New UPS

Two days ago I emailed from Fremantle a well documented service call to Solargain regarding the failure of the solar system inverter to communicate to the web site, meaning that I could no longer get the useful graphics on the performance of the system.  (Status Code 996, No Connection to the Data Logger).  I got a prompt response and by the end of the day I received step-by-step instructions for recycling the inverter and WiFi modem in the following sequence: 1. power down inverter, 2. power down modem, 3. power up modem, 4. power up inverter.   The only tricky part was finding the AC and DC switches for the inverter.

This morning I tried the fix and it worked.  I closed the service call and felt good in knowing that I'll be able to resolve this problem myself in the future. 

I discussed the problem with Stephen and he asked me if I had been running any unusual appliances lately, because they can cause problems through either electrical noise in the wiring or propagation of RF signals (through the air), interfering with WiFi signals.  In fact I had been running a hand-held jack hammer for hours in the painful effort to remove tiles from the floor at the rear of the house.

The upshot is that with Stephens invaluable help I purchased an  industrial-grade Digitech MP-5212 UPS.  It is designed for mounting in a standard 18" rack and has all sorts of features for remote control and alarm.  It's designed to support servers and has the expected features, notably the production of a pure sine wave and support during brownouts.  Its rated capacity is 700 watts and we think that it will support the equipment for at least 10 hours during a total power outage.

I've set it up to support the modem, laptop, telephone, Swann camera security controller, the external Seagate drive to capture the Swann security videos, and the Teac TV that I use to manage the Swann system. 

Digitech MP-5212 with yellow sticker on top

Stephen sourced it from Jaycar for a greatly reduced $450 as a discontinued item.