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SK48V100 + Cerbo-S GX = No SOC reading (whoops + advice pls)

941all-electric

New Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2023
Messages
9
Location
Sarasota, FL
Hi all,

I recently installed this system (no shunt!):
- two 405W 48V panels;
- Victron 150/35 MPPT;
- SOK 48V 5kWh server rack battery;
- Cerbo-S GX;
- Phoenix 48/1200 inverter.

Everything appears to work great, except I don't see an SOC reading in my Victron VRM Portal.

Looks like I screwed up. When I quickly Googled the difference between the regular Cerbo GX and the 'basic' Cerbo-S GX, I was left with the impression that I was only missing tank sensors in the basic version. Turns out, you also lose the BMS-CAN port, which is what you're supposed to use to connect the SOK48V100 for Victron communication.

So instead, I used a VE-Can port in the Cerbo-S. Fortunately, I do get battery voltage information in the VRM portal.

Help: should I exchange the Cerbo-S? Or just buy a Victron shunt? Or both? What would you do?
 
Odd that you get voltage but nothing else unless it's simply the Cerbo itself reporting it's supply voltage or the voltage reported by another device.

The VE.Can port can be configured to work with a BMS (unless there's a specific restriction on the -S). My CCGX only has one VE.Can port, and I have my Batrium connected to it.

Did you set the bit rate of the VE.Can port to 500Kbps?

Did you install the VE.Can terminator in the other Cerbo VE.Can port?
 
Thank you,

To your first question, I haven't set a bit rate. I see in Sec. 4.5 of the manual that "You can set the VE.Can port from 250 kbit/s to be 500 kbit/s", but it doesn't seem to say how to do that? Should I?

As to your second question, yes, I have a VE.Can terminator on the other Cerbo VE.Can port not being used.
 
Thank you,

To your first question, I haven't set a bit rate. I see in Sec. 4.5 of the manual that "You can set the VE.Can port from 250 kbit/s to be 500 kbit/s", but it doesn't seem to say how to do that? Should I?

As to your second question, yes, I have a VE.Can terminator on the other Cerbo VE.Can port not being used.

Victron hardware is at 250. BMS are at 500. You must change to 500.

Touch screen: Menu, top level is the Device List, which shows what's conntected, Notifications and Settings (top level shown below):

1716932816333.png

Settings > Services (all the way to the bottom/near bottom on the settings screen) > VE.Can port > CAN-bus profile

Select CAN-bus BMS (500 kbit/s)

Your options may be slightly different from mine has I have a CCGX, which doesn't have all the features of even a Cerbo-S.
 
There is no explicit restriction in the manual for the -S. It just doesn't have both ports. The BMS-CAN port can only be set to 250. The VE.Can port can be set to either.

1716934316768.png

As I mentioned, I had no issues configuring and connecting my 500k BMS to the VE.Can port on my CCGX, which only has one port.
 
I don’t believe the Cerbo-S can do it, that’s why I got the standard one.
You can set the ve.can port to communicate with BMS on the cerbo-s. You just can't do both BMS and ve.can with the cerbo-s, for both of those functions at once you need the full Cerbo with the additional pair of ports. In the OPs case he doesn't have any ve.can devices so shouldn't have any issues using the ve.bus port as BMS.
 
Thanks @Brucey and @sunshine_eggo - I switched the VE.Can port to 500kbit. However, I still don't see a SOC for the battery.

When I select "Network Status" underneath the VE.Can setting, I see there appears to be an error. No idea if this is relevant.

Attached are three screenshots of what I'm seeing. Any other thoughts?cerbo-s ve-can settings.jpg
 
Ah, I'm an idiot @sunshine_eggo! You tried to tell me about dip switches up front. I'd made a bad assumption that the battery would ship by default in 'master' state, and because I only had one battery, I didn't need to worry about it.

As soon as I switched the dip switch, it worked. I now see the SoC!

Thank you all, and hopefully this thread is helpful for others in the future.
 
Hey, I have the same issue but changed everything and can’t figure it out. No battery percentage.
Any ideas?
Smart shunt, lead acid, ve.can controllers with cables and terminates plugged in.
@sunshine_eggo
 

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Hey, I have the same issue but changed everything and can’t figure it out. No battery percentage.
Any ideas?
Smart shunt, lead acid, ve.can controllers with cables and terminates plugged in.
@sunshine_eggo

Umm... this is only for lithium BMS communicating with the GX device. If you have lead acid batteries, you are in the wrong place.

Your VE.Can MPPT simply need to be daisy chained to the controller with terminators at both ends.

Your shunt should be connected to the GX device typically by VE.Direct cables.

You have power, voltage and current data. Are you certain the shunt is tracking SoC?

What does VictronConnect report for SoC on the shunt?

I suspect you don't have the shunt configured correctly, it lost power at some point, and it lost its SoC reading. Once properly configured and synced, it will report SoC.

Please include your VictronConnect settings.
 
Your VE.Can MPPT simply need to be daisy chained to the controller with terminators at both ends
Two controllers are daisy chained along with cerbo and terminates there as well. Still having issues with batteries going from bulk to float and skipping absorption when rj45 cable is connected. They work fine when it’s disconnected. Don’t know what to do with that.
Your shunt should be connected to the GX device typically by VE.Direct cables.
I can get one if it will make a difference to soc of charge reporting on cerbo display. What is the benefit of the cable?

Going into the Victron app the SOC shows properly just not on the cerbo display.
 
Two controllers are daisy chained along with cerbo and terminates there as well. Still having issues with batteries going from bulk to float and skipping absorption when rj45 cable is connected. They work fine when it’s disconnected. Don’t know what to do with that.

I can get one if it will make a difference to soc of charge reporting on cerbo display. What is the benefit of the cable?

Going into the Victron app the SOC shows properly just not on the cerbo display.

How is your shunt connected to the GX device?
 
Bluetooth

Nope. That explains why it's not working. Bluetooth connections to the GX device are not considered reliable enough for critical components. Very few devices can be connected to the GX device via bluetooth - primarily Ruuvi temperature and some tank sensors.


Per the manual, you must connect via a VE.Direct cable or a VE.Direct to USB cable.
 

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