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Smart I-V curve tracer 

Entec Solar

User Manual for E-1000 

and E-Sens

Summary of Contents for E-1000

Page 1: ...Smart I V curve tracer Entec Solar User Manual for E 1000 and E Sens ...

Page 2: ...d temperature sensors to the E Sens 16 4 6 Connecting the module or generator under test 17 5 Configuration and operation 19 5 1 Start up 19 5 2 Main screen 20 5 2 1 Main screen information 20 5 2 2 Main screen control 21 5 2 2 A TC sensor selection 21 5 2 2 B Settings options menu 21 5 2 2 C Saving the I V curve 21 5 2 2 D Measuring the I V curve 21 5 2 2 E Naming the file 21 5 3 I V curve measur...

Page 3: ...s 35 5 5 7 Continuous measurement 36 5 5 8 Auto save 36 5 5 9 Auto measurement 36 5 2 10 Bar code optional 36 5 2 11 Other options 36 6 Data download 38 6 1 Data download for PC 38 6 1 1 Data download via SD card 38 6 1 2 Data download via a micro USB connection 38 6 2 Opening the saved files 39 7 Quick start guide 40 8 Technical specifications 41 9 Guarantee calibration and repair 43 10 Common er...

Page 4: ...r of photovoltaic modules or strings of up to 1000V and 20A It also incorporates several new elements such as a barcode reader for the automatic identification of the module under test and its position in the installation an automatic report generation tool to reduce processing time an automatic measurement option for hands free panel measurement a wireless sensor E Sens with a communication range...

Page 5: ...n affect the safety of this device and can cause considerable damage to equipment or people The E 1000 should be used only by personnel trained in low voltage electrical installations and preferably with specific traininginphotovoltaicsolarenergyinstallations Entec Solar will not assume any responsibility for damages caused due to misuse of the device or its associated components The E 1000 and it...

Page 6: ...lation protection class II Danger warning Consult documentation Appears in front of important instructions to prevent harming people and equipment Refer to the documentation that comes with the device Warning high voltage high fatality risk The measurement devices should not be disposed of in the domestic trash bins i ...

Page 7: ...ring normal operation i e inverter charge controller battery etc Before carrying out the measurements make sure that they do not exceed the operating limits of the device 1 000V and 20A Exceeding these limits could cause irreparable damage The device must be used only by personnel trained in low voltage electrical installations and must have been previously trained for the use of this specific dev...

Page 8: ...es per hour of work either of photovoltaic modules or strings of up to 1000V and 20A It also incorporates several new elements such as a barcode reader for an automatic identification of the module under test and its position in the installation an automatic report generation tool to reduce processing time an automatic measurement option for hands free operation during connection and disconnection...

Page 9: ...le E Sens Measurement of up to three temperature points using PT 1000 E Sens Temperature measurement of a reference module E Sens Temperature measurement by infrared sensor E Temp Wireless transmission of irradiance and temperature data E 1000 E Temp Extrapolation to STC using IEC 60891 E 1000 Selection of the temperature sensor for extrapolation E 1000 Reading the barcode of the module under test...

Page 10: ...icro USB input for SD card access Figure 2 1 Top inputs and their description 1 SMA connector for an external antenna 2 SD card slot 3 Negative pole inputs for I V curve measurement 4 Positive pole inputs for I V curve measurement Figure 2 2 Frontal inputs and their description 1 Power button 2 5 inch color touch screen with a 800x480 resolution 2 2 External connectors and device anatomy 2 2 1 E 1...

Page 11: ...nd their description 1 USB input for a battery charger 2 Charger level LED indicator Figure 2 5 Frontal inputs and their descriptions 1 Power botton 2 Color screen Figure 2 4 Top inputs and their descriptions 1 SMA connector for an external antenna 2 uSD card slot ch1 ch2 ch3 Figure 2 6 Shows bottom inputs and their description 1 60V channel 2 2V chanel ...

Page 12: ... 1 x E Sens 1 x Padded transport case with wheels 1 x Set of four prong measurement cables with an MC4 terminal 1 x SD card for the E 1000 1 x uSD card for the E Sens 1 x Charger for the E 1000 1 x USB cable to charge the E Sens 1 x Reference cell 1 x PT 1000 2 x Antennas for wireless communication Optional Barcode reader Infrared temperature sensor E Temp Access to PVET for advanced data storage ...

Page 13: ...tures as well astemperaturedifferenceswithinthecircuitundertest When measuring modules in strings the wind can cause large differences between the modules at the ends and those in the center of the chain or between those in the lower rows and the upper rows Large temperature differences between the circuit under test and that measured by the E Sens will cause inconsistent results on extrapolation ...

Page 14: ... The E Sens charges via a standard micro USB cable from any 5 V source such as a USB port on a computer or a mobile phone charger When charging E Sens a red LED light located just above the micro USB connector activates See Figure 4 1 When fully charged the LED changes to green The battery charge status of both devices E 1000 and E Sens can also be seen in the upper right corner of their respectiv...

Page 15: ...ic configuration is required before each measurement campaign The main steps that must be followed in the configuration of the E 1000 before starting a measurement are listed below 1 Setting the E 1000 time to local time and synchronizing the E 1000 with the E Sens See section 5 5 11 A 2 Configuration of the characteristics of the module and the generator under test the E 1000 uses the main electr...

Page 16: ...ons of the E Sens which will automatically correct the current measurement The calibration parameters provided in the calibration certificate delivered with your device must be included in the settings as detailed in section 5 5 6 A 4 5 2 Temperature sensor There are three types of sensors that can be used to record temperature with the E Sens 1 PT 1000 PT 1000 can measure the module under test Tm...

Page 17: ...s used in high precision measurements since it avoids the voltage drop produced in the wiring during the measurement This ensures that the actual I V curve at the PV module output is measured without distortions First connect the four banana cables two red and two black to the E 1000 Connect the red banana cables to the red inputs of the E 1000 and the black banana cables to the black inputs Red r...

Page 18: ...he elements in the circuit for testing such as the inverter or other circuits connected to the tested circuit ENTEC is not responsible for any damage to the device or persons during an inadequate use of the E 1000 IMPORTANT before connecting the circuit under test to the E 1000 the user must ensure that its current and voltage values are within the device s measurement range 1000 V and 20 A IMPORT...

Page 19: ...for any communication with the technical service Calibration date indicates the device calibration date Valid until indicates the date until which the device calibration is valid Once this date is reached the device must be sent to the factory for its re calibration After a few seconds two messages will appear on the main screen related to the initialization of the SD card and the LoRa communicati...

Page 20: ...the incident radiation to carry out the measurements Green radiation between 800 and 1 200 W m2 IndicatesoptimalI Vcurvemeasurementconditions Yellow radiation between 600 800 W m2 It indicates that the moment is suitable to carry out an I V curve measurement although it is not optimal The error may be slightly more than that obtained at higher radiation but still within acceptable margins Red radi...

Page 21: ...tion of how the saving process is carried out and how the name influences this process please refer to section 5 4 IMPORTANT Since the device adds the measurement number to the selected name see section 5 4 for more information it is recommended not to use names ending in a hyphen followed by a number from 000 to 999 5 3 Curve measurement The E 1000 has been designed to simplify the measurement of...

Page 22: ...e message saved after it will appear in the name rectangle NOTE On days with variable cloud cover the measurement time may be longer than indicated above as the device must continuously adjust the measurement time to adapt to the variable conditions In case of measuring modules with defects themeasurementtimecanalsobeincreased or even that the measurement cannot be carried out In these cases a mes...

Page 23: ...he need to operate the device Furthermore if used in combination with the Android App it allows the device to be carried in a backpack and completely free the operator s hands This function is also compatible with the Bar code option section 5 3 5 and E Temp section 5 3 6 IMPORTANT This feature is not compatible with Continuous measurement section 5 3 4 If both options are activated simultaneously...

Page 24: ...on or else opt for the manual measurement B If only the Auto save option is selected 9B The I V curve will be drawn on the screen and the characteristic values of the curve will be displayed 10B The device will proceed to automatically save the I V curve section 5 4 2 and prepare for the next measurement 11B It will remain unusable for about three seconds while it is configured for the next measur...

Page 25: ...ct the measurement period which should be between 15 and 600 seconds 5 Exit the sub menu 6 When exiting the sub menu the Auto save function will be activated automatically This function can also be disabled 7 Press the Exit button to return to the main screen 8 At the top of the main screen a message will appear indicating that continuous measurement is active and the period is selected 9 Connect ...

Page 26: ... the E 1000 is read it will beep and proceed with the usual measurement cycle 5 3 6 E Temp temperature measurement If the temperature is measured with an E Temp section 5 5 6 B it is possible to also record the temperature after each measurement of the I V curve This allows faster and easier temperature recording without the need to make separate connections to each module If the option is activat...

Page 27: ...ing on the selected measurement options see sections 5 3 2 5 3 4 In addition the name of the file will change incrementing by one while displaying the real name with which the curve will be saved in case the user wishes to save it For more information on the format and content of the saved file of the I V curve measurement see section 5 4 3 5 4 Saving the I V curve The file will be saved with the ...

Page 28: ...g is in process Once saved the button will turn blue again and the message Saved will appear to the right of the file name within the file name rectangle If there is no new measured curve or the last curve has already been saved a message will appear in the center of the screen stating NO CURVE HAS BEEN MEASURED 5 4 2 Auto save When the automatic save option is activated a measurement saving proce...

Page 29: ...s the measurement conditions irradiance and temperature the variation parameters with irrandiance temperature Beta_Mod Alpha_Mod and the estimation of the series resistance RS The last row shows the temperature measurements if PT 1000 is used and their average Additionally the barcode is displayed in case it has been utilized Finally columns 14 and 15 show the date and time of measurement respecti...

Page 30: ...settings Generator settings Sensor settings Others where the options such as Set date and time and Set language can be found Additional functions are those that perform an additional function on top of the I V curve measurement An example of such function is report generation or firmware update These functions are described in detail in the following sections 5 5 1 Visualizing the STC curve This f...

Page 31: ...nfiguration of the E 1000 other than the wireless connection between the App and the E 1000 specifically the IP and the port These settings do not need to be modified as the default values are appropriate The buttons Measure Curve and Save Curve work the same way as on the E 1000 To set the name there is no dedicated button but that can be accessed directly by clicking on the area where the name i...

Page 32: ...t include all the data of an I V curve To access the rest as well as to be able to visualize the I V curve the individual file of each I V curve has to be accessed see section 5 4 3 To generate the daily report the following steps should be executed 1 Assure that all the curves from which the report will be generated is on the SD card and that it is properly inserted into the device 2 Within the s...

Page 33: ...e location with a message Module settings in the top left The user must configure all module parameters under test according to catalog values and under standard measurement conditions STC These values can be found in the module model data sheet or on the sticker that is pasted onto the back of the modules that includes the main module information The following values should be configured VOC Open...

Page 34: ...r 5 5 5 Generator settings IMPORTANT before starting a new set of measurements makesurethatthevaluesconfigured in this section match those of the generator under test For a correct extrapolation of the measured I V curves it is necessary to configure the number of modules in series and in parallel in the Generator settings section 5 5 5 and Figure 5 13 To configure the generator parameters under t...

Page 35: ...h parameters the name of the variable to configure must be selected which will shortly turn red filled with hyphens Enter the desired value by ensuring that as many digits are entered as the displayed hyphens including as many leading or trailing zeros IMPORTANT all slots must be filled in including any zeroes before and after the decimal IMPORTANT the settings configured in this menu are stored i...

Page 36: ...ll select this option changing it to red and indicating that it is now enabled 5 5 10 Bar code optional This option enables the barcode reading as detailed in section 5 3 5 Pressing the Barcode button will select this option changing it to red and indicating that it is now enabled 5 5 11 Other options 5 5 11 A Hour Day adjustments The time adjustments are done in the sub menu To set a new time fol...

Page 37: ...file does not have this name the name must be changed for the file to be detected To update the firmware follow these steps Upload the attached file onto an SD card Insert the SD card into the device Go to Settings Other Update Firmware The device will indicate that an update firmware has been detected Pressing Yes twice will initiate the update process IMPORTANT do not turn off the device or remo...

Page 38: ...the device until the spring clicks For the E Sens it will be necessary to use a thin object to push the micro SD card into the device 3 Release pressure and wait for the card to come out of its slot by itself 4 Completely remove the card from the device 5 Insert the card into the card reader of a PC or use a USB type card reader 6 The PC will automatically detect the inserted SD card 7 Open a file...

Page 39: ...oth curves PM VOC etc the radiation and temperature values of the measurement and the measurement configuration parameters are also displayed With the data included in this file the measured and extrapolated I V and P V curves can be drawn as shown in Figure 6 1 To graph them select the corresponding columns and follow the steps shown in Figure 6 2 Figure 6 3 An example of the resulting graphs Fig...

Page 40: ... see Figure 6 6 deselect the option to use system separators defined by the language and manually select the desired separators in this case a dot as decimal separator and comma as thousands separator Figure 6 6 Choose Advanced uncheck the option to use the system separators and choose the desired decimal and thousands separators in this case comma as decimal separator and period as thousands sepa...

Page 41: ...eries and in parallel 8 Irradiance sensor configuration reference cell 9 Selection and configuration of the temperature sensor reference module PT 1000 or E Temp 10 Selection of the file name under which the data will be saved 11 Selection and configuration of the measurement process manual measurement auto measurement orcontinuousmeasurement 12 Selection of the method for saving the data manual s...

Page 42: ...ints 200 Operating temperature 10 a 65 ºC Battery life 10 hours continuous operation More than 2000 I V curves Dimensions 298x160x50 mm Weight 1 3 kg Protections Over voltage over current and reverse polarity SD card 12 KB per I V curve in csv format Electrical safety CAT II 1000V EN 61010 1 Measurement of I V curves according to IEC 61829 Extrapolation to EMC according to IEC 60891 Warranty 2 yea...

Page 43: ... 2 V channel 1 second for radiation channel 2 seconds for all other channels Wireless link distance Up to 2 km depending on the obstacles Wireless link frequency 433 MHz 915 Mhz for E E U U Operating temperature 10 to 65ºC Battery duration 15 hours of operation Dimensions 195x95x29 mm Weight 265 grams Protections Over voltage and reverse polarity Data storage and format Micro SD card Data is store...

Page 44: ...age and current measurements of the same and an internal adjustment has been carried out to compensate for any variation in the measured parameters Over time degradation of electronic components can occur due to changes in temperature high operating currents application of voltage for long periods etc This can cause maladjustments in the calibration constants of the devices and therefore return er...

Page 45: ...f the device insert an SD card and restart the device c If the error message persists once the card is inserted try another SD card If the message persists contact the technical d service 2 Ensure that the module and generator parameters are correct 3 Ensure that measurements are stored either manually or automatically 4 Use an old name so that measure 001 does not correspond to the first one 10 C...

Page 46: ...0 Medición de curvas I V de módulos o strings fotovoltaicos que cumplan con la normativa Measurement of the I V curve of PV modules or strings that are in conformity with the directive UNE EN 61010 1 2011 Clase II Aislamiento reforzado Class II Double insulation 2 altitud 3000m height 3000m CAT II 1000V DC CAT II 1000V DC CAT III 300V a tierra CAT III 300V to ground Max 1000Vdc de entrada Max 1000...

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