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EKO I-V Checker Operation Manual

Portable i-v curve tracer
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EKO Instruments MP-170S
I-V Checker Sensor Unit
A l l t r a d e m a r k s , b r a n d n a m e s , a n d b r a n d s a p p e a r i n g h e r e i n a r e t h e p r o p e r t y o f t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e o w n e r s .
• C r i t i c a l a n d e x p e d i t e d s e r v i c e s
• I n s t o c k / R e a d y - t o - s h i p
Artisan Scientific Corporation dba Artisan Technology Group is not an affiliate, representative, or authorized distributor for any manufacturer listed herein.
In Stock
Used and in Good Condition
Open Web Page
https://www.artisantg.com/79971-1
• We b u y y o u r e x c e s s , u n d e r u t i l i z e d , a n d i d l e e q u i p me n t
• F u l l - s e r v i c e , i n d e p e n d e n t r e p a i r c e n t e r

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Summary of Contents for EKO I-V Checker

  • Page 1 EKO Instruments MP-170S I-V Checker Sensor Unit In Stock Used and in Good Condition Open Web Page https://www.artisantg.com/79971-1 A l l t r a d e m a r k s , b r a n d n a m e s , a n d b r a n d s a p p e a r i n g h e r e i n a r e t h e p r o p e r t y o f t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e o w n e r s .
  • Page 2 P o r t a b l e I - V c u r v e t r a c e r I-V C h e c ke r M P - 1 7 0 O p e ra t i o n M a n u a l Conforms to CE marking April 2008 EKO Instruments Co., Ltd.

  • Page 3: Safety Precautions

    1. Safety Precautions The products of EKO Instruments Co., Ltd. are designed and manufactured with consideration of safety; however, unexpected accident may occur depending on the way it is used. Therefore please thoroughly read this manual and operate the system correctly by following this manual.
  • Page 4 Warnings Wiring to the PV power system has to be performed by authorized personnel with the protective equipment for electric shock. - Check the position and polarity of PV power output that the cables of MP-170 are connected. Wrong connection may cause electric shock and damage the PV power system and MP-170.
  • Page 5 - Follow this operation manual and the original operation method of MP-170. - Understand and follow the safety instruction of this operation manual. - Contact EKO Instruments Co., Ltd. whenever you have any question or concern. - Although we are taking all possible measures to ensure the content of this operation manual, you may find any unclear, wrong or incomplete description.
  • Page 7 Index Safety Precautions Important User Information – CE Marking Index Outline of MP-170 Name and function of each part Setting up Operation Software Maintenance Troubleshooting Specifications...
  • Page 8 3. Outline of MP-170 3-1. Outline Portable I-V curve tracer “I-V Checker” MP-170 is designed to measure DC output from a PV array or module. Purposes of measurement include evaluation, checking system failures, and maintenance of the PV power system. MP-170 uses capacitor load method to measure the I-V curve which makes high power measurements possible.
  • Page 9 sensors, thermocouple and so on all the way to the measuring unit. For having the above features, it is possible to take a cable-less measurement, which only the Sensor unit is setup by the PV module/array in the same angle and direction, and the Main unit is away from the connection point for the PV module/array.
  • Page 10 3-3. Characteristics Portable Having the “portable” concept in mind, MP-170 is designed with emphasis on the user-friendliness and the safety in the field measurement. The Main unit case is made of resin, which is isolated from electricity, for safety. The unit is designed as one-unit case, which can store the Sensor unit, cables, and so on for carrying convenience.

  • Page 11: System Configuration

    3-4. System Configuration PV module/array Terminal box / Power conditioner etc. - Output of PV module / array is connected to MP-170 Rated maximum power 10kW Rated maximum voltage 1000V @10A T-type Thermocouple Rated maximum current 20A @500V From Back side of PV Reference - Sensor unit can measure with: AC Adapter...
  • Page 12 4. Name and function of each part 4-1. MP-170 package 1) Top cover (can be removed by sliding the cove to the right.) 2) Front panel 3) LCD 4) PV-Cable (Red, +) 5) PV-Cable (Black, -) 6) Rear panel 7) Key pad 8) Dome protector 9) Sensor unit 10) Shoulder strap...

  • Page 13: Front Panel

    4-2. MP-170 Front panel 1) Strap hooks (on the left and right side to hook the shoulder straps) 2) Latch button (lift the top cover as pushing this button to open) 3) Carrying handle (place your hand here to carry the Main unit) 4) DC power input from AC adapter 5) USB port (use when down/uploading data to/from PC) Rear panel...

  • Page 14: Battery Box

    4-3. Battery box Setting batteries By unscrewing 4-white screws at the bottom side corners of the battery box, the box can be opened. NOTE Top side Check the directions (polarity, +/-) of batteries Remove batteries when it is not in use for a long time Batteries D size, 4 pcs...
  • Page 15 Terminal block assignment Ref. Pyrano Temp1 Temp2 : Reference cell input (100mA, Internal 0.1 shunt resistance) Pyrano : Pyranometer input (15mV) Temp1 : T-Thermocouple input, Used for PV module back side temperature and STC conversion Temp2 : T-Thermocouple input, Recorded into data. Normally use for air temperature * To use EXTERNAL pyranometer or reference cell, the Reference sensor selector is switched to EXT.

  • Page 16: The Main Unit

    5. Setting up 5-1. The Main unit DANGER HAZARDOUS VOLTAGE ELECTRIC HAZARD Wear high-voltage rubber insulating gloves and boots Check polarity (+/-) connections to array/module, before operation Do not operate MP-170 in rainy or wet conditions Do not disassemble MP-170 Operation to PV power system should be done by an authorized electric engineer.
  • Page 17 1) The Main unit Connections a) Battery box Connect the DC plug of the Battery box to the Battery power input. b) PV-cables Insert PV-cables into PV inputs. +: Red -: Black Gator grips of PV cables are connected to PV DC outputs. c) The Sensor unit Connect the Main unit and the Sensor unit by the modular cable.
  • Page 18 5-2. Sensor unit settings 1) Sensor unit Level Angle capturer Dome Built-in Si-pyranometer Angle screen Angle adjusting screw Base plate Power switch The Sensor unit is data logging device to record the output from the built-in Si- pyranometer, T-type thermocouples and external pyranometer or reference cell. The unit has the Angle capturer to find the angle and direction of PV module/array.
  • Page 19 unit can be transferred on the Main unit in real time. 3. Remove the Angle Capturer from the Sensor unit. 4. Place the Angle Capturer on the target PV module/array. 5. Check the position of the 3 markers on the radial angle scale in the Angle Capturer dome.

  • Page 20: Operation

    6. Operation 6-1. Key pad DATA MEASURE CONFIG POWER Up/Down Numerical Enter Return keypad POWER : Main power switch of the Main unit Power ON - Press the power switch Power OFF - Keep pressing Power switch for 5 seconds. CONFIG : Manage measurement settings DATA...
  • Page 21 After power on the sensor unit, the Green LED will light for a few seconds and then start blinking once a second 3) Power ON the Main unit Start screen appears on the LCD display. Firmware version PORTABLE I-V CHECKER MP-170 Ver.0.09.12 Battery monitor: Check for the battery...
  • Page 22 4) Start Screen After turning on the Main unit, see whether the Sensor unit is connected with the Main unit through modular cable. The warning message “Powering on Sensor Unit” will show if it is not connected with the modular cable or not communicating through the modular cable.
  • Page 23 6-4. Measurement 1) Measuring Screen Connect the PV-cables to the Main unit PV input terminal; connect the red cable to the plus (+) and black cable to the minus (-) of the PV array/module. When taking measurements, the PV array/module must be completely disconnected from power conditioners (inverter) and such.

  • Page 24: Range Settings

    Result screen By pressing ENTER, the screen changes I I I I 1 I-V (x-axis: Voltage [V], y-axis: Current [A]) 2 P-V (x-axis: Voltage [V], y-axis: Power [W] 3 dI/dV-V (x-axis: Voltage [V], y-axis: Differential V V V V of I-V curve) Measurement information Measured parameters 1 Measured parameters 2...

  • Page 25: Parameter Editing

    *Auto range takes the measurement after the appropriate range is determined from the pre-measurement; therefore, it takes longer time than manual measurement. Parameter settings By pressing MEAS PAR, the “Parameter menu” screen appears. There are following options given on the Parameter menu screen. MEAS PAR MEAS PAR MEAS PAR...
  • Page 26 range. After entering range values, press the ENTER key and the setup parameter will be saved. (*In this case of parameter setting is only a temporary and will not be saved in the parameter list.) Parameter setting flow Select a parameter 01 PARAMETER EDIT Use the Main unit USE SENSOR UNIT...
  • Page 27 Each Parameter setting screen Contents 01 PARAMETER EDIT USE SENSOR UNIT -> Using Sensor Unit USE SENSOR UNIT MAIN UNIT ONLY -> Using only Main Unit MAIN UNIT ONLY Sensor Unit selection YES -> Set solar irradiance and 01 PARAMETER EDIT temperature manually Set Irr &...
  • Page 28 - Voltage Range -> Voltage range Setting 01 PARAMETER 1/2 Name EKOTEST1 Voltage Range AUTO - Current Range -> Current range setting Current Range AUTO Sensor PYR 7.00 mV/kW m - Sensor -> Select pyranometer or reference cell Range and pyranometer PYR: Pyranometer REF: Reference cell - Cal ->...
  • Page 29 Selected parameter No. and file name are shown. End time 00:00:00 Interval 00 minutes Meas Par 03:EKO 003 * NOTE * Schedule is valid only for the day measurement is started. It is not effective for the next day. 03 AUTO MEASUREMENT...

  • Page 30: System Menu

    4) System menu Select the "SYSTEM" on the Setup menu screen; the “System Menu” is displayed. There are following option items on the System menu screen. SYSTEM DATE ＆ TIME SET ―＞ Date, Time Setup b ． LCD CONTRAST ― ＞ LCD Contrast DATE &...

  • Page 31: Data Display

    * NOTE * Download the Sensor unit data to the Main unit within the same day the measurement is taken. Even though the time information is included in the recorded data on the Sensor unit, there is no information for the year and date. If the data was downloaded after the date has changed, it is possible that either the data cannot be downloaded or download the data which has unmatched date information.
  • Page 32 001 EKO ROOF 001 EKO ROOF 001 EKO ROOF 001 EKO ROOF I-V curve Voltage[V] on X axis I I I I Current[A] on Y axis I-V curve graph shows the voltage and current V V V V characteristics of a PV battery in the condition of irradiance, air temp., and PV temp.
  • Page 33 Measurement information 001 EKO ROOF 001 EKO ROOF 001 EKO ROOF 001 EKO ROOF DATE: YYYY/MM/DD DATE: 2007/01/10 DATE: 2007/01/10 DATE: 2007/01/10 DATE: 2007/01/10 TIME: 12:10:00 TIME: 12:10:00 TIME: 12:10:00 TIME: 12:10:00 TIME: HH:MM:SS format Irradiance: 1000.00 W/m² Irradiance: [W/m²] Module temp.: 25.0 °C...
  • Page 34 3) Solar Irradiance vs. Parameters (Pm, Voc, Isc, FF) Graph Display If data is taken for multiple times in the same conditions on the same day by continuous measurement, select “Irr vs Parm Grph” from “Data menu” by using up/down keys will show the graph, which indicates the changes of the solar irradiance of the day selected against Pm, Voc, Isc, and FF.

  • Page 35: Software Installation

    7. Software This software is designated for I-V Checker MP-170. The data that is taken on the MP-170 Main unit can be downloaded, analyzed, and so on, on the PC. Also, measurement control from this software is possible. The measured data is converted into CSV format text data and can be processed with calculation software such as Excel.

  • Page 36: Usb Drivers

    The preparation for installation is complete. Clicking on NEXT (N) > will start the installation. Click < Back (B) for correcting the setting; click Cancel to cancel the installation process. As the installation starts, the indicator for the installation status is displayed. c.
  • Page 37 installation completion, click “Complete” button. 12) The USB Serial Converter driver installation is complete. Now continue to the installation of US Serial Port driver. USB Serial Port driver Installation 1) Once the USB Serial Converter driver has been installed, Windows shows “New hardware”...

  • Page 38: How To Uninstall The Software

    6) Start the USB Serial Port property window and check the USB Serial Port is indicated “This device is properly operating.” Now the installation for the USB Serial Converter driver and the USB Serial Port driver is completed. 7-3. How to Uninstall the Software When this software is updated and new version software is distributed, the older version has to be uninstalled before updating.

  • Page 39: Software Operation

    7-4. Software operation When this software is started, the main screen is displayed. There are 4 tabs, Measurement, Display, Save, and Irr vs Parm; clicking on the tabs will change the screen display. The Measurement tab is displayed as default in the start. Measure Measurement settings Graph...
  • Page 40 Manual: Set Voltage and Current range from this menu. Graph scale: Set the graph scale manually A) General - Measure When click on the General button, below dialog box is displayed. - COM port Select a COM port, from COM1 ~ COM4, to be used for MP-170. - Measuring Mode a.
  • Page 41 B) Parameters - Measure When the “Parameter Setting” button is clicked, the parameter setting dialog box is displayed as shown above. Enter one piece of PV module parameter in the PV device area (Area), Current Temperature Coefficient (Alpha), Voltage Temperature Coefficient (Beta), Series Resistance (Rs), and Curve Correction Factor (K).
  • Page 42 - Upload Upload the parameter which is setup on the software to the Main unit. The MP-170 takes measurement with the uploaded parameter; however, there is no function to save the uploaded parameter in the memory, thus please manage it on the PC itself.
  • Page 43 Click the Temperature button on Measure tab. Select whether to measure the PV device temperature during the I-V measurement is taken or to setup as fixed value of current temperature. Temp.1 is used for the STC calculation. Temp.2 is saved just for the record and it is not used for any calculation.
  • Page 44 H) Graph After the measurement, the result will be displayed. I-V curve is shown after the measurement. The shown above is an example of a measurement taken manually. Click Print to print out the graph. However, make sure to run the “Printer Setup” before hand, and it is in the printable condition.
  • Page 45 *Even when the communication was thru once before, if the MP-170 was not used for a long period of time and tried to use it, the “COM Port upload Error” message may popup. Also, this may occur after the General Setting dialog box has been opened and modified. In such case, please go through the same process.
  • Page 46 On the ”Graph" tab menu, select the measurement date first. Click the drop arrow on the right side of the date indication will display the calendar. When changing the years, move the mouse cursor on the top of the year indicator and left click.
  • Page 47 3) Save windows Click “Save” tab and the following window is shown. The functions for each button are described. Click to select the date Press here and all data are Press here selected. cancel from calendar. Measurement time Data list Select save Perform...
  • Page 48 The settings of daily trend graph displaying of 4 parameters The graph is displayed as relation between solar irradiance and each parameter. 1) Voc 2) Isc 3) Pmax 4) FF To view the graph, 1) Select data by specific date 2) Select target data by setting “Select checked”...

  • Page 49: Data Format

    7-5. Data format File name Measurement (raw) data yyyymmddhhmmssxxx.MDF Example: 20071215103510001.MDF Measurement in 2007, Dec. 15 at 10h35m10s Data sequence is #001 Data extension is MDF I-V curve converted data yyyymmddhhmmssxxx.CSV Example: 20071215103510001.CSV Measurement in 2007, Dec. 15 at 10h35m10s Data sequence is #001 Data extension is CSV PV parameters converted data...
  • Page 50 1) Data format – I-V curve converted data file (CSV format) Name TEST_1 Date 2006/12/22 Time 14:44:46 Temperature[degC] 13.513 Voltage Range[V] 1000 Current Range[A] Sampling Pitch[uS] Sensor Pyranometer Calibration Constant (Er cal)[mV/kW/m^2] PV Device Area[m^2] 0.78 Current Temp. Coef.[A/degC] 0.02 Voltage Temp.
  • Page 51 2) PV parameters converted data file (CSV format) By selecting “Convert by Specific Value” conversion, the following data is created. Data items (left to right in CSV format) Name Date Time Temperature[degC] Voltage Range[V] Current Range[A] Sampling Pitch[uS] Sensor Calibration Constant (Er cal)[mV/kW/m^2] PV Device Area[m^2] Current Temp.

  • Page 52: Maintenance

    Confirm that the both clocks of the Main unit and the Sensor unit are synchronized before starting the measurement. (For environment-friendly purpose, EKO does not accept Lithium battery.) - Unable to measure continuously. Check whether the starting time is setup earlier than the finishing time.
  • Page 53 - Rising I-V curve in Isc side It is not broken. This condition occurs when large junction-capacitance PV devices, such as amorphous-Si and HIT, are measured. With the capacitor load method on MP-170 cannot avoid such problem; however, MP-170 obtains Isc from linear approximation which minimizes the rising curve.

  • Page 54: Specifications

    10. Specifications Item Content power Voltage - 10V ~ 1000V input range Current - 1A ~ 20A Power - 10W ~ 10kW Maximum input range - Power 10kW @500V and 20A, @1000V and 10A - Voltage 1000V @10A, 500V@20A - Current 20A @500V, 10A@1000V Measurement - Voltage: +/-1.0% FS or less (10V range)
  • Page 55 Weight - Main unit: 3.0kg , Plastic + Aluminum - Sensor unit: 480g, Plastic - Cables: 300g Environment Operation: Temperature 0 ~ 50ºC (without direct sunlight exposure) Humidity 35 ~ 85%RH (without condensation) Storage : Temperature -20 ~ +70ºC (packed in carton box) Humidity 30 ~ 60%RH (packed in carton box ) Software specification...
  • Page 56 http://www.eko.co.jp/...

This manual is also suitable for:

Mp-170Mp-170s