Project Journals > Rover

Hello my name is Rover, and I'm an idiot

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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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