RS 450 /100 - Up in smoke

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nicholas.nouwens asked Jul 31, '23

RS 450 /100 - Up in smoke

Hi there,

Installed a RS450/100 3 months ago. The unit charges 2x14.3kwH lithium batteries which feed a Multi II 48/5000. GX to control hardware/ESS. Sizing of the PV arrays was done using Victron's PV sheet/calculator, and all checked out.

First Tracker runs with 8 x 605W Canadian CS7L-605MS (4840W)
Second tracker with 6 x CS6W-545MS (3270W)

This past weekend the unit went up in smoke following (appears to be) some of the internal component failure. Fortunately no other damage or fire spread.

The maximum PV input voltage recorded on the unit to date is around 335-340V so well within the 450V nominal voltage,

I know that charge controllers normally fail due to poor terminations on the DC or PV terminals, but this is not the case here. Unit is in a well ventilated area, and it is winter at the moment, so the unit could not have been operating very hot.

I've actioned a warranty claim with my reseller, but I remain concerned as to why this could have happened in the first place.

Anything that I'm missing?

Thanks,

Nick

MPPT Controllers

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janieronen commented · Jul 31, 2023 at 04:10 PM

Were there package damage as top of case looks bent? Sure hard to see if not opened top part of case before it burned.

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nicholas.nouwens janieronen commented · Jul 31, 2023 at 04:33 PM

@JaniEronen I recall that it is bent on both sides after removing the cover. I don’t think this was damaged before installation. Will share photo when I strip the unit out.

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allen-dengler commented · Apr 24 at 07:05 PM

In the past 2 weeks I have had 2 RS450 /100 Mppts go up in smoke, so bad that in both cases a fire extinguisher had to be used. One installation is just on 2 years old and the other is just over a year old. The first one unfortunately was offline so I can't see the fault code, the second ones fault code is 201. Both systems have 8x 545watt JA Solar panels per string so the voltages (VOC) is under 400V. One has been returned and I did the RMA for the second one today. The one is HQ2138 the other is HQ2139.

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nickdb ♦♦ allen-dengler commented · Apr 24 at 07:17 PM

There were issues with early models, RMA these, all those issues are resolved in new units. Both are from a similar manufacturer period.

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Modifications Space

Node Red Space

Answer 1 · 2023-07-31T15:54:18Z

nickdb answered · Jul 31, 2023 at 03:54 PM

Can you share the serial number?

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nicholas.nouwens commented · Jul 31, 2023 at 04:34 PM

@nickdb No Problem - HQ22496NVTC

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Answer 2 · 2023-08-23T09:33:23Z

nicholas.nouwens answered · Aug 23, 2023 at 09:33 AM

So, 3-4 weeks on, the unit has been returned to the local distributor. Unit has been replaced by Victron under warranty.

The shortcomings on the RS450-100A are known, affecting units with serial numbers HQ2216 up to and including HQ2236. These units would typically fail by displaying a "E200" error, reporting a DC Voltage failure. There is a replacement scheme currently in place for this, with a default warranty extension offered by Victron on units already in the field.

However, with Serial number HQ2249, the smoky RS450 in question is outside the "problem batch" and seems to have displayed a unique mode of failure.

There hasn't been any feedback from Victron Support on my unit, nor any inquiry into the specifics of the installation.

I appreciate that the unit has been replaced under warranty, but some further insight as to what might have caused the unit to catastrophically fail (i.e an inherent fire risk) would be both helpful and appreciated.

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Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) ♦♦ commented · Aug 23, 2023 at 10:12 AM

Hi @nicholas.nouwens

I saw when you first posted, and forwarded it on internally. Apologies for the failure, and the hassles, and for not responding directly to you then, an internal communication misstep over who would respond.

You're on the right track returning the unit via the RMA process.

Given the way it failed, an RS engineer will get notified, and depending on the details may request that the unit is shipped back to R&D in The Netherlands for further investigation.

You don't need to do anything related to this, and it's rare that there is any extra info required from you. The machine can usually do most of the talking.

As for insights as to why, it can vary and we could only speculate at this stage. Unlike with the Error 200 within that batch range, there is no specific guidance or pattern of failure for what happened here. I have seen catastrophic failure from environmental factors like vermin ingress and copper swarf from bridging two contacts on the PCB, or perhaps there is something else internally. Until an engineer can investigate, and detect a pattern it's only speculation.

With that said, I am confident enough in the design that I run MPPT RS 450/100 and 450/200 in my own home, but also cautious enough of all high power electronics that I have a smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, and fire blankets installed near by.

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nicholas.nouwens Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) ♦♦ commented · Aug 23, 2023 at 01:33 PM

Hello Guy,

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

I've been advised that the faulty unit has subsequently been returned to the Netherlands for inspection.

As what you may expect, I have some concern that there may be an inherent fault in my installation which may have caused the failure - hence the push for feedback.

I agree that any premature conclusion on the reason for the fault would be speculative at this point in time.

I await further feedback from Victron's support office.

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nickdb ♦♦ nicholas.nouwens commented · Aug 23, 2023 at 02:11 PM

Hi, it is unlikely that an external fault could have caused this, the system will generally trigger alarms if that is the case. I would not worry too much, but it never hurts to check everything.

As an aside, like Guy, I installed smart smoke detectors in the garage and other areas so if any magic smoke escapes I am notified on the phone.

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