Inverter replaced plus more

 

The most recently purchased inverter that seemed to have random overnight shutdowns was returned.

Instead, I paid  little more and got a newer version that has been installed and running without event for over a week.

I ordered and received fifteen Staubli MC4 connector pairs. Staubli is the original designer and manufacturer of MC4 connectors. This will, I hope, resolve any intermittent connection errors due to cheap, marginally standardized, connectors.

Another improvement is the addition of fifty feet, each, of red and black #8 AWG cable that will reduce any line losses due to existing #10 AWG cables running to the array from the house. 

A hand crimper, for smaller gauges, and a hammer crimper, for #8 AWG and larger sizes, have been added to my tool set.

A series disconnect switch has been placed in the PV array-to-charge controller circuit. A series 40A fuse has yet to be installed in the charge controller-to-batteries circuit.

A second Epever Triron charge controller was purchased as a replacement/backup for the existing unit. For a while, random fluctuation in csv recorded data occurred in the first 30-45 minutes of operation, in the mornings. I reset the start time to 6:30AM and the fluctuations have stopped. The repair mentioned previously, seems to be holding up.

After some calculations and some thought, and a consultation with Epever, I came to the conclusion the reason my system was not charging at a full 1KW was the batteries are in parallel. If I wire them in series-parallel with a resulting voltage oof 24VDC, instead of 12VDC, the controller will increase the rate of charge. for the inverter input, at a maximum current of 170A.

However, I would have to use an inverter that takes a 24VDC input and mine are rated for 12VDC. The 24VDC verison of my inverter, Xantrex Freedom X 1200W/2000W, is hard to find, especially on ebay, and is very expensive.

I could add a 'buck', or step-down, converter, but they are expensive. The converter would convert 24VDC to 12VDC

For the time being, I'll settle for a 600W maximum charge rate.

Used Xantrex inverter potential problems

 There have been a couple of instances where the inverter may be failing or creating anomalies.

I'm gettinga new RPi4 and using an SD card to eliminate the existing RPi4+SSD as a source of problems.

A new inverter may be needed. The csv files are not recording as usual.

A long standing problem solved

 

For a long time, The graph display was not reflecting the change to Daylight Savings Tme.

The solution lay in editing the php.ini file to set the date.timezone to "America/New_York".

The setting in the EpD3Dy.php file was commented out.

The display is now correct when the spring/autumn changes occurs.

However, the graphing now ends at 7PM instead of 6PM. A minor edit will correct that error.

Spring forward-Fall back

Triron repair finished

 

The Triron repair has been completed. 

I replaced the two 40A blade fuses using some from a local auto parts chain store.

The Triron, like all similar Epever products (Tracer, Xtra, etc.) have screw down terminals that are too small and are difficult to use. I spent more time getting the cables into the input termiinals than repairing the unit.

The unit seems to be running normally.

RPi4 standalone wifi - Redux

 I have come to the conclusion that the simultaneous use of a RPi4 as WiFi Access Point and Hotspot is too unstable to use. The attempt at the Hotspot has been abandoned.

Spring overview and changes

  The system has been running well.

I decided to get another Xantrex Freedom X  for the system. This one is the 2000W version. The previous one is 1200W. The 1200W model is now a backup component.

The Epever Triron stopped working. On opening the unit up, I discovered one of the battery terminals was burnt and one of two 40A fuses had blown. The unit was not detecting the PV input. The fuse probably goes to the PV bus.

The unit is in the lab and will have both of two 40A fuses replaced. I didn't use the Load terminals, so I removed them and replaced the burnt Battery terminal with one of the good Load terminals. In the interim, I'm using the Schneider C60 PWM charge controller. I may add an Epever 4210BN as primary and keep the Triron as a MPPT backup.

If none of the semiconductors is damaged, the unit may work once the fuses are soldered in and the unit re-assembled.

I decided to replace most of the system's #10 AWG wiring and connectors, with #8 AWG wiring and Staubli MC4 connectors. I purchased a crimper for this purpose and ten pairs of Staubli MC4 connectors.

The biggest reason for the last change is that my system is capable of 1KW output but has peaked at 600W. Cheap connectors and wire may have resulted in loose connections and resistive loads.

The finished update will have new higher amperage wire and connectors with improved output. 

At some point in the future, I hope to relocate the array into the old garden area. I recently slid the array to one side to uncover what was becoming a bare spot.

One last possible change that needs to be thought through is replacing the one inch steel pipe, in the array frame, with a steel strut. Perhaps a two inch steel pipe would be better and easier to install.

RPi4 standalone wifi

 

The RPi4/Bookworm12 offers a hotspot option from wiithin the GUI. That works but there are issues.

I ran across a more direct method using nmcli from a SSH headless session. The RPi4 remains online if the router/modem is shut down. My notes follow:

How do I set up networkng on Raspberry Pi OS - Bookworm

Not the same as an access point.

December 26, 2025

==========================================================================

Google AI:

raspberry pi 4, bookworm, turn on hot spot from cli

# 1. Stop NetworkManager if needed (sometimes helps)

sudo systemctl stop NetworkManager

(-RPi shutdown, reboot needed., this step probably not needed.)

# 2. Create the hotspot (replace values):

sudo nmcli device wifi hotspot ifname wlan0 ssid "RPi4-Spot2" password "raspberry"

{-RPi4 is now on 192.168.0.193)

"Windows can't get thhe network settings from the router"

"Enter security key instaead" : 'raspberry'

Mobaxterm closes

Now using 10.42.0.1 / 'RPi4-Spot2' SSID and logged in.

The RPi4-Spot2 hot spot may or may not boot and run without the router/modem.

This remains to be seen. 

Turned off router/modem and let the RPi4 run all night. Everythings good.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Unused option for internet sharing:

# 3. (Optional) If sharing internet, ensure ipv4.method=shared on the hotspot profile

# This might need manual editing of the connection file or specific nmcli commands.

# Example for setting up internet sharing (requires dnsmasq/bridge setup):

sudo nano /etc/NetworkManager/NetworkManager.conf

# Add [main] dhcp=internal to disable NetworkManager's DHCP, and set ipv4.method=shared on the hotspot connection.

# 4. Start NetworkManager

sudo systemctl start NetworkManager

-----------------------------------------------------------

# 5. Verify hotspot is up

nmcli con show

nmcli connection show

NAME                UUID                                  TYPE      DEVICE

Hotspot*             3cd3ec9d-0bcd-4b40-a630-52e0bf267c4e  wifi      wlan0

Wired connection 1  34d66ff1-2341-3e52-9a95-a4ecb8758e18  ethernet  eth0

lo                  67bfa196-29c6-4ce0-9f54-7bab05f610a9  loopback  lo

preconfigured       8611a411-98af-4d8c-9148-f6a0389f8b75  wifi      --

* Note name of hotspot, 'RPi4-Spot',

 is not used, as when GUI version is set up.

==========================================================================

Deletion process:

nmcli connection show

sudo nmcli connection delete "HotspotName"

nmcli radio wifi off

nmcli radio wifi on

The hotspot may be deletable from the GUI as well but nmcli is probalby more consistent.

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