Rolling Blackout Detector (Experiment)

[Ϲhristopher]

Can you explain then how 6 units can all trip at the same time?

Why would only six units trips if it were due to the grid frequency?

 

[B-1]

This is what I'm trying to detect.

Anyway, I wish there was a way to automate this to get live readings as a snap shot in time is not really helping.

You can use a esp32's/Arduino analog pin if you step down the voltage from 230 to 5 or less volts and then measure the time between the peak values. Then feed that into one of the analytics/reporting tools online every 5 minutes or so.

 

[BBSA]

Instead of having a big debate about it, can people just post their readings?

Good luck with that, you will always have a big debate on these streets.

 

[wingnut771]

Why would only six units trips if it were due to the grid frequency?

Good question.

 

[Harmonic]

This is an interesting question. I might tie a pi to the grid tomorrow and host an open grafana instance, tracking my readings

* might. If the weathers good tomorrow I'm having a braai. If the weather is bad, I'll post a link once it's up

 

[BBSA]

 

[Harmonic]

For now, my inverter is reporting 50.2Hz

 

[wingnut771]

For now, my inverter is reporting 50.2Hz

Interesting to see what is does during peak time.

 

[B-1]

I see only the Voltronic guys are helpful the other inverter drivers are all snobs.

 

[Mzezman]

Hope this works - last 90 days

 

[wingnut771]

Hope this works - last 90 days

midnight, 8am and 4pm look wrong like it's missing a digit or comma or something. All data is in one column too.

edit: LOL - that's when you had blackouts

Can you split it into columns?

 

[DapperDanMan]

Can you explain then how 6 units can all trip at the same time?

Yes...

SABOTAGE!

 

[Harmonic]

Managed to hack something together to read the inverter status from the command line

{
  "Inverter_mode":3,
  "AC_grid_voltage":229.0,
  "AC_grid_frequency":50.2,
  "AC_out_voltage":229.0,
  "AC_out_frequency":50.2,
  "PV_in_voltage":0.0,
  "PV_in_current":0.0,
  "PV_in_watts":0.0,
  "PV_in_watthour":0.0000,
  "SCC_voltage":0.0000,
  "Load_pct":6,
  "Load_watt":148,
  "Load_watthour":4.9333,
  "Load_va":183,
  "Bus_voltage":450,
  "Heatsink_temperature":420,
  "Battery_capacity":100,
  "Battery_voltage":27.99,
  "Battery_charge_current":0,
  "Battery_discharge_current":0,
  "Load_status_on":1,
  "SCC_charge_on":0,
  "AC_charge_on":1,
  "Battery_recharge_voltage":23.0,
  "Battery_under_voltage":22.4,
  "Battery_bulk_voltage":28.8,
  "Battery_float_voltage":28.0,
  "Max_grid_charge_current":25,
  "Max_charge_current":50,
  "Out_source_priority":0,
  "Charger_source_priority":2,
  "Battery_redischarge_voltage":27.0,
  "Warnings":""
}

I fear the precision in the Hz measurement won't be good enough when reading from the inverter

 

[wingnut771]

"Battery_recharge_voltage":23.0,
"Battery_under_voltage":22.4,
"Battery_bulk_voltage":28.8,
"Battery_float_voltage":28.0,
"Max_grid_charge_current":25,
"Max_charge_current":50,
"Out_source_priority":0,
"Charger_source_priority":2,
"Battery_redischarge_voltage":27.0,
"Warnings":""
}
[/CODE]

I fear the precision in the Hz measurement won't be good enough when reading from the inverter

I hope you have LFP.

 

[Harmonic]

I hope you have LFP.

I do luckily

 

[wingnut771]

I do luckily

12Vx2? Balancer?

 

[Gravedigger]

Managed to hack something together to read the inverter status from the command line

{
  "Inverter_mode":3,
  "AC_grid_voltage":229.0,
  "AC_grid_frequency":50.2,
  "AC_out_voltage":229.0,
  "AC_out_frequency":50.2,
  "PV_in_voltage":0.0,
  "PV_in_current":0.0,
  "PV_in_watts":0.0,
  "PV_in_watthour":0.0000,
  "SCC_voltage":0.0000,
  "Load_pct":6,
  "Load_watt":148,
  "Load_watthour":4.9333,
  "Load_va":183,
  "Bus_voltage":450,
  "Heatsink_temperature":420,
  "Battery_capacity":100,
  "Battery_voltage":27.99,
  "Battery_charge_current":0,
  "Battery_discharge_current":0,
  "Load_status_on":1,
  "SCC_charge_on":0,
  "AC_charge_on":1,
  "Battery_recharge_voltage":23.0,
  "Battery_under_voltage":22.4,
  "Battery_bulk_voltage":28.8,
  "Battery_float_voltage":28.0,
  "Max_grid_charge_current":25,
  "Max_charge_current":50,
  "Out_source_priority":0,
  "Charger_source_priority":2,
  "Battery_redischarge_voltage":27.0,
  "Warnings":""
}

I fear the precision in the Hz measurement won't be good enough when reading from the inverter

This from the QPIGS command?
I wrote some Arduino code, for the ESP32, that will read the inverter data via serial port (I have the older RS232 ones) and post it on Blynk.
Too bad Blynk legacy is going offline by the end of the year. I plan to host my own Blynk instance, and then restart my project on there...

 

[Gravedigger]

Too bad that my Sonoff POW R2 cannot provide Frequency information...
I have a Modbus enabled inverter, that is connected to the grid. Still have to figure out the registers...
The axpert inverters is at another site, running on solar, not so much info there on the grid...

 

[thehuman]

It has been said that the grid frequency is crucial to grid stability and has to be in a very narrow windows of between 49.2Hz and 50.8Hz. The whole grid will have the same value whether you're measuring in Cape Town or Durban or Jhb.

To the people that have inverters that displays the grid frequency, if you could post the values here from time to time so we can get a snapshot in time about the health of the grid.

My thinking is we can rely on ourselves to predict when blackouts are imminent and prepare accordingly, then we don't have to reply on Eskom's 5 minute warnings.

View attachment 1396443

View attachment 1396437
View attachment 1396439

I should have atleast 2 months of frequency from my axpert inverter in a influxdb db file , i could try export it , pm me a email address. Can mail bit later.

 

[B-1]

Voltage is way up tonight. I've been running on 230v for the last few weeks.