I'm DONE with MPP Solar

[travisandblair]

The LVX 6048 I have will not show the available PV wattage only what it is actually using. Once I put it into Grid feedback I get a good idea what the panels are doing in semi real time.
Your battery charging parameters are needed to understand what you have going on.

So Ian from MPP got back to me and had me adjust some of my settings. Before this, I thought that since I wasn't hooked up to the grid or any utility input, those settings wouldn't matter. Ian had me tweak some things, but specifically had me adjust option 21 (battery stop charging while utility is available) down from 58 (default on my unit) to 49. He said that if it is set too high, it will be locked into utility charging until the battery voltage gets up to 57v. My ignorance figured that if utility power wasn't available this setting wouldn't affect anything. I was wrong. Right after I fixed this, my system started behaving normally and my battery went up to 99% SOC (on it's display). He also had me switch option 10 (charger source priority) from solar only to solar and utility (even though I don't have utility).

It seems like I missed the nuances of the MPP settings because I thought they would just make sense. I am very pleased with Ian's knowledge though and his customer support. Hopefully my systems stays working and it wasn't just a fluke.

 

[Sanwizard]

So Ian from MPP got back to me and had me adjust some of my settings. Before this, I thought that since I wasn't hooked up to the grid or any utility input, those settings wouldn't matter. Ian had me tweak some things, but specifically had me adjust option 21 (battery stop charging while utility is available) down from 58 (default on my unit) to 49. He said that if it is set too high, it will be locked into utility charging until the battery voltage gets up to 57v. My ignorance figured that if utility power wasn't available this setting wouldn't affect anything. I was wrong. Right after I fixed this, my system started behaving normally and my battery went up to 99% SOC (on it's display). He also had me switch option 10 (charger source priority) from solar only to solar and utility (even though I don't have utility).

It seems like I missed the nuances of the MPP settings because I thought they would just make sense. I am very pleased with Ian's knowledge though and his customer support. Hopefully my systems stays working and it wasn't just a fluke.

Glad its working for you! Ian is awesome, and worth the uplift to buy from Watts247.com. Is your unit the WP version? If so, any chance you can post your list of parameter settings to help others with the same unit?

 

[racegunz]

I've had no problems; until today.
One of my units decided it wouldn't recognize the solar panels. Shows 0V and 0A input power, but I measured around 80 volts at the unit's input.
Not looking forward to laboriously checking all the panel connections in the morning, but I'm hoping for an easy fix.

80 volts is below the LVX6048 minimum PV input voltage, also there is a fuse under the panel for PV input, you might check that.

 

[racegunz]

So Ian from MPP got back to me and had me adjust some of my settings. Before this, I thought that since I wasn't hooked up to the grid or any utility input, those settings wouldn't matter. Ian had me tweak some things, but specifically had me adjust option 21 (battery stop charging while utility is available) down from 58 (default on my unit) to 49. He said that if it is set too high, it will be locked into utility charging until the battery voltage gets up to 57v. My ignorance figured that if utility power wasn't available this setting wouldn't affect anything. I was wrong. Right after I fixed this, my system started behaving normally and my battery went up to 99% SOC (on it's display). He also had me switch option 10 (charger source priority) from solar only to solar and utility (even though I don't have utility).

It seems like I missed the nuances of the MPP settings because I thought they would just make sense. I am very pleased with Ian's knowledge though and his customer support. Hopefully my systems stays working and it wasn't just a fluke.

Yep parameter 21 seems to be the tricky one, Ian had me change mine as well.

 

[travisandblair]

Glad its working for you! Ian is awesome, and worth the uplift to buy from Watts247.com. Is your unit the WP version? If so, any chance you can post your list of parameter settings to help others with the same unit?

It is not the WP version, but here are my settings for the LVX6048 that work now incase someone else is having issues. Again, no utility power or grid feedback is connected, it is completely stand alone.
1 - SBU
2 - APL
3 - 120V
4 - 60HZ
5 - BLU
6 - BYE
7 - DISABLED
8 - DISABLED
9 - DISABLED
10 - SNU
11 - 60A
13 - 30A
14 - USE
17 - 57.5
18 - 54.4
19 - 43.1
20 - 46
21 - 49
22 - LATEST SCREEN
23 - OFF
24 - BON
25 - AON
27 - FEN
28 - SIG
29 - NOT RESET

 

[dddem]

So I say this after having hooked up well over 25 MPP Solar systems at work ... so this is not one of those bitching for no reason type things (well it actually is) ... BUT .....

The MPP Solar is an excellent system - until its not.

Until you need customer support.

Until you try to read one of their "ENGLISH" manuals.

Until you try to figure out why in 2022 they are still using Serial cables with RG45 connectors on the end (Seriously - have they never heard of a USB connector!!) ...

There's just toooo many lighter, better, faster, cheaper systems coming on board to go thru this MPP headache any longer ... Sure back in the day when MPP Solar was really the only "slightly better than the rest" I would defend them and basically say that there wasn't really a choice out there that we could all afford .. but there is NOW -- and several of them ...

Manuals are mostly wrong - you waste several hours trying to figure out what they actually mean

OMG their WiFi software WATCHPOWER is sooo bad its not even funny - you can't even see anything you need... and everything comes out in PDF format instead of Excel...

There customer support is random at best -- and typically they are answering a question that you are not asking.... Their first answer is always - have you read the manual -- if you say Yes then they say - well tell us exactly what the issue is (which we already had) .. then they send you a response involving UNICORNs and Candy but not a solution...

AGAIN - Who the hell is using a serial to RG45 cable in the last decade ?? -- did they find a huge supply from 1990 they have to use up ... ??? ZERO of our laptops out here have an RG45 connector to plug into ...

My list actually goes on and on .. but all I can say is - before you start drinking the MPP Solar Kool-Aid you might want to look around at other alternatives ... For me personally - I'm done -- your playing Russian roulette hoping that if/when your system has any issues - that someone on YOUTUBE has made a solution because I promise you support is zero ...

Again - everyone of my MPP solar's are still up and running -- BUT it has been an "ass-pain" to get some of them to do what they say they can do.

aaaaggghhhhhhh

Please be so kind to specify which better alternatives you are referring to

 

[Nobodybusiness]

Serial data transmission is much more reliable than USB. A lot of commercial equipment still uses serial connections because of that. If data transmission speed is not a factor then serial ports are a good choice.

SCADA being a prime example.

 

[Sun in Lithium]

Has anyone tried using the micro USB port? I tried it with my laptop and it seemed to work fine!

 

[Goboatingnow]

Serial data transmission is much more reliable than USB. A lot of commercial equipment still uses serial connections because of that. If data transmission speed is not a factor then serial ports are a good choice.

Yes but no one has serial ports anymore

 

[Goboatingnow]

Agreed. Thats why DB9 is also still around and thriving in IT. Many IT techs still use either RJ45 or serial to DB9 cables to hookup to racks. I do miss the blue ray players that used to come in the laptops though.

It’s not thriving largely because it’s disappeared from PCs

 

[Lt.Dan]

Has anyone tried using the micro USB port? I tried it with my laptop and it seemed to work fine!

Yes, other 3rd party monitoring systems connect using the micro USB port

 

[robby]

Yes but no one has serial ports anymore

There are tons of PCI express to serial board for sale on Amazon and everywhere else. Plus you can use a USB to Serial Adapter.
They don't include them with PC's anymore because they are not used by most people.
My PC at home has five serial ports on it.
I need them for all the equipment attached to it.

If your talking about Industrial equipment you more likely to find a serial port on it than a USB port.

 

[Goboatingnow]

There are tons of PCI express to serial board for sale on Amazon and everywhere else. Plus you can use a USB to Serial Adapter.
They don't include them with PC's anymore because they are not used by most people.
My PC at home has five serial ports on it.
I need them for all the equipment attached to it.

If your talking about Industrial equipment you more likely to find a serial port on it than a USB port.

I’m sorry I have a background in industrial electronics. Everyone is using laptops and none have serial or full size pci

Usb to serial converters are cheap as chips Widely available and better then serial ports.

 

[Bob B]

I’m sorry I have a background in industrial electronics. Everyone is using laptops and none have serial or full size pci

Usb to serial converters are cheap as chips Widely available and better then serial ports.

I have a background in industrial electronics and controls also .... We used a particular Dell notebook which had a serial port for a LONG time until finally, we could no longer get a cost effective notebook computer with a serial port .... then, we had all kinds of odd problems caused by the USB to serial converters. Intermittent issues that we had never had with the built in serial ports ........ We finally found a couple different ones that worked reliably and standardized on those.

 

[Sun in Lithium]

Yes, other 3rd party monitoring systems connect using the micro USB port

I used the official software from Mpp, without any issues. Via micro USB

 

[Goboatingnow]

I have a background in industrial electronics and controls also .... We used a particular Dell notebook which had a serial port for a LONG time until finally, we could no longer get a cost effective notebook computer with a serial port .... then, we had all kinds of odd problems caused by the USB to serial converters. Intermittent issues that we had never had with the built in serial ports ........ We finally found a couple different ones that worked reliably and standardized on those.

I’ve s collection of serial ( 232/422/485 to usb. I find once you understand the needed drivers they are very good and rarely give trouble.

I’d prefer to see far more USB ports on equipment then serial as usb is much more effective

 

[Mia]

Aren’t USB also less secure though then serial or the other older com device connections?

 

[SparkyJJO]

The only USB to serial I trust is FTDI - every other USB I've tried has been sketchy at best. FTDI always works.

 

[nc73]

Not sure what OP is talking about. I use their micro usb port for solar assistant...everything's great except it doesn't like my heat pump when the mppt is charging the battery.

 

[Ampster]

Not sure what OP is talking about.

I thought her initial post was pretty clear. It all depends on where you are standing.