> List sponsored by Redwood Alliance > >> > >> List Address: [email protected] > >> > >> Change listserver email address & settings: > >> http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > >> > >> List-Archive: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html > >> > >> List rules & etiquette: > >> www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm > >> > >> Check out or update participant bios: > >> www.members.re-wrenches.org > >> > > _______________________________________________ > > List sponsored by Redwood Alliance > > > > List Address: [email protected] > > > > Change listserver email address & settings: > > http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > > > > List-Archive: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html > > > > List rules & etiquette: > > www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm > > > > Check out or update participant bios: > > www.members.re-wrenches.org > > > > _______________________________________________ > List sponsored by Redwood Alliance > > List Address: [email protected] > > Change listserver email address & settings: > http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > > List-Archive: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html > > List rules & etiquette: > www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm > > Check out or update participant bios: > www.members.re-wrenches.org > >
_______________________________________________ List sponsored by Redwood Alliance List Address: [email protected] Change listserver email address & settings: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org List-Archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html List rules & etiquette: www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm Check out or update participant bios: www.members.re-wrenches.org
