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Thread: inverter selection

  1. #1
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    inverter selection

    I learnt a few things today.

    They say RCT ...meccer kodak are all similar.

    It happened ...the RCT 5 kva inverter went bang and there was a puff of smoke.

    Here is the difference which might help you choose the unit you purchase.

    RCT ...1 year warranty and no service repair centre (Rectron Durban RCT) ...I certainly will not even consider this company.

    Meccer ... 1 year warranty and they do have a repair centre and a technician who is very helpful (Mustek Durban) i might consider a meccer .... butr the fact that parts are a challenge to source... mmmm I dont know.

    Kodak ...2 year warranty ...they collect the unit and send it to a repairs centre which stocks replacement parts.

    None of the companies entertain out of warranty repairs.

    That leaves victron ...gona look into service and repairs of these units ...what i am hearing it it sounds like you get what you pay for ...and victron might be more expensive but in the long run ...there is nothing worse than sitting with an R11000.000 unit and no repair centre and no spares available in the country...or repair cost so high that you might as well buy a new inverter
    Comments are based on opinion...not always facts....that's why people use an alias.

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    lead acid maintenance free batteries ... well another learning curve ...the next set of maintenance free batteries i purchase... i will be checking how easy it is to access the top up plugs.

    What happens with inverters ...if one or 2 batteries go faulty and you dont know ...the batteries will boil due to overcharging... which will result in all the batteries releasing acid via the discharge vent.

    So a tip ...

    make sure you have some sort of battery monitoring system in place to monitor the SOC and battery voltage at each battery.

    Make sure you have a fuse link for the batteries which has a handle to disconnect the batteries both + and -

    dont not stack the batteries close to each other ...allow a gap for heat.
    Comments are based on opinion...not always facts....that's why people use an alias.

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    Diamond Member Justloadit's Avatar
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    Having the proper protection devices, circuit breakers and fuses, does limit the damage when something goes wrong. In these circuits, if a FET dies, it normally goes into short circuit, which mens that the incoming power sources are shorted. If it is on the PV side, then limited damage occurs because solar panels are current sources, so that shorts are in the region of 10A, which incidently is the operating current when the sun shines at its strongest. However if it is the battery or the mains side of things, then huge currents flow as these are voltage sources, and the current is limited by the protective device in circuit. Most battery installations have no circuit breaker/fuse in line, or have an AC breaker, so that when a fault develops, the weakest link in the system is burnt/destroyed.

    Fortunately with the Lithium battery packs, there is a built in short circuit detection which disconnects the battery.

    Yes I have looked at some of these, and they use many Chinese made FETs and IGBTs which are only sourced in China, and if you have a friend, they can give you an equivalent part number for the device used.

    If the board is not damaged, then once can replace the blown FETs or IGBTs, however if the controller or some of the other support devices are damaged, then there is no repair.

    I have found that if you have a relationship with the Chinese manufacturer, they do supply spares for after sales service repairs. The question is rather how many technicians out there have the correct tools and knowledge to do a quality repair .
    Victor - Knowledge is a blessing or a curse, your current circumstances make you decide!
    Solar pumping, Solar Geyser & Solar Security lighting solutions - www.microsolve.co.za

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    Diamond Member Justloadit's Avatar
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    Last night had a Lead acid battery cook on me.
    I smelt this light rotten egg smell waffling in my office, and thought that it was one of the customers that left one behind or maybe me , only to realise a little later this bulging Lead Acid battery releasing water. I had been used the night before, and it had discharged completely because I forgot to switch the load off, so was in the process of recharging. I have only used this battery a few times in the last 3 years, so never even thought that this was going to be an issue.

    I have noticed that a number of Lead acid batteries I have stored unconnected, never been used, are no longer holding charge.

    So another reason that I dislike lead acid battery.
    I have Lithium stored here for over 8 years, and are still performing to above 50% of their original capacity.
    Victor - Knowledge is a blessing or a curse, your current circumstances make you decide!
    Solar pumping, Solar Geyser & Solar Security lighting solutions - www.microsolve.co.za

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    Just got feedback from a company which is trying to repair my 5 kva RCT inverter... it is dead and cannot be repaired ...no spares available for the unit.

    Let this be a warning ...stay away from RCT inverters ..Rectron do not have a service centre and cannot provide spares for RCT units.

    Mustek can normally supply replacement parts ...however they have no stock and cannot provide details at this point in time.

    I am told all these units may look the same ... however the internal components are not the same.
    Comments are based on opinion...not always facts....that's why people use an alias.

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    Diamond Member Justloadit's Avatar
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    From my experience, if the PCB is not burnt, then there is a high chance that the unit can be repaired, just needs patience to strip down to the place in which one can get to remove the faulty FETs/IGBTs. In most instances it is more profitable to sell a new unit.

    There have been occasions where the control card is faulty. In this instance then there is no hope for repair.

    What I have also noted, is that some FET/IGBT part numbers are in house Chinese part numbers. Sometimes one can be lucky and find the original part number and replacement of the same does bring the equipment back to life.
    Victor - Knowledge is a blessing or a curse, your current circumstances make you decide!
    Solar pumping, Solar Geyser & Solar Security lighting solutions - www.microsolve.co.za

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    Apparently the IGBTs/FETs were replaced and they just popped again...i was told the board has to be replaced... no boards available... i am not convinced the techs are suitably trained....so they replace what they think could be the cause and if it doesnt work ...just tell the customer the inverter cant be repaired.
    Comments are based on opinion...not always facts....that's why people use an alias.

  8. #8
    Diamond Member Justloadit's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ians View Post
    Apparently the IGBTs/FETs were replaced and they just popped again...i was told the board has to be replaced... no boards available... i am not convinced the techs are suitably trained....so they replace what they think could be the cause and if it doesnt work ...just tell the customer the inverter cant be repaired.
    Mmmm I have just had the same problem with an inverter I repaired here.
    After thinking about this, and have not had any way of verifying this, I have a sneaky suspicion that we are doing it wrong. Simply replacing may work for a short time.

    I remember in the 'old days' when we repaired audio amplifiers, we use to get matched pair transistors to ensure proper operation of the amplifier.

    I suspect that with respect to the inverter IGBTs and FETs, where a number of them are placed in parallel to share the current, that they also need to be matched. Simply replacing any old how, cause the one IGBT/FET to handle all the current, over driving the device, which then cause it to fail and take out all the opposite side IGBT/FETs as it is now a dead short across the supply.
    Victor - Knowledge is a blessing or a curse, your current circumstances make you decide!
    Solar pumping, Solar Geyser & Solar Security lighting solutions - www.microsolve.co.za

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    I just wish i could find someone who actually knew what they were doing and who could test and repair the units.

    It seems every electronic repair shop are now inverter repair experts ...because someone mentioned it is as simple as replacing IGBT's on youtube.

    It seems these RCT ...meccer inverters have become disposable units...at R9000-R13000 ...its a chunk of money to throw in the bin because there is no backup.
    Comments are based on opinion...not always facts....that's why people use an alias.

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    Diamond Member AndyD's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ians View Post
    I learnt a few things today.

    They say RCT ...meccer kodak are all similar.

    .....
    Yes, also Axpert. They're all rebranded Voltronic inverters manufactured by Voltronic Power based in in Shenzhen https://voltronicpower.com/en-US/Pro...-Grid-Inverter
    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

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