G’day Bluetti fans,
My AC300 decided to die and since the main board will not be available until late May (or so customer service stated to me) I decided to grab an APEX 300. I have changed my 2 x twin solar panels to parallel so that the voltage is under the 60v max and all works just fine.
I do have a question about once the sun sets. For about 15 to 20 minutes after the sun sets and it is still light out, the internal relays click on and off for the XT60 solar inputs. I have verified this is the culprit by disconnecting the XT60’s. The clicking goes away. Once plugged back in, the start clicking again. Not on/off - on/off but rather about every 15 to 20 seconds with the time getting further between clicks as the light dwindles.
This would put extra cycles on the relays, no? My AC 300 never did this. Is this normal? Should it be fixed by a software update? Or is there a setting I can change so that when the voltages get down it will just stop trying to charge?
Cheers in advance
Aussie
This is something that can be adjusted with a firmware update, but if your primary concern is relay cycling, it’s not significant since in that condition, the circuit essentially carries only voltage and very low current. Therefore, sparks that could reduce the relay’s lifespan don’t occur.
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The ticking noise is caused by the MPPT detecting sufficient voltage and attempting to initiate tracking. When tracking begins, the solar charger increases the resistance, but fails because the voltage drops rapidly due to low current caused by poor panel irradiance. It then disconnects and restarts again and again until the voltage drops below a certain threshold.
Thanks for your answer, mate.
I knid of had a feeling about what you stated. I still don’t like the fact that they click constantly until the sun goes down. They also click in the mornings. I just think the extra wear on the relays is not a good thing.
@BLUETTI_CARE what are your thoughts on a firmware patch to cut the relays at a certain voltage during twilight and dawn hours?
Cheers
Aussie
Hi @Aussie_In_AZ, thank you for getting in touch with us.
As ndwr mentioned, this is actually a normal phenomenon caused by insufficient sunlight.
However, if this bothers you, we can push the latest firmware to your device, which will help optimize the solar charging performance of the Apex 300.
Please provide the SN code and current firmware version of your Apex 300, so we can arrange the firmware push for you.
Thanks for your quick response.
It only annoys me because the system is in my lounge room and the AC300 I had didn’t make these noises. I will say that the fan on the Apex is much quieter than the AC. My current system is as follows.
SN. AP3002530002425538
ARM v2204.13
DSP v2174.16
BMS. 1073.07
Cheers
Aussie