Let’s see the pros and cons of Luminous Solar Conversion Kit

Actually Luminous has upgraded the product in some aspects without increasing the Price.

Why Solar Companies eyeing Home Solar Market?

Most Leading players in the Indian Solar market are now turning towards the home segment, where they have a good Market Potential in future.

Sukam is the leading player in Residential Solar Market and Tata Solar is leading in the Industrial segment. Several other companies are also offering cost effective Solar solution for Residential and Industrial use.

More than 60% Urban Homes in India already have Home Inverters (UPS system) installed, and by adding a small hybrid solar charge controller and solar panels (200 to 800 watts) to the existing home inverter and battery, we can convert it to home Solar Power set up to power up our home and office at affordable cost.

The hybrid Solar charge controller is now called as ‘Solar Conversion Kit’

Why is Solar Conversion Kit important?

No matter how expensive your Tubular battery and Inverter is, you are finished if you choose any unbranded, Chinese or low-quality solar conversion kit to convert your inverter into the solar inverter.

The quality of the internal components like IC chip, relay and other sensitive electrical and electronic components in solar conversion kit should be 10 times better than the normal inverter.

Unlike normal inverters, solar conversion kit intermittently disconnects mains supply to your inverter multiple times during daytime to utilize the maximum available current generated from your solar panel.

If anything goes wrong, your battery will be overcharged or your inverter circuit board and other components will be damaged. So, it is best decision to go branded. At the same time analyze and compare the features of the solar conversion kit and choose the best that offers you more facility and reliability.

Luminous Solar conversion Kit “Model Shine 2420”

We tested this Luminous solar conversion kit with different solar panels and different types of batteries with different capacity.

Solar Conversion Kit Compatible with Single battery and Double Battery Inverter

This Luminous solar conversion kit is compatible with both double battery inverter and Single battery inverter. Once you connect the conversion kit to your inverter battery, it automatically selects the voltage of your battery system (12v or 24v) and activates the setting according to the voltage and number of batteries you use.

The only restriction is ‘Amperage’

You could connect up to 400 watts (12v) solar panels if you use single battery inverter

You could connect up to 800 watts (24v) solar panels if you use double battery inverter

These are company recommendations, but we tested it with 500 watts (12v) solar panels for 12 v single battery system and 1000 watt (24v) solar panels for double battery inverter. We found no glitches and it works fine.

400 watts of solar panels only produce a maximum of 260 watts of current and 17 amps maximum at peak sun hours. This Luminous solar conversion kit “shine2420” supports up to 20 amp current and connecting 500 watts solar panels of 12V to your single battery inverter will give you more benefit. (Don’t forget to install DC MCB of 20 amp for your safety).

Same thing applies to the 24v battery system, we tested it with 1000 watts solar panels (24v) and it works fine.

What size wire should I use? How much does it cost?

Luminous recommends 6 sq.mm wire for this solar conversion kit. Actually, the size of the wire depends upon the distance between the solar panels and the solar charge controller.

6 Sq.mm copper wire is capable of carrying 38 amps current. Here we are not going to use more than 20 amp current.

why should we use 6 sq.mm wire, which is expensive?

The thickness of the wire is important if you want to minimize the voltage loss when you use long wires from solar panels to the solar charge controller.

If you are planning to install your solar panels at a distance of 30 feet away from your solar conversion kit and battery, you will need 45 meters of 6 sq.mm wire which costs around Rs.1500 approximately.

If you want to cut the cost and compromise with voltage loss, you could choose 4 sq.mm or 2.5 sq.mm copper wire which would cost around 500 to 700 rupees for 45 meters.

Is Luminous Solar conversion Kit Energy efficient?

This Luminous solar conversion kit is PWM based solar charge controller. There are two types of solar charge controllers available in Market, one is MPPT and another one is PWM.

MPPT is more energy efficient and also expensive one which is most preferred for large-scale solar installations.

PWM based solar charge controllers are widely used for small-scale solar installations and it is very much cost effective compared to MPPT charge controllers.

Energy efficiency of Luminous solar conversion Kit is ‘Average’ and it is OK when compared to its pricing.

Price of Luminous Solar Conversion Kit

This Luminous solar conversion kit is available from Rs.2300 online. But the Luminous official online store is selling this unit for Rs.2900/- which is very costly compared to other online sites.

Compared to its features and brand value, the price Rs.2300/- is a really good deal.

Sukam solar conversion kit which has similar specs is priced at Rs.3350/-

1000 Rupees price difference is really huge, Dear Sukam, you need to drop the price

How much current does Luminous solar conversion Kit Produce?

Do not think that investing just 2300 rupees would get you electricity that runs all your fans, lights and TV’s throughout the day.

Don’t forget to include the cost of

• Solar panels
• Mounting structures
• Wires

By adding 400 watts of solar panels to your existing single battery inverter you could get up to 200 watts/hr of current for your home use on a shiny day. This information may disappoint you, but this is the fact

But this solar power set up will help you on long power cut days and during scorching summer with intermittent power cuts when your grid power supply is not enough to charge your battery.

With 400 watts Solar panels you could power up your 2 ceiling fans, mobile phone, and Laptop chargers for 8 hours without the support from grid power.

Useless Digital Display

Digital display in Luminous shine 2420 has some serious bug. We tested two more units and all the units are shipped with this faulty display.

When connecting the battery for the first time, the display works fine and when we disconnect and test it with other battery the display goes weird and little stretched. But we could see the readings with some minor difficulty.

The digital display is simply a useless feature which doesn’t show any basic and important data.

For Example, you can view the amps from solar panels and you cannot view the current produced in watts.

Automatic Mode needs improvement

This unit has 3 control switches, and surprisingly no information is provided in the manual about how to use these switches.

No Problem

We will let you know how to use this switches.

The first switch you see in the above image has two options, Auto, and manual.

The second switch also has two options, Charger and 100% Solar.

Most importantly, the second switch will be deactivated when you put the first switch to ‘Auto’ Mode.

In Auto mode, everything will function according to the program and we do not have any control over it. The unit randomly switches off and switch on the grid power supply to our existing inverter and uses the maximum available solar energy during the daytime. This mode does not allow the battery to go below 90% charge level.

At the same time, it randomly cut off the grid power supply to the inverter even in heavy cloudy conditions where there is no solar power supply from the panels. We noticed, it even switches off the grid power supply to the inverter during night time, which is so dumb.

If you set the first switch to manual mode, the second switch will be activated. The manual mode is not 100% manual when you set the second switch to 100% SOLAR, the unit force cuts the grid power supply to the inverter and runs the load using the current from the solar panel and it takes support from the battery.

And when the battery voltage drops below the preset limit, the unit goes to auto mode without any warning or sound signal. So, the manual mode should be considered as a semi-auto mode.

Luminous R&D should work on all the problems listed above. Hope in next version all the bugs will be fixed. Anyway, the problems I mentioned above does not affect the core functionality of the unit and I believe it serves its purpose.

Installation Diagram

Luminous Solar Conversion Kit “Shine 2420” Specs and Manual

Download Luminous Shine 2420 Manual PDF

Why Exide Gel Battery?

Normal flooded Lead acid batteries need distilled water topup atleast once in 3 months’ time. Many people do not have time to maintain their inverter battery which results in battery failure, cell damage and low back up problem.

For such kind of busy people, Exide has introduced a truly “No Maintenance” battery. Yes, it doesn’t need any distilled water throughout its lifetime.

Price Of Exide Gel batteries is on higher side compared to flooded lead acid batteries.

Gel Batteries have some disadvantages too.

Let us see

7 facts about Exide Gel Battery

Gel batteries have gelified electrolyte, which means a ‘gel-like’ mass formed by mixing sulfuric acid with fumed silica. This substance is static and standstill.

#1. Gel batteries have very low rate of self-discharge which is better compared to normal lead acid batteries.

#2. Gel batteries can be kept in any position, just like your briefcase (no restricted to upright position). You can fit the battery into any narrow space.

#3. Gel batteries are literally “NO Maintenance Batteries“. NO need to top-up. Truly fit and forget type of battery.

#4. The Gel used in the battery is fragile in nature and it breaks when the battery is abused with high amperage.

#5. One big Problem with Gel battery is premature battery failure if it is subjected to

-High discharge

-Quick charging with high charge current

-Rough handling

These batteries should be charged very carefully, unlike Classic Exide IT500 Flooded Lead acid battery, Exide Gel batteries are prone to damage if charged improperly.

#7. Exide IT500 Gel 150 Ah has 48 Month warranty which is very similar to Classic Exide IT500 150 Ah battery. No big difference in service life.

Exide Gel Battery – Available Range

This time Sukam has introduced some new model tubular batteries with better warranty, but not more than 36 months replacement warranty.

Sukam’s official site is outdated and the battery portfolio published in their site is not yet updated. So we publish this list to help the end users who are interested in buying sukam tubular batteries.

New Model Tubular batteries from Su-Kam

Sukam Bazooka ++

Sukam warrior ++

These are two new tubular battery models from Sukam.

Bazooka, Bazooka+, Warrior and Warrior+ are already there in the market.

What is 36+12 months warranty?

In the above list of tubular battery models, you will see something like 36+12 months warranty, it should not be calculated as 48 months warranty.

Actually it is 36 months Replacement warranty + 12 months prorate warranty.

So, the 36 months replacement warranty is the real warranty in which you could claim a new battery if your inverter battery fails within 36 months.

The additional 12 months Prorate warranty is just like a ‘discount coupon’. If your battery fails during the prorate warranty period, the company will offer you some discount on your new battery purchase.

According to me, prorate warranty is just an eyewash and simply useless.

Whenever Sukam launches a new model in its Inverter and battery product portfolio, it just adds a ‘+’ sign to the existing inverter or battery model name which is very confusing in identifying a particular model.

Example:
Sukam Inverter Model
1. Falcon
2. Falcon +
3. Falcon ++
Sukam Battery Model
1. Bazooka
2. Bazooka +
3. Bazooka ++

So, if the company continues to name its new products in this fashion, then the dealers and customers would face serious problem in identifying the models.

So, what would be the title of the blog post that compares two Inverter models from sukam in future?

Falcon ++ Vs Falcon +++++++ ??????

Looks so weird, right?

Dear Sukam,
Please don’t confuse us, this is not an iphone, this is Inverter and battery. NO one will upgrade their perfectly working inverter and battery.
Better give a unique name to your upcoming models.

Google trends – It is an amazing facility, through which we can track the popularity of a particular ‘search term’ for a certain period.

Comparing the popularity of Leading UPS manufacturers using Google Trends

Now with the Help of Google Trends, we decided to track down and compare the popularity of leading UPS manufacturing companies in India.

Top 5 inverters trending in India

Top 5 Inverter Companies Trending in India – The Most searched in Google

1. Luminous Inverter
2. MICROTEK Inverter
3. Exide Inverter
4. SuKam Inverter
5. Amaron Inverter

1. Luminous Inverter

Luminous continues to rule the Home UPS market and the data shows that it takes a clear lead in 2016. So, Luminous is the most searched inverter in India (2014 to 2016).

This company’s flagship inverter model is “Luminous Zelio”

2. Microtek Inverter

Microtek comes second to Luminous. By the end of 2015, Microtek Inverter holds the No.1 position for few months, but Luminous takes it back in 2016. Aggressive marketing and wide service network throughout the country helps Microtek to hold its position tight.

3. Exide Inverter

Battery manufacturing giant Exide is strongly making its way into UPS market, now holds the third position in most searched inverter in internet.

Though Exide is very popular in battery segment, the company is just five year old in making inverters. Now Exide is gaining popularity in Home UPS segment, the chart shows the popularity of Exide Inverters in India.

Making use of its phenomenal battery dealer network, Exide is easily pushing its inverters into the market.

4. Su-Kam Inverter

Sukam, one of the leading UPS manufacturers in India, holds the fourth position in most searched inverter in India.

They continuously upgrade their products and release new models every year.

5. Amaron Inverter

Amaron Home UPS is getting popular in last two years. Amaron is popular in battery segment and they are using their battery dealer network to promote their Home UPS.

Surprisingly, Amaron beats APC Inverter and holds the fifth position in the list of “most searched inverters in India”

Google Trends – Top 5 Inverters in India – Embeded Graph

How it works?

We used specific search terms (Example. “Luminous Inverter”, “sukam Inverter” etc) to exactly find out how popular they are in Home UPS field.

Using specific search term is necessary to get the right data, for example, you should use the Search term ‘Exide Inverter’ instead of ‘Exide’. If you use the search term ‘Exide’ to compare the popularity of Exide Inverter with Luminous Inverter, you would end up with different data that includes the search score for the term “Exide Batteries”, which will show a big difference.

We carefully did this comparison and we also want to tell you that this ranking is purely based on the data we get from Google Trends.

Once again we confirm that this ranking is not related to the actual sales volume of the companies listed in this post, it may be different. This data only reflects the popularity of UPS brands in internet search for last two years in India.

This ‘Warrior++’ tubular battery model carries 48 month long warranty.

(This New Model ‘Warrior++ ‘should not be confused with the old model)

Sukam solar compatible Tubular Battery – Warrior ++

Yet another Tubular Battery in the market?

I know you might be thinking that, “Yet another tubular battery” in the market. But I don’t think so.

One thing that surprised me is the new label “Solar Compatible Battery” seen in the box and C20 Rating chart printed in the battery.

They also recommend this battery for their Hybrid Solar Inverter model “Brainy Eco” which is a Home solar UPS model.

Usually, for solar applications, we need tubular batteries with high discharge rating like C10. For solar applications, most solar installers would recommend C10 batteries specially made for solar applications.

But the Tubular Batteries which we buy for normal Home use are C20 rated batteries. That doesn’t mean that we should not use C20 rated batteries for Solar application.

Tough tubular battery models like Exide IT500 super can be used for solar applications. At the same time, using Entry level tubular batteries for solar applications is strictly not recommended.

Why it is not recommended to use Normal Tubular batteries for Solar application?

Solar panels will not generate constant current all day, it may go up and down according to the weather conditions. This intermittent power generation and unstable situation will pose a challenge to the battery connected in the off grid solar power system.

Most Entry level Tubular batteries designed for Home UPS systems will fail to perform well if connected with solar panels.

Even the battery manufacturing giant Exide is using

High pressure casting,

High quality alloy,

Micro porous separators and

Perfectly made ceramic vent caps

For their Solar C10 rated batteries which are approved for solar applications.

Why Sukam Tubular ‘Warrior++’ is a Two in One battery?

As I already said, only batteries that are made with very high quality components will survive for long period if used for solar applications.

In this model, Sukam gives 48 month long warranty and also they approve this model to use with solar panels.

This shows the confidence of the company in this particular model.

This battery is a good choice for normal home ups systems as well as Hybrid Solar Home Ups systems.

When people plan to buy Inverter and Battery for their Home, Office or even a petty shop, they always search for some budget friendly solution to avoid burning a hole in their pocket.

Who should choose this 80Ah Tubular Battery?

No need to say that prices of branded tubular batteries are always on higher side. The most preferred Ah rating and best seller battery in Home segment is “150 Ah”. Price of Branded Short tubular 150 Ah battery starts from Rs.9500, Tall tubular batteries are way more expensive than short tubular batteries and Flat plate batteries.

So what if you are pretty much interested in Tubular battery and have no budget to afford it?

The solution is an 80 Ah Tubular Battery. Luminous LT300 costs Rs.6800, which is just equal to 80 Ah flat plate batteries from Exide.

So, a branded 900 Va Pure sinewave inverter would cost around Rs.4000 and adding Luminous LT300 80 Ah tubular battery, it cost Rs.10800/- altogether.

About Back-up Time

2 Ceiling Fans

1 Tube light

2 CFL’s

1 Mobile charging Point

If you use all above mentioned gadgets simultaneously during power cut, then you could expect a back-up time of 2 hours with this battery.

During Night time, if power supply from grid fails and you need power back-up for whole night (8 hours continuously), then your family should use only one ceiling fan to extend the back-up time up to 8 hours.

In Day time, if you face intermittent power cuts not longer than 2 hours, then your tubular battery will have enough time to get fully charged again. So, 80 Ah tubular batteries will be sufficient for a normal Indian family with 3 to 4 members.

Price of Luminous 80 Ah Tubular Battery

MRP printed in Box – Rs.8390

Price in Local Market – Rs.6800

Price in Luminous Online store – Rs.7250

Compatibility

Unlike other flat plate batteries in this price range, Luminous LT300 80 Ah battery is compatible with inverters ranging from 400 Va to 1100 Va.

Flat plate batteries in 80 Ah range are more prone to damage when connected with high capacity inverters with high charge current. Flat plate 80 Ah batteries always should be kept in normal charge mode to avoid damage.

But this Luminous LT300 is a tubular battery with high charge current accepting capacity, which enhances the battery life and also makes it compatible to work with wide range of inverters.

Warranty & Battery Life Expectancy

# This Battery comes with 30* month warranty.

# Actually 24 + 6 months warranty

# 24 months free replacement warranty + 6 months Prorate warranty.

# Prorate is warranty is simply useless. Free replacement warranty is the real warranty.

# Life Expectancy – 4 to 5 years

Comparison with Exide Batteries

Tubular Batteries from Exide in 80 Ah Range

EXIDE INVAMASTER IM 3000 80Ah – Tubular

EXIDE INVARED 300+ 80Ah – Tubular

Above mentioned two models are Popular Tubular batteries from Exide, but these models are pricey compared to Luminous LT300 80 Ah Tubular battery.

Luminous LT300

1. Low Price in this Range
2. Premium components and Thick design
3. Long Life (4 to 5 years)
4. Wide range of compatibility with inverters
5. High charge acceptance in short duration

Setup Solar without Batteries

Interesting fact about grid tie inverters is, “It operates without batteries”.
Yes, it does not need battery bank to operate. It uses minimal power from grid to balance the load. So, grid connection is necessary for a grid tie solar inverter to function properly.

(Note: This system will shut down when power supply from grid fails)

I hope many of our readers would like to see some real pictures of Grid Tie solar installation.
Here we go….

Some pictures of Sukam Solar Grid tie inverter installation in Vellore, Tamilnadu, India

System Configuration

Inverter Model: Su-Kam Grid Tie Inverter 30K TM

Inverter Brand: Su-Kam

Range: 30 kilowatts

Solar panels: 30 kW

Solar Panel Make: Vikram solar

warranty

System warranty – 5 years

Inverter warranty – 5 years

Solar Panels – 25 years

System Cost

The total system of 30 kW inverter + 30 kW solar panels + Mounting structures  costs Rs.22,00,000/- (approx)

Note: No subsidies available for this project 

About Earthing done in this installation

Dedicated Earthing is there for DC and AC ; And AC earthing will loop ACDB and Inverter ; and DC earthing will be DCDB with Panels and Structure

Image courtesy: Mr. Daniel Annepu (Sr. Engineer – Solar projects at Su-Kam)

If you have more questions about this installation, you may contact Mr.Daniel – 9962225907 from chennai

If you want  more information on Grid tie solar installations, contact Mr.Kartik Sachdev (9811897315) from Delhi, he has done  so many grid tie solar installations in North India.

This is not a marketing kind of article, i always avoid posting any contact numbers and dealer contacts in articles, but in this case i feel it is necessary to provide some expert’s contact numbers for readers who want to install grid tie solar. you can also post your questions in comment box, i will try to help you.

Why we recommend Grid tie solar Inverters for commercial use?

As the power tariff for commercial establishments are much higher compared to residential buildings, it is good decision to install Grid tie inverters to reduce the Electricity bill in commercial buildings like schools, offices, factories etc.

Su-kam Solar Grid Tie Inverters are available from 1 kW to 50 kW range

TATA solar is offering Grid tie inverters  ranging from 1 kW to 100 kW (according to the requirement)  (Tata solar Dynamo series)

APC – The name which is well-known in UPS industry, gives more value to this Home Inverter model BI850sine.

This is not an Indian Product , actually APC is owned by a French company called Schneider, which is operating worldwide. Schneider is industry giant in power backup equipment manufacturing, power management components and Energy distribution.

In recent years, Schneider has acquired several successful companies in India (including Luminous) and has strong market share in UPS inverter industry.

APC is clearly leading in manufacturing of UPS for IT industry and Data centers. They don’t compromise in quality and their products are known for its good quality components and better back-up.

APC is the choice of Customers with some technical knowledge. Though APC’s service network is not so good, customers from IT background mostly prefer APC Home UPS for its excellent performance.

Compare APC Home UPS with Su-Kam and Luminous

APC’s Technology is different from the technology of other leading UPS manufacturers in India, so we don’t want to get into that comparison.

It does not mean that our Indian products are cheap in quality. Actually Our Indian products are better and manufactured in a certain way to function flawlessly in Indian conditions.

APC Home UPS comes with some advanced features like 11 volt low cut setting, High temperature protection, Away switch at front panel, Load Indicator and wide range of battery charge current selection. All these features comes for Rs.4500/- which is 1k less than Su-Kam’s flagship model Falcon Plus.

At the same time we should admit that sukam falcon plus has several other advantages which is more than enough for a normal user.

APC Home UPS is certainly a premium Product which cannot be compared with basic sine wave wave Inverters like sukam shiny and microtek inverter models.

Some APC Home UPS users have raised a complaint about humming noise from inverter in battery mode which is very annoying.

Luminous Flagship model zelio 900 VA inverter has LCD display in front panel and MCB at back panel. Price is almost same. we will compare all these models in a separate post.

Why choose APC Home UPS?

# Pure sine wave output – Best companion for your computers, mobile chargers, LED TV’s and all other sensitive gadgets.

# No humming noise from fan and light

# High quality components – ensures long life

# World class Technology & Proven Reliability

# Better battery management technology prolongs the inverter battery life.

# Generator Compatibility

5 Features that makes APC Home UPS a better choice

# Load Indicator

Apc Home Ups has load indicating lights in Front panel, which is more reliable than so called LCD displays in other leading inverter brands which always show some unrealistic predictions about load on inverter and remaining backup hours in battery mode.

# Away Switch

‘Away switch’ is available in front panel, which is very useful when you go for vacation. It maintains your battery charge level and prevents it from deep discharge.

# Battery charge current selection switch

Charge current selection switch with 4 options – 8Amp, 10Amp, 13 Amp and 15 Amp

Normally most inverter models have 2 charge selection options and some advanced models have 3 modes for charge current selection.

APC Home UPS is compatible with batteries from 80ah to 180 ah.

When pairing an 80 ah battery with APC home UPS, you should select only 8Amp charge current. Choosing high charge current for low capacity battery will lead to severe battery damage and it affects your battery life significantly.

# Inverter Compatible with Generators

Usually normal sine wave inverters are mostly not compatible with Generators for certain technical reasons. But some inverter models like APC Home UPS and Su-kam Falcon Plus are compatible with generators. This facility might be useful for some users who use Gensets in their Home or Office.

# 11.1 Volt Disconnect – Low battery voltage shutdown enhances battery life

Normally all home inverters are set to shutdown the unit when the battery reaches 10.5 volt in battery backup mode, actually 10.5 low volt disconnect setting will allow us to use the battery power to its maximum and delivers extra backup time, but if we continue to do this regularly then the battery life will be affected severely.

To tackle this problem, APC has set the Low Voltage Disconnect setting to 11.1 volt, which enhances the battery life and reduces the backup time to some extent.

APC is the first company to introduce this setting in the Indian Market. Recently Su-kam also introduces this 11 Volt disconnect setting in its Falcon Plus Inverter model

# Better Battery Management and Fast Recharging without decreasing battery life

APC’s has more than 25 years of experience in manufacturing UPS for computers and this experience helps the company to make a state of art, microprocessor based battery charging and managing software for its Home UPS series. Proven technology makes it more reliable.

A premium 150 ah tall tubular battery is 3 times as expensive as an 850 VA Home Inverter unit, so better battery management is necessary to prolong the battery life.

APC has 3 stage battery charging technology which smartly senses the battery state and gives charge current according to the battery status.

Choosing 15 amp charge current from the back panel does not mean that it constantly supplies 15 amp charge current to the battery. It limits the charge current according to your battery age and condition of cells.

Available Range

APC Home UPS is available in

850 VA (12v single battery model) ( BI850sine )

1500 VA (24v double battery model) (BI1500sine)

850 VA model is sufficient for two bedroom homes and it would cost around Rs.4500/- (excluding battery & other installation charges). It will operate with one 12 v battery, which would cost around 11K)

850 VA sine wave inverter – Rs.4500/-

One 12v 150 ah tall tubular battery – Rs.11,000/-

Installation cost – Rs.1000/- ( this applies only if your home does not have separate inverter wiring)

Total cost – Rs.16500 (approx.)

You could connect

One 32 inch LED TV – 50 watts

DTH box – 20 watts

Internet wifi Modem & router – 20 watts

3 ceiling fans – 80watts x 3 – 240 watts

3 CFL’s – 25 watts x 3 – 75 watts

2 Tube lights – 40watts x 2 – 80 watts

Total power consumption – 485 watts

An 850 VA Inverter would handle load up to 500 watts simultaneously, if you want to run your kitchen mixer/blender with 500watts for few seconds, you should switch off all other gadgets in inverter line for few mins till you finish your work with blender.

Model APC BI1500sine – 1500VA double battery inverter model

Double battery inverter model is better choice for 3 BHK homes and family with more than 5 members. Go for it, if you could afford this inverter.

Inverter Price – Rs.7400/-

Cost of two 150 ah Exide tall tubular batteries with 18+18 months warranty – Rs.22000/-

Installation cost – Rs.1500/-

Total cost – Rs.30,900 (approx.)

For better backup, you could limit the concurrent usage of all the gadgets listed above.

# Price of APC Home UPS

APC Home UPS BI850 – Rs.4500 (approx.) Check Online price

APC Home UPS BI1500 – Rs.7400 (approx.) Check Online Price

# Specs of APC Home UPS BI850sine

When we took this product for testing and comparing it with other best-selling inverter models in the market, we were surprised to see the results and other special features of sukam Falcon Plus.

Sukam has already got a product called ‘Falcon’ Home UPS, which is doing well in the market. But this one ‘Falcon Plus’ is pretty much advanced than its predecessor.

This is going to be a long post; those want to read insights about Falcon Plus can continue

# Falcon Plus – Range

Su-Kam Falcon Plus Pure sinewave Inverter is available in following range

Falcon Plus 700 VA – single battery inverter

Falcon Plus 900 VA- single battery inverter

Falcon Plus 1100 VA – single battery inverter

Falcon Plus 1600 VA – Double battery inverter

(Note: Sukam Falcon Plus 1050 VA  (Old Version) is also available in the market. Su-kam has upgraded this model to 1100 VA and the 1050 VA model has no Battery charge selection DIP switch.)

# Su-Kam Falcon Plus – Test Results

Actually we don’t care about, what the company claims about the product, in its product manual. We want to test it out.

We compared Sukam Falcon Plus with Luminous Zelio, Luminous Eco Volt and Microtek Pure sine wave inverter models with a highly sophisticated testing device.

Results clearly indicated some solid difference between other pure sine wave inverters and sukam Falcon Plus. We list some important points here,

1. Advanced Battery charging Technology

2. Battery life enhancement

3. Deep discharge Protection

4. Appliance Safety features

5. Compatibility with all size batteries (18 Ah to 200 Ah)

6. High quality internal components

7. Big Difference in back-up

8. Highly compatible for Solar

# Why choose Falcon Plus?

Advanced Battery charging technology

Whether you go high budget or low budget battery for your inverter, we would recommend Su-kam Falcon Plus for better battery management and battery life enhancement.

[pullquote]In our observation, with Falcon Plus, we could expect extra battery life from 6 months to 1 year for a normal deep cycle inverter battery.[/pullquote]

# How Falcon Plus enhances the battery life?

Falcon Plus senses the battery outside temperature and adjusts the Boost Voltage

Falcon Plus uses Automatic temperature compensation (ATC)

Unlike other inverters in the market, Falcon Plus has a temperature sensor cable which comes with the inverter package. We need to connect the sensor cable to the back panel of inverter and place the other end of the cable close to your battery. In this way Falcon Plus senses the outside temperature precisely.

Most of the people in this industry are aware of the truth that a deep cycle battery will perform well under 25 degree Celsius. But unfortunately in India we experience extremely hot weather during summer. Sometimes the temperature crosses 40 degree Celsius, which is unfavorable condition for charging an inverter battery.

In such condition we cannot pump the same high voltage in to the battery for charging. It would harm the battery permanently.

So, the inverter should adjust the boost voltage according to the outside temperature. Unfortunately most inverter in the market never does this adjustment and slowly they cause damage to your expensive tubular battery.

Just Like your Air conditioner, Falcon plus senses the temperature and adjusts the boost voltage according to that.

Thanks to 4^th generation Micro Processor and ATC technology.

In our experience, we have seen many number of cases in which brand new tubular battery gets spoiled by faulty inverter which gives continuous charge to the battery during high temperature.

# Less frequent water topping

Most people don’t know how to add distilled water to their inverter battery; they mostly rely on any local battery shop guys or electricians.

But sometimes, people simply forget to top-up their battery periodically which leads to premature battery failure.

To avoid this situation, better we buy a smart inverter that doesn’t heat up our battery with excess charging during hot weather. Then there will be no frequent water loss.

Falcon Plus inverter’s ATC technology is giving some hope and we expect this will eliminate the problem of frequent water topping the battery.

Anyway, you will need to add distilled water periodically, but the frequency will come down.

Don’t forget to do that!

# Deep Discharge Protection

Deep discharge is one of the main problems we face with batteries. When we discharge a battery below 10.5 V, it is just like killing your battery. But it is your inverter’s responsibility to protect your battery with setting up a perfect cut-off voltage. Failing to do this will result in permanent damage to your battery.

Almost all inverter manufacturers claim that their inverter has deep discharge protection, but how many of them are genuine? We don’t know!

We tested Falcon plus inverter’s ability to protect the battery from deep discharge.

And the test results were good. They are genuine!

Falcon plus comes with one more extra facility of choosing the cut-off voltage ourselves. There is a DIP switch to choose the cut-off voltage.

You could

Select 10.5 V for better backup (or)

Select 11 V for better battery life (back up will be reduced in this mode)

No other inverter model in this range has this kind of facility, one more step towards innovation, Good!

We recommend to setup 11V back-up cut for better battery life.

If you experience long and intermittent power shedding problem, you should use 10.5V backup cut setting for better battery backup.

# Soft Start Technology and Appliance Safety

This inverter is equipped with soft start technology, which slowly raises the output voltage to ensure the appliance safety.

Pretty useful facility for using sensitive electronic gadgets with inverter backup.

# Automatic Bye-pass switch

Falcon plus inverter has an automatic bye-pass switch arrangement, which is very useful in case of any battery problem of any other minor issues with battery or inverter.

We don’t need to manually bye-pass the line.

# Compatible with local Generators

Company claims that Falcon plus is compatible with local generators. Most other inverters don’t work with local generators.

# Better Micro Processor

We noticed one important difference that the new Falcon plus inverter is equipped with 44 pin microprocessor, which usually cannot be seen in other Home UPS systems.

Normally Home UPS systems are equipped with 28 pin micro controller with limited functionalities.

But in this Falcon Plus Model, Su-Kam uses the most advanced 44 pin microprocessor and it provides some extra benefits and smart features which we have not seen before in Home UPS systems.

# Compatibility with Solar panels

We tested it with solar panel and solar charge controller and satisfied with the results.

It is 100% compatible with solar panels, which means we can convert it to advanced hybrid solar inverter by adding solar panels and automatic solar charge controller to it.

In case you plan to buy it as a package, we recommend to buy Sukam solarcon ‘solar’ charge controller which is 100% compatible with falcon plus.

# How Sukam Falcon Plus enhances Battery Backup?

We noticed one advanced feature in falcon plus that eliminates the need for bench charge and De-sulphation for batteries, which could be done only in battery service centers.

In the long run, normally inverter battery plates will be covered by sulphate cystal, which stops the battery from operating to its full potential.

In Falcon Plus, Sukam Introduces a 6 stage charging Technology which removes the sulphate cystal formation on the battery plates which ensures optimum battery performance and prolong battery backup.

This is very useful feature as we cannot frequently carry our jumbo sized battery to the battery service center for de sulphation.

# Full Battery charge with 90 V

In india, we cannot guarantee perfect power supply in every location. In most areas we face low voltage problem and we don’t even get enough voltage to charge our inverter battery.

A typical inverter will require minimum 130 volts to charge the inverter battery to its full capacity.

Sukam claims that Falcon Plus will require only 90V to charge the battery to its full capacity, which is very useful for consumers with low voltage problem.

# Comaptible with Desktop PC (Switch Over time – 8 Milli seconds )

Switch over time of a typical pure sine wave inverter in the market – 13 Milli seconds

Switch over time of Sukam Falcon Plus Home UPS – 8 MIlli seconds

Which is pretty much compatible for operating desktop PC’S without rebooting problem during power cuts.

We recommend this for browsing centers, Computer centers and educational institutes.

No need to buy separate UPS for your desktop PC.

# Wide Range of Battery support (18 Ah to 200 Ah)

We personally love this Feature which is truly innovative.

Su-Kam enables the facility of connecting a tiny battery of 18 Ah to a 900 va or 1100 VA single battery inverter.

Connecting a small battery to a big inverter is not a big deal here, but sukam falcon plus has an option to set up the charging current for small batteries, which is really a big deal.

Yes, it has a DIP switch at the back panel where we can setup the charge current preference for batteries from 18 Ah to 200 Ah.

This facility is really a boon for end users those who want very little back up time and don’t want to spend excess amount of money in buying 150ah tall tubular batteries.

Now they can operate their gadgets with 900 VA inverter and 25 or 50 AH batteries according to their requirement.

Caution: Unless you are familiar with this DIP switch settings, Please avoid playing with switches.

# Some Questions to Su-Kam about Falcon Plus

Though we have listed out all positive sides of Sukam Falcon Plus, we also have few questions about some glitches that we found in falcon plus.

Sukam Falcon Plus inverter has no LCD display, which could be very useful in monitoring battery state and remaining backup hours.

The DIP switch at the back panel provides lot more access for an end user to control the battery charging scenario of the inverter.

But more than 90% of end users don’t know how to operate this switch. What happens if they select high voltage setting for a low power battery like 25 Ah battery. It would result in battery failure.

The advanced facility which is supposed to be a Boon would become a curse to that particular user.

We strongly recommend Su-Kam to put a plastic cap on this DIP switch at the back panel and limit the access to trained professionals only.

Also when we recommend battery below 60 Ah, we need to tell the customer that it should be a deep cycle battery, otherwise people will go for cheap automotive batteries, which would not last long for inverter applications.

Why 700 VA, 900 VA and 1100 VA models don’t have MCB at back panel?. MCB is provided only in 24V double battery inverter model Falcon Plus 1600.

Product is not available online

# Availability

For now, Falcon Plus is not widely available with all su-kam dealer outlets throughout the country.

I believe, in three months it will be available on all online stores and su-kam dealer outlets.

In metros, Falcon plus is already available in selected dealer outlets.

# Price point of Falcon plus

Price point of Su-Kam falcon plus is on the higher side. But we clearly understand that such an innovative product will not come for a cheap price.

For now, we can give guideline price of Falcon plus for our readers.

Simple idea to guess the price falcon Plus

A 900 VA falcon plus inverter would cost 1000 rupees more than a normal 900 VA pure sine wave in the market.

Which means

Luminous zelio 900 VA – Rs.4500

Falcon Plus 900VA would cost around Rs.5500 to 6000.

(In some states, price would be more than Rs.6000, which depends on the transport cost and tax)

# Conclusion

Undoubtedly, Sukam Falcon plus is the most advanced model in the Home UPS segment. Even though it is little expensive compared to other models in the market, it is worth to go for Falcon Plus if you need the best inverter in the market.

Hope this long Review Helps! We will come up with more details about falcon plus and comparison chart with other inverters. Also best battery combination ideas for Falcon plus.

Drop your comments and share your experience about this mode, Which would help other readers to decide on this.