Is my new SunnyBoy inverter actually used?

[calgeorge]

I bought a “complete system” from a major dealer. It included two Sunny Boy 5.0-US-41 Invrtr (TL)-SunSpec.

I connected the first one wirelessly to my test system and was able to change the Ethernet settings to a fixed IP address. I am able to access it through my LAN. When I connect to it I get a login screen asking for Language, User group and Password. User group presents a pick list containing Installer and User. I login as installer with my password and it takes me to the Installation Assistant.

Now I connected the second Sunny Boy which should be identical to the first one. I get a different login screen prompting for a User password and explaining the password rules. I don't have the option of logging in as installer.

Going back to the first unit, if I select device configuration it lists both units. The original one has a device name of SN: and the serial number. The second one shows a device name of Inverter.

The unit seemed to be packaged the same as the first one. It looks clean and none of the grounding screws were installed. But, I am suspecting that the second unit is either used, refurbished or someone's returned unit. These things cons $1200 USD. I want to make sure that I am getting a brand new one.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

[solarix]

Check the software version shown on the unit's display. Might well be different even though purchased at the same time...

[calgeorge]

Looking on the data sticker on the side of each unit, the first unit has a manufacture date of 11/2019. The second unit has a manufacture date of 8/2020.

The first unit has a firmware version of 3.0.27.R. The second unit has a firmware date of 3.01.25.R

I would have expected two units bought together to have closer mfg dates. Not necessarily but more likely.

[oregon_phil]

The SMA America website posts the latest firmware as 3.01.24.R. (previous firmware version was 3.0.27.R). The release notes for 3.01.24.R says enhanced password restrictions for higher security. A call to SMA america service would be in order to question why you have firmware version 3.01.25.R. Sometimes they release firmware in advance before posting to their website.

SMA support should be able to get you to the equivalent of the installer screen. Maybe they changed the menu tree and put in a hidden sequence to get to the installer screen. I don't know. I don't have a new -41, but an old -40.

[calgeorge]

Thanks Solarix and oregon_phil,

I called SMA support. The first person I spoke with wanted to talk me through the process of connecting my browser to the device. He couldn't seem to understand that I was already connected.

I eventually lost the telephone connection. When I called back, I got someone who seemed to understand what I was saying. He just didn't quite believe that I was getting two different login screens on the two different devices. He put me on hold to talk to a “communications expert”. I listened to their music for about 30 minutes before I hung up and decided to just try to fix it myself.

The reason that I wanted this resolved is because I didn't want to inadvertently turn the device into something that would be unusable. I thought that with Phil telling me about the release note about security updates, that perhaps this was a situation where the firmware had changed and the support group hadn't gotten the message. That turned out to be the case.

On this version of the firmware, when the device first boots up there is a page that collects user group password information. When you complete that page you get a page that collects installer group password information. If someone at SMA support had known this, the call would have lasted less than a couple minutes.

Other than the setup script, the only big change is that they require a slightly more secure password.

[oregon_phil]

calgeorge , thanks for closing the loop. We'll have to remember this for the future. My experience with SMA technical support is similar to yours. Lots of hold time, but if you get the right tech support person, problems can be resolved quickly. When I dealt with SMA support 2 years ago, they said 80% of their calls are connectivity/IP address issues.

For what it's worth, SMA told me that once I was happy with my system (runs reliably), I should turn Automatic Updates to Off. After installation, my inverter tried to perform an auto update that did not complete correctly. From that time forward, the inverter would randomly reboot at any hour of the day trying to finish the firmware install. Very frustrating. I had to load a fresh version of the firmware then turn Automatic updates off. Everything works fine now.