Salute to the SMA 3000TL Sunny Boy Solar Inverter that is being replaced after a decade of fine service. Original installation video: • EEVblog #484 - Home So...
You're probably going to miss the quality / reliability of an SMA. One of the few manufacturers where you can disable all cloud rubbish, and keep your data local 👍
That 10 year+ life is how it should be. My SMA inverter died after 9 months. Its the newer version. To SMA credit, they shipped a replacement out with 2 day delivery. Would still buy SMA again.
Yes, teardown please! Would love to see how they evolved! I tore down an older Sunnyboy (the ones with the big heatsinks bolted to the top or the sides). They were just full with quality parts. Silicone cables, nice crimp connectors, wago terminals, expensive chips, … A lot to salvage. The one you got has heatsinking integrated into the case (metal injection molded?), so no salvageable heatsink there. Also, it‘s much smaller. As I said, curious to see what changed.
I have had a 1700W SMA Sunny Boy on my system since 2008 (16 years ago) and it has run without a fault since then. it has been on the west wall and display is now very hard to read but it has generated 26 megawatt-hours. it cost $10k back then but has saved me $17k so well worth it.
You mean to tell me you turned it on BEFORE you took it apart!!!! I think at least a non destructive teardown would be fun. I remember watching the video when you put your system up back when i was in grad school!
PLEASE PLEASE I really want to know a bit about your unit. My neighbor has two of these and they have never worked properly and nobody wants to have anything to do with the system. The people that installed say they only installed it you need somebody who know what they are doing to sort out what the errors are and I just cant find anybody. My question is is your unit feeding back into the grid or is it feeding the house? our units feed into the grid full stop and I cant find out if they are able to be modified to run in any other configuration. Reading the installation manual I get the impression there is some sort of interface available to manage these but I cant find anything about it. I can see something on the bottom of your unit with a couple of LEDs, what's that? Can you give me any pointers. I have an electronics background and have recently been employed creating and wiring switchboards so I have a reasonable idea of electrical systems. Any pointers would be really appreciated as these are like new and its an incredible waste to just throw them away. Oh forgot to say these are 3000HF I'll get the TL manual and see if that helps
Take it apart I say! I have the same inverter, the knock-on display is an odd but quite clever idea. Mine is missing the part on the bottom left with the one green and two red dots that sticks out (near where the DC cables enter). I have only been in the house for 6 months, it must have broken off at some point in the past. Not sure what that part is for?
@@EEVblog2 you don't need the battery! I thought you were making millions off youtube? especially putting Enphase on the first time! I got some second hand for a bit of fun on the side they make it all plug and play and none of the scary 120+ VDC either. Pete HBPowerwall was making his own powerwall from used laptop 18650s and Andy's Off Grid Garage are two that I follow in the offgrid/grid world.
I agree but It's the country, not the people. Look how the US keep using a single phase connector on electric cars what makes them physically incompatible with the rest of the world. Dave has an Hyundai Ioniq, with a three phase connector, using only one in a single phase country, everything works fine there. I just can't get over it how that solution wasn't good enough for the US.
Nice to see it living long enough to be upgraded rather than replaced due to malfunction. Especially as I myself have two SMA 3000TL inverters at home, manufactured around one year later than yours.
Regulations prevent redeployment of 2nd hand solar gear for grid tie operation which is stopped cause there's a lot of good systems being replaced that could go to low income families but aren't allowed to
I've got a 4kW version at my place of work. It's been giving perfectly reliable service since 2009, and is still going strong. Being in the UK, it's only produced 37,000 kWhr from the 3.8 kWP panels in that time.
cable guys old cable is unknown quality to them.i say its just any excuse to lie and mlik some additional money out from job. i would personally not hire such idiots
I salute you Sunny Boy! Isn't it great when something just gets on with doing its job quietly and efficiently without drama? I wouldn't destructively tear it down as having an inverter around can be pretty useful at times. I have an unmentionable unit that only saw a week of use before being replaced with something way better. I use that to test battery banks and as a charger every now and again. The replacement main inverter was installed under 4 years ago and just ticked over 25MWh.
3:20 I guess plugging microinterverters into the generator input will not work. Usually microinterverters will NOT RUN if they do not see the grid voltage. And as a generator input is an input and not an output, there is no grid voltage for the microinterverters to sync on.
People wonder why PV isn’t very common in Vancouver, BC Canada - our electricity is just so damn cheap that the economics don’t make much sense. At $0.10/kWh, this whole system would have only generated $3800 in return. Makes so, so much sense anywhere which uses coal/oil and pays a lot more for electricity, though!
Almost 12 years from mfg date instead of tear down.. I'd rather see overload type testing.. 750v holy buckets how!? also if you have a IR camera.. that'd be cool to see it in operation. (but don't die) I think you've convinced me.. buying old equipment sounds like a worthwhile gamble.
RSVP Sunny Boy. A tear-down is less of a Viking funeral, more of a post-mortem. But I don't think it has to be, it could showcase the technology and innovation that went into its design, and how that made it such a reliable workhorse. A Sunny Boy Horse, if you will.
In South Africa we install solar out of necessity - personally generated about 5MWh in 10 months, starting with 4kWp of panels in June last year, up to 13kWp now, on my way to 18kWp. The panels pay for themselves, the inverters, and the giant batteries we're forced to install.
A detailed teardown would be very nice. Other than the efficiency due to better control and components, I guess that not much has changed over the years regarding inverter technology, so it would be very educational a teardown and explaination of how the various parts work.
Did you mean 38 MWh?
Obviously brain not connected to mouth.
@@EEVblog2 Always a major bummer when you think you made a perfect video until you are editing and hear that you mislabled something lol.
Yeah.. saw the same thing at 0:30
Does 38MWh of electricity cover the cost of the inverter?
@@Electronzapor upload direct without editing, release it, and then have people tell you...
Man 10 years flew past, I still remember watching the original video. The hell is the time goin?
"No, we don't want you to do a tear-down!" said no viewer ever.
Teardown would be great 👍
Wow 10 years, just feels like you did the video on it last week.
he did another video on it a couple years ago lol
Kilo watts.. Mega watts.. Who's really counting when it's free :)
You're probably going to miss the quality / reliability of an SMA. One of the few manufacturers where you can disable all cloud rubbish, and keep your data local 👍
Perhaps!
I remember when you put it up all these years ago! Wow so much has changed in the last ten years.
I'd love to see a teardown!
That 10 year+ life is how it should be. My SMA inverter died after 9 months. Its the newer version. To SMA credit, they shipped a replacement out with 2 day delivery. Would still buy SMA again.
Yes, teardown please! Would love to see how they evolved! I tore down an older Sunnyboy (the ones with the big heatsinks bolted to the top or the sides). They were just full with quality parts. Silicone cables, nice crimp connectors, wago terminals, expensive chips, … A lot to salvage.
The one you got has heatsinking integrated into the case (metal injection molded?), so no salvageable heatsink there. Also, it‘s much smaller. As I said, curious to see what changed.
I have had a 1700W SMA Sunny Boy on my system since 2008 (16 years ago) and it has run without a fault since then. it has been on the west wall and display is now very hard to read but it has generated 26 megawatt-hours. it cost $10k back then but has saved me $17k so well worth it.
Nice. Good to always plan for making upgrades when you are doing solar and energy storage.
You mean to tell me you turned it on BEFORE you took it apart!!!!
I think at least a non destructive teardown would be fun.
I remember watching the video when you put your system up back when i was in grad school!
PLEASE PLEASE I really want to know a bit about your unit. My neighbor has two of these and they have never worked properly and nobody wants to have anything to do with the system. The people that installed say they only installed it you need somebody who know what they are doing to sort out what the errors are and I just cant find anybody. My question is is your unit feeding back into the grid or is it feeding the house? our units feed into the grid full stop and I cant find out if they are able to be modified to run in any other configuration. Reading the installation manual I get the impression there is some sort of interface available to manage these but I cant find anything about it. I can see something on the bottom of your unit with a couple of LEDs, what's that? Can you give me any pointers. I have an electronics background and have recently been employed creating and wiring switchboards so I have a reasonable idea of electrical systems. Any pointers would be really appreciated as these are like new and its an incredible waste to just throw them away. Oh forgot to say these are 3000HF I'll get the TL manual and see if that helps
Wow already 10 years? It feels like you just set this up not that long ago. Time goes by fast these days.
Take it apart I say! I have the same inverter, the knock-on display is an odd but quite clever idea. Mine is missing the part on the bottom left with the one green and two red dots that sticks out (near where the DC cables enter). I have only been in the house for 6 months, it must have broken off at some point in the past. Not sure what that part is for?
That's probably an optional WiFi module
Teardown would be good. I’ve a 5kw of similar vintage. It’s been a champ.
2x Fronius IGs running for 15years here...
I vote for a tear down that you still can sell.
Put the spare panels on your driveway...
🤣
😂
Or build a solar fence which actually is somewhat practical.
Didnt go with more enphase then?
Nope, too expensive for the Microinverters and especially the battery
@@EEVblog2 you don't need the battery! I thought you were making millions off youtube? especially putting Enphase on the first time! I got some second hand for a bit of fun on the side they make it all plug and play and none of the scary 120+ VDC either. Pete HBPowerwall was making his own powerwall from used laptop 18650s and Andy's Off Grid Garage are two that I follow in the offgrid/grid world.
Don't they mount these inside an/or in a proper metal box?
It's an outdoor unit.
Definitely a more reliable unit than the Chinese unit
o7. Good Job, Little Box!
yea the SMA stuff is actually really good ... german tech, btw ;-)
Their apps are suboptimal - but the hardware ... is completely awesome
Definitely better than the Chinese unit
tear it down please
Wow, so if that cost a grand, it cost 3 cents per kwh produced.
tear down + reverse engineering + explanation
PLS
Yes TEARDOWN ! Do Jerry bend test, a display flame test and a dead short spark test. Maybe a Techrax drop down a staircase test?
F
o7
🫡
single phase people scare me. using all that copper and amps when you could use 3phase like normal people. but i guess some countries are special.
I agree but It's the country, not the people.
Look how the US keep using a single phase connector on electric cars what makes them physically incompatible with the rest of the world. Dave has an Hyundai Ioniq, with a three phase connector, using only one in a single phase country, everything works fine there. I just can't get over it how that solution wasn't good enough for the US.
Don't turn it on, take it apart!
Nice to see it living long enough to be upgraded rather than replaced due to malfunction.
Especially as I myself have two SMA 3000TL inverters at home, manufactured around one year later than yours.
Of course, do the teardown! Always curious about how these things are built, and about possible failure modes after they've been in use for years.
why not keep it as spare,why u brother removing it?keep it as back up
I assume the whole house is getting rewired and your nightmare fuse board is going 😂
Upgrade very soon!
@@EEVblog2 Will the Electrician dare to have their work scrutinised by the armchair experts of the internet?
Regulations prevent redeployment of 2nd hand solar gear for grid tie operation which is stopped cause there's a lot of good systems being replaced that could go to low income families but aren't allowed to
Which countries would prevent you from doing that? If it doesn't meet current specs for critical stuff it's logical but otherwise sounds weird.
@@tschuuuls486 Australia
I've got a 4kW version at my place of work. It's been giving perfectly reliable service since 2009, and is still going strong.
Being in the UK, it's only produced 37,000 kWhr from the 3.8 kWP panels in that time.
if ain't broken, don't fix it is not true anymore.
cable guys old cable is unknown quality to them.i say its just any excuse to lie and mlik some additional money out from job.
i would personally not hire such idiots
Agreed. Or are they saying they’re the only company that does a professional install?
If you were having a new consumer unit fitted, these guys would insist on rewiring the whole house.
There are certainly plenty of situations where that would be completely reasonable.
In this case the old cable isn't long enough, and a second one is needed anyway. So easier to run two new cables through the new longer conduit.
I salute you Sunny Boy! Isn't it great when something just gets on with doing its job quietly and efficiently without drama? I wouldn't destructively tear it down as having an inverter around can be pretty useful at times. I have an unmentionable unit that only saw a week of use before being replaced with something way better. I use that to test battery banks and as a charger every now and again. The replacement main inverter was installed under 4 years ago and just ticked over 25MWh.
I really like to know how they actual function, for example what MOSFETs/IGBT they use and how many and what the process is.
Would love to see a teardown, I have a 12 year old 4000TL, still powering away after producing over 75MWh
3:20 I guess plugging microinterverters into the generator input will not work. Usually microinterverters will NOT RUN if they do not see the grid voltage. And as a generator input is an input and not an output, there is no grid voltage for the microinterverters to sync on.
Those Deyes support Microinverter input from the Grid and can change a battery bank that way.
The Deye invereter specifically advertises this functionality.
Tear down tear down tear down! Why do you even ask :D.
What’s the PV in a circle sticker mean?
People wonder why PV isn’t very common in Vancouver, BC Canada - our electricity is just so damn cheap that the economics don’t make much sense. At $0.10/kWh, this whole system would have only generated $3800 in return. Makes so, so much sense anywhere which uses coal/oil and pays a lot more for electricity, though!
Almost 12 years from mfg date
instead of tear down.. I'd rather see overload type testing.. 750v holy buckets how!?
also if you have a IR camera.. that'd be cool to see it in operation. (but don't die)
I think you've convinced me.. buying old equipment sounds like a worthwhile gamble.
RSVP Sunny Boy. A tear-down is less of a Viking funeral, more of a post-mortem. But I don't think it has to be, it could showcase the technology and innovation that went into its design, and how that made it such a reliable workhorse. A Sunny Boy Horse, if you will.
Maybe even a destructive testing? See how skookum it is built?
Damn I remember the installation!
It was good enough for Australia!
Yes, teardown please. Thanks
teardown but then reassemble and sell it! It would be a waste
teardown please
Best inv. Ever!
post use teardown!
Teardown, of course. :D
Do we get a teardown?😊
Tear it apart!
Just making sure that we will have our new teardown video :D
My SMA 6000 also still going after 10 years - though the LCD display is severely faded.
In South Africa we install solar out of necessity - personally generated about 5MWh in 10 months, starting with 4kWp of panels in June last year, up to 13kWp now, on my way to 18kWp. The panels pay for themselves, the inverters, and the giant batteries we're forced to install.
A detailed teardown would be very nice.
Other than the efficiency due to better control and components, I guess that not much has changed over the years regarding inverter technology, so it would be very educational a teardown and explaination of how the various parts work.
I think giving this to someone else is much more worth than destroying it. There would be not much interesting stuff in it anyway
Try and get it to convert with a non grid 240V AC source?
Then tear it down :)