Project Journals > Rover
Hello my name is Rover, and I'm an idiot
Rover:
I have no problem mentioning my mistakes. Case in point is today.
I got all excited about putting up my new solar panels, and the new Morningstar ts 45 mppt.
Since hurricane Irene, I was bent on coming back better than before, used a lot of my old wiring etc. What I didn't take into consideration is that I had tripled my solar output.. still not much in comparison with others, but roughly 900 Watts. I had have never had much over 300W, and the wiring suited it OK.
Big difference when you are pushing 45 to 60 amps through wires @12V , when one is used to running sub 20 amps.
Giddy I was, till I felt some of my terminal connections and felt the heat.
Yeah that's the idiot part... Know your wiring... every part of it. I was lucky, I had heavier gauge wire and better terminals around. I swapped em out and all is OK. Now if If hadn't monitored it , touched it.. I would have just enjoyed the moment, potentially at the cost of melted insulation or worse.
It was all luck, luck that I decided to watch the amp rise, luck that I decided to touch the terminals. I was an idiot for not seeing this before it happened and planning before hand.
Last.. take it all seriously
Rover
tomw:
Rover;
I was fairly certain you were from the start! :D :o 8)
I would tell you so on IRC but whenever I join you mysteriously leave.
Yesterday I chased my tail trying to understand why my Relay Driver seemed to be triggering on wrong voltages. So I am one, too, as you likely are aware already!
Duh, you should check voltage in the same circuit your equipment is connected to for best calibration results.
Tom
ksouers:
Rover,
There are only lessons.
There is only one mistake. And that is not learning from your lessons.
Glad everything turned out alright.
Kevin
WooferHound:
Yeah , I was out in the shed touching my solar power system this afternoon when it was dumping at the maximum.
I think it liked it , till it burned me . . .
I was an idiot too , but I took the 12 step program
rossw:
It's not even just about the size of the wires and connectors, Rover.
When I built my first turbine rectifier, and added in with it my (at the time, quite modest) 300 watts odd of PV I used a connector and cables which were more than enough. (Running at 48V, the currents were even less than yours).
Over a few years, I obviously never checked and re-tightened the screw connectors - and they do "settle" after first install.
Well, I don't know what made me look at it this day - but I thank my lucky stars I did!
No discolouration of the wires, but the connector itself has been QUITE warm.
It didn't look *TOO* bad here:
But when I cut the melted plastic away to find the ends of the brass connectors, I can see just how close disaster was!
They were not touching... but cripes, they were realllllly close!
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