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groingo
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# Posted: 13 Feb 2015 16:09
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Well, with nearly one full season under my belt the solar has performed better than expected so to fill the known gaps the first thing I did was order an EP Tracer 40 amp MPPT controller from EP which will arrive next Monday or Tuesday.
Currently I am using my number 2 PWM controller and have been impressed at how much better it performs than my former favorite PWM....it's a personal thing.
The new controller will allow for possible expansion but as it stands things are doing very well and the 400 watts has filled the need so now I am considering adding more power to be able to run more high demand stuff but not till I address the battery issue which would mean raising storage from 235 ah to 500, but for now it's baby steps, like to prove each step before moving on.
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creeky
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# Posted: 13 Feb 2015 17:01
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man congrats. that looks to be a really good controller. the BN. and that price. sheesh. can't wait to see how it turns out.
sell your lead acid batteries. quick as you can. get a LFP battery. I struggle to imagine 10 years without having to do any maintenance on my battery pack.
why to just ignore your solar system for years. (but changing the seasonal panel angle up north here). wow.
anyway. future planning. my next step is a LFP battery pack. (note. i'm back to using 3kw/day since jan 1. ah. cloudy season is over). with the lfp pack I'd be able to go 4.5 or even 7kw/day. and no watering. no worrying (did i fully charge. if not i have to reduce amps used until i get a full charge... ack pllll).
speaking of the future: Tesla has a new "home" battery they're teasing. not sure what the chemistry is. guess we'll find out in a month or two. a 5kw and a 10 according to the early reports. lithium something...
I have seen the future. and it is now. 
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AK Seabee
Member
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# Posted: 13 Feb 2015 23:36
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I am ready for the future now! LOL.
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groingo
Member
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# Posted: 14 Feb 2015 12:05
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Creeky:
This time I got the controller directly from the manufacturer and hopefully they do better by not selling me returned second hand defective as new like "the retailer" did first time round.
If it works as planned it should be a win win regardless.
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creeky
Member
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# Posted: 14 Feb 2015 13:15
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i'm interested in your report for sure.
i notice it has an rj-45 connection. i wonder, do you have a router for internet? it would be interesting to see if you can plug it in to the router, and with the software, monitor the power production (same as the morningstar ts-mppt-60).
they sure look to have many of the features of morningstar controllers. (passive radiators instead of fans, faster mppt algorithms, etc). so when I saw the software/rj-45 connection I was pretty intrigued. esp. at that price point.
btw. anybody in eastern ontario new to solar and wants a good lead acid battery bank, used, 2-4 years of good life left ... I have a great deal. (don't know why I'm not getting any takers
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