neilmc
Member
- Joined
- May 22, 2017
- Messages
- 124
I've been collecting cells for a few months and I'm now up to the testing phase.
7S100P built so far with a capacity of about 215ah. I've got a lot of cells to process stillandshould have enough good ones for another 7S100P to add in the next little while.
I've got a recent install SMA 5kw inverter and 22 x 270w suntech panels. Adding battery to theSMA isn't that easy for DIY (and the officially supported battery integration is a silly price), so I'm leaving that alone. For now I've got a 900w APC SmartUPS 1500 as the inverter, and I've got a 240v 1500w 7S charger. The APC will be wired into a single outlet in our lounge room for now. There's a collection of media server gear etc which always draws 280w when no one is using the 55" TV or Xbox one. There's a collection of server stuff including about 28TB of NAS storage.
When there's more battery, I might add a MPP solar inverter and have it connected to lights and one power circuit. I may also add another 4 x 270w panels for the MPP to supplement the 240v charger.
Initially I can just put the charger on a timer and override it from my mobile with a sonoff adapter if the weather is bad. Medium term, I can connect the charger to the multifunction relay on the SMA (typically used for hot water systems when there is excess generation). The SMA relay is only rated for 1A @ 240v, so it needs an external relay between it and the load.
The first load test was with a 40" Samsung LCD and xbox 360 playing netflix with only 6S connected to the UPS. It ran for something like 10 hours, but that was only about a 150w load.
It's now running it's second load test connected to the lounge room media gear on 7S. The kids are using the TV, Xbox One and Yamaha receiver which don't typically run over night, so the load will be about 500-550w at the moment. Just over 1 hour in and the UPS fan is spinning slowly (about 22 deg Celsius ambient) and the metal case is cool to touch.
The load indicator on the UPS looks healthy. The battery level indicator on the UPS is useless, sitting at one bar to nothing, but it'll sit like that forever. I'm not worried about that. I've got a voltage sensing relay board in the UPS which will reconnect mains when the battery is below 23.5v and that's well above the UPS low voltage cut off. There's a sonoff wifi switch mounted in there as well, so I can set a timer to disconnect mains in typical non-solar generating hours (+ remote on off control to manually override if I want to)
So far so good
The next step is to mount it neatly somewhere. I've got an outside covered carport with a concrete slab. I'll probably put it out there in one of these:
https://www.bunnings.com.au/pinnacle-1830-x-860-x-410mm-lockable-garage-cabinet_p2583602
There's even a couple of pre-done power entry holes in the back of it.
7S100P built so far with a capacity of about 215ah. I've got a lot of cells to process stillandshould have enough good ones for another 7S100P to add in the next little while.
I've got a recent install SMA 5kw inverter and 22 x 270w suntech panels. Adding battery to theSMA isn't that easy for DIY (and the officially supported battery integration is a silly price), so I'm leaving that alone. For now I've got a 900w APC SmartUPS 1500 as the inverter, and I've got a 240v 1500w 7S charger. The APC will be wired into a single outlet in our lounge room for now. There's a collection of media server gear etc which always draws 280w when no one is using the 55" TV or Xbox one. There's a collection of server stuff including about 28TB of NAS storage.
When there's more battery, I might add a MPP solar inverter and have it connected to lights and one power circuit. I may also add another 4 x 270w panels for the MPP to supplement the 240v charger.
Initially I can just put the charger on a timer and override it from my mobile with a sonoff adapter if the weather is bad. Medium term, I can connect the charger to the multifunction relay on the SMA (typically used for hot water systems when there is excess generation). The SMA relay is only rated for 1A @ 240v, so it needs an external relay between it and the load.
The first load test was with a 40" Samsung LCD and xbox 360 playing netflix with only 6S connected to the UPS. It ran for something like 10 hours, but that was only about a 150w load.
It's now running it's second load test connected to the lounge room media gear on 7S. The kids are using the TV, Xbox One and Yamaha receiver which don't typically run over night, so the load will be about 500-550w at the moment. Just over 1 hour in and the UPS fan is spinning slowly (about 22 deg Celsius ambient) and the metal case is cool to touch.
The load indicator on the UPS looks healthy. The battery level indicator on the UPS is useless, sitting at one bar to nothing, but it'll sit like that forever. I'm not worried about that. I've got a voltage sensing relay board in the UPS which will reconnect mains when the battery is below 23.5v and that's well above the UPS low voltage cut off. There's a sonoff wifi switch mounted in there as well, so I can set a timer to disconnect mains in typical non-solar generating hours (+ remote on off control to manually override if I want to)
So far so good
The next step is to mount it neatly somewhere. I've got an outside covered carport with a concrete slab. I'll probably put it out there in one of these:
https://www.bunnings.com.au/pinnacle-1830-x-860-x-410mm-lockable-garage-cabinet_p2583602
There's even a couple of pre-done power entry holes in the back of it.
