Rich solar 6548 questions

[Beerwiser]

Got a few questions with this thing. I just got it mounted in my new solar building and had it hooked just to mains to see and play with it before dragging it off grid.

1. Does the fan on this thing run all the time? Even with the inverter turned off the fans stayed on. It is barely above freezing and not actually powering anything.

2. Is it really necessary to mount it on a fireproof surface? Currently mounted on OSB.

3. Cable to do remote mounting of the display. Is it just regular network cable or do I have to make a custom one?

4. I have a Renogy Bluetooth module, any chance of being able to use it? I wouldn't have internet where it is going and I really like the idea of Bluetooth. Long shot, I think lol.

BT-1 Bluetooth Module (New Version)

The Renogy BT-1 is a great addition to any compatible Renogy solar charge controllers, providing wireless monitoring of system data and allows users to change parameters through the Renogy BT/Renogy DC Home smart phone App.

www.renogy.com

5. Cable sizing. Currently using 4 LISUATELI 12V 100Ah batteries in parallel with double 8awg wire between each posts. They have been in parallel for a few weeks now so they should be at the same SOC. Can I get away with the double 8awg to run them in series for the time being? My biggest draw is the toaster right now. Is making up steel bus bars to join the batteries a good idea?

If there is anything else I should do before I drag it to its final resting place I would greatly appreciate the advice.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

Is making up steel bus bars to join the batteries a good idea

No

Can I get away with the double 8awg to run them in series for the time being

just go to a welding supply and buy the right gage wire, or wait a couple days for cables from windyNation on amazone.

Even with the inverter turned off the fans stayed on

I don’t know

Is it really necessary to mount it on a fireproof surface? Currently mounted on OSB.

~450*F combustion potential
So is it necessary to answer further?

Is it just regular network cable or do I have to make a custom one

The manual will state this but I believe it’s standard network protocol; no crossovers but the manual will verify that and distance

any chance of being able to use it

no idea but unlikely

If there is anything else I should do before I drag it to its final resting place I would greatly appreciate the advice.

Class T fuse at the battery(+)
You can buy 3 for ~$120ish so you have spares. You likely won’t ever need the spares if you install everything properly.

 

[Beerwiser]

Thank you 12Voltinstalls. In regards to cables, yes I am putting proper cabling in once I figure out where everything is going to be permanently placed and have the wifes seal of approval lol. I do have leftover 2/0 welding cable from rigging up the service truck that I plan to use, just didn't want to cut it up and crimp ends on just to have to redo it.
Fuse, it is on my next order along with crimp lugs for metric bolts.

As far as the rj45 cable they don't say much, here is all they have.
After LCD module is installed, connect LCD module to the inverter with an optional RJ45 communication cable as shown below

 

[Quattrohead]

It is a standard network type cable.
Yes you can use paired 8awg as long as you fuse or breaker it appropriately.
Yes fans stay on all the time, wait until it's working hard ?
Use a better material for the bus bars, at least aluminium.

 

[Beerwiser]

Well that is sort of disappointing that the fans run all the time, seems like a waste of energy when it is in standby.

 

[Beerwiser]

One last question on this unit. Local wireless monitoring. The watchpower app needs internet to work. It is a PITA to turn my hotspot on just to view what is going on. I seen the solar assistant setup, but it is not free and all my Pi are in use currently. Any other options? Bluetooth would be awesome, I loved the Renogy BT with an app called Solar.

 

[Adam De Lay]

One last question on this unit. Local wireless monitoring. The watchpower app needs internet to work. It is a PITA to turn my hotspot on just to view what is going on. I seen the solar assistant setup, but it is not free and all my Pi are in use currently. Any other options? Bluetooth would be awesome, I loved the Renogy BT with an app called Solar.

There are other “WatchPower like” apps, but they still require an internet connection. I would go with Solar Assistant. It’s worth the cost.

 

[Beerwiser]

I sort of figured that I would end up going that way lol. At least some of the Pi are back in stock so that is a plus. Another 120 bucks gone?.

 

[Quattrohead]

So watch power and similar software cannot be set to monitor via USB or local IP address?

 

[Adam De Lay]

So watch power and similar software cannot be set to monitor via USB or local IP address?

Now that you mention it, there is an installable version of WatchPower that you can run on a windows computer. The few times I used it, it was super janky, so I forgot all about it. It uses a USB connection to the inverter.

 

[Beerwiser]

So watch power and similar software cannot be set to monitor via USB or local IP address?

I tried it over serial on my tough book laptop as it has a serial port. The windows version is absolutely horrible. Don't waste your time.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

The watchpower app needs internet to work. It is a PITA to turn my hotspot on just to view what is going on.

Pita to turn the hotspot on?

The windows version is absolutely horrible

What specifically is horrible about it?
Really want to know.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

.​

 

[Beerwiser]

Pita to turn the hotspot on?

My mobile internet is sketchy where I am and where it is a bit better is out of reach of the 6548 wifi, so not necessarily a pita to turn on the hotspot. More of a pita to use.

What specifically is horrible about it?
Really want to know.

Very clunky and poorly laid out in my opinion. It looks like something from window 3.0. I was not overly impressed with the graghs either.

I did finally get SA up and running, I am pretty happy with it since I don't need internet and has helpful graphs. Particularly helpful is the main overview of when we use the most power compared to solar output. Maybe one of these days the sun will make an appearance so I can really see what is going on lol.
My only wish is you didn't have to disconnect mobile data to use the Bluetooth, but that is workable. I have a old tablet that works great for this.