We have install several RS 450/100,200 MPPT units. However 2 x 450/100 error 200 and 1 x 450/200, same error 200. Only two units out of all the installed units actually worked on startup.
We have checked and double check our installations, they are all according to specifications.
Is anyone experiencing the same issue or is there something we are simply missing?
Surely Victron must be aware of the problem but decided it is more cost effective to keep replacing the units rather than solving the problem. There must be some point where consumer protection steps in and we should be able to recover our time and effort losses when having to return equipment form remote sites.
The units are faulty.
See error 200 in the manual.
As long as you had no electrically exciting moments during system connect it is not likely anything you did
Many thanks for your response.
Everything went as it should. On start up it came up with the error code 200
That's all.
So faulty. Just return for the RMA with your system and panel config.
I have had one do it randomly, it had been in operation for over three months (before it got the error 200). It was replaced under warranty.
Came looking for this post - having almost never seen an error #200 on an RS450/100 in over a year of shipping them I have now seen four in a week.
Is this a firmware thing or a component degradation thing? All of the units are recent installs - nothing particularly different from the many others we've shipped. Adequate cabling, breakers. Voc is fine, standard batteries...
Think i'll add my 50 cents to this discussion... I've built several systems in the past year, mostly using RS450/100s. Of the 5 that I bought, 3 failed within a month or two of going online (brand new, always updated the firmware quickly). That's over a 50% failure rate on these units, it's a worrying trend this year which I hope Victron can solve quickly.
I've made a fair bit of analysis on the failures and noticed the following points that may help others reading this:
1. Each of the units ran fine until the first cold sunny day where the panels output was higher than previously.
2. Each units would fail quickly - no preemptive warnings, so was not a slow process. (always error #200).
3. The units were in systems where the amps on a cold sunny day were expected to reach 100amps (and thus require current limiting in the RS450).
4. The two units that didn't fail were in identical systems to the faulty units, except that the groups of panels in those working systems are facing in different directions. ie: String#1 is facing East and string#2 facing South or SW and thus would never reach 100amps total current flow. Whereas the failed systems had all panels facing exactly South.
The system spec: String #1: 6x Trina vertex S400w panels, string#2: exactly the same. RS450/100, incoming pv cables all 4mm. Output to Victron distributer, 15kwh Lifepo4 battery bank, dual multiplus II 5kva inverters.
Note: I suspect the failures also occurred when the battery bank was full, the inverters had no loads and thus the overall DC system voltage likely reached its max 55.7v absorption voltage and 55v float voltage. The victron calculator does show that a maxed out float voltage state on the system will put higher loading on the RS450 and seems to infer this will make it get closer to its limits. - that might be something to consider in this case too.
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