Power-One Aurora UNO 2.5i-W problem and introduction

[Bence Volosinovszki]

Hello Everyone,

Let me start off by telling a little about myself. I'm 20 years old, currently studying automation engineering in Denmark and I've been coming from a mechanical engineering high school. This is my last semester at this study program and as our final project I'm working on a small VAWT system with an Aurora UNO inverter.

I've just found this forum a couple hours ago, and already learned a lot, but have not found anything similar to my problem.

The installation has been done by someone else in the past, and our job was to get a conclusion whether this system could work and produce or it's not going to work, if there are major issues with everything.

The system consist of a 1kW 3-blade wind vertical axis turbine, a controller for the turbine, and an on-grid aurora inverter. Whenever we start up the turbine the production always stays 0W. So we started from the beginning:

We have gone through the wiring, measuring voltages etc. Everything seems to be in order on that part.

Now, as this is my first project with anything renewable energy related I did not know much about these inverters. We have learned that there are much more to this, and realized that the inverter is probably missing the MPPT table. We had to order an RS-485 to USB adapter as we couldn't find it in any of the local computer shops. It has arrived yesterday afternoon, and we've spent a couple hours trying to connect to the inverter without any luck.

The cable connecting to the inverter's rs-485 connection is home-made, the guys previously trying to make the system work created it, but after some research we've learned that they didn't correctly made the wiring, so we have changed the wires, and the Aurora Installer finally saw the inverter.
I have registered on the ABB's webpage to get the service password, which we did, but the software says it is incorrect. (In normal mode It says connection error, so there might be still some problems with the connection cable as well)
Now here comes the part I have not found anything related anywhere:

In the inverter there is no Serial number or Part number. It's blank. I'm pretty sure that is the reason we can't connect, as it can't recognize the password when missing the serial number and part number.

I've been talking to the US Support after this (as everything was closed here already) and he confirmed the password we got, but had no idea about the missing serial number.

I have also installed Aurora Communicator, Aurora Manager LITE (I've found a firmware update file on the offical webpage) as well as Aurora UNO Fix software but none of them could connect.
This might be because of the missing numbers, or we are still doing something wrong with the cables.

I'm looking forward to any comments or help on the issue, and I'm really curious if anyone has ever seen this missing serial number thing before.

Thank you in advance,

Best regards,
Bence Volosinovszki

[Rob Beckers]

Hi Bence,

The installer password is 05591. That is the same for all inverters (there's also a factory menu password but that's different for each inverter).

Would you have an old XP computer sitting around? They work great with the inverter by connecting to the USB port. That would be the quick way around the connection problems.

-RoB-

[Bence Volosinovszki]

Hi Rob,

Thanks for the quick answer. The password you have provided should unlock what menu?
In the inverter's "Service" menu it requires a 8 digit password. In the aurora installer it says wrong password as well.

Have you experienced the missing serial, and part-number problem before? I still think that's the reason we can't connect.
I'll install windows xp on an older laptop to test is that leads anywhere closer.

Is there a way we can upload the serial number to the inverter?

Thank you in advance,

Regards,
Bence

[Bence Volosinovszki]

Hi Rob,

Thanks for the quick answer. The password you have provided should unlock what menu?
In the inverter's "Service" menu it requires a 8 digit password. In the aurora installer it says wrong password as well.

Have you experienced the missing serial, and part-number problem before? I still think that's the reason we can't connect.
I'll install windows xp on an older laptop to test is that leads anywhere closer.

Is there a way we can upload the serial number to the inverter?

Thank you in advance,

Regards,
Bence

I have found in another post that this password you gave me is for the "Extended" tab and not the advanced. It accepts the password, but immediately gives me an error code:

"It was impossible to enter service mode.
Please enter the password again."

And that's all. I can't do anything else. Again, I think that's because the inverter is missing the serial and part number...

Regards,
Bence

[Rob Beckers]

Hi Bence,

It sounds like the communications via RS-485 are working fine (since you can get to the selection menu, enter the password and it is recognized etc.). That means using XP and the USB port won't likely get you any further.

The "extended" radio button is where you set up the MPPT table for the inverter; it will show a "wind configuration" tab after login, with that table. That should be all you need.

I've never seen a Power-One inverter without a serial or part number. Not sure how it would get in that state. Since those numbers are used for several things that's likely to cause trouble in the firmware. Unfortunately I cannot help you with that, Power-One/ABB would be the only one that may know of a way to get numbers back in there. I wonder how it got to be in this state, presumably it was made with those numbers in the firmware so they must have been erased later on. Maybe someone tried to upload a new firmware?

Good luck!

-RoB-

[Bence Volosinovszki]

Yes, I suppose the only thing we need is to create an MPPT table in the inverter.

UPDATE: we have tried a different rs-485 adapter and now we don't see the inverter with any one of them.

I'm at the point where I can't even decide which is the correct wiring for the communication port.
What I've found and then measured with the multi-meter:

MALE side of the RS-485

1 • • • • • 5
6 • • • • 9

5 = GND
1 = TxD-
2 = TxD+
3 = RxD+
4 = RxD-
and on pin:
1, 4 = 4,3V
2, 3 = 4,9V

Unfortunately I have found so many different diagrams that I wasn't sure which would be RS-232 or which is RS-485.

Please correct me if I'm wrong but the wiring we saw the inverter with was:
pin 5 connected to RTN
pin 3 connected to +T/R
pin 4 connected to -T/R

But as this is a 2 wire connection I assume we need to connect pin 1 and 4 to +T/R and pin 2, 3 to -T/R. Although after the second adapter test none of the possible connections were working. Before us the wiring was made completely differently. (The guys said they will try to get the adapter they have worked with for us.)

Also they did not try to upgrade firmware, only were working with the MPPT table.

I've decided to install a computer with windows xp anyways, as it's not much bother, and I have an older laptop lying around.

Thanks for the help up to this point.

Regards,
Bence

[Bence Volosinovszki]

http://s33.postimg.org/6pofyrdrj/aurorainstaller.jpg

Hi,

So I have finally managed to connect to the inverter.

This is how it looks like when it's loaded. The wind configuration tab is missing, I can't really do anything. However on the diagnostics page I get a lot of error codes.

I can't set the clock, neither that it is an independent setup.

Also I was able to download the "Settings and History memory" in a .hex file. I don't know if that helps me at all.

Any ideas what is going on, or what should I do?

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Bence

[Rob Beckers]

Bence, the screen shot you posted shows what you would see after login in through the "normal" radiobutton from the selection you see when you start AuroraInstaller. It doesn't require a passcode. The wind tab shows up when you log in through the "extended" radiobutton and enter 05591 as the passcode.

Something is clearly not quite right with your inverter. That missing serial number is strange!

-RoB-

[Bence Volosinovszki]

Hey Rob,

Yeah, there's definitely something wrong with the inverter.

I have found some of your previous posts on MPPT table on the forum.
Could you tell me the possible ways to create/calculate MPPT curves?

Thank you.

Regards,
Bence

[Rob Beckers]

Bence, MPPT curve calculations are based on energy in the wind, a reasonable efficiency factor for the rotor - alternator - inverter, and alternator output Voltage under load. Each rotor is designed to run best at a certain TSR (Tip Speed Ratio, ratio between wind speed and rotor tip speed, essentially a way to distill angle-of-attack of the blades vs. wind), using that RPM vs. wind speed the alternator output Voltage is calculated. Power is based on wind speed, as mentioned above. Those two, Voltage vs. power, are then joined to make an MPPT curve.

This calculates a curve. Since a number of variables are just best guesses it can then be optimized by running the wind turbine and measuring output power vs. wind speed. That results in a power curve, and the objective is to raise that power curve as high as possible (by shifting the MPPT curve 10% or 20% towards the lower Voltages, then to the higher Voltages). Do this for a little bit and you will iterate to the best curve for the turbine.

-RoB-

[Bence Volosinovszki]

Thank you very much Rob.

Regards,
Bence

[Cor van Houtum]

Hello Bence,

You have communication problems

use this dongel DIGITUS DA-70157 :: USB 2.0 > serial RS485 converter

connect the + to the + of the inverter
connect the - to the - of the inverter
connect the gnd

The easy way is to use the green connections with plug insite the inverter
But watch , the most right connection is not used for rs485
so the numbering connection starts one of the right (first empty)

if you connect it wrong then you get only one signal and no return
this gives no serial number and a lot of crab

Put your virtual computerport on 19.200 N - 8 - 1 with use of windows

only 3 wires needed

Put aurora installer on the right port (virtual comport)

Make sure that your inverter has a detectable rs485 adress (number 2)

Let it find the inverters

Kind regards

Cor