micahlahren
New Member
Hello! I'm trying to help a friend with his hybrid setup, he's got solar and utility and battery setup (Energetic/GSL 10000kwh LifeP04), an MPP 3048, and there's some oddities happening. Please forgive any ignorance of terms or lingo or confusion, a lot of this is new tech to me, it's a learning curve for sure! His SoC % is way out of whack, when it's charging the pack, the BMS software (GSL BatteryMonitor, it's what the support tech recommended to use, but it looks like Seplos BatteryMonitor) reports that it is discharging, and when it's discharging, the system reports as charging. It's a 200 AH pack. The battery pack will only reach 53.6v at full charge, so it was assumed (maybe) that there's a bad cell, so to troubleshoot, it was advised to do SoC calibration, which was explained as draining to 46v and then charging to 57.6v, repeating twice. However, it will only charge to 53.6v and then the charge controller kicks out.
When attempting to do the 'calibration', the inverter cut off voltage was set to 41, and discharging commenced. The BatteryMonitor reported charging, and finally, after enough drain, the SoC plummeted to 8%, and finally the voltage dropped as well, but when it reached 45.99v the inverter cut off. The utility line was reconnected, to recharge the battery, and the BatteryMonitor reported "discharging" while it was charging. Oh, it was also recommended in the Battery Monitor software to disable the 'residual protection' switch which might prevent the battery from discharging down to what was needed.
We're going to give this calibration thing another shot today, and as far as I can tell, after doing more research, these are the steps:
1. I've got a forum post note that says some settings only 'take' with the inverter switched off (so switch off the charge controller?) then connect BatteryMonitor via serial/usb cable, and disable 'residual protection' switch, and turn charge controller back on.
2. on charge controller, set User-Defined Mode (program 5) to ... User-Defined (to enable custom voltage values)
3. set program 26 (bulk charging) to 57.6v
4. set program 29 (low voltage cutoff) to 46v
5. (support tech recommended this) set program 27 (float voltage) to 55.2v
6. Make sure program 1 (USB/SBU/SUB) is NOT set to SBU or SUB because if it is, then program 12 applies (voltage back to utility or solar at cutoff voltage), and check program 13 because if the default value is 54v, it won't reach 57.6v as far as I know.
7. Make sure program 33 (battery equalization) is NOT enabled, and that program 32 is set to Automatic and not a range of minutes (User-Defined Mode parameters)
8. (Mode 00 has no pertinent application) (step removed)
9. Let the battery drain to 46v.
Tech support said something about the battery automatically turning off, waiting 10 minutes, pressing battery RST, then the battery can be turned on again.
10. charge back up to 57.6v.
11. repeat process starting at step 9 (discharge, then recharge) once. Once this step is reached again, the calibration should be complete(?).
12. re-enable 'residual protection' switch via GSL BMS software. (with the inverter off(?))
I've downloaded WatchPower, and another BMS software, MultiSIBControl, to test, in case the scenario is that the communication protocol is not compatible with the MPP 3048 or the battery. I've read that there's CANBUS signaling, I've learned about SolarShed and a little bit about serial communication output being used and parsed as the basis, as far as I can tell right now. But I believe the 3048's output screen on the product gave the same SoC % as the BMS software, so ... _(shrug)_ I'm at a loss there.
I've hunted around on the forums but it's difficult to know which terms to hunt for, I feel a bit like a pilot who's played Android fight simulators being called upon to take the stick on a passenger jet, learning on the fly what altitude, flaps, pitch, velocity, etc, is all about, and which button does what. I appreciate any advice or help. Anyone have a similar problem? Thanks!
Update: the output source priority was set to sbu, solar, then battery, then utility. It seems having user defined mode enabled, with that particular output source priority, it was following configurations in the other programs that wasn't allowing it to go past 54 volts. The first calibration charge is in progress and it is headed past 54 volts to 57.6 volts. WatchPower sat there as if it didn't see any battery, and MultiSIBControl wanted a .NET installation, and on a hotspot with 0% laptop battery at the time, I skipped it and went back to the GSL software.
When attempting to do the 'calibration', the inverter cut off voltage was set to 41, and discharging commenced. The BatteryMonitor reported charging, and finally, after enough drain, the SoC plummeted to 8%, and finally the voltage dropped as well, but when it reached 45.99v the inverter cut off. The utility line was reconnected, to recharge the battery, and the BatteryMonitor reported "discharging" while it was charging. Oh, it was also recommended in the Battery Monitor software to disable the 'residual protection' switch which might prevent the battery from discharging down to what was needed.
We're going to give this calibration thing another shot today, and as far as I can tell, after doing more research, these are the steps:
1. I've got a forum post note that says some settings only 'take' with the inverter switched off (so switch off the charge controller?) then connect BatteryMonitor via serial/usb cable, and disable 'residual protection' switch, and turn charge controller back on.
2. on charge controller, set User-Defined Mode (program 5) to ... User-Defined (to enable custom voltage values)
3. set program 26 (bulk charging) to 57.6v
4. set program 29 (low voltage cutoff) to 46v
5. (support tech recommended this) set program 27 (float voltage) to 55.2v
6. Make sure program 1 (USB/SBU/SUB) is NOT set to SBU or SUB because if it is, then program 12 applies (voltage back to utility or solar at cutoff voltage), and check program 13 because if the default value is 54v, it won't reach 57.6v as far as I know.
7. Make sure program 33 (battery equalization) is NOT enabled, and that program 32 is set to Automatic and not a range of minutes (User-Defined Mode parameters)
8. (Mode 00 has no pertinent application) (step removed)
9. Let the battery drain to 46v.
Tech support said something about the battery automatically turning off, waiting 10 minutes, pressing battery RST, then the battery can be turned on again.
10. charge back up to 57.6v.
11. repeat process starting at step 9 (discharge, then recharge) once. Once this step is reached again, the calibration should be complete(?).
12. re-enable 'residual protection' switch via GSL BMS software. (with the inverter off(?))
I've downloaded WatchPower, and another BMS software, MultiSIBControl, to test, in case the scenario is that the communication protocol is not compatible with the MPP 3048 or the battery. I've read that there's CANBUS signaling, I've learned about SolarShed and a little bit about serial communication output being used and parsed as the basis, as far as I can tell right now. But I believe the 3048's output screen on the product gave the same SoC % as the BMS software, so ... _(shrug)_ I'm at a loss there.
I've hunted around on the forums but it's difficult to know which terms to hunt for, I feel a bit like a pilot who's played Android fight simulators being called upon to take the stick on a passenger jet, learning on the fly what altitude, flaps, pitch, velocity, etc, is all about, and which button does what. I appreciate any advice or help. Anyone have a similar problem? Thanks!
Update: the output source priority was set to sbu, solar, then battery, then utility. It seems having user defined mode enabled, with that particular output source priority, it was following configurations in the other programs that wasn't allowing it to go past 54 volts. The first calibration charge is in progress and it is headed past 54 volts to 57.6 volts. WatchPower sat there as if it didn't see any battery, and MultiSIBControl wanted a .NET installation, and on a hotspot with 0% laptop battery at the time, I skipped it and went back to the GSL software.
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