Recent content by BjornM

I can relate to what you're saying in this thread, and I also use a Victron controller. If you don't have perfect knowledge then there is no perfect way, only acceptable compromises. For example, unless your charge controller reads a shunt at your battery, the charge controller can not know the...

It turned out it was broken. Not sure why it broke though. I've replaced it with a Victron controller.

There is one project on GitHub that uses Bluetooth: https://github.com/keshavdv/victron-ble But it seems limited to a few parameters only. I had hopes to access the whole range of modbus registers. I guess I have to connect via VE.Direct. Seems like too much work to be worth it.

What are my options if I want to go beyond what the Victron Connect app shows about my SmartSolar MPPT controller? For example I want to check the heatsink temperature, possible deratings, etc. Is there some software like that from Victron or a third party? Or perhaps a simple app that can read...

For that fantasy setup I'd just go with the max Isc of the controller: a 35 A fuse in series with the array. The fuse also has to have a breaking capacity of 7 kA, so any ordinary fuse wouldn't do. Because the array is so massive, 99.99% of the time it would be close to Voc, even at max...

Great explanation. I'd add that the controller will only get to the maximum power point when the output current is lower than the max rating (or if it is derated in some way). If the controller is already at the max output current limit, it will not be in the MPPT-point, but most likely at a...

I think the common definition of over-panelling is when you have more nominal panel power than your charge controller and/or batteries can handle. You will regularly get into situations where not all your panel power can be harvested, because of limitations in your system. That is not...

A PWM regulator works just like PWM-controlling motors or other types of loads. It slices up the incoming voltage really fast, and together with an output filter capacitor the practical result is a lower voltage on the output. For a given output load, different duty cycles result in different...

For a regular buck converter, the input sweep can't get to a voltage below the controller's output voltage though, i.e. the battery voltage. So it can never technically short circuit the array in this mode. But for a 200 V array taken down to say 15 V to match a 12 V battery the array current...

I have accepted it now, when I get such a fine current cutoff function that I didn't have before! ;)

It is the opposite of that. It connects the two input leads from the solar array together (short circuits them), so that no current can flow from the array to the battery.

Here is what it says in the SmartSolar 250/100 manual (might be different from the model this thread is about). 8.10.5. PV Short relay reset procedure This procedure outlines the reset process for the internal protection mechanism, known as the PV Short Relay, in the Smart SolarCharger...

Is there any truth to what previous posts in this thread have said about the MPPT sweep and that it includes a short circuiting of the array? It seems strange to me if it was, because what useful data can the controller get from that? If I'm correct, then there is no real limit to array short...

Not that I will try it, but why would canning in a oven be dangerous? Regarding canning temperature, my understanding is that high pH foods and meat must be canned in a pressure cooker where you can get the high temperature needed, while low pH foods can be canned with regular boiling.

No tradition around it I guess. We dry, smoke and freeze for preservation. Open pot water boil doesn't get hot enough for canning. But you could do canning in an oven. Never seen anyone do it though.