Hi Friends,
I see that my AC200MAX turns on automatically when it senses voltage on the solar charge input.
My question is: is it supposed to automatically turn off when there is no more power coming in from solar? (Assuming both AC and DC Outputs are turned off)
I found some conflicting information on that:
In this thread AC200 Auto Turn On - #4 by Rob , user “Scott-Benson” says: “Yes, the AC200 will turn off when the solar charging is longer present.”
However, in this thread Charging with solar panel , user “Karl” says: " There is a caution however…since the AC200 does turn on when it senses charge, but does not turn off when the charge stops, you are best to fully turn off the unit"
Could you please let me know which one of these statements is correct? As far as I have seen, my unit does not turn off automatically, and I´m trying to find out if it should - would be better for my specific use case…
Hi tscher, the answer is it can do both. If you need power all night when there is no sun you should turn eco mode off. In eco mode the inverter will shut down after 4 hours if the load is <50W.
I run my unit 24/7 so I always have eco mode off, the only downside with this is that you will have the inverter losses (causing some battery drain) all the time. In the end it depends on how you use the unit.
thanks for your reply. I have ECO Mode turned on. However, as per the manual, this is only about turning off the AC Inverter when no load is detected.
My question was whether the AC200MAX will turn itself off (so that the Green Ring around the button is not illuminated) after having turned on automatically, assuming all outputs (DC and AC) are turned off (which they are when it turns itself on automatically).
Thanks jCs. I agree - it would be nice to have a menu option for that.
So, dear @BLUETTI Team, here´s my feature request: have a menu option for automatic turn off. When activated & AC+DC Outputs are off & DC Charge Input is below 20W for 15 Minutes, turn the station off.
This is a use case where a timer might help you in most cases. PV will be down, say 20:00 to 10:00. The timer-switch could do this for you. It will turn the mains (230V AC) down and up again.
I´m sorry, but I don´t understand how a timer will help me in this case. My problem is:
It is night. My AC200MAX is sitting there turned off completely. (Green ring not illuminated)
Day comes, the sun comes up, PV Panel starts showing some Voltage. Consequently, the AC200MAX turns itself on and starts charging on PV. (AC and DC Outputs stay turned off).
Day ends, PV Voltage drops, no more charging. Problem: AC200MAX stays turned on and starts depleting it´s own battery through standby consumption.
@Elektrotarzan : Please enlighten me how the timer mentioned would help me in this scenario? Thank you.
According to Bluetti, the standby consumption should be 6W; on my own unit, I do see about 0.5-1% SoC loss per hour, which would be more like 10-20W. So all in all, I am loosing about 5-10% of charge over night, or 10-20% for a day without PV production (overcast winter day).
The obvious manual solution is to install a switch in the PV line, only turn it on when siginificant PV production is expected, and turn the swicht & the AC200MAX off when PV production ends. However, what if I´m not around? Then I have only 2 options: a) leave everything off and loose any possible PV production, or b) turn PV on and hope that it will produce more than I loose during the night.
@BLUETTI: Please let me know if there is any chance of getting this turn-yourself-off feature added in the future? I need this information to decide wether to stick with the Bluetti System and buy a B230 for expansion, or to throw it out and get a regular 300Ah lithium battery + external electronics instead. Thank you.
sorry I was wrong. Different use-case. I really also wish for an input
to the AC200MAX in order to switch it on/off by an external switch/relais.
I use the timer to switch it on at times when it is likely that the sun
shines. 11-15:00. It then charges by AC 230V which in turn is supported
by our PV system. This is lossy but better then nothing.
I wouldn’t hold your breath on any new features being added. They haven’t in all the time I’ve owned a ac200max. Mine does turn off after 4 hours with no solar input through.
My AC200MAX also switches off after 4 hours without Solar input,
it also does not matter whether the ECO mode is on or off.
Prerequisite AC /DC outputs are off.
Sorry for the late reply. Regarding your question about automatic shutdown, you can use ECO MODE, a mode that automatically turns off AC, DC when not carrying a load.
@BLUETTI : Thank you for your response. However, this was not my question. Please read the posts above.
. @jockel66 : Thanks again for your response. After more testing, I can confirm that my Station indeed does turn off after a certain (long-ish) time with no PV input and AC+DC turned off. I didn´t actually time it, but 4 hours seems about right.
i can also confirm that the ac200max turns itself off after about 4 hours with no input or output. I’ve been watching it every day (evening) for a week now.
That is weird, mine is not shutting down, automatically. I am having the same use case as @tscher: Unattended Recharging with solar power, if there is enough sunshine. Once the sun is not shining or very cloudy the unit should turn off, aka the green light is off. Once the sun comes back, charging should resume. @BLUETTI any chance to add that feature? And could you shed some light onto, why some users seem to have automatic shutdown and others doesn‘t?