Author Topic: SWWP Whisper controller  (Read 4382 times)

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valleyguy

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SWWP Whisper controller
« on: November 02, 2014, 01:44:35 AM »
Hi everyone.  I am a new guy to the board but not so new a guy.  Just new as a registered member.  Briefly, we are in Alaska, have been off grid since 2005, wind and solar and run our house and a small business location without the assistance of the grid. 

Anyway, the turbine we bought in 2005, at the recommendation of the local folks was a Whisper 200 on a 100 foot Rohn 45g.  Bad choice, turbine anyway.  The fact that we get weeks straight of 20-50mph wind at various times over the course of the winter really hurt the 200.  The dealer apparently did not believe me when I said the peak gusts could top out well over 50mph.  The little 200 fell apart about once a year, usually in January when we really needed it.  January is too cold and windy to drop the tower so we would wait till summer to get it down.  Besides, solar is kicking in really hard about mid March. 

That is the short story.  What I am facing today is the dead charge controller and solar dropping like a dead fly.  The circuit board has been replaced several times as well as the whole controller itself.  Fortunately it was under warranty except for one time and I just picked up a circuit board and replaced it myself.  Today there are no circuit boards to be found so I am looking for other options.  Oh, the 200 shrunk to a Whisper 100 during our last warranty work.  This was at my request and they were happy to send out a new 100 instead of repairing the 200.  The 100 has been fine so far........

This is a 48 volt battery and turbine.  I know I could get a rectifier and hook up something like the Morningstar TS-45 as a diversion regulator, and that may be the end result but I would like to explore the possibility of using some of the parts of the SWWP controller.  Specifically the rectifier.  The thing has some beefy metal in it but I am not sure what is actually the rectifier part. 

Three AC wires from the turbine go in one side and 2 DC wires go to the battery but there is a circuit board in between.  That is what is throwing me.  The circuit board.  Anyone ever modified one of these things?  I don't know the remaining life of the turbine itself so I did not want to throw a lot of money into a 'from the ground up" controller since I do not know what the replacement turbine will be.

Thanks,
Rick




valleyguy

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Re: SWWP Whisper controller
« Reply #1 on: November 05, 2014, 02:20:35 PM »
In my effort to be brief, I probably did not fully explain the problem.  There may be a solution that I am overlooking.

Each time the board failed, it was in high winds when I forgot to enable the dump load.  I'm just running a C-40 with a wire wound resistor.  It works good enough to keep the factory supplied SWWP controller from going into the regulate mode. 

Sometimes during lulls in the windstorms, when doing maintenance, I disable the C-40 and forget to switch it back on.  Therefore causing the SWWP factory controller to regulate.  This is always when the failures occur.  Something is not unlatching.  My problem is when I look at the circuit board I may as well be a dog watching TV, I just have no idea what  am looking at.

Thanks for any considerations,
Rick

gww

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Re: SWWP Whisper controller
« Reply #2 on: November 05, 2014, 08:05:41 PM »
I like the pictures but aint smart enough to help, otherwise, welcome to the forum.
gww

valleyguy

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Re: SWWP Whisper controller
« Reply #3 on: November 05, 2014, 11:28:22 PM »
Thanks gww, 

Lost the last post so I hope this is not a duplicate. 

If you like those pictures, here is what was at the other end of this charge controller at one time.  The Whisper 200 after a 100 foot fall.  This occurred during the 2009 annual "How's it gonna break this time?" event.

They were cool with it.  Just sent out a replacement and did not even want the wrecked carcass.

Rick

Flux

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Re: SWWP Whisper controller
« Reply #4 on: November 06, 2014, 04:01:31 AM »

I am not familiar with the SWWP controller so can't help much. If you are wanting to rescue the rectifier it consists of the 3 diode modules above the incoming 3 phase leads.

If you can't identify it you will have trouble untangling it from the control circuitry on the board to the right, above the dc leads.
All I can suggest is that you try to read the numbers on those 3 diode modules and Google it. You should find a makers data sheet for the rectifiers, they are almost certainly diode pairs so they have to be linked to make a 3 phase bridge.

The linking looks strange but the picture is not good enough for any real detail. If you can sort it, those diode modules will be better than the usual potted bridges that most people use.

You still have to remember to enable the dump controller, you won't have a SWWP controller to kill but you still have batteries to boil.

Flux

valleyguy

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Re: SWWP Whisper controller
« Reply #5 on: November 06, 2014, 12:24:23 PM »
Thanks Flux,

I do have an old circuit board from a previous failure I can start to work with.  The DC terminals are attached to it so I can remove them and see if it reveals anything.  During a lull in the wind action I should be able to short it off, remove the box from the wall and poke around on the 3 phase side. 

Knowing I am looking for diodes is a good start! If I find anything interesting I will get a picture of it and report back.  Having beautiful fall days, just lots of wind.

Rick