Technical

Background

With the introduction of Paladin-6 daughter boards the basic Paladin unit embeds the ability to upgrade to a WiFi / IOT / Semi Intelligent LAN enabled device.

The basic Paladin engine is the same physical design as the Paladin-4 (recognised by the large orange power supply unit and 4 CT sockets) but the V650 software adds a hard serial channel and power supply to the ESP32 when fitted.

The inclusion of a 6 position DIP switch allowed several options that had previously been ‘special builds’ to be installer selectable on any unit. This was a successful variation and has been retained. Subsequently there was a requirement to have day to day control of the overnight boost and minimum temperature function. This was achieved using a 3 way switch on the top of the unit, allowing the user to change the basic Paladin behavior to better match individual requirements and PV conditions.

Every user and installation is different, and although Paladin’s design criteria is ‘set and forget’ the ‘Boost Switch’ has also found a practical and popular use – and is now to be standard fit on 2019 models.

Paladin-6 V650 Option Switches

** Switches 5 & 6 Are set as follows (OFF/OFF = Default)

** Boost Switch Operation

([^ or + ] replace degree symbol after temperature to show switch selection)

Top Line Information

** This is usually a tank thermostat tripping during top up.

* Second SSR operation is hardware specific and this switch is reserved for

** Ensure hot water tank specifications allow 80C+ operation if selected and a suitable high temperature thermostat is fitted.

The logic with the Boost Switch option is to give users with a morning hot water use pattern the ability to inhibit any top up action using the 10C minimum temperature which will optimise Paladin’s transfer performance during the subsequent solar activity.

It should be noted that the 10C temperature represents the tank temperature

at the Paladin probe position and there will be a column of warmer water extending to the top of the tank – above the thermocline, that will offer limited hot water.

In a standard 180L tank this will represent about 1 standard 7 minute shower.

Finally an extra message has been introduced to the top line of the display in the event that a top up is in progress and no current flow is sensed. The word ‘ELEMENT’ is displayed to indicate that the current path to the element is interrupted. This would usually be due to the tank thermostat opening before a top up temperature is reached, but may also be an element or wiring / switch issue.

The inclusion of this feature is to indicate installations where the tank thermostat does not allow Paladin to perform the 60C minimum temperature requirement every 72 hours. Interruption of this directive effectively halts Paladin operation until reset.

No comparable message for the excess PV Transfer exists as the activity is indicated by continuous export.

Obviously there new features are speculative and highly subjective. As user experience is gained these values can be modified to suit the consensus. As always Paladin can be modified to specific user variations on request. Most changes can be accommodated without more than changing a few numbers and a rebuild of the firmware, and are thus complimentary.

Other, more complex variations are negotiable – it really depends if they can be introduced to benefit all users.