October - more changes

Hello,

   The array is now more exposed to early sunlight. I've cut down trees in the line of sight of morning sun and now get a couple more hours of sunlight. Good timing since the neighbor's tall evergreens and the old oak, on the other side, have begun casting a shadow on the array in the two o'clock  zone.
   I repositioned the actuator arm's connection to the array, further from the center to get a wider range of azimuths. The array begins at 150 degrees and ends at 210 degrees. This can be increased by raising the array high enough to swing East to 180 degrees and West to 270 degrees, and using an actuator with a thirty inch reach. As is, the array will be stopped by ground contact at current exteemes. Since I've oriented the array South, 180 degrees, and 45 degrees elevation, the optimum for mmy latitude, noon is thirty degrees or 5-6 seconds, and evening is 11-12 seconds of on time.
  The array now moves five degrees for each second of on time. A total of twelve seconds moves the array between extremes and across sixty degrees of azimuth.
   I've scrapped the old actuator script and now am using a new manual adjustment script until I write a new acuator automation script.
   I'm considering using the sensor to align the array instead of calculations or interpolation.
There would need to be coding to eliminate stutters and shakes from minute changes in the environment. A sleep cycle lasting five minutes between moves, would work.
   If the ADS1115 should fail, a safety should be triggered to prevent array movement or switch to calculated or interpolated motion and print an error message.
   One of the ADS channels has had a problem for sometime. I replaced the ADS1115 with a new unit and the bad channel is still not functioning correctly. The new unit problem channel has an intermittent signal, meaning the wiring is probably faulty. I think I merely twisted the wires together and applied heatshrink. The signals are susceptible to line noise and this shows in the graphs of the channels. Shielded cable is needed, though the differential between channels and ground is correct. Since the readings are correct with respect to each other and five wire shielded cable is expensive, I'll forego the shielded cable unless actuator movement is effected if I use the sensor for array positioning.
   I need to solder all joints and connections.
   The controller was shutting down USB ports and reopening others, a sort of "wack-a-mole" with USB ports. Eventually, all ports ceased to function. I had read that fusible links were used to protect USB ports from over current states. I have made some unconventional power terminations over the last few months. I decided to keep the controller off line for a few weeks. When I reconnected, I had no problems and have had none since. I now make conventional power terminations. A power switch would be a helpful addition. An update: The problem reoccurred. On the advice of another RPi user, I'll add an FTDI-USB cable/connector. This is supposed to solve the problem. Updating the operating system may also work since the problem seems operating system related.
   A month or so past, I did another water check for the battery bank. The usual units needed water added. I had attached the desulphator device, but a month has passed and I have removed the device.
   As usual, more batteries are needed and more panels are needed. Two more batteries and six more panels are the near term goal. New or altered mounting of the array is also planned.
   Currently, my backup sytem consists of the C-60 Xantrex PW controller (not an MPPT device) and the old three hundred watt sine inverter. The inverter will drive LED lights and the laptop but not much else. Certainly neither of the refrigerators. I'm not sure about the water pump.
   I need to get system extra parts: a new MPPT contoller and a new inverter of at least a thousand watts, preferably two or three thousand watts and that is a pure sine wave inverter.