Guru
Joined: 13/10/2014
Location: AustraliaPosts: 1860
| Posted: 06:31am 19 Apr 2025 |
On thing I wanted to mention about test mode since a few of us are using this for initial testing, never forget to turn the Power supply down every time to a very low voltage or zero "before" removing the DC leads to the Inverter.
Some times we forget and just unplug the DC power leads, there is no protection for large caps that you may have on the Power board when suddenly connecting the Inverter back up to high DC voltages. If you have a current limited supply set below a few amperes or say a 40 ohm 5w resistor in series with the DC input in test mode, you might get away with it, but it's still best to always lower the test power supply voltage.
This is especially important if a Contactor is wired in and you put the Controller in test mode, ideally the Contactor should be disconnected in test mode, it will suddenly engage as soon as enough pull-in voltage for the Contactor is reached, with a current limited supply, this causes the supply to rise and then limit as the Contactor energizes, the Contactor drops out and then the cycle repeats.
I've put some limiting and forced reset conditions in test mode but you really should not be using it unless connected to a limited low current adjustable supply or series resistor.
Another gotcha is testing the complete Inverter (with big caps) and a Contactor in Test mode with an adjustable supply, then forgetting the controller is in test mode when you hook the Inverter back to the batteries and throw the big ON switch, the Contactor can still pull in at a low voltage (seems almost instant) with a huge current surge (depending on cap size). Even though I have protection for that in the Code - With Murphy at play he just might void your Warranty.
.
Edited 2025-04-20 10:49 by KeepIS