I like how it's modular, those look very similar to server power supplies in their size... makes me wonder if that's what they are using in a custom configuration. Easy reparability.
It's 100% some Huawei/Emerson Telco 48V power supplies. I have a few from a 4G Telco rack i tore down, and they are fully programmable via CANBUS where you can regulate voltage and amps, and ofc. read out vital data.
just got mine set up. in alaska i have some short days, so this is something i will use for probably 3 months out of the year. i use an 8000w generac. charged my 300ah bank at 75amps, from like 60% in 1.5 hours….i’m excited about being able to run my bank lower and charge faster instead of having to top off more frequently.
@@DavidPozEnergy was using the 18a with a 2000w generator and it’s just to much wear and tear and time. so this unit is super helpful. i wish that it could be mounted differently. or atleast had longer leads.
Hey DavidPoz. Looks like Growatt is about to launch the SPF 6000 ES Plus inverter. Would be awesoe if you could try get in contact with them and see if you can do a 1 phase/3 phase review on the units, im stoked on them because dual MPPTs.. Would be sweet to see you do a review on them like the ones you did for the 5kw units.. Keep up the nice work.
I have 4, 2400 watt 12v power supplies, 220/240v they can be put in series, with little mods, they are server power supplies, if I could build a DC to DC converter, with constant current constant voltage, capable of outputting 60-70v, this would be one heck of a charger, it would require over 10kw, they output 2450 watts, or I could use 5 in series, using a buck converter, I believe are more efficient, also adding wattage this would be in the 12-13kw possibly more required for full output,, I was thinking about using 3in series for 37.5v , To charge a 24v system, but I'm thinking about going to a 48v system, I would only need a inverter, running a 14s lion battery, two of my 7s in series,
I just purchased one of the EG4 chargeverter, but it is showing 0.0amps on the panel and my amp meter. However, it is giving me 48v up 57v. Any suggestion what to do.
Nope. That's one of the best parts. I don't even need to turn off solar charge controllers. They can run at the same time. Now, for the best results you should have central bus bars, and they need to be thick copper, not the thin brass ones
Morning David. Thanks for the video. Thought I would share that the Victron Shunt has an update now which will allow it to remember the state of charge when it loses power. When you open the Victon app, you’ll see the red exclamation mark over the settings icon. That update made a world of difference for me and my testing! No more having to remember the SOC when you power down!
WARNING. Received mine DEAD ON ARRIVAL. Now they want me to only give me STORE CREDIT and some lame excuse that it is NOT COMPATIBLE WITH A 48V LFP RACK MOUNT BATTERY. AND THEY WANT A RESTOCKING FEE?!?! I just want a working unit. What a lame excuse they gave. NO happy with Signature Solar and probably will not buy from them again.
I think that is the best way to utilize a generator with solar. A few months ago I did the same but used a much smaller 48v charger. When I need to charge up my battery bank , I start the generator and run the charger only. You can really optimize your battery usage when you know you can quickly charge them up. If you calculate the cost of a larger battery bank to handle any eventuality and the cost of fuel for a generator, the decision to go this way is a no brainer.
@davidpoz, i am wondering if you lose power input. Will the chargeverter retain the last setting once it gets back the power input back ? Or do you have to re configure the amp/voltage ?
The hot exhaust air blowing on the DC cables might not be great, the insulation may begin to deteriorate over time. They probably should have routed those out the same side as the AC in instead, which would solve that problem and may allow for more efficient cooling. Overall looks like a good unit, I have the lower powered, older EG4 charger, but 5kw charging paired with a 240v generator is certainly a great option to supplement solar when the weather's not great.
Hey David there's a setting on the latest firmware of smartshunt to always retain the previous SOC when it loses power so no more jumping back to 100% (I always thought that was stupid).
I totally agree. I have a feeling my shunt isn't telling me the proper SOC on my batteries either I don't know really how to set it I have to read some directions somewhere again.
60 degrees Centigrade is very safe for most power electronics, although it will depend on what the temperature of the components inside the PSU is, not just the surface of the unit.
David, thanks for the review of this. I'm interested in one to pair with a j1772 on my box truck so I can charge at public ev chargers. What I can't seem to get an answer on is if the neutral is required or not for the 240v input. The J1772 standard is two hots and a ground, no neutral. Any chance you could check?
Alternatively you could also just rectify the 240v from the generator and feed it into a charge controller. Just have to make sure that it's within the charger max voltage. 240vac rectified is like 320vdc. This is actually how those big, tens to hundreds of kVA UPS systems work. Instead of using normal diodes they just use SCRs which are basically diodes you can switch off at the crossing point, this way they can control the output voltage and keep the batteries charged 24/7, while the inverter is always running producing clean AC I think it goes without saying that high voltage can be dangerous but is perfectly safe as long as proper safety methods are used.
Using a MidNite Solar CLASSIC 150 MPPT Charge Controller, Operating at 150 Volts with a Max Current of 96 Amps. And hooked to a #DC1248AC DUAL CORE PMG/PMA by Thermodyne Systems and powered by a 6+HP Diesel engine all for under $1,700 works the treat for me. It is cheap to build and operate and very efficient. We make our own fuel using waste Veggie-Oil that has settled for two weeks and filtered down to 25 microns. We add 10% gasoline and filter to 1 micron and use it in our diesel generator. All of our filters are polyester cleanable and reusable. So, we have an efficient generator and cheap fuel that cost between 3-9 cents per kilowatt hour depending on if it is a 10% summer or 30% winter blend. We live in Michigan where the grid is 17.4 cents per Kilowatt Hour. So, this cost is less than the power grid. Even if you do not make your own fuel, it is still a good way to make energy.
Huawei4850? I use the Emerson R48-3000e3 (65A53V) for my 14s li-ion one can program these, but I don't know much about this, how one can do this. then I could program it to 58V.
100 AMP..lol Hope you’re planning on getting a new generator every six months, batteries every year because that’s one heck of a load. Neither the batteries nor the generator would like being run at that much load. I like that you can turn it down so as to bring it down to a more realistic level, however why not just get one of the millions of quality automotive style chargers? I’ve been using my little ten amp Solar Pro-Logix from Napa auto parts for 3 years now and it works great. I’ve been 100% off grid just using a 3500 generator to recharge everything. It even checks the batteries then runs special cool down modes and ramp up profiles to charge the best way possible. The downside is it only works on, AGM, GEL or flooded. $119.00 PS:Can you even charge Lithium batteries at that rate without damaging the BMS?
Good video David. Especially liked the actual measurements which often are in specs but seldom given in videos. Do you have any idea of the need for inverter generators to supply this charger or of the tolerance for modified-sinewave type chargers?
Awesome thanks a lot I am supposed to be getting my eg4 chargeverter any day now and I have the same Honda 6500 generator so this video was perfect for me 👍
I have a little Predator 3500. And I have a Amitabh 4000 light pole I'm not sure the specs on that generator. I don't think my 3500 would do much haha I'd have to set set the charger at 50% or something or 50 amps I mean
Thanks for posting, David. Always appreciate a straightforward review. We did get our unit - finally. Looking forward to seeing how it works on the Absolyte.
Will be working with small, non inverter generator. I use 3000 W AVR generator, and I must set on mppSolar controler about 10 Amps to start it, and then raise to 20, 30 and finaly to 40A. Maybe that charge controller have softstart.
there twin 50 amp units, but that cable doesnt look like 4 gauge it looks like a 6 guage. Also, thats the wrong breaker... its a 100 amp system need to have a 100 amp breaker, not a 125amp breaker...
Thanks for the informative video! I bought one of those today in person at Signature Solar... they have grown so much since the first two times that I shopped there. Remodeled reception area and office area and all the employees were so friendly and helpful! James S. has really done a great job with growing the business👍
Yes. At first the charger didn't turn on because that switch was in 120V mode, and that means the 240V outlet is off. As soon as I switched it back to 240V the twist-lock turned on and the charger turned on. You have an eagle eye.
It's strange that they built that unit with the screen oriented the way it is, and the output cables where they are, then vented it the way they did. A smarter design would have the screen rotated 90 degrees and moved closer to the intake and then the output cables moved away from the heat of the discharge. Poor engineering.
At 14:17 I hope you flipped the DC cables on the top to the left side of the charger as having the hot exhaust air blow directly on those cables doesn't seem like a great idea. Not an expert, just seems logical to me, this is an awesome video. I am of the opinion that it makes way more sense to have a generator available to charge your system if you plan on going off grid so you don't need to go over kill with solar panels and battery capacity in order to make up for those cloudy days or poor weather. I think it's way more practical and cost effective, it also has the added bonus of having a generator available should your inverter ever fail. I feel like most people wouldn't mind needing to run the generator for a few hours to top up when weather is an issue, and since you are capturing most of the electricity generated it's actually not bad on fuel cost. What are your thoughts?
My goal is to cover my electrical needs with solar 99% of the time. That leaves 1%, or 3.65 days per year that I need to run the generator. I'm OK with that.
Dear Brother David, I've been expecting this review from you, and you've not let us down. Many thanks for your menthodical, well-explained approach! Now, a request: Given that many of us off-gridders have been using "ordinary" (non-inverter) generators to charge our earlier generation (non-hybrid) systems -- mine is a Magnum 4kW 48v inverter with a Midnite Solar Classic 150 charge controller -- but now are embracing hybrid inverters, can you please kindly run this test again with any old non-inverter generator? Given that the guts of this Chargeverter come from the same Voltronics factory as the MPP Solar and EG4 hybrid inverters, it's crucial that we know the Chargeverter can accept "dirty" AC that our older inverters digested without issues. I don't want to have to buy an inverter generator to use this $400 charger! Best thanks!
If you are in MA, bring your generator by and we can test it. You are not the only person with this request. I'll ask around to my friends/family and see if someone owns an older style generator to test.
@@DavidPozEnergy Given that I'm on the California coast, the odds of my schlepping my genny over are slim! But I do hope someone nearby will offer one up. What about your diesel genny? Can't imagine its signal is too pristine. Thanks again!
My system was designed with help from the EG4 design department. Here's what they said in regards to something similar to your request: "If you wanted to use a generator to charge the batteries you would need a transfer switch to go from the grid to generator power since the inverters only have one AC input port. For a generator we recommend a generator with twice the wattage rating of your inverters. This is to account for dirty power. Dirty power tends to happen when a generator is operating at over 50% capacity and will produce voltage spikes and lulls that the inverters will not like. Since you have 13kW of inverter capacity it would take a pretty large generator. If you didn't want to buy a large generator you could use battery charger plugged into a generator." At the time, he pointed towards a different, smaller charger they had, but then the 5000 came along, so I think that it would apply as well, meaning, these battery chargers account for dirty power.
Nice charger. I wonder how long it will last? A 175 amp Anderson plug on the charger and your battery busbar would make it more useful for easy battery top-up when your solar can't keep up in winter.
This is cool. I'm planning on buying a chinese 4kw inverter, the new EG4 500v 100A MPPT charge controller, and maybe this now! I'm getting this setup instead of a EG4 AIO because they have extremely high idle consumption around 150w which is too much for my needs.
Any chance this can run off DC? I figure the first thing it does probably is rectify to DC, so maybe it could be run directly on DC? I'm trying to find a way to charge batteries from a prius battery (230v or so), and I hear MPPTs could maybe burn out trying to mppt a DC battery
The sticker on this says AC, I don't think it will run on DC. I like the idea of using an MPPT on the Prius battery, but I've never done it so I won't be much help. If you figure it out, send me a link.
You can make something similar from a Huawei R4850G2 power supply - they are used to charge backup lithium batteries on cell towers - they used to be really cheap to buy (less than 50 bucks) but looking now they seem to be expensive now. You can also get dedicated 48v generators as well now - which avoids the need for the genny to invert to ac mains and the power supply to convert back down to dc
My battery bank is made of 6x EG4 batteries. Each EG4 battery is 100Ah. 6 in parallel means my whole battery bank is 600Ah. If I was at 0%SOC, and charged at the full 100A, then it would take 6 hours to charge the battery to 100%SOC. However, I don't suggest that approach. As I showed in the video, I'll be charging at 80A given my generator. And, I wouldn't wait until the batteries were dead, and I wouldn't charge all the way. It's far more typical to charge, perhaps, 40% of the total capacity in an off grid situation. That would be 600Ah*0.4/80= 3 hours.
another great review david thanks for showing us alternatives for charging 👍🏽. total side bar your hair evolved from a young michael mcdonald to a slick morgan wallen lol. 🔥💯
Nice but without UL listing and CSA it can't be legally used. Explain to your insurance company why you used something not listed and your house burned down. Where is the AC circuit protection?
In my case, the AC circuit breaker is at the AC source. I have an AC circuit breaker on my generator. I hope EG4 sends this to get UL tested. Having that listing would be good.
But what is the point of this if you have 2 Schneider 6848 that are capable of charging your batteries at 140amp each and you can buy a $180.00 Schneider AGS (automatic generator start) to control the generator
Depends on your generator. The AGS from Schneider can work with a wide variety of generators. Some generators need the outside controls of the AGS to work. But, some generators have some automatic controls built-in, so that all you have to do is close a circuit. Look for generators with a "two-wire start" and you won't need the AGS from Schneider.
I purchased on an installed a 30amp 250 volt plug in battery room and couldn't make it charge mor than 49.8 amps I thought cord was wired wrong I turns out after opening the unit one of the chargers were unplugged and main positive lead in dc breaker was completely loose. tighten screw and pushed charger back into socket and now works fine 100 amps confirmed with amp meter.
They are sending this to me for free and inturn they expect me to give my hones opinion to my subscribers. Ok! Ss has had problems with faulty charger and other product. They have the worst tech support when you have a problem. Do your own research like solar forums then you will get real life data. Spent 30k with this company big mistake.
hmmm video cut @8:54 ...? Can these be used "automatically"... i.e using AGS (Auto Generator Start) to start a generator with the chargeverter permanently connected to the battery and generator. No manual intervention any time. Will the generator bog down on starting etc. IF I had to, I could put my delay circuitry in between the chargeverter and the genny but.... It seems like this might not be intended for automatic operation.
I have it hooked up permanently to my battery, and to my generator. I don't have a problem, but my generator has a built-in delay for the Voltage output terminals.
Is it possible to set the Schneider to stay off grid except to charge batteries when needed? How about to automatically "turn on" a generator to charge batteries when needed? TY
Yes, Schneider has a couple ways to program a generator to automatically start. I don't know about grid tied functions because I'm only testing off grid. I keep my comments to what I personally test.
David, I have a question maybe you can help with. I just purchased an EG4 3000w 48V all on one inverter from SIgnature Solar and I was wondering if I can connect Redodo 12V 100Ah LiFePO4 Battery (4PACK) to the EG4 all in one inverter and will the BMS communicate with the inverter? I'd like to do this because I can't afford the EG4 battery and the rediculous $285 shipping charge.
I dont understand why you would not simply use the Schneider generator input ??? The Schneider has gen amperage input settings You have that very same charger built into the Schneider so why not use it ???? Would you be good enough to explain why you would not simply use the Schneider??? If you input the generator into the Schneider, it has a assist function to the generator can assist the output off the battery bank Its a fantastic way off doing things Let's say you have a lot off loads and your batteries are struggling You start up the generator and it assist the batteries This is not a bypass or pass through function It is a assist function
David, Do you know how LOW you can set the output current? I like that this charger can hit 5,550 watts so I can use my Ear-Blaster 6500 but would normally prefer to run it with my EU2000.
I’m still learning. So what’s the advantage of having 100 amp charger over just going directly from the generator? You would still get 50 A charge into your batteries! The difference didn’t seem that much.
My battery bank is 600Ah (about 30kWh). If I was to charge 80% of that capacity, it would be 480Ah. (600Ah*0.8) If I set my charger to 80A, then is would take 6 hours to re-charge. (480Ah/80A=6h) I haven't performed a fuel consumption test at that exact load, but I'd guess around 5.5 gallons of gasoline in my Honda generator.
Cool project. I'd like to see an update on the house and garage. I'm buying a 100-year-old house that needs some work. I've already started on improvements. By the way, solar is definitely on the list because the roof is perfect for it. You were an inspiration for both the house and the solar. I can't give you all the credit for that, but you DEFINITELY deserve some credit. I may even try cellulose insulation in the garage. Thanks for the videos!
@@DavidPozEnergy Well, I just found that there appears to be no insulation at all on the exterior walls. I live in Ohio, so that's not good. I'm probably going to do a blown-in insulation, but I'm not sure I'll have time to do it myself. Either way, your insulation videos are a BIG help in my understand of that process. I'm still a little concerned about how much that cellulose settles.
I bought one of these to charge a golf cart with the SPIM08HP batteries like the one you built awhile ago. Seems ideal for that. Heavy duty, programmable at about the same price as other lithium golf cart type chargers. I’m connecting them with Anderson 175A connector so when I park it’s easy to just plug & play. Plan to power directly from Outback AC inverters or generator via transfer switch. What do you think? I’ll send update when installed. Great video!
I wish this charger was out a year ago! Then I'd probably grabbed it. Right now, I just use a 16-amp 48v charger a few days out of the year to keep my 50KW battery bank alive. It seems to put out around 600 watts. It runs usually for 12-18 hours whenever I need it. I've got it connected to a 20amp Wi-Fi switch currently. So, I can switch it on and off remotely from anywhere. I guess next step would be to get it to kick in automatically when my batteries are low. But I'll probably just buy a generator or run 240v grid power to my solar shed. This way I could take advantage of my dual 100amp chargers built in my Victron inverter. The huge Victron inverters utilize software that helps them use less running power. I've seen my 15KW inverter running on 90 watts before.
Thanks for doing the test. I may eventually buy one if they appear to hold up over time. I have the Honda EU7000is and it can't start my 4-ton HVAC condensing unit even with a soft start. My Growatt 12k inverter likely can, so if I ever have a prolonged outage during a heat wave, I would be able to have the Honda run the Chargeverter while the Growatt runs the house loads and handles the large inrush spikes. This would prolong the run time of the 20kWh LIfepower4 battery rack provided that the average house load stays below the max continuous output of the generator which I converted to run on natural gas.
Yes. Multiple things can be hooked to the battery bank at the same time. I recommend having some serious busbars centrally located (see busbar video). Note, that if this charger is charging the battery at 5kW, and you are consuming 5kW with your house loads, then the battery won't actually be getting charged.
I ordered and just installed my new charger. Out of the box one of the two modules had slipped out of the socket during shipping. Noticed this due to the unit providing only half of the selected charge current. A couple of issues worth noting; as David mentions the unit does not have a delay feature to allow your generator to warm up. I will be adding a timing relay to do this. Also this unit would not work with economy mode on my Honda EU6500. The charger would instantly fault when the generator was attempting to throttle up. When the charger faults it looses the voltage and charge current settings. With economy mode off the unit does a great job changing my lithium batteries and eliminates the sketchy transfers that my inverter/charger produced when the generator came online. I would like to see some added features but do think the unit is very useful at a good price.
Question, if you had two generators could you run two chargers running to the same battery bank? If you only had the one charger but two generators could you use one of the GroWatt inverters as a second charger with the AC in while still powering the house?
I have a Larger generator. I know how to get the charger do that it won't over load my generator. my question is, can you parallel 2 or more of those chargers without damaging their circuit controller or the battery controller?
Hi... I'm Enock from Ghana and living in Germany. I just subscribed your channel and I really like what you do.
I like how it's modular, those look very similar to server power supplies in their size... makes me wonder if that's what they are using in a custom configuration. Easy reparability.
hopefully it lets you run the unit at half capacity if one fails.
Identical to 48v telecoms power supplies
They sure do look like server supplies. Even the card edge connector appears as if it could be the same.
Server or telco power modules. I didn't see a model number. It's not repairable if you can't get the modules.
It's 100% some Huawei/Emerson Telco 48V power supplies. I have a few from a 4G Telco rack i tore down, and they are fully programmable via CANBUS where you can regulate voltage and amps, and ofc. read out vital data.
just got mine set up. in alaska i have some short days, so this is something i will use for probably 3 months out of the year. i use an 8000w generac. charged my 300ah bank at 75amps, from like 60% in 1.5 hours….i’m excited about being able to run my bank lower and charge faster instead of having to top off more frequently.
Yeah, Alaska would need a pretty good generator system. Thanks for sharing.
@@DavidPozEnergy was using the 18a with a 2000w generator and it’s just to much wear and tear and time. so this unit is super helpful. i wish that it could be mounted differently. or atleast had longer leads.
Hey DavidPoz.
Looks like Growatt is about to launch the SPF 6000 ES Plus inverter. Would be awesoe if you could try get in contact with them and see if you can do a 1 phase/3 phase review on the units, im stoked on them because dual MPPTs.. Would be sweet to see you do a review on them like the ones you did for the 5kw units.. Keep up the nice work.
I have 4, 2400 watt 12v power supplies, 220/240v they can be put in series, with little mods, they are server power supplies, if I could build a DC to DC converter, with constant current constant voltage, capable of outputting 60-70v, this would be one heck of a charger, it would require over 10kw, they output 2450 watts, or I could use 5 in series, using a buck converter, I believe are more efficient, also adding wattage this would be in the 12-13kw possibly more required for full output,,
I was thinking about using 3in series for 37.5v , To charge a 24v system, but I'm thinking about going to a 48v system, I would only need a inverter, running a 14s lion battery, two of my 7s in series,
thats a lot
I just purchased one of the EG4 chargeverter, but it is showing 0.0amps on the panel and my amp meter. However, it is giving me 48v up 57v. Any suggestion what to do.
I'll be interested when they make a 24v version. Until then. It's useless for half of the systems out there
Dave, do you need to turn off the inverters while using the charger? I've got (2)EG4 6500's and the (6)lifepower battery bank
Nope. That's one of the best parts. I don't even need to turn off solar charge controllers. They can run at the same time. Now, for the best results you should have central bus bars, and they need to be thick copper, not the thin brass ones
@@DavidPozEnergy awesome! thank you! the inverters keep up pretty well, but a string of cloudy days and I have to fall back to something.
Yeah, me too. I have a few generators. I don't need them 10 months of the year, but pull them out for Jan+Feb.
Morning David. Thanks for the video.
Thought I would share that the Victron Shunt has an update now which will allow it to remember the state of charge when it loses power. When you open the Victon app, you’ll see the red exclamation mark over the settings icon. That update made a world of difference for me and my testing! No more having to remember the SOC when you power down!
Thanks for letting me know. I'll check it out.
I was going to say the same thing.
WARNING. Received mine DEAD ON ARRIVAL. Now they want me to only give me STORE CREDIT and some lame excuse that it is NOT COMPATIBLE WITH A 48V LFP RACK MOUNT BATTERY. AND THEY WANT A RESTOCKING FEE?!?! I just want a working unit. What a lame excuse they gave. NO happy with Signature Solar and probably will not buy from them again.
I think that is the best way to utilize a generator with solar. A few months ago I did the same but used a much smaller 48v charger. When I need to charge up my battery bank , I start the generator and run the charger only. You can really optimize your battery usage when you know you can quickly charge them up. If you calculate the cost of a larger battery bank to handle any eventuality and the cost of fuel for a generator, the decision to go this way is a no brainer.
In the latest firmware of the victron smart shunt you can enable it to keep the SOC after a power loss!
@davidpoz, i am wondering if you lose power input. Will the chargeverter retain the last setting once it gets back the power input back ? Or do you have to re configure the amp/voltage ?
mine retains the info
The hot exhaust air blowing on the DC cables might not be great, the insulation may begin to deteriorate over time. They probably should have routed those out the same side as the AC in instead, which would solve that problem and may allow for more efficient cooling. Overall looks like a good unit, I have the lower powered, older EG4 charger, but 5kw charging paired with a 240v generator is certainly a great option to supplement solar when the weather's not great.
After rotating so exhaust is up, I would route cable to the left and anchor them to stay out ot the way of the exhaust heat
Good video… hate ur beard… you use to look clean cut…. Now you look like Wolverine
Hey David there's a setting on the latest firmware of smartshunt to always retain the previous SOC when it loses power so no more jumping back to 100% (I always thought that was stupid).
I totally agree. I have a feeling my shunt isn't telling me the proper SOC on my batteries either I don't know really how to set it I have to read some directions somewhere again.
Telecommunications battery chargers.
That's an amazing price for a 48v 100a charger! Thanks for sharing!
What price ? I can not find a 100 A charger on the website.
@@typxxilps Its hard to find using his link but its $399
Dude, that hair.
I was going to say the same thing. I’ll come cut it for him lol
I miss his clean look
Eat your heart out .....
Speaking as a bald gentleman, one in my position learns to admire good hair. Throw no shade on good hair, please.
Hair helmet
60 degrees Centigrade is very safe for most power electronics, although it will depend on what the temperature of the components inside the PSU is, not just the surface of the unit.
David, thanks for the review of this. I'm interested in one to pair with a j1772 on my box truck so I can charge at public ev chargers. What I can't seem to get an answer on is if the neutral is required or not for the 240v input. The J1772 standard is two hots and a ground, no neutral. Any chance you could check?
Are the battery terminals isolated from the neutral/ground on the generator side ?
I preordered this a week ago…hoping it would work for me. I feel better after seeing your review.
Alternatively you could also just rectify the 240v from the generator and feed it into a charge controller. Just have to make sure that it's within the charger max voltage. 240vac rectified is like 320vdc.
This is actually how those big, tens to hundreds of kVA UPS systems work. Instead of using normal diodes they just use SCRs which are basically diodes you can switch off at the crossing point, this way they can control the output voltage and keep the batteries charged 24/7, while the inverter is always running producing clean AC
I think it goes without saying that high voltage can be dangerous but is perfectly safe as long as proper safety methods are used.
This is definitely better for your batteries not to mention cheaper to replace. Generators are tough on electronics.
I never knew all this stuff I'm glad I saw the video I haven't run my generator in awhile but it's good to know that they suck hahaha
Using a MidNite Solar CLASSIC 150 MPPT Charge Controller, Operating at 150 Volts with a Max Current of 96 Amps. And hooked to a #DC1248AC DUAL CORE PMG/PMA by Thermodyne Systems and powered by a 6+HP Diesel engine all for under $1,700 works the treat for me. It is cheap to build and operate and very efficient. We make our own fuel using waste Veggie-Oil that has settled for two weeks and filtered down to 25 microns. We add 10% gasoline and filter to 1 micron and use it in our diesel generator. All of our filters are polyester cleanable and reusable. So, we have an efficient generator and cheap fuel that cost between 3-9 cents per kilowatt hour depending on if it is a 10% summer or 30% winter blend. We live in Michigan where the grid is 17.4 cents per Kilowatt Hour. So, this cost is less than the power grid. Even if you do not make your own fuel, it is still a good way to make energy.
Huawei4850?
I use the Emerson R48-3000e3 (65A53V) for my 14s li-ion
one can program these, but I don't know much about this, how one can do this. then I could program it to 58V.
100 AMP..lol
Hope you’re planning on getting a new generator every six months, batteries every year because that’s one heck of a load. Neither the batteries nor the generator would like being run at that much load.
I like that you can turn it down so as to bring it down to a more realistic level, however why not just get one of the millions of quality automotive style chargers?
I’ve been using my little ten amp Solar Pro-Logix from Napa auto parts for 3 years now and it works great. I’ve been 100% off grid just using a 3500 generator to recharge everything. It even checks the batteries then runs special cool down modes and ramp up profiles to charge the best way possible. The downside is it only works on, AGM, GEL or flooded. $119.00
PS:Can you even charge Lithium batteries at that rate without damaging the BMS?
Good video David. Especially liked the actual measurements which often are in specs but seldom given in videos. Do you have any idea of the need for inverter generators to supply this charger or of the tolerance for modified-sinewave type chargers?
Awesome thanks a lot I am supposed to be getting my eg4 chargeverter any day now and I have the same Honda 6500 generator so this video was perfect for me 👍
I have a little Predator 3500. And I have a Amitabh 4000 light pole I'm not sure the specs on that generator. I don't think my 3500 would do much haha I'd have to set set the charger at 50% or something or 50 amps I mean
Thanks for posting, David. Always appreciate a straightforward review. We did get our unit - finally. Looking forward to seeing how it works on the Absolyte.
Will be working with small, non inverter generator.
I use 3000 W AVR generator, and I must set on mppSolar controler about 10 Amps to start it, and then raise to 20, 30 and finaly to 40A.
Maybe that charge controller have softstart.
there twin 50 amp units, but that cable doesnt look like 4 gauge it looks like a 6 guage. Also, thats the wrong breaker... its a 100 amp system need to have a 100 amp breaker, not a 125amp breaker...
Just a couple server PSUs in the box - clever!
Looks like 2 Meanwell hot-swap RCP-3K1U maybe...
I made something similar for my 4kw 100v ebike
David when you started your charger you turned the inverter off. Did you leave the inverter off during the 1.5 hrs of charging?
How many inches of barn corns does it weight? Liquid, Alabama type.
Thanks for the informative video!
I bought one of those today in person at Signature Solar... they have grown so much since the first two times that I shopped there. Remodeled reception area and office area and all the employees were so friendly and helpful! James S. has really done a great job with growing the business👍
David, I saw you had your generator set to 120 V, did you change that for the test to 240?
Yes. At first the charger didn't turn on because that switch was in 120V mode, and that means the 240V outlet is off. As soon as I switched it back to 240V the twist-lock turned on and the charger turned on. You have an eagle eye.
@@DavidPozEnergy hehe, only because I've done the same thing myself. I just ordered one of these.exactly what Ive been looking for..
Your inverter won't charge in pass through mode? Maybe your generator won't power everything in the house?
80A divided by like 8 banks meass easy charging conditions for LFP. Light tickle.
Awesome - just in time, my charger is arriving Monday. Signature just shipped it!
Based off how loud it is when you breathe through your nose sounds like you're a 2 pack A-day smoker or used to be.
It's strange that they built that unit with the screen oriented the way it is, and the output cables where they are, then vented it the way they did. A smarter design would have the screen rotated 90 degrees and moved closer to the intake and then the output cables moved away from the heat of the discharge. Poor engineering.
I use 2 xbox power bricks and a CC/CV module as I'm cheap, gives 90% efficiency.
Give the 120v a try on the review. Wonder how well that works
Why couldn't you just use a 48V golf cart battery charger?
At 14:17 I hope you flipped the DC cables on the top to the left side of the charger as having the hot exhaust air blow directly on those cables doesn't seem like a great idea. Not an expert, just seems logical to me, this is an awesome video.
I am of the opinion that it makes way more sense to have a generator available to charge your system if you plan on going off grid so you don't need to go over kill with solar panels and battery capacity in order to make up for those cloudy days or poor weather. I think it's way more practical and cost effective, it also has the added bonus of having a generator available should your inverter ever fail. I feel like most people wouldn't mind needing to run the generator for a few hours to top up when weather is an issue, and since you are capturing most of the electricity generated it's actually not bad on fuel cost. What are your thoughts?
My goal is to cover my electrical needs with solar 99% of the time. That leaves 1%, or 3.65 days per year that I need to run the generator. I'm OK with that.
Newbie here. I check on everything to be safe. It looks like you connected this into your bus bars. Is that correct?
Dear Brother David, I've been expecting this review from you, and you've not let us down. Many thanks for your menthodical, well-explained approach! Now, a request: Given that many of us off-gridders have been using "ordinary" (non-inverter) generators to charge our earlier generation (non-hybrid) systems -- mine is a Magnum 4kW 48v inverter with a Midnite Solar Classic 150 charge controller -- but now are embracing hybrid inverters, can you please kindly run this test again with any old non-inverter generator? Given that the guts of this Chargeverter come from the same Voltronics factory as the MPP Solar and EG4 hybrid inverters, it's crucial that we know the Chargeverter can accept "dirty" AC that our older inverters digested without issues. I don't want to have to buy an inverter generator to use this $400 charger! Best thanks!
If you are in MA, bring your generator by and we can test it.
You are not the only person with this request. I'll ask around to my friends/family and see if someone owns an older style generator to test.
@@DavidPozEnergy Given that I'm on the California coast, the odds of my schlepping my genny over are slim! But I do hope someone nearby will offer one up. What about your diesel genny? Can't imagine its signal is too pristine. Thanks again!
@@DavidPozEnergy id like to see that as well
My system was designed with help from the EG4 design department. Here's what they said in regards to something similar to your request:
"If you wanted to use a generator to charge the batteries you would need a transfer switch to go from the grid to generator power since the inverters only have one AC input port. For a generator we recommend a generator with twice the wattage rating of your inverters. This is to account for dirty power. Dirty power tends to happen when a generator is operating at over 50% capacity and will produce voltage spikes and lulls that the inverters will not like. Since you have 13kW of inverter capacity it would take a pretty large generator. If you didn't want to buy a large generator you could use battery charger plugged into a generator."
At the time, he pointed towards a different, smaller charger they had, but then the 5000 came along, so I think that it would apply as well, meaning, these battery chargers account for dirty power.
Wonder how this could work with a automatic generator start system
Nice tools
Nice charger. I wonder how long it will last? A 175 amp Anderson plug on the charger and your battery busbar would make it more useful for easy battery top-up when your solar can't keep up in winter.
Could easily buy two server grade PSU and make a charger for cheaper
Besides the tech shit, I would pick the hair style on your profile pic ;)
I pre-ordered one a while ago. Still not got mine. But glad to see a review on it.
Great product that will sure to get the batteries charges up .🤙🤙
What size generator gage cord for 100ft is recommended?
I just ordered one of these from signature solar it's supposed to be shipping in about 2 weeks.
looks like it has 2x dell 24v power suplys wired series output
This is cool. I'm planning on buying a chinese 4kw inverter, the new EG4 500v 100A MPPT charge controller, and maybe this now! I'm getting this setup instead of a EG4 AIO because they have extremely high idle consumption around 150w which is too much for my needs.
Great. If you decide to use any of the affiliate links in the description, it would really help out the channel.
Any chance this can run off DC? I figure the first thing it does probably is rectify to DC, so maybe it could be run directly on DC?
I'm trying to find a way to charge batteries from a prius battery (230v or so), and I hear MPPTs could maybe burn out trying to mppt a DC battery
The sticker on this says AC, I don't think it will run on DC. I like the idea of using an MPPT on the Prius battery, but I've never done it so I won't be much help. If you figure it out, send me a link.
You can make something similar from a Huawei R4850G2 power supply - they are used to charge backup lithium batteries on cell towers - they used to be really cheap to buy (less than 50 bucks) but looking now they seem to be expensive now.
You can also get dedicated 48v generators as well now - which avoids the need for the genny to invert to ac mains and the power supply to convert back down to dc
The Huawei gear would be going up because they've been banned from the US so anything you see is new old stock.
I was hoping to see you share how it compares to using the other gen-to-battery setups, in over efficiency that is.
David, Great video. One thing I think you forgot to mention, How long did it take for your gen to charge your battery bank ? Thank-you, Mike.
My battery bank is made of 6x EG4 batteries. Each EG4 battery is 100Ah. 6 in parallel means my whole battery bank is 600Ah. If I was at 0%SOC, and charged at the full 100A, then it would take 6 hours to charge the battery to 100%SOC. However, I don't suggest that approach. As I showed in the video, I'll be charging at 80A given my generator. And, I wouldn't wait until the batteries were dead, and I wouldn't charge all the way. It's far more typical to charge, perhaps, 40% of the total capacity in an off grid situation. That would be 600Ah*0.4/80= 3 hours.
another great review david thanks for showing us alternatives for charging 👍🏽. total side bar your hair evolved from a young michael mcdonald to a slick morgan wallen lol. 🔥💯
Thanks.
I'm having some fun seeing how the hair evolves. It's nice not being forced to have a high & tight any more.
Is it only for lithium batteries .
Nice but without UL listing and CSA it can't be legally used. Explain to your insurance company why you used something not listed and your house burned down.
Where is the AC circuit protection?
In my case, the AC circuit breaker is at the AC source. I have an AC circuit breaker on my generator. I hope EG4 sends this to get UL tested. Having that listing would be good.
Backordered until April arrrrrrrgh!
This man just saved me $1.5k
But what is the point of this if you have 2 Schneider 6848 that are capable of charging your batteries at 140amp each and you can buy a $180.00 Schneider AGS (automatic generator start) to control the generator
I have a previous video testing my generator input into the Schneider: ua-cam.com/video/36H6Sb2IG_k/v-deo.html
Hi, Do I have to purshase the AGS from Schneider for automatic generator start and off?, Thanks
Depends on your generator. The AGS from Schneider can work with a wide variety of generators. Some generators need the outside controls of the AGS to work. But, some generators have some automatic controls built-in, so that all you have to do is close a circuit. Look for generators with a "two-wire start" and you won't need the AGS from Schneider.
the getup proves he is living offgrid.. ;)
I purchased on an installed a 30amp 250 volt plug in battery room and couldn't make it charge mor than 49.8 amps I thought cord was wired wrong I turns out after opening the unit one of the chargers were unplugged and main positive lead in dc breaker was completely loose. tighten screw and pushed charger back into socket and now works fine 100 amps confirmed with amp meter.
I'm glad you figured it out. Sounds like quality control is lacking.
They are sending this to me for free and inturn they expect me to give my hones opinion to my subscribers. Ok! Ss has had problems with faulty charger and other product. They have the worst tech support when you have a problem. Do your own research like solar forums then you will get real life data. Spent 30k with this company big mistake.
if i can ask, what happened? because im thinking of trying buy from them (seems like good bang for the buck)..
Dude what happened to your face?
Can you use 2 of the EG4 in parallel charging the same battery bank using only 1 generator?
Yes. I recently bought a second Chargverter in order to do this on a larger generator.
hmmm video cut @8:54 ...? Can these be used "automatically"... i.e using AGS (Auto Generator Start) to start a generator with the chargeverter permanently connected to the battery and generator. No manual intervention any time. Will the generator bog down on starting etc. IF I had to, I could put my delay circuitry in between the chargeverter and the genny but.... It seems like this might not be intended for automatic operation.
I have it hooked up permanently to my battery, and to my generator. I don't have a problem, but my generator has a built-in delay for the Voltage output terminals.
Is it possible to set the Schneider to stay off grid except to charge batteries when needed?
How about to automatically "turn on" a generator to charge batteries when needed?
TY
Yes, Schneider has a couple ways to program a generator to automatically start.
I don't know about grid tied functions because I'm only testing off grid. I keep my comments to what I personally test.
David, I have a question maybe you can help with. I just purchased an EG4 3000w 48V all on one inverter from SIgnature Solar and I was wondering if I can connect Redodo 12V 100Ah LiFePO4 Battery (4PACK) to the EG4 all in one inverter and will the BMS communicate with the inverter? I'd like to do this because I can't afford the EG4 battery and the rediculous $285 shipping charge.
I dont understand why you would not simply use the Schneider generator input ???
The Schneider has gen amperage input settings
You have that very same charger built into the Schneider so why not use it ????
Would you be good enough to explain why you would not simply use the Schneider???
If you input the generator into the Schneider, it has a assist function to the generator can assist the output off the battery bank
Its a fantastic way off doing things
Let's say you have a lot off loads and your batteries are struggling
You start up the generator and it assist the batteries
This is not a bypass or pass through function
It is a assist function
I have a video on that: ua-cam.com/video/36H6Sb2IG_k/v-deo.html
David, Do you know how LOW you can set the output current? I like that this charger can hit 5,550 watts so I can use my Ear-Blaster 6500 but would normally prefer to run it with my EU2000.
Best video on this product that I've seen. Thanks.
You're welcome.
I can not find the 100 A charger cause the link is not really working or item sold out maybe ?
I'm sorry, when I cut and pasted the link into the description I didn't select all of it and the end got cut off. I fixed it now.
I’m still learning. So what’s the advantage of having 100 amp charger over just going directly from the generator?
You would still get 50 A charge into your batteries!
The difference didn’t seem that much.
They seem to be on backorder as of today.
How long and how much fuel to fully charge your batteries that are around 20%.?
My battery bank is 600Ah (about 30kWh). If I was to charge 80% of that capacity, it would be 480Ah. (600Ah*0.8)
If I set my charger to 80A, then is would take 6 hours to re-charge. (480Ah/80A=6h)
I haven't performed a fuel consumption test at that exact load, but I'd guess around 5.5 gallons of gasoline in my Honda generator.
Cool project. I'd like to see an update on the house and garage. I'm buying a 100-year-old house that needs some work. I've already started on improvements. By the way, solar is definitely on the list because the roof is perfect for it. You were an inspiration for both the house and the solar. I can't give you all the credit for that, but you DEFINITELY deserve some credit. I may even try cellulose insulation in the garage. Thanks for the videos!
I'm glad my videos help in some small way.
@@DavidPozEnergy Well, I just found that there appears to be no insulation at all on the exterior walls. I live in Ohio, so that's not good. I'm probably going to do a blown-in insulation, but I'm not sure I'll have time to do it myself. Either way, your insulation videos are a BIG help in my understand of that process. I'm still a little concerned about how much that cellulose settles.
I bought one of these to charge a golf cart with the SPIM08HP batteries like the one you built awhile ago. Seems ideal for that. Heavy duty, programmable at about the same price as other lithium golf cart type chargers. I’m connecting them with Anderson 175A connector so when I park it’s easy to just plug & play. Plan to power directly from Outback AC inverters or generator via transfer switch. What do you think? I’ll send update when installed. Great video!
I wish this charger was out a year ago! Then I'd probably grabbed it. Right now, I just use a 16-amp 48v charger a few days out of the year to keep my 50KW battery bank alive. It seems to put out around 600 watts. It runs usually for 12-18 hours whenever I need it. I've got it connected to a 20amp Wi-Fi switch currently. So, I can switch it on and off remotely from anywhere. I guess next step would be to get it to kick in automatically when my batteries are low. But I'll probably just buy a generator or run 240v grid power to my solar shed. This way I could take advantage of my dual 100amp chargers built in my Victron inverter. The huge Victron inverters utilize software that helps them use less running power. I've seen my 15KW inverter running on 90 watts before.
Thanks for doing the test. I may eventually buy one if they appear to hold up over time. I have the Honda EU7000is and it can't start my 4-ton HVAC condensing unit even with a soft start. My Growatt 12k inverter likely can, so if I ever have a prolonged outage during a heat wave, I would be able to have the Honda run the Chargeverter while the Growatt runs the house loads and handles the large inrush spikes. This would prolong the run time of the 20kWh LIfepower4 battery rack provided that the average house load stays below the max continuous output of the generator which I converted to run on natural gas.
Yes, free is affordable.
David can you charge like this with the inverter running to power the house?
Yes. Multiple things can be hooked to the battery bank at the same time. I recommend having some serious busbars centrally located (see busbar video). Note, that if this charger is charging the battery at 5kW, and you are consuming 5kW with your house loads, then the battery won't actually be getting charged.
I ordered and just installed my new charger. Out of the box one of the two modules had slipped out of the socket during shipping. Noticed this due to the unit providing only half of the selected charge current. A couple of issues worth noting; as David mentions the unit does not have a delay feature to allow your generator to warm up. I will be adding a timing relay to do this. Also this unit would not work with economy mode on my Honda EU6500. The charger would instantly fault when the generator was attempting to throttle up. When the charger faults it looses the voltage and charge current settings. With economy mode off the unit does a great job changing my lithium batteries and eliminates the sketchy transfers that my inverter/charger produced when the generator came online. I would like to see some added features but do think the unit is very useful at a good price.
Can it charge while the inverters are running and powering the house/shop ?
Yes. I can use a generator and chargeverter to charge my battery bank, while I'm also using the inverter to power the house.
Going from an imverter generator into an inverter charger into a battery bank into another inverter
Plus a couple extra inverters in there for good measure. LOL
Question, if you had two generators could you run two chargers running to the same battery bank? If you only had the one charger but two generators could you use one of the GroWatt inverters as a second charger with the AC in while still powering the house?
What’s the ramp up time? I’m hoping it doesn’t just come on with a bang.
Seamed to take 3-4 seconds to get to full Amps. I didn't time it exactly.
I have a Larger generator. I know how to get the charger do that it won't over load my generator. my question is, can you parallel 2 or more of those chargers without damaging their circuit controller or the battery controller?
So, you should do a show on how long it takes to charge different size battery banks at different c rates ECT. With this charger