Install and Operation of the SUNGOLD 10KW 48V SPLIT PHASE SOLAR INVERTER

[Crowz]

Ouch

 

[Kenny_]

I know.... Supposedly it has 'protection' and a 5 year warranty, but .... I sent them a message...we'll see. otherwise that's a $600 mistake...

also

downloaded the 'test' programs for seeing if Solar Assist would work and can't get anything out of Watchpower...maybe I'm just dense or am missing something ... either it can't connect to my inverter or I've got to set something up in the program that I'm missing....manual is very confusing at least for me....maybe I need the simple idiot guide to testing/checking or something

 

[badazin]

Whew!!! All working so far.... plugged the 10K in in place of the Delta Pro.

YES!!

BRAVOOOOOOOO!!!!!

 

[Lighthouse Beacon]

So here's what the test setup/trial system looks like at the moment.
Next step is to connect to the grid for backup/charging if/as needed.

View attachment 175442

Wow they sent you square screened one

 

[Lighthouse Beacon]

I know.... Supposedly it has 'protection' and a 5 year warranty, but .... I sent them a message...we'll see. otherwise that's a $600 mistake...

also

downloaded the 'test' programs for seeing if Solar Assist would work and can't get anything out of Watchpower...maybe I'm just dense or am missing something ... either it can't connect to my inverter or I've got to set something up in the program that I'm missing....manual is very confusing at least for me....maybe I need the simple idiot guide to testing/checking or something

Solar Assistant will work. Just plug the USB Type B printer cable to the Orange Pi Solar Assistant Device and select the SRNE selection in Solar Assistant setup wizard. The onboard wifi and app are garbage. Not planning to use it.

 

[Kenny_]

Wow they sent you square screened one

Yeah, I was surprised after seeing yours. It does match what was on line when I ordered.
Will look further into the Solar Assistant.... I have a couple of Raspberry Pi's....where did you get your 'Orange Pi' ? Sounds like you purchased a complete plug and play kinda kit. I'd like to use the Raspberry Pi I have but not if it's overly complicated....I wrote software for almost 50 years...I'm done with it... just want a simple solution.

 

[Kenny_]

Today's project is a bit of cleanup on the above temporary setup. In particular adding the heat-shrink on the battery cables.
Maybe some work towards getting Solar Assistant working.

Maybe it a psychological situation or emotional attachment issue, but I'm not happy when I'm out of touch with my inverter.

Also need to further consider/refine/decide on how/where/etc to do the more permanent install of the inverter and batteries
and what to do about getting the 6 solar panels better mounted/set up in the back yard. I'm not ready to go full install, inspection, certification, etc. at this point but need to get all this is better shape to operate in an ongoing basis until I go full legal (if ever ).

 

[Hedges]

oops forgot to post that...but .... I have connected (plugged in - to the clothes dryer plug) the 240 v grid power input to the inverter.....no sparks or magic smoke released yet...

3-prong or 4-prong clothes dryer plug?

I've done this for testing. It means when unplugged you don't have that ground connection. Because this is a battery inverter, it is still producing AC, also it has PV DC connected, so there is a potential shock hazard.
You should keep chassis always grounded. Could be keep it plugged in and turn off dryer circuit breaker, or have another ground wire. An extension cord or single wire from 120V outlet with just ground connected to inverter would do it.

PV panel frames should have a ground wire back to inverter chassis. I have the wire between PV array and inverters under test grounded at the combiner box, which is present even if AC disconnected.

GFCI outlets are good too. I got my shock even though indoors and dry, because I mis-wired between two boxes. Always good to double check voltages including chassis before contacting anything.
GFCI won't help with PV DC or AC coupled onto PV, however, but checking voltages will.

 

[Kenny_]

Thanks for that...I was concerned, but seems to be okay....will be careful though...

Been fighting with Wifi and Solar Assistant for several hours not, so have not gotten to my heat-shrink and tidying up.

Good news is that I've purchased Solar Assistant software and have it plugged in and it appears to be working.

Sungold support was worthless wrt the wifi.

 

[Kenny_]

My battery dropped below threshold apparently this morning and all hell broke loose... I though it was all set up to charge from the grid but nothing was happening...no matter how I changed the settings....this went on for over an hour....even switched back to my Ecoflow Delta Pro for power....more fiddling with settings, checking voltages with meter....and then I realized the AC Input Breaker on the side of the inverter was OFF!

I could slap myself!

 

[Kenny_]

.....and after three or so hours (including the above distraction) I got Solar Assistant running....

Damn I wish they had told me to update the software (the download IS NOT the most recent!!!) in order to see my Sungold 10k48 as SRNE
Would have saved me at least an hour of trying out all the options in the inverter list. Arrrrgh.. but it's working and looks amazing! Well worth the cost of the software (I already had the Raspberry Pi but had to relearn how to hook it all up etc.)

No longer suffering separation anxiety from my Inverter System!!! Woo-Hoo!!!

 

[Kenny_]

Battery Communication Question.... My delayed second battery got delivered. How is the proper way to daisy chain the communication cables

One from inverter is going to first battery RS485A now does the second battery com cable connect to first battery RS485B and the second Battery RS485A? or what?

Thanks... seems to both be charging but not seeing indication of multiple batteries on the inverter or in Solar Assistant???

 

[Hedges]

RS485 as I know it has all devices connected in parallel, terminators at both ends, pull up/down at one location.
The boxes may have to jacks e.g. RJ45 for separate cables, but wired in parallel. Probably just daisy chain in any order, and put a terminator plug in the two unpopulated jacks on ends.

 

[Kenny_]

oh and p.s. I cleaned up my power cables a bit... got the shrink-wrap on the lugs and connected them properly to the batteries (right-side up/upside down) so now the snap-on protective cover actually snaps on.

 

[Kenny_]

RS485 as I know it has all devices connected in parallel, terminators at both ends, pull up/down at one location.
The boxes may have to jacks e.g. RJ45 for separate cables, but wired in parallel. Probably just daisy chain in any order, and put a terminator plug in the two unpopulated jacks on ends.

Thanks so the way I have it connected should be correct....not sure why I'm not seeing some indication of the second added battery on the inverter or on Solar Assist. Maybe that's just how it works....I'm new to most of this.

 

[Kenny_]

Here's a pic of the mess now, including the li'l Raspberry Pi running Solar Assistant:

 

[cs1234]

Here's a pic of the mess now, including the li'l Raspberry Pi running Solar Assistant:

View attachment 175789

I know it's just temporary wiring, but when you really wire it up, it's advisable to have the positive from one of the batteries going to the inverter, and the negative of the other battery going to the inverter.. that way it has to pass through both batteries equally.

 

[42OhmsPA]

Thanks so the way I have it connected should be correct....not sure why I'm not seeing some indication of the second added battery on the inverter or on Solar Assist. Maybe that's just how it works....I'm new to most of this.

I can't be much help since I don't use battery to inverter communications, only battery and inverter separately to SA.
From what I've seen here the dip switch configuration has an impact on this.

What do you see for battery capacity in SA?

 

[Kenny_]

I know it's just temporary wiring, but when you really wire it up, it's advisable to have the positive from one of the batteries going to the inverter, and the negative of the other battery going to the inverter.. that way it has to pass through both batteries equally.

Oh Absolutely! I'm waiting on three more of these beasties and a rack and I'll do the diagonal thing then or may do it even with these two now that you mentioned it!

Update: I moved the neg cable so now diagonal. Thanks For mentioning that!

 

[Kenny_]

I can't be much help since I don't use battery to inverter communications, only battery and inverter separately to SA.
From what I've seen here the dip switch configuration has an impact on this.

What do you see for battery capacity in SA?

Just the single/one battery 4.8 kWh

 

[Hedges]

RS485A, RS485B, RS485C on one battery.
That's not consistent with one in, one out, as a daisy chain.
I was looking for terminator plugs (don't see any), but not sure where they would go.
See if the manual shows how to wire these up.

https://cdn.shopifycdn.net/s/files/1/0323/4090/2025/files/219551-48100P.pdf

Page 10 refers to a pair of RJ45 jacks as parallel port, apparently the ones labeled RS485B, RS485C

Page 11 makes it look like single RJ45 jack pins 1,8 and pins 2,7 are each an RS-485 twisted pair.

Page 18 "3 RS485 cascade communication line 0.5 meters long, with RJ45 crystal heads at both ends.1root/2 modules"
I was expecting to say a cable with 3 head, but apparently not.

Unfortunately no wiring diagrams.

I'm thinking however you wired it doesn't daisy-chain the data.
It is possible each one works as a hub and fans out to two more, but don't know.

 

[42OhmsPA]

Just the single/one battery 4.8 kWh

Looks like they have info for for the dip switch settings in the manual.

https://cdn.shopifycdn.net/s/files/1/0323/4090/2025/files/219551-48100P.pdf

Edit - @Hedges already linked it.

 

[Kenny_]

Yep, got that part set/down.
Thx!

 

[Hedges]

Next thing I would do is see if diff pair into slave has voltage bias between the two wires, and if they toggle during communications.

DC levels can be checked with DMM. Logic probe or scope for presence of signals. Obviously scope shows much more.

I was just checking pinout of RS-485 from Sunny Data Control, expected both lines biased away from ground while slaves disconnected, didn't see that, but it did talk once connected.

https://files.sma.de/downloads/RS485Verkabelung-TI-AU-en-15W.pdf

 

[Kenny_]

I sent a message to Sungold support....we'll see if they do any better with this battery communication setup question than they did with the Wifi (which was a disaster just like the wifi setup itself!)