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I get what you are saying... In my culture there is a well know phrase (maybe also in English) that says that "with the food comes the appetite". LOL. That's why I went with a 3kw inverter in the first place. It's to power some critical loads that are currently under 1000w, and even then, they...

Just a small suggestion regarding the solar panels: Have them lifted up a bit to allow for some airflow underneath. The more the panels heatup, the less efficient they are. You could put them on some cement blocks, or better yet on some angle brackets, angled to the sun in your area. You will...

Again, you can choose whether the thresholds are SOC or voltage based. For SOC, you must have an interface to the BMS. For voltage based, you don't. I'm quoting from the MUST inverter manual, but I'm guessing it's the same for MPP/Voltronic, since the MUST is a clone of those brands:

No, I didn't do a show and tell... But here are some pics: I have 4 x 100w flexible panels (max output is 200w, which is odd). They are attached to the "wing" of my pergola. The back side is somewhat ventilated, as the pergola wing is made of wood planks with some space between them. They...

Not quite... There are "official" Voltronic units branded as MPP and others, but not all are Voltronic. These days many other brands are actually Voltronic "clones": They have a similar design, use similar components and have similar software. But these are still clones (not just rebranding)...

In your case I would do the following: Stop all charging, and use the batteries untill you get to a low voltage (below 3v per cell). Then charge the batteries separately with a decent amperage up to about 80-90% SOC (3.4v per cell). Then charge them SLOWLY (still separately, say no more than...

OK, let's try to answer your questions, but first, have a look at this video: I've seen other EV owners do similar stuff (with a Nissan Leaf) on YT. This guy is special in that his build has folding panels. Probably not what you need but still interesting... Now to your questions: Case A...

Yeah, those HV solar arrays really scare me. That's why I opted to go low-voltage (~100v). This limits expanding my solar array, but I feel more comfortable with it. Although 100v is still alot, it's less than those 250-500v arrays.

In your case it depends on the BMS and how much current it can handle.

For those interested, look at BOINC and Gridcoin: https://gridcoin.us/ I used to run BOINC in order to make some Gridcoin running on some low power SBCs like Raspberry PIs. Not sure what its worth today, but you are basically donating resources for science/health research, so if you have excess...

I recently bought a PH1800 Plus (3k, 24v) from Aliexpress. The PH is identical to the PV, except that it can export excess PV power to the grid (like a grid-tie). I am currently still in testing phase of my installation, so I can comment much about it. MUST originally copied the design of some...

Looks more like 18650's to me: While there are Lifepo4 cells in 18650 or similar formats, IMO these were not Lifepo4. More pictures from the scene show massive fire bursts, more correlated with Li-ion than Lifepo4.

Let me guess what happend: Your Lifepo4 ground was connected to chassis ground, just like your starter battery, right? I blew up a CC converter because of this. Only to find out that the negative MUST go through the converter, because there is a shunt resistor on the negative side, which gives...

I don't have this specific brand, but I have 4x100w of similar black ETFE panels. What can I say, they are pretty lousy. I'm only getting around 180w peak from 400w total. I got them mounted on a "wing" if my pergola. They have some airflow underneath, but sill they get hot pretty quickly and...

I'm not fear mongering. I love this forum and respect its members. I am/was just trying to help. I'm talking from knowledge and experience. I have had some lithium battery BMSs go crazy when charged with a few different PWM SCC. I guess maybe the cheap ones are more problematic. Maybe newer...

If you're looking for reliability, JBD/Overkill has been pretty reliable here on the forum. There were some reliability issues with early models of the JK b2a8s20p, especially those with Heat port (for adding heat pads while charging below 0° C). Personally, I have quite a few JBD models...

Many factors are the reason why... In general, there isn't enough area on a roof of your standard sedan to house a significant amount of solar panels. Solar panels will also add weight, so you will actually be wasting energy hauling that weight around during the night or when it's cloudy. Most...

Best way is to use bus bars. You should have a fuse and a DC disconnect switch between battery and inverter. A fuse is also recommended from SCC to battery. Using bus bars make everything easier, and more streamlined. A DC rated disconnect or breaker should be used between solar panels and the...

Oh no! Charging up to 59v is over the maximum recommended 3.65v for Lifepo4 cells! They are pulling your leg... I don't think it's a fair statement to say that the missing capacity can be achieved by over charging the cells. There is very little capacity in the upper knee of the charge curve...

I don't know if it's wise to disconnect using a relay/contactor while under load. If you must do this under load, you should use a proper DC breaker with an arc chute, that will pull the arc away from the contacts while the power is being broken. Higher voltages have a longer arc, so it may be...

I think so, if you compare to charging an EV with solar and AC charging. Think of the losses you get: From the PV DC to AC via inverter, then from AC to DC of the EV battery pack, via the on-board charger (OBC). DC to AC inverters can be around 90% efficient, but most are only around 85%. Then...

Oh no... Big mistake! They might save some money on the installation, but I think that the performance and longevity of the system will be quickly compromised. Having flat panels means heat has no where to go, effectively reducing the lifespan of the panels. Also, rain/dust/dirt/bird droppings...

If you don't need alot if capacity, but need alot of starting power, look at Headway type cells. They are LFP but have a high C rating (like 200A) per cell. But note: If you need to pull 800A, it's not enough to series 8 cells, you need to parallel the cells. For example: if you go with headway...

You beat me to it...

If you are a bit handy, maybe you could skip the AC-DC charger altogether. What you are suggesting will lead to alot of inefficiencies: Going from DC (battery) to AC (inverter and charger) and then back to DC. Each "hop" will add inefficiencies. If I were you, I would take a good 12v 100Ah...

Aliexpress is your friend... Seriously now, I bought a variety of battery boxes on Aliexpress (and one time on Alibaba). You can simply search "battery box" on Ali. Here are some examples that I actually got: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002704269294.html...

Is your active balancer intended for Lifepo4 cells? Is it programmable? Maybe it's intended or setup by default for Lithium-Ion (NMC etc...) cells, and it tried to charge some of the cells up to 4.2v which is maximum for Lithium-Ion ? Also, how did you charge cells up to 3.45v? Did you charge...

Yes, they will... Smart meters these days know how to identify export. They will either notify the utility company, or charge you for export as if it were import. You should check with your local rules and regulations, to see if export is allowed. But my gut feeling is that you would need to...

I thought about two fuses and just one breaker. But two breakers make more sense (for maintenance etc...), thanks. Darn it, more stuff to buy...

This is when wired incorrectly. Most DC breakers for PV use are polarized, meaning that the direction of power flow matters. So you need to connect them properly (notice the +/- signs, and INPUT / LOAD markings).