Electrodacus SBMS40 3D Brothers Edition Review Thread
- Thread starter Sverige
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Sverige
A Brit in Sweden
I found the displayed voltages on the Electrodacus were spot on in agreement with my icharger, so points to very good calibration on the SBMS40. Not sure how it does it, but it’s accurate!
If you get the chance would you try backlight settings to see if yours will switch off? No hurry though, if you’re in the middle of a test you don’t want to disturb.
Sverige
A Brit in Sweden
Ok that’s a shame. I can’t be the only person who would want the screen to switch off - hope Dacian adds this option in future s/w updates.
Sverige
A Brit in Sweden
Ok thanks. I’m not convinced the backlight level control works at all on my unit. All settings from 32 down to 1 look equally bright to my eyes. Maybe yours is different.
Sverige
A Brit in Sweden
EDIT: Now successfully working on laptop via Chrome (Microsoft Edge was causing the issue)! Very pretty it is too.
Remote monitoring on the iPad which I would much prefer to use (as the laptop is only booted up once a month) is a non-starter. Apple has locked down iOS on security grounds so local html files cannot be opened after iOS13. I’m on iOS 13.7 and people will tend to update to the newer versions as they come out, so clearly over time, more and more iPhone and iPad devices will become incompatible with the Electrodacus range, as long as the remote monitoring requires the use of a local html file.
I know this has been raised many times on Dacian’s forum and I do hope he listens to the ever growing chorus of users who are asking for a better remote monitoring solution.
Remote monitoring on the iPad which I would much prefer to use (as the laptop is only booted up once a month) is a non-starter. Apple has locked down iOS on security grounds so local html files cannot be opened after iOS13. I’m on iOS 13.7 and people will tend to update to the newer versions as they come out, so clearly over time, more and more iPhone and iPad devices will become incompatible with the Electrodacus range, as long as the remote monitoring requires the use of a local html file.
I know this has been raised many times on Dacian’s forum and I do hope he listens to the ever growing chorus of users who are asking for a better remote monitoring solution.
Last edited:
Sverige
A Brit in Sweden
grizzzman
Photon Vampire
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I ran the screen light level settings last night. I agree I don't see any difference at all. OK so far the per cell / overall voltages are spot on. The balancing is working well considering only 200 ma passive balancing. I however found an issue i can not ignore. When the unit shows 30 amps charge I am seeing about 2.5 to 3.0 amps "over reporting" ( I need to calibrate to get an exact number ) But several meters agree within a few tenths of an amp. What caught my attention was after a full charge/discharge the % meter went to zero there was still 3.2+volts per cell available. ( I stopped the discharge at that point ) This morning I power reset the unit so it could calibrate its self during boot up, but it made no difference. I will run several back to back charge/discharge cycles to see if there is a "learning" aspect to this.
I'm still in the "dark ages" with a lot of these terms. I thought my iPad gets updated all the time and as a result iOS would be at the latest version. Just checking, my software version is 12.4.9. This is less than iOS 13.0 which you say is the break point for no web operation.
Not sure of your second question. I just go to http: 192.168.4.1 and up comes the data.
grizzzman
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LOL I put that HTTP in and this is what came up ( PC )
var PV1="#######################################OX'#]ccdddddC###Lba`_^][YXVUSSRQQPPO.##############=KIIIIHHHGR{}4################$$$%$$%$$$$###$$$%$$$$%$$$$#%$$$#$$$$%$$$$$#$$%$$$$$$$%$%$$$%$%&'&(&(########$$%%%%'$$(#%&%%$&'#$$'&&$#%$&%&&###########";
var PV2="################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################";
var Btp="#######################################OY'#]cdddeed:###Lcaa`^]]ZXWUTSRRQQPP.##############>KJIIIIIHHR{}1########################################################################################################################################";
var Btn="########################################################################################################[]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]|||||||||||||||||||}||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||}|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||";
var Ld ="###################################################2#################################################$$'z||||||||}|||||||||||||||||||||||||}||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||}|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||";
var ELd="################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################";
var sbms="#$$+)Z#jFzFq########FvFt*p##-&2)############6Ni6N2######%N(";
var xsbms="&2)L6>N$#$^";
var gsbms="(%n##%##('|f&3;&2+&34&3;&20#########";
var eA="###(+'###/yI###############/yI###(0m######";
var eW="####_z###$g0###############$g0####`f######";
var s1=['Ah','A','SBMS40 '];
var s2=[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,2,1,1];
var PV1="#######################################OX'#]ccdddddC###Lba`_^][YXVUSSRQQPPO.##############=KIIIIHHHGR{}4################$$$%$$%$$$$###$$$%$$$$%$$$$#%$$$#$$$$%$$$$$#$$%$$$$$$$%$%$$$%$%&'&(&(########$$%%%%'$$(#%&%%$&'#$$'&&$#%$&%&&###########";
var PV2="################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################";
var Btp="#######################################OY'#]cdddeed:###Lcaa`^]]ZXWUTSRRQQPP.##############>KJIIIIIHHR{}1########################################################################################################################################";
var Btn="########################################################################################################[]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]|||||||||||||||||||}||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||}|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||";
var Ld ="###################################################2#################################################$$'z||||||||}|||||||||||||||||||||||||}||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||}|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||";
var ELd="################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################";
var sbms="#$$+)Z#jFzFq########FvFt*p##-&2)############6Ni6N2######%N(";
var xsbms="&2)L6>N$#$^";
var gsbms="(%n##%##('|f&3;&2+&34&3;&20#########";
var eA="###(+'###/yI###############/yI###(0m######";
var eW="####_z###$g0###############$g0####`f######";
var s1=['Ah','A','SBMS40 '];
var s2=[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,2,1,1];
Sverige
A Brit in Sweden
If you’re hitting an IP address in your web browser, then your ESP32 device is acting as a web server, providing the html page to your iPad as a normal website would load, so I would expect this will still work on higher iOS versions. As I understand it (and I don’t understand it well!), it’s the specific way Dacian implements access to the SBMS40 (and SBMS0) in AP mode which means the device (phone / tablet / PC) must use a locally saved HTML file to make sense of the stream of info sent from the SBMS.
So, in Dacian’s approach, the HMTL is loaded from local storage on the phone/tablet/PC rather than being loaded from the SBMS when you browse to it. It’s this process of opening up an HTML file on the device that the iOS devices on recent versions cannot do. It’s a shame, because for iPhone/iPad users who don’t also have a PC or android tablet to hand, it wipes out a load of the useful functionality from the Electrodacus product. I do have a PC of course, it’s just never on!
Sverige
A Brit in Sweden
Edit: I’ve removed my previous post here which discussed the newer SBMS0 firmware and whether it might be compatible with our SBMS40s, because I’ve discovered it is not.
@alex1560` (Alex from 3D Brothers) confirms their version of SBMS40 makes use of the ESP8266 Wifi chip, not ESP32. He says this will be able to join a network as client and serve an HTML file, but that it will require a firmware modification which they will work on in due course. So there is hope that iPhone / iPad users who get this device will be able to join it to their home Wifi network and by entering the IP address of the SBMS40 in browser address bar, will be able to load remote monitoring stats.
Good news
@alex1560` (Alex from 3D Brothers) confirms their version of SBMS40 makes use of the ESP8266 Wifi chip, not ESP32. He says this will be able to join a network as client and serve an HTML file, but that it will require a firmware modification which they will work on in due course. So there is hope that iPhone / iPad users who get this device will be able to join it to their home Wifi network and by entering the IP address of the SBMS40 in browser address bar, will be able to load remote monitoring stats.
Good news
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Sverige
A Brit in Sweden
Maybe you already realised, but you can adjust the shunt values for PV and Batt within the ADC menu, so if you establish that the SBMS is over reporting PV current by 12% (for example), just reduce the PV shunt resistance by 12%.
I will be checking this and adjusting mine too. Also, hopefully the “PV1 offset“ will allow me to adjust out the phantom current I see displayed when the breaker from my PV panels is off.
Sverige
A Brit in Sweden
I’ve been playing with the calibration this morning, but can’t get the PV offset adjustment to take effect. Not sure why.
I installed a current meter to measure the PV current, and with flat, overcast skies today, conditions were perfect for demonstrating the need for the PV offset adjustment which Dacian describes in the manual page 39, quoted two posts above.
I noticed that at small currents, below 175mA, my PV1 current reading on page 1 of monitor was close to zero (but always it seems the reading bounce around +/-10mA with noise), then they would suddenly jump to 0.175A as the illumination on my PV panels increased to allow that current to flow. Total luck, because on a normal day I wouldn’t be seeing such tiny currents.
As Dacian describes in the manual, there is a manufacturing tolerance on the current sense amplifiers, which can cause this behaviour and should be adjusted out within the Automation/ADC Menu. I tried various numbers for PV offset and none seemed to have any effect. Even rebooting the SBMS40 has no effect on this, as after reboot the PV offset numbers return to zero, they are not saved.
Generally the current readings on this SBMS40 seem unstable, or at least fluctuating within a small range. It’s most obvious with the PV panels disconnected when, instead of reading zero, PV current alternates between readings within 12mA or so. So random numbers between 0.000 and 0.012A. The same fluctuations appear on the other current meters (Batt and Load). Perhaps some noise at the inputs of the current sense amplifiers Dacian mentions in his manual.
Maybe this is normal, expected behaviour? Is yours the same @grizzzman, or do you see rock solid, unchanging current measurements?
I installed a current meter to measure the PV current, and with flat, overcast skies today, conditions were perfect for demonstrating the need for the PV offset adjustment which Dacian describes in the manual page 39, quoted two posts above.
I noticed that at small currents, below 175mA, my PV1 current reading on page 1 of monitor was close to zero (but always it seems the reading bounce around +/-10mA with noise), then they would suddenly jump to 0.175A as the illumination on my PV panels increased to allow that current to flow. Total luck, because on a normal day I wouldn’t be seeing such tiny currents.
As Dacian describes in the manual, there is a manufacturing tolerance on the current sense amplifiers, which can cause this behaviour and should be adjusted out within the Automation/ADC Menu. I tried various numbers for PV offset and none seemed to have any effect. Even rebooting the SBMS40 has no effect on this, as after reboot the PV offset numbers return to zero, they are not saved.
Generally the current readings on this SBMS40 seem unstable, or at least fluctuating within a small range. It’s most obvious with the PV panels disconnected when, instead of reading zero, PV current alternates between readings within 12mA or so. So random numbers between 0.000 and 0.012A. The same fluctuations appear on the other current meters (Batt and Load). Perhaps some noise at the inputs of the current sense amplifiers Dacian mentions in his manual.
Maybe this is normal, expected behaviour? Is yours the same @grizzzman, or do you see rock solid, unchanging current measurements?
grizzzman
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Yes I see the same fluctuating, That worries me less then the est. 2.5 to 3 amp over reporting at higher amps. In fact I saw the same fluctuations when it was powered by the USB port.
Sverige
A Brit in Sweden
I clearly had things backwards when I said that to fix the over reporting of current, the shunt value in the ADC menu would need to be reduced. Having tested this morning, I found my SBMS40 was showing PV current around 6% higher than an in-line current meter which I’ve previously found to provide reliable readings (although in fairness I will say it is not a precision calibrated instrument).
INCREASING the PV shunt setting within ADC menu from the default 0.3400 milliohms to the max available setting 0.3600 milliohms fixed the situation to within 0.01A at 4.3A. The SBMS40 still over reports just marginally, but there’s no further adjustment available within the menu setting.
To dial out that last fraction, we would need the software to allow a greater range of adjustment, as it seems the different hardware layout of this 3D brothers version may have a different shunt resistance than the range in which Dacian’s own units vary. I suppose that should be a conversation between Alex and Dacian.
I’ll need to go thru the same measurement / compare / adjust cycle to check the Battery shunt value.
INCREASING the PV shunt setting within ADC menu from the default 0.3400 milliohms to the max available setting 0.3600 milliohms fixed the situation to within 0.01A at 4.3A. The SBMS40 still over reports just marginally, but there’s no further adjustment available within the menu setting.
To dial out that last fraction, we would need the software to allow a greater range of adjustment, as it seems the different hardware layout of this 3D brothers version may have a different shunt resistance than the range in which Dacian’s own units vary. I suppose that should be a conversation between Alex and Dacian.
I’ll need to go thru the same measurement / compare / adjust cycle to check the Battery shunt value.
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