DC Solar Trailer Questions (SMA inverters)

[Jw929]

Hi, new to the group and I have a couple questions to see if I can get some information on my trailer operating settings/parameters.

I recently purchased a DC Solar Trailer, I believe my trailer is configuration A, 11kW Kubota diesel generator, two flooded forklift batteries, two LED light towers, 10 solar panels etc…

Two questions, first is I was wondering if the 2 50 amp RV plugs can be wired together (spliced together) off of separate 50 amp RV pigtails, and brought into a sub panel to charge the hot leads and make the sun panel 100 amp to run a tiny home? Essentially take the two 50 amp plugs on the trailer and run pigtails off of each 50 amp plug and join them (splice them with a splice block) into on 100 amp cable to power a 100 amp sub panel?

Second question is if you know anything about the programming of the SMA inverters? I do not have any reference point/information on how the trailers were programmed. The generator turns on to charge the batteries when they are low; however, the generator only runs for maybe 2-5 minutes, then it shuts down, then it turns in again after 2-5 min and repeats this cycle. It has to be in the programming of the generator and when it turns on with auto start, SOC of the batteries, voltage, etc… The inverters are SMA, one slave and one master inverter. The MidNite Solar 250 charge controller is set on diversion so the SMA inverter can control the generator.

I’m trying to figure all of this out.

Any help would be gate appropriated.

 

[MisterSandals]

Second question is if you know anything about the programming of the SMA inverters?

@Hedges is the expert on SMA and i think he has experience with these trailers too.

He does not get notified by normal incantation of his name because of his settings. I recommend putting "SMA" in your title with hopes that it catches his attention. He is responsive to personal messages which you can use to point him to this thread.

 

[Jw929]

@Hedges is the expert on SMA and i think he has experience with these trailers too.

He does not get notified by normal incantation of his name because of his settings. I recommend putting "SMA" in your title with hopes that it catches his attention. He is responsive to personal messages which you can use to point him to this thread.

 

[Jw929]

Thank you so much! I will see if I can reach out to him. Hopefully it catches his attention.??

 

[Jw929]

@Hedges is the expert on SMA and i think he has experience with these trailers too.

He does not get notified by normal incantation of his name because of his settings. I recommend putting "SMA" in your title with hopes that it catches his attention. He is responsive to personal messages which you can use to point him to this thread.

Thank you so much! I will see if I can reach out to him. Hopefully it catches his attention.??

 

[fromport]

Hi, new to the group and I have a couple questions to see if I can get some information on my trailer operating settings/parameters.

I recently purchased a DC Solar Trailer, I believe my trailer is configuration A, 11kW Kubota diesel generator, two flooded forklift batteries, two LED light towers, 10 solar panels etc…

Two questions, first is I was wondering if the 2 50 amp RV plugs can be wired together (spliced together) off of separate 50 amp RV pigtails, and brought into a sub panel to charge the hot leads and make the sun panel 100 amp to run a tiny home? Essentially take the two 50 amp plugs on the trailer and run pigtails off of each 50 amp plug and join them (splice them with a splice block) into on 100 amp cable to power a 100 amp sub panel?

Second question is if you know anything about the programming of the SMA inverters? I do not have any reference point/information on how the trailers were programmed. The generator turns on to charge the batteries when they are low; however, the generator only runs for maybe 2-5 minutes, then it shuts down, then it turns in again after 2-5 min and repeats this cycle. It has to be in the programming of the generator and when it turns on with auto start, SOC of the batteries, voltage, etc… The inverters are SMA, one slave and one master inverter. The MidNite Solar 250 charge controller is set on diversion so the SMA inverter can control the generator.

I’m trying to figure all of this out.

Any help would be gate appropriated.

Hi!
Other DC-solar trailer owner here.
The trailer has 2 x SI6048 inverters.
Each inverter is capable (under ideal conditions) for 6000 watt at 120 volt (== 50 amps)
Together they generate 2 x120 volt split phase @ 50 amps.
So the trailer will never be able to deliver more than 50 amps per 120 Volt phase, 12000 watts = 50 amps @ 240 volt.
A SI has a grid side (input) and a load side (output)
BAD mojo happens when you connect those together, don't even think about it.
The trailer is badly designed (imo and I am nobody)
The PV capacity is totally under rated to the battery capacity.
When south facing, one of the LED light tower casts a lot of shade on the panels (I removed both light towers from mine).
Most of the DC-solar trailers I have seen/inspected (about 10 of them now) all had batteries that were beyond repair.
I hope you have a good one!

 

[Jw929]

Hi!
Other DC-solar trailer owner here.
The trailer has 2 x SI6048 inverters.
Each inverter is capable (under ideal conditions) for 6000 watt at 120 volt (== 50 amps)
Together they generate 2 x120 volt split phase @ 50 amps.
So the trailer will never be able to deliver more than 50 amps per 120 Volt phase, 12000 watts = 50 amps @ 240 volt.
A SI has a grid side (input) and a load side (output)
BAD mojo happens when you connect those together, don't even think about it.
The trailer is badly designed (imo and I am nobody)
The PV capacity is totally under rated to the battery capacity.
When south facing, one of the LED light tower casts a lot of shade on the panels (I removed both light towers from mine).
Most of the DC-solar trailers I have seen/inspected (about 10 of them now) all had batteries that were beyond repair.
I hope you have a good one!

Thank you for your input. The batteries seem to be holding good charge. The issue is the on/off of the generator. One would think if the inverter tells it to turn on to charge, then it would and not turn off in 5 minutes. That’s telling me there must be a setting that isn’t correct. I really need to know more about how the inverter is setup and how I can see if the parameters are incorrect.

As for the panels, yes they are junk. Eventually I plan on swapping them out for panels with micro inverters.

Good to know to not and try to tie the two 50 amp outlets together. The tiny home runs fine on 50 amp at the moment.

 

[fromport]

The batteries seem to be holding good charge.

How did you verify that?
eg: I charged mine up with the SI inverters (from the grid, I don't have the generator on my setup)
And they I started charging my EV from 240 volt at a 10 amps = 2400 watts AC.
After only 6kWh of energy taken from "full batteries" my 2 SI inverters went into alarm mode.

The issue is the on/off of the generator. One would think if the inverter tells it to turn on to charge, then it would and not turn off in 5 minutes. That’s telling me there must be a setting that isn’t correct. I really need to know more about how the inverter is setup and how I can see if the parameters are incorrect.

It could also be that the batteries are shot and the generator can only put so little in before they are "full" again.

As for the panels, yes they are junk. Eventually I plan on swapping them out for panels with micro inverters.

The panels aren't too bad. 13W/sq ft, which isn't super but they aren't trash either.
Modern panels go up to 20W/sqft which would give you 1/3 more power if you could replace the same surface.
I am currently modifying my trailer so the 5 panels "in the rear" can be lifted above the first row in the front.
Avoiding that shade will bring much better efficiency as well.
Inspired by a picture someone else posted in another thread I think:

I like the idea of AC coupling, maybe a ground mount setup with and old school SMA SB string inverter like in the official setup of the Island off grid plans is another idea to look at.

 

[Jw929]

How did you verify that?
eg: I charged mine up with the SI inverters (from the grid, I don't have the generator on my setup)
And they I started charging my EV from 240 volt at a 10 amps = 2400 watts AC.
After only 6kWh of energy taken from "full batteries" my 2 SI inverters went into alarm mode.


It could also be that the batteries are shot and the generator can only put so little in before they are "full" again.

The panels aren't too bad. 13W/sq ft, which isn't super but they aren't trash either.
Modern panels go up to 20W/sqft which would give you 1/3 more power if you could replace the same surface.
I am currently modifying my trailer so the 5 panels "in the rear" can be lifted above the first row in the front.
Avoiding that shade will bring much better efficiency as well.
Inspired by a picture someone else posted in another thread I think:
View attachment 126787
I like the idea of AC coupling, maybe a ground mount setup with and old school SMA SB string inverter like in the official setup of the Island off grid plans is another idea to look at.

Is there any information on what the settings were on the charge controller and the inverter from DC Solar when they initially set the units up? Or, is there a way to reset everything to factory settings? Factory settings being the settings DC Solar programmed into the charge controller and inverter?

I am 100% off grid with no access to grid power for charging purposes. I must do everything on PV and generator.

 

[fromport]

Is there any information on what the settings were on the charge controller and the inverter from DC Solar when they initially set the units up? Or, is there a way to reset everything to factory settings? Factory settings being the settings DC Solar programmed into the charge controller and inverter?

You could/should go through the settings and write them down first.
Imo a factory reset is not a good idea.
After a factory reset, the SI's don't know the size of the connected batteries etc.

I am 100% off grid with no access to grid power for charging purposes. I must do everything on PV and generator.

The batteries on the DC-solar trailer are forklift batteries.
See also this thread for useful information:

Refurbish process for forklift batteries

I bought a DC Solar trailer from a bankruptcy auction, and it has a pair of 48V GNB Tubular LMX batteries on board, wired in parallel. When I took possession, I took readings of individual cell voltages (all were fairly close), and topped off the water. Then it just sat unused, with the Midnite...

diysolarforum.com

Again: i hate to be the bringer of possible bad news.
If the generator is only able to run 5 minutes before the batteries are "full" in my book that points to the batteries not being healthy.
That is why I asked how you came to the conclusion that "The batteries seem to be holding good charge."
You didn't answer that one.

 

[Jw929]

You could/should go through the settings and write them down first.
Imo a factory reset is not a good idea.
After a factory reset, the SI's don't know the size of the connected batteries etc.

The batteries on the DC-solar trailer are forklift batteries.
See also this thread for useful information:

Refurbish process for forklift batteries

I bought a DC Solar trailer from a bankruptcy auction, and it has a pair of 48V GNB Tubular LMX batteries on board, wired in parallel. When I took possession, I took readings of individual cell voltages (all were fairly close), and topped off the water. Then it just sat unused, with the Midnite...

diysolarforum.com

Again: i hate to be the bringer of possible bad news.
If the generator is only able to run 5 minutes before the batteries are "full" in my book that points to the batteries not being healthy.
That is why I asked how you came to the conclusion that "The batteries seem to be holding good charge."
You didn't answer that one.

I totally understand that; however, the voltage is down to 48v and the SOC shows 42%. There was a W738 error code (synchronization not successful) so I shut everything down and restarted everything. Upon restart the error was cleared.

The first time the generator turned on, after bringing it home and getting everything setup, the generator came on at 50% SOC (I believe) and charged all the way up to 88% the last time I looked. At some point, the charge controller registered over voltage and did not shut off. The voltage reading on the charge controller read 61.1V. I had to manually shut off the generator through the inverter. Once shut off, the voltage read 58.2v, if I remember correctly.

When charged, the batteries will run the tiny home for at least two days before needing to be charged. We do not have a lot of sun at the moment due to the weather systems moving through our area. That is why the need for having a generator as a backup source.

Hopefully this sheds some new light on the situation. The generator still seems to be turning on/off still.

 

[fromport]

I totally understand that; however, the voltage is down to 48v and the SOC shows 42%. There was a W738 error code (synchronization not successful) so I shut everything down and restarted everything. Upon restart the error was cleared.

The first time the generator turned on, after bringing it home and getting everything setup, the generator came on at 50% SOC (I believe) and charged all the way up to 88% the last time I looked. At some point, the charge controller registered over voltage and did not shut off. The voltage reading on the charge controller read 61.1V. I had to manually shut off the generator through the inverter. Once shut off, the voltage read 58.2v, if I remember correctly.

When charged, the batteries will run the tiny home for at least two days before needing to be charged. We do not have a lot of sun at the moment due to the weather systems moving through our area. That is why the need for having a generator as a backup source.

Hopefully this sheds some new light on the situation. The generator still seems to be turning on/off still.

If you write down your settings, I will be more than happy compare them with my settings, but I don't have the generator setup so those settings can not be compared in my case.

 

[Jw929]

If you write down your settings, I will be more than happy compare them with my settings, but I don't have the generator setup so those settings can not be compared in my case.

Ok. I will go out and see what the settings are. Very much appreciated. You’ve been a great help for sure.

 

[Jw929]

Ok. I will go out and see what the settings are. Very much appreciated. You’ve been a great help for sure.

Ok. Here is what I have so far.

Inverter
#1 120V
#2 48V
#3 60Hz

Battery
#1 240
#2 90
#3 5h
#4 10h
#5 14d
#6 180d
#7 2.55V
#8 2.5V
#9 2.5V
#10 2.25V
#11 4mV/degC
#12 Disable

Battery Properties
#1 FLA
#2 1020 Ah
#3 48V
#4 50 degC
#5 49 degC
No #6 as an option. Goes straight to #7
#7 40 degC

When I went back outside, the inverter showed another code. This time it was W319 (grid/generator disconnection due to excessive external voltage.

 

[fromport]

Ok. Here is what I have so far.

Inverter
#1 120V
#2 48V
#3 60Hz

Battery
#1 240
#2 90
#3 5h
#4 10h
#5 14d
#6 180d
#7 2.55V
#8 2.5V
#9 2.5V
#10 2.25V
#11 4mV/degC
#12 Disable

Battery Properties
#1 FLA
#2 1020 Ah
#3 48V
#4 50 degC
#5 49 degC
No #6 as an option. Goes straight to #7
#7 40 degC

When I went back outside, the inverter showed another code. This time it was W319 (grid/generator disconnection due to excessive external voltage.

I will check later when I am near the trailer.
What version of the firmware is in your SI's ?

 

[fromport]

When I went back outside, the inverter showed another code. This time it was W319 (grid/generator disconnection due to excessive external voltage.

Has been a while since I went through the menus
100 meters
200 settings
210 inv settings

#2 is 48 Amps (inv charge current) not Volts ( you put a "V" behind your reading)

220 bat settings
230 ext settings

Only things that are different:
221 battery properties
#4 45 degC with me (yours 50)
#5 40 degC (yours 49)
no #6 as well ;-)

222 Battery Charge mode
01 said 247 with me, vs 240 with you.

I don't see any fundamental changes between our settings, none that could explain what you are getting when running the generator.

 

[Jw929]

Has been a while since I went through the menus
100 meters
200 settings
210 inv settings

#2 is 48 Amps (inv charge current) not Volts ( you put a "V" behind your reading)

220 bat settings
230 ext settings

Only things that are different:
221 battery properties
#4 45 degC with me (yours 50)
#5 40 degC (yours 49)
no #6 as well ;-)

222 Battery Charge mode
01 said 247 with me, vs 240 with you.

I don't see any fundamental changes between our settings, none that could explain what you are getting when running the generator.

Thank you for checking.

I guess that’s good really since the only difference is I have generator settings and you do not. At least from a battery perspective, our inverters are programmed similarly.

I did see a post where someone else is running a generator and he posted his generator settings. We had some very different settings on the generator side. I reached out to him to see what his take on things are. It didn’t look like he has had any comments on his post though.

I need to see what each of the numbers are, like you and I compared. I’m going to see if the manual you provided has what each number means and see if I can narrow things down.

My generator had 20A as a setting on #234 Generator Control. His had 30A. I am wondering if that is a setting for incoming amperage and by mine being set at 20A it’s tripping and throwing the error code W319 Grid/gen disconnected due to excessive external voltage.

Additionally, I need to retrieve my administrator password so I can go in and turn off the generator auto start until I can get this issue resolved. Extremely frustrating not having a tech line to call or baseline information as to how these trailers were built and programmed.

 

[TOU47]

When south facing, one of the LED light tower casts a lot of shade on the panels (I removed both light towers from mine).

Not to derail, but these lights are very interesting to me. Do they work well... light well? Telescope well? How much power do they use?

I may be interested in maybe picking up a pair of these for another application on my ranch. Do they work well & do you like them otherwise? Thx!

 

[fromport]

Not to derail, but these lights are very interesting to me. Do they work well... light well? Telescope well? How much power do they use?

I may be interested in maybe picking up a pair of these for another application on my ranch. Do they work well & do you like them otherwise? Thx!

Aluminum mast, US Tower Corp, made in USA, I love them.

LED's driven directly from 48 volt, i love them
What *idiot* designed that trailer and put them on a timer that uses 120 volt so you would always have at least 1 of the SB Islands ON (phantom draw) in order to operate the LED lights that are powered from the Lead-acid battery directly! arrghh.
I bought a separate 48V Li-ion battery and power them from that battery directly. I did put in a raspberry PI (powered from dc-dc converter 48->5 volt) to control them either over wifi or with a timer . I even implemented a light sensor on the RPI to switch it on auto-magically when it gets dark if needed.

2 towers with 4 LED lights each = 8 adjustable lights with 86000 lumens.
Each light is an "Alpha Series color temp: 4000K 48 volt Cree LED 120 watt"
So 4 lights per mast = 480 watt / 48 volt = roughly 10 Amps usage.

 

[TOU47]

Aluminum mast, made in USA, I love them.
LED's driven directly from 48 volt, i love them
What *idiot* designed that trailer and put them on a timer that uses 120 volt so you would always have at least 1 of the SB Islands ON (phantom draw) in order to operate the LED lights that are powered from the Lead-acid battery directly! arrghh.
I bought a separate 48V Li-ion battery and power them from that battery directly. I did put in a raspberry PI (powered from dc-dc converter 48->5 volt) to control them either over wifi or with a timer . I even implemented a light sensor on the RPI to switch it on auto-magically when it gets dark if needed.

That sounds awesome. So, I think it is safe to say... that you won't be selling them to me...cheap?!? ?