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

[Kenny_]

A thing I've found I like today was that the inverter can run without a battery if there is enough PV input. I added the second battery and then moved cables around etc. Worked fine. (I did restart it once or twice in any case as I'm not sure whether it was picking up the changes in batteries and panels.

 

[Kenny_]

I'm wondering how I can check on the inverter what batteries it thinks it has installed... I can't find anything that says/shows anything other than a single battery.

 

[Hedges]

What Ah capacity does it think the battery is?

Inverter can only apply one voltage/current setting; both batteries get it in parallel.
The master battery BMS ought to be considerate of the slave, and request charge conditions satisfactory to the least common denominator.
It should look like a single bigger battery to the inverter. But would be nice if it allowed access to all cell voltages, if it reports any.

 

[Kenny_]

What Ah capacity does it think the battery is?

Inverter can only apply one voltage/current setting; both batteries get it in parallel.
The master battery BMS ought to be considerate of the slave, and request charge conditions satisfactory to the least common denominator.
It should look like a single bigger battery to the inverter. But would be nice if it allowed access to all cell voltages, if it reports any.

It just reports a single battery... 4.8 kWh, SOC 90%, power 16W current .3 voltage 53v (At the moment)

I saw another thread where someone said to set the battery address/number to 2 as the initial battery instead of 1 .. I haven't tried that yet...

 

[Kenny_]

Sidenote: I just got a shipping label from Ecoflow. They are going to replace my toasted River 2 Pro with a reconditioned unit. Yes!!! Doing right by the customer!

 

[Kenny_]

WRT the battery/batteries and connecting and monitoring....
I tried setting the battery addresses to 2 and 3 and no dice.... inverter wants the first battery to be set to 1.

But I tried disconnecting the chained RS-485 between the batteries and it change the SOC Percentage on the Inverter display (and Solar Assistant) so something is happening communication wise. The batteries had/have a slightly different SOC (about 1% or so).

This still leaves me quite unsure of what is happening and whether the inverter is even seeing two batteries or not. The value for Capacity only displays the Capacity of a single battery, not both which would be twice the value displayed (4.8kWh). Two batteries would be twice that.

operationally it seems (according to my best guess/thought) that it is discharging at a rate that would indicate both batteries are supplying power (discharging while there is no solar overnight) fwiw!

 

[#40Fan]

Shouldn't the cable be plugged in over here?

 

[Kenny_]

Shouldn't the cable be plugged in over here?

Yes I think you are right, probably took this pic as I was trying to figure what's going on. I have subsequently moved it there and things seem to be working according to my 'feel' for battery capacity, but there is still no indication of capacity or multiple batteries, etc. Dunno???

 

[Kenny_]

Hey @Lighthouse Beacon @42OhmsPA or anyone with this inverter or the SNRE original.... Did you have to MODIFY the RS485 com cable from the inverter to the battery? They are telling me I need to modify it for the multiple (rack) batteries to work. I'm really not trusting these guys support given the wifi problems (and lack of support) an now what they are telling me on this.

I used the cable that came with the inverter here is what they told me wrt my not seeing multiple batteries:

Dear Customer,

wish you the best day.

Here are steps to build BMS communication between the inverter and battery, please check:
1. Custom-made a BMS cable for the inverter and battery. ( The battery comes with a BMS cable, but you need to make some adjustments to the cable terminal)
For the inverter: pin7 is RS485-A, pin8 is RS485-B,
For the batteryin2 (or7) is RS485-A, pin1(or 8) is RS485-B,.

Please Cut off any excess sequence, pin 7 connects to pin2 (or 7), pin8 connects to pin1(or 8)
If you don't know what that means, you can ask the electrician to help with the BMS cable

2. Connect the pin7+pin8 terminal to inverter RS485 2 port, and connect the other terminal to the battery RS485A port
3. Set battery ADD as attached picture
4. Set the 08 to LFP16, 32 To 485, 33 To PYL. If no 58 code anymore, that means the BMS has been built successfully.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

and then ...

Kenny Chaffin		Nov 3, 2023, 8:52 AM (19 hours ago)
Are you saying I have to MODIFY the cables that came with my 10K48sp inverter and the cables with each battery? Also, I am not showing an error condition but th

Dear Customer,

Happy Weekend.

You can only MODIFY one battery communication cable that is used to conect to the inverter if you need BMS communication.
Once BMS communication is successful, the inverter will show more battery information. But it's okay to use the inverter and batteries without BMS communication.

???

 

[Kenny_]

Flicker Test!

My office lights (led) are on a different circuit from my office plugs and when using the Ecoflow Delta Pro supplying power to both I'd get a flicker in the lights when the printer came on and etc.

I just enabled the Sungold 10k (via transfer switch) to power the office lights as well as office (also switched furnace from grid to Sungold)

NO FLICKER!

Yes! This was a primary reason I purchased the Sungold instead of a EG4 6500ex Inverter!


Update: Furnace came on and off... No Flicker!

 

[42OhmsPA]

Hey @Lighthouse Beacon @42OhmsPA or anyone with this inverter or the SNRE original.... Did you have to MODIFY the RS485 com cable from the inverter to the battery? They are telling me I need to modify it for the multiple (rack) batteries to work. I'm really not trusting these guys support given the wifi problems (and lack of support) an now what they are telling me on this.

I used the cable that came with the inverter here is what they told me wrt my not seeing multiple batteries:

Dear Customer,

wish you the best day.

Here are steps to build BMS communication between the inverter and battery, please check:
1. Custom-made a BMS cable for the inverter and battery. ( The battery comes with a BMS cable, but you need to make some adjustments to the cable terminal)
For the inverter: pin7 is RS485-A, pin8 is RS485-B,
For the batteryin2 (or7) is RS485-A, pin1(or 8) is RS485-B,.

Please Cut off any excess sequence, pin 7 connects to pin2 (or 7), pin8 connects to pin1(or 8)
If you don't know what that means, you can ask the electrician to help with the BMS cable

2. Connect the pin7+pin8 terminal to inverter RS485 2 port, and connect the other terminal to the battery RS485A port
3. Set battery ADD as attached picture
4. Set the 08 to LFP16, 32 To 485, 33 To PYL. If no 58 code anymore, that means the BMS has been built successfully.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

and then ...

Kenny Chaffin		Nov 3, 2023, 8:52 AM (19 hours ago)
Are you saying I have to MODIFY the cables that came with my 10K48sp inverter and the cables with each battery? Also, I am not showing an error condition but th

Dear Customer,

Happy Weekend.

You can only MODIFY one battery communication cable that is used to conect to the inverter if you need BMS communication.
Once BMS communication is successful, the inverter will show more battery information. But it's okay to use the inverter and batteries without BMS communication.

???

Sounds about right. I don't know for sure, I don't use coms with the inverter. It's good to see they replied.

 

[Kenny_]

Had to unplug my AC Input to my inverter so I could plug the dryer in and do laundry.

P.S. the two batteries (so far) seem to be working fine definite capacity increase over the Delta Pro's 3.6 kWh...and seems to be more than the single rack mount which ran for a couple of days before I connected the second one. Seems all is working with the two batteries but no indication of them on either the inverter or in Solar Assistant....unless I'm missing something which is quite possible all this being new to me...

 

[Hedges]

The RS485 pinout definition did look to me like one cable could be made with 3 ends to plug into two batteries, each getting one pair of wires. That would not be extensible to more than 2. But I was not completely sure about the connections. They should provide a schematic of the cable. Ask them for one.

RS-485 as I know it has 3 wires, Data+, Data-, Ground. They go to all inverters in my system. At the battery inverter end I plug in a terminator (resistor across the two data lines.) Those were provided with the inverters or communication modules as an RJ45 plug. At the PV inverter end I put a shorting plug on 0.1" header pins for terminating resistor, optionally for pull up/down. I can unplug the RJ45 terminator plug and replace with cable to my monitoring equipment. Only the master battery inverter uses RJ45 for this, the PV inverters have screw terminals.

Had to unplug my AC Input to my inverter so I could plug the dryer in and do laundry.

I thought you were supposed to connect the dryer to AC output of inverter.

 

[Kenny_]

The RS485 pinout definition did look to me like one cable could be made with 3 ends to plug into two batteries, each getting one pair of wires. That would not be extensible to more than 2. But I was not completely sure about the connections. They should provide a schematic of the cable. Ask them for one.

RS-485 as I know it has 3 wires, Data+, Data-, Ground. They go to all inverters in my system. At the battery inverter end I plug in a terminator (resistor across the two data lines.) Those were provided with the inverters or communication modules as an RJ45 plug. At the PV inverter end I put a shorting plug on 0.1" header pins for terminating resistor, optionally for pull up/down. I can unplug the RJ45 terminator plug and replace with cable to my monitoring equipment. Only the master battery inverter uses RJ45 for this, the PV inverters have screw terminals.



I thought you were supposed to connect the dryer to AC output of inverter.

I Know!!! Something's Screwed Up Here!!!

 

[Kenny_]

Slightly off topic but that little white box on the left of the picture in post https://diysolarforum.com/threads/i...-split-phase-solar-inverter.71345/post-912619 is my original Charge Controller from my first solar power set up some 20 years ago...with 2 50W panels, two 6v golf cart lead=acid batteries, and a 750 W inverter. Still works fine (but no batteries they died long long ago) it was only to power ham radio equipment and emergency power via extension cord.

 

[Lighthouse Beacon]

Hey @Lighthouse Beacon @42OhmsPA or anyone with this inverter or the SNRE original.... Did you have to MODIFY the RS485 com cable from the inverter to the battery? They are telling me I need to modify it for the multiple (rack) batteries to work. I'm really not trusting these guys support given the wifi problems (and lack of support) an now what they are telling me on this.

I used the cable that came with the inverter here is what they told me wrt my not seeing multiple batteries:

Dear Customer,

wish you the best day.

Here are steps to build BMS communication between the inverter and battery, please check:
1. Custom-made a BMS cable for the inverter and battery. ( The battery comes with a BMS cable, but you need to make some adjustments to the cable terminal)
For the inverter: pin7 is RS485-A, pin8 is RS485-B,
For the batteryin2 (or7) is RS485-A, pin1(or 8) is RS485-B,.

Please Cut off any excess sequence, pin 7 connects to pin2 (or 7), pin8 connects to pin1(or 8)
If you don't know what that means, you can ask the electrician to help with the BMS cable

2. Connect the pin7+pin8 terminal to inverter RS485 2 port, and connect the other terminal to the battery RS485A port
3. Set battery ADD as attached picture
4. Set the 08 to LFP16, 32 To 485, 33 To PYL. If no 58 code anymore, that means the BMS has been built successfully.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

and then ...

Kenny Chaffin		Nov 3, 2023, 8:52 AM (19 hours ago)
Are you saying I have to MODIFY the cables that came with my 10K48sp inverter and the cables with each battery? Also, I am not showing an error condition but th

Dear Customer,

Happy Weekend.

You can only MODIFY one battery communication cable that is used to conect to the inverter if you need BMS communication.
Once BMS communication is successful, the inverter will show more battery information. But it's okay to use the inverter and batteries without BMS communication.

???

Yes do exactly as support is indicating. You can’t have any pins active between inverter and batts other than 7 and 8. Do a test like this is easy:



Take an old Ethernet cable and cut every wire but the brown and white/brown wire it will start to work correctly:



Disable these wires

 

[Hedges]

Yes do exactly as support is indicating. You can’t have any pins active between inverter and batts other than 7 and 8. Do a test like this is easy:


Take an old Ethernet cable and cut every wire but the brown and white/brown wire it will start to work correctly:

From manual, "3、6 GND"

Leave wires to pins 3 & 6 connected as well.

 

[Kenny_]

OMG! You're kidding! That's the Cable that shipped with your inverter?
Or is it your own ethernet cable?

ok...gonna dig out on old cable and give it a go...

 

[Lighthouse Beacon]

OMG! You're kidding! That's the Cable that shipped with your inverter?
Or is it your own ethernet cable?

It’s just an old Ethernet cable they’re shipping common cat6 cables with rj plugs it’s nothing special. Only allowing pin 7 and 8 is the only way I could make one work. Are you getting any comm errors at the inverter? Error 58?

 

[Lighthouse Beacon]

You can go to the middle of an old cat6 cable and cut the insulation carefully and clip all wire but brown and brown white then tape the wire up, I then ran it inside conduit to the first batt. You can still make it look clean.

 

[Kenny_]

It’s just an old Ethernet cable they’re shipping common cat6 cables with rj plugs it’s nothing special. Only allowing pin 7 and 8 is the only way I could make one work. Are you getting any comm errors at the inverter? Error 58?

No errors other than when cable is disconnected... Okay... I cut open an old cable but left the ground wires 3,6 connected and nothing different than with straight cable. Going to clip the ground wires just leaving 7,8 Brown pair....

 

[Kenny_]

Well that didn't make any difference either. I only get an error when the cable is disconnected but I'm not seeing any indication of TWO Batteries or increased capacity on the inverter or Solar Assistant. I'm at a loss. I thought I'd be able to see batteries/increased capacity or something different when I added additional batteries to the set/rack.

 

[wme]

Shouldn't the cable be plugged in over here?

I may be suffering from the no caffeine staggers, but shouldn't the inverter - battery lead be connected to the other battery - post.

 

[Kenny_]

I may be suffering from the no caffeine staggers, but shouldn't the inverter - battery lead be connected to the other battery - post.

What? I'm not following...

that's battery address #1 nearest the inverter bat #2 at bottom of pic.
the RJ485 cable goes from the inverter to battery #1 RS485A port and Bat #1 RS485B port connects to Bat #2 rs485C port
as per image supplied from Sungold (unless their Bat #1 is on bottom):

 

[Kenny_]

I think I'm chasing a ghost .... I saw a screen shot of Solar Assistant showing more than one battery but I think that may have been a custom attachment/connection to batteries...dunno...