Nice upgrade, it's as if they made a "homeowner" version now. I worked for a manufacturer as an installer for several years early in my career. I often debugged in the field and there were usually two or three iterations before leaving "good enough alone". I just realised that my first experience with. solar system was three decades ago in Freetown, Sierra Leone. I had to adjust the panels manually every quarter as we were just off the equator!
@@davidohara7669 because thats how it mounts, pole is too narrow to mount holes down unless you make a mounting plate which I likely will but to also add a weatherproof box for that to sit in. I may make some rain boots for the actuators even though they are upside down until then.
Tony I commented before about setting up the same systems. It took a couple channels to fill in what Eco Worthy really didn’t tell their customers about power to the controller and actuators, but mine are up and running now. Waiting for our electrician to tie them into our work shop. But thanks again for all the great info and demos, recommendations from your channel. I might post a video about the control box I assembled. It contains the controller, battery, input from the battery charger solar. I have a thermostat controlled fan I’m waiting to add after some evaluation of how the controls and battery stand up to the heat. Thanks brother!
Excellent videos and tips. I watched your series a couple of times while waiting for the tracker to arrive, and it definitely saved me time and effort. Not sure if anyone else mentioned this, but I found the solar panel fasteners had become loose after a couple days, so I retightened. Not sure why this happened, but perhaps I was a bit too careful not to over tighten initially...
I did some testing with having the long actuator on the east side (then have to switch the 2 wires for the actuator so east/west goes the correct direction when commanding on the controller) this gives you more tilting angle to the west 53° then to the east 35° (i have woods to the east so it works better for me to get more angle in west sky). With it on the west side, it is almost even angle, west 45°\ east 50°. I have also replaced the short actuator with another the same length as the long actuator, moved the bracket back 1 hole on the north/south mount, drilled new hole and installed rivet thread sert, retracted actuator, tilted all the way south and drilled 2 new holes with rivet thread sert. Now it can tilt all the way south and a good angle to the north. I have also seen people putting the north/ south cross strut on the top of the east/west strut instead of under it.
Good job! Thank you. Your video is 1 of the only videos that goes through the controller setup. Plus, you did it in ENGLISH and in "normal person speech." 😂. Thanks again!
My East and West were backwards.. So it's nice to see they're improving. My actuator wires came with the boot to keep dry.. so they're making good changes. I'm gonna replace my bad panel on my tracker and setup the 6 290w panels when I get home. They're not doing any good when I have them disconnected. Might get another tracker and put some new 200w on it. Tony's Solar farm now huh.. find some 30' towers and get them wind generators going. Missouri wind and solar has everything you need to get them working.
@@TonysTractorAdventure Nice.. looking forward to watching it spin.. MY problem is.. I don't own the land I'm on.. Rent is cheap and unlimited electricity included. So I can't get too involved in building much. I'm saving my $ to buy some land and go off grid. Then I'll build my wind and solar farm.. Until then, I learn.
@@TonysTractorAdventure Well.. I will have Six brand new 200w bi-facial panels when I get home to install on my tracker. The one 400w panels get's a consistent 1kw+ a day compared to 870kw for the other two.
Tony, I really enjoy your videos! Your channel is one of my favorites. I do wish I lived closer to you so I could come by and neaten up those wires for you. 😉 Oh, BTW, I paused the video and scanned the QR code on the controller and it took me to their website and video on instillation.
Thank you for your comment. I'm starting my install today and it's really good info. They could also mount the controller horizontally so you can easily read it.
Thanks for the kind and patient video ! Yet, what is the QR Barcode used for ? On the front of the control panel I see a QR code like thing-ey. Is this for a cell phone app? I hope you can remote into the settings. I do NOT like to monkey around outside in bad weather with tiny screens. To further make this an enduring solution, I hope you can see a lot of areas that require some corrosion protection.
Tony. . . great video. . . helps a lot. . .setting up a set of trackers like yours, curious about how you set up your solar panel cable connections. . .. I'm using 8 ga wiring going to an 6000xp . . . are you combing wiring or running both wiring separate lines to your setup in the building /
Even if it increases your output of your solar array by 40%, if you can get 40% more panels for the same price then its not really worth the possible failure points. I mean I still want one, but need to remind myself of that simple fact. Solar trackers only make sense if you have no more room for more panels or if they only cost
I agree, Except on those common days where midday is covered by clouds, or its cloudy in the morning through mid afternoon or gets cloudy mid day and through the evening. Then its going to maximize the clear hours. And I have already seen this first year how the low sun level require a complete change of the angle because I had lost half my peak power at peak sun from its summer angle. This will cover for most of that as well, Everything I am seeing says the gains are going to be more than 40%.
Thanks, finally clear and simple system and easy to understand video thankyou very much for you time and effort. One thing does it know the difference between the Northern and southern hemisphere??
The wind sensor now has a plug-in connector like the actuators so there is no reason to open the console. Also, the power leads are now red for positive and black for negative.
According to EcoWorthy site, the spread of the tracker is 114 x 114 inches. I have four panels coming that are ~40 x 66 inches. There is no arrangement that would fit the rails on this tracker. Can the mounting rails be replaced with longer rails? Is there a documented weight limit for panels? Or are my panels just too big for this system, and I need to look elsewhere? :)
How do you permanently power the tracker's computer and actuator? I bought the EcoWorthy 3000 All-in-One which was somewhat assumed/advised as part of a kit on their website with a 26.5 V battery. On the All-in-one, it doesn't have a defined 'load' to connect it. EW advised some differing advice (in one msg they said link it to the AC; another DC). You were hooked up to your li'l 12V and I've done the same temporarily to test it and all. Thank you for this video! It clarified a lot in our setup and I'm loving it as a booster panel system. I've even been using it to charge our EV during the day at a low-rate of an 8amps (I don't drive a lot in the summer and bike as much as possible, so it's just about perfect) Thanks again! These are really impressive systems!
Thanks for sharing, as I'm looking to purchase my first unit and this helps me understand so much better for setup. My question for you or anyone who may know. Will this unit be able to withstand snow loads when the Pannels are in the nite/safe mode. I'm not concerned for light snow, but more so on the storms that dump a foot or more overnight.
Hi, what specific type/size of pipe and steel plate did you use for the base? Any idea what it would cost to have one made? I am a very handy 70 year old woman and i think i could install the tracker but the base is beyond my skill and strength
Would it not be better to first install all the solar panels before doing the time measurements? I mean, more weight to move could take longer time? Or does it make no difference?
love your informative videos! question for you v3 how did you set it for sun strength ? mine was shipped two wks ago, I bought 2 because of you and your info. these now have everything as plug n play on controller. all actuators, light sensor and wind sensor plugs in, no need to open up controller box now. thank you bro, seymour Tn is perfect for solar, I'm excited and appreciate all you do. they were on sale presidents weekend sale for $348 + additional $69 discount. total $279 ebay eco-worthy
I do like your Satalite build. Wish you would have done this a while back. Would you know where I can find the stuff to build a battery bank for my system.
Is it possible/practical to maybe add a plate or something to the control box so that it can be rotated level and easier used? I know that might be nit-picking if its difficult but just curious.
I live in Ireland with a 240' wind. We are one of the blowiest countries in Europe and I really worry about the strength of their mount. Any suggestions on how safe it may be or how to strengthen it against strong winds. Thanks for the videos.
So a couple corrections. You say precision is in regards to wind speed sensor. Really it’s how precise it is when comparing the difference in sun direction from the E/W N/S sensors. Also when I just set my system up, the wind speed sensor says right on it “wind speed = output voltage * 25 m/s” so you have you wind speed set to go off at 2,796 mph by setting it at 50 volts
@@TonysTractorAdventure I have this exact same system. I’m quoting exactly what the wind speed sensor that this kit comes with says for math on wind speed. I’m making these comments for people who are just getting this unit, if they follow your settings for wind speed (possibly your sensor is different) they could have issues.
@@TonysTractorAdventure okay so yeah, your wording is where the confusing is. You are saying “50 volts” but you mean “half a volt” or “34 volts” you mean “point three four volts”.
I just got confirmation from Eco Worthy that their user manual and assembly video shows the long actuator on the east side and that is WRONG. I installed mine according to the wrong information in the manual and that's why it's miswired, the manual is wrong and they haven't corrected it yet.
Most new panels are hail resistant. I have watched golf ball size hail bounce on mine. If it is baseball size hail or larger, it doesn't matter. Tornadoes, earthquakes, war, sabotage, theft, etc. are all things you can worry about too.😁😁😁😁😁
Thanks for all the great videos, I have learned quite a lot from watching your various videos. I have a couple of questions for ya. 1st how did you go about researching your solar components? What were your main requirements in choosing the different components? This is off subject but, what type of equipment do you use to make your videos? Thanks, God Bless
Hi Tony, your vedio is great. This is Katherine from Ocell, we specialized in LiFePO4 battery since 2008. Any demand or interests in LFP battery for solar tracker ？ We support OEM
What did you do for the base just a tube? I'm planning a 3x4 8" pad 3ft underground that a 16" tube connects to. my panels are 300 watt but think I'm planning to much concrete? any issues or insights after your time with them?
Hello Tony, l'd really enjoyed your video, from your experience can be modified little this top rails to fit bigger panels, how much wait can it hold ? Thank you
Learned so much of your Solar vids and hope the buy same system; since you got your third one has the manual improved? Where are thr wiring diagrams you mentioned in first vid?
Has anyone figured out how to put the solar panel brackets on? I'm having the hardest tome getting them tight. They thread in easily by hand at first, but then get extremely tight (bolt and channel nut) LONG before the clamp is anywhere close to actually tightening against the panel itself. I've had to use an adjustable wrench to hold the bracket still while driving the bolt in just to get close, but I feel like Im doing it wrong.
Thanks Tony. Do you have plans to trim off the excess Uni-Strut ? I'd hate to be the one walking around the Array and catch an end on the noggin. Me being a Dreamer/fabricator Hmmm. I wonder if I could use My Vehicle mounted 35' Pneumatic Mast structure to hold a 4 Panel Array ?? I do not have the Mast any more, but the super structure is still on the Truck... Mike M.
My tracker does not return to level after sunset and starts tacking again about 9:30 am next day. What settings do I need to get tracker to return to level after sunset?
Ray, I found that T4 and T10 are the settings that ensure it goes from full east to flat properly. Follow Tony's instructions in the video on timing the movements (west to east, east to flat especially for this). Enter your timing into the T4 and T10 settings and set your wind speed V2 to .05 for testing. Once you enter the settings and press Quit to save, manually move the mount to full east and spin the wind speed sensor by hand really fast until the mount moves west to the flat position. If it doesn't go far enough to be flat add a few seconds to T4 and T10 and try again. If it goes too far, shave a few seconds off T4 and T10...rinse and repeat until it settles where you want it. The full west to full east settings will affect this if they are too long or too short, but at the end of the day if T4 and T10 are not right, it won't work. Don't forget to set the V2 wind setting back to .35! If it works for the wind sensor, it should also work for the cloudy/night time set to horizontal too. Best of luck!
might want to spray that plastic box with a UV protector like for headlights or just put a cover over it. that plastic is gonna be really brittle and screen hard to read after 5 years.
Great video covering this solar tracker. You said you will be using an external solar panel charger for the 12v battery? Doesn't the solar controller have a built-in 12v battery charger already?
@@TonysTractorAdventure Sorry, meant solar tracking controller. On their website FAQ it does say use a 12V 10AH battery, the controller will charge the battery and use it to power the system tracking. Sounds like they are wrong. Thanks.
very good update. One question, I live at black forest ( fucked off rainbow green germany ). I need in summer times a angle ( horizon ) of 30 degrees. At winter times, 70 degrees. It look s like, that the motor only can manage 45 degrees . cheers and thanXXX
How do you get in contact with eco-worthy? I've emailed them several times with questions and never heard back.. Makes me hesitant to purchase anything from them
Hello Tony, i'm thinking of buying this tracker, i have a few questions for you. I will buy 4 panels which total 3,52x2.26m = 85 square feet. with a weight of 194pound. Will the tracker be capable of holding the amount of panels? Also i have a remark about the noise both actuators make, because i have neigbours quite nearby, would the noiselevel be to high? Maybe i could swap the actuators by low noise types. Many thanks for the video, you did a good job making it.
WHY didn't they change the controller to be mounted horizontally when they changed it??? I see that you mounted the long actuator on the opposite side of what Eco Worthy shows in their video. Is that due to the miswiring of the motor? I think the motor wires needed to be reversed, not changing the mount. I've started installing mine today. UPDATE: I just recieved word from Eco-Worthy that the way you have the D bracket connected on the west side is correct and that the last video and the user manuals show it on the east side and is WRONG!!! The manual is wrong. Therefor, mine was not miswired, the manual and their video told me to assemble it incorrectly!!!
No, it's on the east side. I've now seen two manuals with different configurations, neither one shows it like yours. I only started in solar a couple months ago and I'm guessing there must have been other configurations in the past. I just got a confirmation from DC House that what you are showing is correct and the video and manuals are wrong. He sent me a pic of you standing next to your tracker with what he says is the correct configuration. I'm sure glad I didn't take it apart again, only to be told it's wrong. Thank you for the video. Also, the wind/voltage scale is .01v = 0.559mph. The default setting of .35v is 19.6mph.
Yet, you get a car going down the road at 70 plus mph. There are knives in most people's kitchen drawers. People mow yards on hillsides. Don't get me started on chainsaws. The least dangerous thing I have done was installing this solar array. It wasn't even a blip on the radar.
I am sure they are. About 95% of all solar products are made in China. About 99% of computers, cell phones, TVs, coffee, pods, toasters, etc are made in China as well.
@@TonysTractorAdventure True. In manufacturing using 24 Vdc controls, it was BRN for +24 and Blue for -24Vdc. A sensor wold have a black wire for the signal wire to the PLC.
I always make a joke. Solar is a hodgepodge of residential electric, and automotive electric with a splash of commercial electric added in just to keep it interesting.
Did the pole come with the package? Or is this something you have to buy separately I can’t seem to find a clear answer anywhere thx great video very informative!
designed and built my own tracker as solar trackers really are not the way to go. I used a simple antenna rotor that was modified to use a stepper motor. I used an ESP32 to control everything. In the morning the panels are in the east direction and angled (N/S) according to sun charts for my area. Knowing that the sun rises in the east, the panels are in the east position every morning. At sunrise (again times are screen scrapped from NOAA websites) the panels begin the cycle or rotating 15 degrees/hour so there is no need to track the sun. even if it is overcast in the morning and clear in the afternoon, the panels will always be in the correct position. after sunset (again by known values) the panels rotate to the eastern position, in preparation for the morning sun :)
Hi there, your ESP setup sounds cool. I just bought an Eco solar tracker. I also LOVE esp-32, and would love to see how you setup your project. Any chance you would privately share your hardware/software with an old need? Steve
Thank you Tony, this is the best I've seen on this system by far. I'm not a newbie in electrical, but solar yes, and I'm going to do tracking for sure.
I wish that the wind speed meter was a weather vane that knew which way wind was coming from, then it could angle the panels into the wind to make the wind fly over it better. Seems flat still runs the chance of wind hitting the underside of the panels and creating a lift that strains the system.
My luck I'd order the tracker and they would send me the old one. I don't know why they didn't call this version 2 or something and reduce the price on the previous one.
Regarding the battery that powers the tracker...how does that fare in colder climates if kept outside in a battery box? Anyone have experience with this condition? Or is it better to keep the battery indoors and just run wires through the conduit? Also, the amperage required for running the tracker - how much does it draw when it moves?
On my trackers I run a SCiB LTO battery that is stable to -22f. We see a lot of negative Temps and the LTO seems to hold up much better than other options.
I built my original tracking system 6 years ago using the same light weight actuators. You should wait to program the controller until the panels are installed because the weight will increase the time to move the system. After repeated failure of the actuators because of water getting into the motor and limit switches, I upgraded to much better ones.
I found the same issue for water intrusion and flipped the actuator upside down and extended the wiring with a loop. 1 year later still good. Was every 4 months on replacing actuators.
Your video was a great help! My book shows the actuator that’s mounted on the part that is labeled evo worthy on the opposite side and I check other videos out and some look like mine and some like yours. I haven’t completed it yet so I don’t know if mine will work correctly. Thanks for your reply.
Hi, i have a problem with my command module. All the "wind protection" settings ( V2 0,03 V T3 T4 T5 T6 in flat position & T7) are correct but it will not go into wind safe mode. Is there a possibility to do a software reset or a "factory reset" ?
Most likely something the unit is not hooked up correctly. Review your install. It would seem that your wind vane is not providing the voltage required to send it back to safe mode
Thanks Tony for your quick answer. The vane is providing enough voltage (measured with voltmeter G-In). If i turn the vane manually to exceed V2 the module sounds only 1 short beep and displays T8 waiting for the sun. Normally it should display T7 and sounds several beeps as long it is in "wind safe" mode. All other settings are simular to yours. I'll try again tomorrow because it's dark now and raining. Merry Xmas and i love your video's !
Ok, found the problem... 12 V DC power supply was too light. 12V dropted when the 2 actuators were activated at the same time.. Have installed a heavier power supply and now all is working fine.
@@GhostProto Sun be north in the SH where I live, still east to west and it's an early set today here at 5:15pm. When I was near the equator we had to flip the panels quarterly, by hand and all thread- okay that was 3decades back- the internet wasn't a thing ;-) Imagine no difference in length of day, only angle and wet/dry season in Sierra Leone.
@@craigsymington5401 Yeah ,I live in South Africa on a farm with a large amount of open space …was thinking of installing a few dual axis panels ,issue is that dual axis solar isn’t very popular here yet ,so finding out any info on it is difficult …and any info you do find out is generally only specific to the northern hemisphere
@@GhostProto I did loads of work with Clearline in Midrand, they developed a decent sized solar tracking system, had one installed next to their factory. I am from Gauteng. There must be some systems made in SA, unless everyone has given up and left, like me? Also use Clearline for lightning and surge protection, excellent product and service. I had near 2 decades a happy customer. I had a AV, DSTV and antenna installation company for 20 years. Did commercial and amateur towers and antennas, data cabling and CcTV too, huge projects. BEE did me in eventually.
