Outback inverter - boards replacement?

softdown
softdown Solar Expert Posts: 3,819 ✭✭✭✭
in Off Grid Solar & Battery Systems #1
Anybody done this? Anybody know how much the boards cost?

Seems we either cough up the dough for all three boards and DIY. Or pay a lot for shipping and let someone replace the bad part. Then hope something else doesn't go bad pretty soon.

Well done video on replacing all three boards. Looks pretty easy really.


First Bank:16 180 watt Grape Solar with  FM80 controller and 3648 Inverter....Fullriver 8D AGM solar batteries. Second Bank/MacGyver Special: 10 165(?) watt BP Solar with Renogy MPPT 40A controller/ and Xantrex C-35 PWM controller/ and Morningstar PWM controller...Cotek 24V PSW inverter....forklift and diesel locomotive batteries
· Share on Twitter

Comments

  • softdown
    softdown Solar Expert Posts: 3,819 ✭✭✭✭
    #2
    Found this in the comments section of a youtube vid: " I got an RMA but never sent it in. Didn't have the nerve to pick a board to swap. I think the new boards were about $300 each. It would have been nice if they could have told me what to check for to determine which board was bad. I mean, there has to be test points to check if the components feeding it are good, right? Like if the control board is good, you'd have X voltage at point Y on the AC board...etc."

    That would be $900 for all three boards! Apparently it is usually the control board that goes bad.

    I'd pay for two boards if that fixed it - about $600 they say. Not willing to pay $900 though - that is half the cost of a new inverter.

    My old inverter lacks ideal settings for lithium batteries as well. Perhaps a work around is removing the battery BMS (battery mgmt system) unless balancing the cells. Balancing the cells should likely be done a couple times/year as I recall.
    First Bank:16 180 watt Grape Solar with  FM80 controller and 3648 Inverter....Fullriver 8D AGM solar batteries. Second Bank/MacGyver Special: 10 165(?) watt BP Solar with Renogy MPPT 40A controller/ and Xantrex C-35 PWM controller/ and Morningstar PWM controller...Cotek 24V PSW inverter....forklift and diesel locomotive batteries
    · Share on Twitter
  • softdown
    softdown Solar Expert Posts: 3,819 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November 2021 #3
    From our host - control board is $270 plus $10 shipping.

    Would a new control board update the settings so it is compatible with lithium batteries?

    How do the capacitors do with ageing? I should get 7-8 years from the new inverter. The old inverter gave me 6 1/2 years of usage plus a couple years of shelf storage.
    First Bank:16 180 watt Grape Solar with  FM80 controller and 3648 Inverter....Fullriver 8D AGM solar batteries. Second Bank/MacGyver Special: 10 165(?) watt BP Solar with Renogy MPPT 40A controller/ and Xantrex C-35 PWM controller/ and Morningstar PWM controller...Cotek 24V PSW inverter....forklift and diesel locomotive batteries
    · Share on Twitter
  • softdown
    softdown Solar Expert Posts: 3,819 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November 2021 #4
    The FET board cost twice as much. Figure about $1250 to place all three. Who would do that when a new inverter is ~ $1850?
    First Bank:16 180 watt Grape Solar with  FM80 controller and 3648 Inverter....Fullriver 8D AGM solar batteries. Second Bank/MacGyver Special: 10 165(?) watt BP Solar with Renogy MPPT 40A controller/ and Xantrex C-35 PWM controller/ and Morningstar PWM controller...Cotek 24V PSW inverter....forklift and diesel locomotive batteries
    · Share on Twitter

Categories