I'm testing an ABb trio 26.7 I made a dc power suply following your tips. I managed to energize it without problems, it starts up and starts making the network measurements frequency, ac voltage, ground resistance, If I connect the ground wire to the inverter usually the inverter does not pass in the ground resistance test and it shows e025 low value of grond resistance (riso low), if I disconect the grond and leave the 3 phases and the neutral connected it passes this test it pass all tests, turns on the dc part generation initializes the ac generation , makes a brief high-frequency noise, when it goes to connect to the grid, it shows a loss of grid, sometimes even turning off the inverter completely and turning it on again. I have already reduced the power generation of the inverter to 1% or 267w to reduce the chance that the inverter was dropping the voltage of the transformer to dc power suply. I am using a isoletion transformer from 110 to 220 with 2000w in the dc power suply and another transformer from 380v to 220v from 10,000w at the inverter ac output because my grid is 220v three-phase and the inverter is 380v three-phase. Have you ever dealt with any of these inverter model? Do you have any tips for me? thanks for providing so much information Regards
Hi, I assume the isolation problem is caused by you simulated DC, so don't worry about it. The failure to start is probably a weak relay contact, they would all need inspecting and checking for contact fit. Cheers
Dear Andy Thank you very much for your help and quick response, i will check the ac connection relays. Is there any other way to contact you besides youtube? email or whatsapp? Regards Marc
Hi, I liked this video, its useful to see someone else trying to bench test what might be a faulty or working inverter. The SMA solar panel input voltage reading keeps swinging to zero, it would be useful to see if the input voltage is actually being dragged down or its just a spurious value. I myself am testing a relatively new SMA SB 1.5-1VL-40 inverter using a 300watt DC-DC boost converter with up to 120V DC output and so far nothing is showing up on the input (via the web interface). The circuit has a boost converter that I know is not working as the big 600V caps are at zero voltage, might be the IGBT module is blown, the driver is blown or the voltage detection is not working - could be anything. Its so much easier when you have an LCD display to follow. The SMA circuit is very complex and I have to be careful not to damage anything during my testing in case it is a working unit and just needs a higher input voltage. The transformerless inverters have no isolation so effectively your panel cables are high voltage DC, but also live to the mains once the relays close. Rob
Rob, this isolated variable DC supply works very well for this application. The SMA inverters with two tracking inputs show this feature on the dsiplay where they show tracker 1, then tracker 2, hence the DC volts go from zero to a reading. SMA inverters are quite sensitive, too sensitive for my liking, and can be a right pain, cheers
Hi I'm vengu from India Great video more learn from you... First time I'm doing grid tie inverter repair but you video so helping me Thank you... How the connection made and switch ON procedure for grid tie inverter.... PV DC input supply from AC source like variable transformer--->( I have dimmer 60V to 300v and 1:1 transformer it's ok... It will vary as per our required DC ) isolation transformer 240v to 110v ---> bridge rectifier ---> DC output across 60mfd/440v AC capacitor then --> inverter input it's correct DC side??? And AC side directly connected to grid AC supply it's correct please.... Please guide me Sir.
ERROR E031 indicates that the power relays on the board have no or bad connections, they burn out of the main PCB it may be that the wave soldering does not penetrate the very large holes. take it apart and look under the main board, better still replace them.
@@davidreynolds3733 David, thanks for your comment and interest. This is quite an old video and since then I have produced videos on the fixes for this including contact resetting, cheers
Looks like I need to get myself a variac. I picked up my third by-the-side-of-the-road inverter the other day and no way to test them. Perhaps instead of an expensive variac I can use two 110V transformers to get isolated 240v AC piped into a tungsten dimmer switch (rated for 400W) then rectified and smoothed for DC supply. This third inverter is a 4kW Sununo made by Guangzhou Sanjing Electric company.
Ian, good to hear from you, good finds you have there. Your idea is worth a try, I just wonder if the dimmer switch would be pulse width modulated and if so maybe just a 150 watt incandescent bulb wouldn't do as a current restriction, cheers
Great, enjoyable and educational videos Andy, enjoy watching them.....any advice on where i can get a variable DC supply to test Solar our Solar PV On Grid Inverters, I will need something that I can ramp up to around 150 DCv to simulate the Solar generation on the DC side
@@TheInfoworks Thanks for the reply, appreciated.... yes I have been looking at some bench supplies of dc power sources and yes they are expensive !! Making my own is a bit beyond my knowledge, :) happy to pay for your time if you fancy making one for me :)))), or I dont mind coming to see you or speaking directly to you if thats possible ?
Hi, first you need to find a 240v variac and a 240 to 110 isolating transformer. The rest is just knitting. When you get some bits I will include instructions in a video, cheers
@@TheInfoworks Top man - I will have a look around for the parts then and get back to you, appreciate your help ...ps I am not very good at knitting :) If we can be of any help to you let me know.
Hi Andy Just noticed the Patreon link. Will visit You helped me with the 301 error a while back. Relays easily found on ebay (around £5 each) Power one Aurora had for 10 years and quite reliable (apart from the relay) This time, my inverter is showing 0 ohms for the first bank and 0.2 M ohms for the second. Please tell me its the Inverter and not somewhere on the panels As usual, many thanks for your contributions
Michael, is you inverter showing the E031 fault again? if so it will be another of your relays or solder connections. I have a video on extending inverter life that should be interesting for you. I test solar panel strings with open circuit voltage and then using a DC amp clamp meter the short circuit current. This current test results need to be taken with some allowance for the light levels. Thanks for the donation, much appreciated, cheers
@@TheInfoworks thanks for the rapid response Andy its the LOw RISO error message. Have restarted. LED panel shows 250v from grid. wonder if its blinking pigeons
Michael, I think this will be in your DC cabling, it's a very small short to earth on the panel wiring. I had this problem a while ago, here's the link to my video, let me know how you get on: ua-cam.com/video/OlB8vFXykoI/v-deo.html cheers
@@TheInfoworks update Hi Andy as you said it was an earthing problem. roosting pigeons poo had eroded the cables below the panels bit of a job for the roofers/spark but all sorted. Roof water jetted and rewired. up and running. if anyone is thinking of getting panels, make sure you get flashing to stop the pigeons. its funny watching them gathering and looking for a way in. they got fed up after a while
Hi, GFI is a ground fault. 2 possible sources, it the inverter or in the array. Check all you array wiring, sometimes this only happens in damp conditions. More likely is the panels are mounted on the ground or on a tin roof, cheers
Dear Andy, I have an abb uno 2.0 i outd s, that burned the diode of the t2 transformer output that generates the voltages for the control board and for the wifi board, the diode model is the sbr15U100CT, this diode can have two currents of work if it is the sbr15U100CTL it is 7.5A if it is the sbr15U100CTLQ it is 15A but this final reference does not appear in the component, so I cannot know if it is 15A or 7.5A the peak forward current of both is 100A. I don't have this diode available in my region, I thought of replacing it with the SF10A400HD which is 10A but the peak forward current is 60A . Do you know what is the correct current for this diode? Do you think that I can just replace the diode that burned out by the SF10A400HD and leave the other one that is apparently good with the sbr15U100CT? Regards
Hi, I;m thinking there's only one way to find out, try it. The question is, what caused this to fail. Is the unit run at capacity and does it suffer from bad cooling? See my video on extending inverter life, cheers
@@TheInfoworks I ended up using my 2 12 volt battery chargers in parallel it got me the 24v. I’d like to be able to test the big inverters though. Great video and thanks for your time
so you have no conclusion on working and non working one? are they bad inverters or you burnt them? that doesn't help much. what's the results your long time trial run?
Hi, that's right, it's all about the process and the equipment I use, but you can follow the links on the video to my other grid inverter testing videos showing fixes for those of an enquiring mind, cheers
That is a low resistance to earth, it can be from the panel wiring or in the inverter. Check your wiring where it goes in the ground or is on a steel frame, cheers
Hello Sir, I dont have any PV panel, but I want to test solar inverter (5KW- on grid) , I want to use main AC with diode bridge + some bulk capacitor to convert 220ac to 310vdc, and feed it direct to inverter, is it ok Sir? Hope you response, Thank you!
As you can see from the video I think a variable autotransformer is important to adjust the load on the mains. If you just use a mains isolation transformer, rectifier, and DC smoothing capacitor the mains load could be quite large. Fuses my blow. subscribed? cheers
I think i have to make a smps 300Vdc-5A with over-current protection, it may be suitable for solar inverters, the price of a variac and iron transformer (3kva) in my country are expensive :) Thanks for your advice, Sir!
@@triao6598 I don't try to run them at full power, just make sure they switch on. You need the created DC to be fully isolated from the mains through an isolation transformer, otherwise there will be a track between the AC grid and the created DC supply, cheers
@@TheInfoworks Hi Sir, I have an idea.. I have so much batteries (12v/10a), if I connect 20 packs to be a huge pack, i can get the 240v/10a, enough to test my inverter (grid tie), how do you think Sir? is there any problem? :D
Robert, perhaps a question rather than an exclamation mark. That's what grid inverters do, they take DC power (from solar), convert it to AC in phase with the grid and feed it into the supply if it is not used in the home, cheers
E031 is usually the Relay board, consisting of 4 relays that wear out & don't connect.
Hi, have you watched the last part of my later called E031 fault video where the common fault is with heat and bad solder joints? Cheers
thanks. i have the same fault on mine
I'm testing an ABb trio 26.7
I made a dc power suply following your tips.
I managed to energize it without problems, it starts up and starts making the network measurements frequency, ac voltage, ground resistance, If I connect the ground wire to the inverter usually the inverter does not pass in the ground resistance test and it shows e025 low value of grond resistance (riso low), if I disconect the grond and leave the 3 phases and the neutral connected it passes this test it pass all tests, turns on the dc part generation initializes the ac generation , makes a brief high-frequency noise, when it goes to connect to the grid, it shows a loss of grid, sometimes even turning off the inverter completely and turning it on again.
I have already reduced the power generation of the inverter to 1% or 267w to reduce the chance that the inverter was dropping the voltage of the transformer to dc power suply.
I am using a isoletion transformer from 110 to 220 with 2000w in the dc power suply and another transformer from 380v to 220v from 10,000w at the inverter ac output because my grid is 220v three-phase and the inverter is 380v three-phase.
Have you ever dealt with any of these inverter model?
Do you have any tips for me?
thanks for providing so much information
Regards
Hi, I assume the isolation problem is caused by you simulated DC, so don't worry about it. The failure to start is probably a weak relay contact, they would all need inspecting and checking for contact fit. Cheers
Dear Andy
Thank you very much for your help and quick response, i will check the ac connection relays. Is there any other way to contact you besides youtube? email or whatsapp?
Regards
Marc
@@yomu649 Hi, youtube will do, cheers
@@yomu649 Thanks for your kind donation, much appreciated, cheers
Hi, I liked this video, its useful to see someone else trying to bench test what might be a faulty or working inverter. The SMA solar panel input voltage reading keeps swinging to zero, it would be useful to see if the input voltage is actually being dragged down or its just a spurious value.
I myself am testing a relatively new SMA SB 1.5-1VL-40 inverter using a 300watt DC-DC boost converter with up to 120V DC output and so far nothing is showing up on the input (via
the web interface).
The circuit has a boost converter that I know is not working as the big 600V caps are at zero voltage, might be the IGBT module is blown, the driver is blown or the voltage detection is not working - could be anything.
Its so much easier when you have an LCD display to follow.
The SMA circuit is very complex and I have to be careful not to damage anything during my testing in case it is a working unit and just needs a higher input voltage.
The transformerless inverters have no isolation so effectively your panel cables are high voltage DC, but also live to the mains once the relays close.
Rob
Rob, this isolated variable DC supply works very well for this application. The SMA inverters with two tracking inputs show this feature on the dsiplay where they show tracker 1, then tracker 2, hence the DC volts go from zero to a reading. SMA inverters are quite sensitive, too sensitive for my liking, and can be a right pain, cheers
Hi I'm vengu from India Great video more learn from you... First time I'm doing grid tie inverter repair but you video so helping me Thank you...
How the connection made and switch ON procedure for grid tie inverter....
PV DC input supply from AC source like variable transformer--->( I have dimmer 60V to 300v and 1:1 transformer it's ok... It will vary as per our required DC ) isolation transformer 240v to 110v ---> bridge rectifier ---> DC output across 60mfd/440v AC capacitor then --> inverter input it's correct DC side??? And AC side directly connected to grid AC supply it's correct please.... Please guide me Sir.
Hi, the dimmer could be pulse width and so could give strange results. The Smooth DC needs to be within the inverter DC input range, cheers
@@TheInfoworks Hi thanks for your reply it's not a dimmer.... It's variable transformer output will get 65v to 280v .. Same like you used....
ERROR E031 indicates that the power relays on the board have no or bad connections, they burn out of the main PCB it may be that the wave soldering does not penetrate the very large holes. take it apart and look under the main board, better still replace them.
@@davidreynolds3733 David, thanks for your comment and interest. This is quite an old video and since then I have produced videos on the fixes for this including contact resetting, cheers
Looks like I need to get myself a variac. I picked up my third by-the-side-of-the-road inverter the other day and no way to test them.
Perhaps instead of an expensive variac I can use two 110V transformers to get isolated 240v AC piped into a tungsten dimmer switch (rated for 400W) then rectified and smoothed for DC supply. This third inverter is a 4kW Sununo made by Guangzhou Sanjing Electric company.
Ian, good to hear from you, good finds you have there. Your idea is worth a try, I just wonder if the dimmer switch would be pulse width modulated and if so maybe just a 150 watt incandescent bulb wouldn't do as a current restriction, cheers
you have my attitude, if it is not working it doze not mater if i pull i a part to have a look in side it doze it .good on you
Cheers
I like your videos
Voltsys here in Ireland will help you with the Aurora Andy. Official distributers and as helpful as anyone can be. Worth a call, very nice people.
Jim, thanks for the info, see the next video in a few days, cheers
@@TheInfoworks would you sale that aurora for spares to me?
@@Elar101 Hi, I have repaired it, see my video of the E031 fix / repair, cheers
@@TheInfoworks, hi great job! Mine has dead display...
Where are you based?
Hi really enjoy watching your videos. I have a samil 3680tl with a DC Inj High fault, have you seen this fault before buddy.
Hi, once before and I turned the DC volts down on the bench with no effect, might be worth cleaning the relay contacts to rule that out. Cheers
Great, enjoyable and educational videos Andy, enjoy watching them.....any advice on where i can get a variable DC supply to test Solar our Solar PV On Grid Inverters, I will need something that I can ramp up to around 150 DCv to simulate the Solar generation on the DC side
Hi, lab supplies are available but expensive and they need to be isolating, best make your own as i did. This one goes up to 400 v, subscribed? cheers
@@TheInfoworks Thanks for the reply, appreciated.... yes I have been looking at some bench supplies of dc power sources and yes they are expensive !!
Making my own is a bit beyond my knowledge, :) happy to pay for your time if you fancy making one for me :)))), or I dont mind coming to see you or speaking directly to you if thats possible ?
Hi, first you need to find a 240v variac and a 240 to 110 isolating transformer. The rest is just knitting. When you get some bits I will include instructions in a video, cheers
@@TheInfoworks Top man - I will have a look around for the parts then and get back to you, appreciate your help ...ps I am not very good at knitting :) If we can be of any help to you let me know.
Hi, where are you and what your name? cheers
Hi Andy
Just noticed the Patreon link. Will visit
You helped me with the 301 error a while back. Relays easily found on ebay (around £5 each)
Power one Aurora had for 10 years and quite reliable (apart from the relay)
This time, my inverter is showing 0 ohms for the first bank and 0.2 M ohms for the second.
Please tell me its the Inverter and not somewhere on the panels
As usual, many thanks for your contributions
Michael, is you inverter showing the E031 fault again? if so it will be another of your relays or solder connections. I have a video on extending inverter life that should be interesting for you. I test solar panel strings with open circuit voltage and then using a DC amp clamp meter the short circuit current. This current test results need to be taken with some allowance for the light levels. Thanks for the donation, much appreciated, cheers
@@TheInfoworks thanks for the rapid response Andy
its the LOw RISO error message. Have restarted. LED panel shows 250v from grid. wonder if its blinking pigeons
Michael, I think this will be in your DC cabling, it's a very small short to earth on the panel wiring. I had this problem a while ago, here's the link to my video, let me know how you get on: ua-cam.com/video/OlB8vFXykoI/v-deo.html cheers
@@TheInfoworks update
Hi Andy
as you said it was an earthing problem.
roosting pigeons poo had eroded the cables below the panels
bit of a job for the roofers/spark but all sorted.
Roof water jetted and rewired. up and running.
if anyone is thinking of getting panels, make sure you get flashing to stop the pigeons.
its funny watching them gathering and looking for a way in. they got fed up after a while
Michael, splendid, worth the perseverance, well done, cheers
My Aurora Power One has a GFI flashing red and nothing else on the screen any ideas?
Hi, GFI is a ground fault. 2 possible sources, it the inverter or in the array. Check all you array wiring, sometimes this only happens in damp conditions. More likely is the panels are mounted on the ground or on a tin roof, cheers
Dear Andy,
I have an abb uno 2.0 i outd s, that burned the diode of the t2 transformer output that generates the voltages for the control board and for the wifi board, the diode model is the sbr15U100CT, this diode can have two currents of work if it is the sbr15U100CTL it is 7.5A if it is the sbr15U100CTLQ it is 15A but this final reference does not appear in the component, so I cannot know if it is 15A or 7.5A the peak forward current of both is 100A.
I don't have this diode available in my region, I thought of replacing it with the SF10A400HD which is 10A but the peak forward current is 60A .
Do you know what is the correct current for this diode?
Do you think that I can just replace the diode that burned out by the SF10A400HD and leave the other one that is apparently good with the sbr15U100CT?
Regards
Hi, I;m thinking there's only one way to find out, try it. The question is, what caused this to fail. Is the unit run at capacity and does it suffer from bad cooling? See my video on extending inverter life, cheers
Where can I get a dc supply unit like yours. I see some 60v online but need 200v
Hi, I collected the parts separately, just depends where you live. The variac is potentially expensive, subscribed? cheers
@@TheInfoworks I ended up using my 2 12 volt battery chargers in parallel it got me the 24v. I’d like to be able to test the big inverters though. Great video and thanks for your time
Faulty relay or burnt contacts on relay board
Stuart, yes, I have several videos showing the fix, cheers
so you have no conclusion on working and non working one? are they bad inverters or you burnt them? that doesn't help much. what's the results your long time trial run?
Hi, that's right, it's all about the process and the equipment I use, but you can follow the links on the video to my other grid inverter testing videos showing fixes for those of an enquiring mind, cheers
my aurora send error resau low if you like i ned a solution for this probleme think you
That is a low resistance to earth, it can be from the panel wiring or in the inverter. Check your wiring where it goes in the ground or is on a steel frame, cheers
Hi, Do you know the name of a supplier that stock these Relays?
Hi, see my other videos on repairing E031 and replacing the relays and ask those commenters that have fixed this problem, subscribed? cheers
Hello Sir, I dont have any PV panel, but I want to test solar inverter (5KW- on grid) , I want to use main AC with diode bridge + some bulk capacitor to convert 220ac to 310vdc, and feed it direct to inverter, is it ok Sir? Hope you response, Thank you!
As you can see from the video I think a variable autotransformer is important to adjust the load on the mains. If you just use a mains isolation transformer, rectifier, and DC smoothing capacitor the mains load could be quite large. Fuses my blow. subscribed? cheers
I think i have to make a smps 300Vdc-5A with over-current protection, it may be suitable for solar inverters, the price of a variac and iron transformer (3kva) in my country are expensive :)
Thanks for your advice, Sir!
@@triao6598 I don't try to run them at full power, just make sure they switch on. You need the created DC to be fully isolated from the mains through an isolation transformer, otherwise there will be a track between the AC grid and the created DC supply, cheers
@@TheInfoworks Hi Sir, I have an idea.. I have so much batteries (12v/10a), if I connect 20 packs to be a huge pack, i can get the 240v/10a, enough to test my inverter (grid tie), how do you think Sir? is there any problem? :D
@@triao6598 I think some form of resistor would be needed to control the flow of current, other wise you might let the blue smoke dragon out, cheers
What did you use capacitor type after diode bridge?
Hi, yes I used a 60 uF AC capacitor because that's what I had, cheers
@@TheInfoworks Thank you
@@TheInfoworks No need use isolation transformer, is it OK?
Because isolation transformer is expensive.
@@xuannguyenvu Hi, It's essential, maybe use a site reduction transformer backwards, cheers
why have you got the the ac voltage out plugged into the supply line!!!!
Robert, perhaps a question rather than an exclamation mark. That's what grid inverters do, they take DC power (from solar), convert it to AC in phase with the grid and feed it into the supply if it is not used in the home, cheers