Products that make your Sun2000/1000G2 GTIL even better
The Sun2000/1000G2 GTIL is an inexpensive (under $400) grid tied inverter with a unique feature of having a limiter (current transformer or CT) that prevents power from being exported back to the grid. Unfortunately, the reliability of these units are not on par with similar inverters costing more than 2-3 times. Some might think that's what you get for buying a cheap product. You get what you pay, right? Well, wouldn't it be nice if it doesn't have to be this way? We took one apart and were impressed with the quality so we wanted to find a way to keep the product from failing and make it better at a reasonable price. For under $200, we think we did by introducing three products that will improve your Sun2000/1000G2 GTIL.
Introducing SunScreen! This is a complete DIY kit that you install inside the Sun2000/1000 GTIL2. This will improve your unit's reliability. If you live an environment where the utility grid is unreliable during thunderstorms, construction work or rolling blackouts, then this product is for you. The SunScreen is basically a mini UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) that keeps the power flowing to the most critical parts of the inverter (the inverter's microcontroller and the driver circuit) so there are zero chances of brownouts. When a microcontroller is in a brownout state, basically partially on and off (as when the supply voltage is right below the minimum recommended level for a period of time), the firmware is in an unpredictable state and outputs are in an unknown state. Brownouts can cause the power transistors to turn on at the wrong time causing widespread damage to the inverter. This is more dangerous when you are connected to batteries as it's a large source of high current. Using SunBeam is not in lieu of external SPD (surge protection devices) for lightning, but rather a complement solution. The Sun2000/1000 already has good internal SPD (MOVs, isolators, etc) to handle standard household surges and ESD, but no protection from brownouts. Some have avoided brownouts by disconnecting everything during a thunderstorm. But that's not always possible when there are unpredictable power drop outs. The mini UPS guarantees the inverter's microcontroller is running 100% of the time to allow it time to properly shut things down when errors on either the AC or DC side are detected. The included rechargeable battery lasts at least 11 hours on a full charge and when the the battery is low, it will turn off in less than a millisecond never allowing the microcontroller to go into the brownout state. It's not a matter of if it will happen, but rather when. The chance is always there unless you have some kind of brownout protection. It's not really a low risk but more of a medium risk based on social media posts. 'AC short' is how it manifest itself and can also be a safety concern (see the pictures of the damage and parts that I had to replace below in my less than a month old unit).
Installation is easy and involves just unplugging a cable, and plugging it into this kit. Then plugging another cable from this kit to where the first cable was unplugged.
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Introducing SunBeam! This is a complete DIY kit that allows you to remotely control your Sun2000/1000 G2 via a web browser and/or a MQTT broker using WiFi. It supports all the existing features plus more and includes free over the air updates. There is no cloud dependency so you're in total control of the data. The MQTT broker support allows you to integrate third party home automation and graphing software that supports MQTT. In addition, you can have other MQTT devices interact directly with the GTIL2 such as chargers or consumption meters. The kit is installed inside your unit. Installation is easy and involves just unplugging a cable, and plugging it into this kit. Then plugging another cable from this kit to where the first cable was unplugged. The antenna is fed through one of the vent holes.
Introducing Split CT for split phase power! The shipped unit uses a single CT to limit the power returned to the grid. This only works well if you have balanced phases which most, if not everyone, don't have. This product is an additional CT that is modified to work perfectly and accurately all the time regardless if the loads are balanced between phases with a Y cable adapter. There is no need for any calibration/adjustments and it works with the existing stock CT to save you money. Guaranteed to work or your money back. Just plug and play.