Quick (i hope) mx 60 question

System
System Posts: 2,511 admin
in General Solar Power Topics #1
Guys, (boB),m

does the mx60 watts field of the status screen show watts after controller losses (7%??), or is it whats direct off the panels?

i just consulted the online manual i couldnt find that (dpoesnt mean its not there, just saying ... ;)

thanks! :mrgreen:
· Share on Twitter

Comments

  • crewzer
    crewzer Registered Users, Solar Expert Posts: 1,832 ✭✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: Quick (i hope) mx 60 question

    Mattl,

    The display value is for the power output from the controller. It should ~equal battery voltage x output current.

    HTH,
    Jim / crewzer
    · Share on Twitter
  • Solar Guppy
    Solar Guppy Solar Expert Posts: 1,989 ✭✭✭
    #3
    Re: Quick (i hope) mx 60 question

    The MX60 does not have current measurement for the Array current and hence Array Power Values are not measured but estimates. Also, in my testing of multiple units, the DC watts accuracy was in the 10-35% range, always reporting high in DC watts ( meaning unit is reporting more watts than are actually being produced ). I've done some very extensive testing with lab quality power meters and have discussed with now "former" Outback staff, their take was it didn't effect the performance and the customers weren't complaining, which I agree.

    IMHO,  I guess its the engineer part in me that gets ruffled when I see post after post of some outrageous system performance knowing its just digits on the LCD display, not watts going into the load :roll: The MX60 is a good charger, its not a good watt meter ...
    · Share on Twitter
  • halfcrazy
    halfcrazy Solar Expert Posts: 720 ✭✭✭
    #4
    Re: Quick (i hope) mx 60 question

    Solar-Guppy thanks for that info that explains why every one seems to be making record power :| I will have to get a few snapshots of the trimetric as well as the mx to compare the 2 but i have noticed my mx60 is optimistic compared to the old c60 when it came to power output from my array.
    · Share on Twitter
  • Mangas
    Mangas Solar Expert Posts: 547 ✭✭✭✭
    #5
    Re: Quick (i hope) mx 60 question

    For those reasons, I decided to try and build a level of system overcapacity into my specs. I used 20% but in the end can you run your real time requirements or not.
    Ranch Off Grid System & Custom Home: 2 x pair stacked Schneider XW 5548+ Plus inverters (4), 2 x Schneider MPPT 80-600 Charge Controllers, 2 Xanbus AGS Generator Start and Air Extraction System Controllers, 64 Trojan L16 REB 6v 375 AH Flooded Cel Batteries w/Water Miser Caps, 44 x 185 Sharp Solar Panels, Cummins Onan RS20 KW Propane Water Cooled Genset, ICF Custom House Construction, all appliances, Central A/C, 2 x High Efficiency Variable Speed three ton Central A/C 220v compressors, 2 x Propane furnaces, 2 x Variable Speed Air Handlers, 2 x HD WiFi HVAC Zoned System Controllers
    · Share on Twitter
  • boB
    boB Solar Expert Posts: 1,032 ✭✭✭✭
    #6
    Re: Quick (i hope) mx 60 question

    Henry said:
    >>I've done some very extensive testing with lab quality power meters and have discussed
    >>with now "former" Outback staff, their take was it didn't effect the performance and the
    >>customers weren't complaining, which I agree.

    Yes, and those lab quality power meters cost many THOUSANDS of dollars too !
    The input current ~could~ be calculated a bit better fer sure, probably, definitely, maybe.

    Wish every charge controller and battery monitor could have a "Yokogawa chip" in them or something.

    boB :-D
    · Share on Twitter
  • Solar Guppy
    Solar Guppy Solar Expert Posts: 1,989 ✭✭✭
    #7
    Re: Quick (i hope) mx 60 question

    Hi boB:

    Yes, the Yokogawa Wt2030 was about 20K new ....

    Putting a Yokogawa under the hood is a bit less though, check out http://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/en/DeviceDoc/21482C.pdf

    About 3 dollars including the above chip, shunts, precision resistors for full array and battery current, I'm getting about 0.5% accuracy over the power range of my current work.

    Nice feature list by the way on your featured prototypes :-D

    SG
    · Share on Twitter
  • boB
    boB Solar Expert Posts: 1,032 ✭✭✭✭
    #8
    Re: Quick (i hope) mx 60 question

    Pretty CooL op amp and good that they put a C. stabilized version in a standard dual package and without the external caps.

    So, where in the input/output lines are your shunts going ?

    Also, we heard from Sean Hickey, in a seminar, that the XW MPPT controller was going to be 80 Amps out,
    but all the literature and Jeff Everett says (recently on the X forum) that it's still 60 Amps.
    Maybe someone should tell Jeff ???

    >>Nice feature list by the way

    Thanks !

    boB
    · Share on Twitter
  • Solar Guppy
    Solar Guppy Solar Expert Posts: 1,989 ✭✭✭
    #9
    Re: Quick (i hope) mx 60 question

    Hey boB, I assume your asking if its low or high side sense ... all my designs are low-side then into the DSP.

    I haven't been involved in the WX transition from my SC-60 design, the SC-60 platform was definitely 60 amps from input to output. The only 80 amp unit I know of is the Apollo unit, 80 amps is some serious IR losses to contend with!
    · Share on Twitter
  • boB
    boB Solar Expert Posts: 1,032 ✭✭✭✭
    #10
    Re: Quick (i hope) mx 60 question

    Right on the sense thing...

    >>80 amps is some serious IR losses to contend with!

    Yep, sure is, but with an extra percent or so lower conversion efficiency, if you're talking
    15% to 30% + boost over not using MPPT, it's not too bad of a compromise.

    Back on my head !

    boB

    · Share on Twitter
  • Solar Guppy
    Solar Guppy Solar Expert Posts: 1,989 ✭✭✭
    #11
    Re: Quick (i hope) mx 60 question

    Yes, mppt is good, thats all I have ever designed :roll:
    · Share on Twitter

Categories