Aurora Errors - E011 ramp fail

[Andy Warner]

I'm repairing a failed Aurora 3.6 Wind inverter (the old black one), after I suspect overvoltage failure. I've replaced a power fet / diode, and got it to power up. I'm running it on a test bed, as my turbine's not up at the moment, with about 120V DC (open circuit) from a 3 210W solar pv modules. It's still got the original wind power curve, which doesn't do much until over 80V. Anyway, the unit goes through it's self tests OK, tries to connect, and comes up with E011 ramp fail, then goes back to initializing again.

What does ramp fail refer to? - I take it it refers to ramping up output load, to match MPPT curve? I was wondering if, as the ramp up is fast, it may be overloading the panels and dropping the voltage too far. I would have expected this to show up as "waiting for wind" instead. Is the dc source just unsuitable for testing, or have I got an actual fault?

Thanks
Andy

[Rob Beckers]

Andy, I have no docs either that give more information (beyond that it's an 'internal error', which normally means something inside is broken). I've sent a message to my Power-One tech contact, maybe he knows more. I'll post back when I get a reply.

-RoB-

[Andy Warner]

Thanks, Rob. I'm going to test it on a more stable supply later today, so will let you know if it still comes up.
Andy

[Rob Beckers]

Andy, just reading through some other Power-One docs I have, and in there they do give a little more information about E011: They mention this can be due to bad input wiring, or an undersized PV array (this is for PV inverters, but the mechanism is identical for wind inverters). So, I have a feeling you're on the right track. The unit probably senses that the voltage drops (too much) when it puts a load on.

You could simply reprogram the MPPT curve so your supply can deliver the needed power. That would allow for testing.

When I hear back from Power-One tech support about this I'll let you know.

-RoB-

[Andy Warner]

Thanks Rob,
I have tested the inverter on a bench power supply. We tried it at 63V, and adjusted the curve to provide a 10W output load at 60V. Still got a 011 Ramp fail error on the screen every time. Interestingly, the Aurora installer was showing 012 DC DC error, but I have my suspicions this is just a software bug, and it should have shown the same as the screen.

Be great if you hear any more from your contact.

Thanks
Andy

[Rob Beckers]

Andy, unfortunately Power-One is not providing more information. Something about "what if he electrocutes himself or burns the house down". In short, they're afraid of liability. Such is the United States these days...

-RoB-

[Andy Warner]

Ah well. Thanks for asking anyhow. Quite the opposite response of Victron, who I've found give really quick helpful technical advice. I've tried contacting power one before about a different technical query - the guy I work for used to distribute for them. Anyway they were really unhelpful with us also. I've subsequently got another 3.6 inverter with a different fault, so should hopefully be able to come up with one that works, and get my turbine up and running!

[Rob Beckers]

Do you see any blown electrolytic caps? Those are rated only a hair over 600V (as a split-bank if I remember right, so two 315V caps in series).

-RoB-