sola basic adjustment pot

Remember that Ecowise must be mounted vertically, due to cooling fins in the back. Also, - noise.

I'm curious how it will end with ISB support people.

Hi Almot,

The ecowise is nicer than the Sola basic and does both boost and buck--keeping the voltage pretty much at 120. I would have purchased one of those had I known about it.

http://www.technowisegroup.com/PDF/ECOWISE/ECOWISE_INGLES_BAJA.pdf

and

http://ecowise.mx/productos.html

Too bad SolaBasic aims for 120 instead of the 127 that is standard in MX.

Surprised they think 135 is high enough to buck.
127 +- 10% is 114 to 139.

I recall in those previous threads people that mentioned the adjustment pot, never reported what they ended up with, and didn't respond to requests to clarify. Might not exist.

There is another household autoformer of this wattage in Mexico: 39 A. More than double the cost of ISB 4, though cheaper than (remotely) comparable Hughes autoformer and possibly better because Hughes doesn't buck. Sketchy description on company website, but "looks" like continuous correction. Locals are saying it's very loud.

* Muses about the size of the power brick for a roof air conditioner * LOL

Why would moving the voltage trigger point up cause chattering relays? The distance between the set points would remain the same.

I'd love to have the funds for a high amp capacity isolation transformer. In fact my cousin used his to check the set points on the Sola Basic. His is intended for low wattage items so we did not check voltage under load. Nor would it get up to the 135 buck voltage.

I did email the company tonight. Perhaps I'll get a reply--if so I'll post their reply here.

I do know from other threads that the Pot does exist, and that others have changed the value at which boost occurs. I just hoped to know which one. That would make my cousins life easier.

I am aware that changing the set points won't increase the boost voltage.

I do find the Sola Basic useful. Running heaters in winter time at a boosted voltage certain makes a difference. It is about the perfect size for a 30 amp service.

Don I believe you would be infringing on Sola's magical voltage bandwidth regarding HYSTERESIS.

Needed elbow room to eliminate relay chattering.

Lag and over-run specs.

This is where the insanely heavy and large ferroresonant line regulators have the advantage over stepped transformer regulation.

For the simple entrance fee of bales of cash, a unit that weighs as much as a small piano, is as big as a footlocker and like a horse eats whether it's plowing or not...

My Sola, converts 70 to 160 volts to perfect 120 volts. No steps. Smooth as silks. It does hum. "Do I hear 'Money That's All I Want' in the hum?" Sure seems like it. The unit is beige, perforated with lots of holes and has scary rated capacitors that would be shocking to price out.

This 3 Kw military unit sells for in excess of seven thousand dollars today, adds about forty dollars to a hundred and sixty dollar electric bill and does not do a damned thing to clean up dirty electrical power.

Unh unh. That takes another type of transformer. An isolation transformer.

It's easier tossing all the sensitive electronics and going to bed with the chickens. Or using stuff with forgiving power bricks.

Almot and red31,

Thanks for the links!

The Sola Basic has three layers of boost and one of buck (135 volts)

110-->121 (nope wishful thinking)

100-->121 (nope wishful thinking)

90-->109 (don't know have never encountered voltage that low).

What I am finding is I'd prefer to have 112, 102, and 92.

The 110 does boost to 117, under load. I'm assuming the 121 is without a load. That's always suspect.

When I installed the Micro Air unit I kind of "shot myself in the foot", as the initial surge without the MA would cause the Sola Basic to go to voltage boost when the roof air started--and it would do so before the fan and compressor were even "up to speed". After the MA, with its "two step start up", was installed there was not enough voltage drop to cause the Sola to trigger a boost. That is one reason why I want to raise the "cut in" voltage on the Sola.

In the summer time I have seen 102 volts (under load) at a campground. But as it stands now the Sola, which I guesstimate raises voltage by 7 (under load) at the 110 volt boost level is not quite where I'd prefer to be. Voltage sags more than I'm comfortable with. If I can set it to boost at 102 instead of 100..... perhaps I'll be smiling.

That said I have used the Sola on 97 volts (under load) and it did enough boost to safely run the roof air. That was on a weak 15 amp plug at a rural Church. It is at least 150 feet from the plug to the breaker panel in the Church, and the Community is a long ways from the transformer, so unloaded voltage at the plug is a scant 100. The shore power breaker did eventually go into thermal overload. It took about an hour to do so.

I knew I was pushing the circuit hard as the kill-a-watt meter was making warning noises.

Yeah, there is entrada and salida, but the problem is that it corrects voltage incrementally, not continuously. It only boosts or bucks when voltage drops/rises to certain point, and there are fewer points than this chart shows. Ex, it doesn't boost until voltage drops to 90-something. This is what Don Piano has been trying to resolve, as I recall.

is this them?
https://www.isbmex.com/nosotros.php

the data sheet I saw had an in (entrada) voltage and out (salado) voltage chart
https://www.isbmex.com/guias/REGULADOR%20DOMESTICO.pdf

Autoformers and UPS by Industrias Sola Basic are not marketed in Canada or US. English language manuals don't exist. If you want to try you luck - here it is:

Contacto

First question should be ?(h)ablas Ingles?... :)