victron bmv-712. Monitoring solar production

[SamDeleted]

Hi all I'm looking to monitor solar production, also get an accurate SOC . A few questions pls.

My solar system is basic , tristar PWM , AGM batteries, UPS as an inverter, 2.5kw of PV


I've seen the victron smart shunt gives you charge and discharge history in the app (watched Wills video)... But I'm looking at the bmv-712 because I don't want to have to use a smart phone / pc



1) Does the bmv-712 have this same feature?

2) Is it possible to read production / discharge KWhs without using a smart phone ?

3) is that charge/discharge history over the life of the shunt, or daily ? Is it resettable ?



Also are there any other good cheaper options that would fulfill my needs ? SOC & charge/discharge metering

Thank you as always

 

[HRTKD]

The BMV-712 has all the features of the SmartShunt, but with a display. You can scroll through the values on the display. No graphs though.

There are a number of guys on the forum that are using VenusOS on a RaspberryPi.

 

[SamDeleted]

The BMV-712 has all the features of the SmartShunt, but with a display. You can scroll through the values on the display. No graphs though.

There are a number of guys on the forum that are using VenusOS on a RaspberryPi.

I was also wondering , will the shunt be able to tell me total solar production, or JUST the power that goes in and out the batteries....?

I figure, drawing on the system during day time, the power goes from PV > SCC > bus bar > inverter , never actually crossing the shunt

 

[HRTKD]

Oh, the BMV-712 does have better Bluetooth coverage than the SmartShunt. Not that it matters to you since you don't want to use your phone.

The history is limited to X number of days. I don't recall what the limit is, but it's there. If you fire up the VictronConnect app in Demo mode you should be able to explore all the features of the device, including resets.

 

[HRTKD]

I was also wondering , will the shunt be able to tell me total solar production, or JUST the power that goes in and out the batteries....?

I figure, drawing on the system during day time, the power goes from PV > SCC > bus bar > inverter , never actually crossing the shunt

If the inverter is on then the power never hits the shunt, so it can't report on that. If you had the Victron MPPT you could get that isolated history of PV production.

 

[SamDeleted]

If the inverter is on then the power never hits the shunt, so it can't report on that. If you had the Victron MPPT you could get that isolated history of PV production.

Thank you for your help much appreciated



I'd really like to know exactly what I'm making day to day, so looking at this , I'm not 100% sure this'll do what I'm after either...

TriStar Digital Meter-2 - Morningstar Corporation

On-Board Advanced Digital Display for the TriStar and TriStar MPPT Controllers. The meter will display a great deal of information about your TriStar controller and the operation of your system. […]

www.morningstarcorp.com

And possibly and AiLi shunt for SOC

 

[HRTKD]

You could put a simple hall effect monitor on the cable between the solar charge controller and the common bus bar. That would tell you the PV production. It all depends on how sophisticated you want it to be and how much money you want to spend.

 

[mikefitz]

1, yes, the BMV has a display and programmable relay. Although everything can be carried out via the display controls its 100 times easier to set up and read conditions via the app. Note once the app connects the softwere is automatically updated to the latest version. A SH android phone or tablet would be a worthwhile investment.
The smart shunt offers almost identical features as the BMV, you lose a display ( very dated) and the relay.
Note the smart shunt/ BMV in is usual application as a battery monitor, is recording and displaying the battery status. Thus if the battery has loads connected the true solar yield would not be recorded.
2. Yes
3 30days info recorded. As stated you really need the phone/ tablet display to get a practical view of recorded data

It's possible to use the smart shunt/ BMV to monitor power in part of the system as an energy meter,

Victron SmartShunt as a energy meter? - Victron Community

community.victronenergy.com

Note this is a completly separate application to using these as a battery monitor.

I suggest going for the Smart Shunt for battery monitoring and use a smart phone/tablet. Since you have lead acid batteries you need to set up battery charge efficiency and Peukerts constant in the monitor. The low cost alternatives do not have this feature.

Idealy changing your solar controller to a Victron Smart MPPT would offer built in solar yield history and status via the Victron Connect app, and you would have increased yield and improved control of charge perameters.

With your existing systen, a hall effect sensor driven power meter would give limited info on solar yield,

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Charge-Discharge-DROK-Voltmeter-Watt-Hour-Multimeter/dp/B07YWVCBRN/ref=sr_1_9?crid=1A5GA529FZLLZ&keywords=12v+power+meter+hall+effect&qid=1682092338&sprefix=12vpower+meter+hall+effect%2Caps%2C100&sr=8-9

Mike

 

[Murphyslaww]

Yeah, I'd like to work on arduino build for an SOC meter. I have some small hall effect monitors, but probably need something more robust.

 

[SamDeleted]

It all depends on how sophisticated you want it to be and how much money you want to spend.

Not very and none lol .

As cheap as possible!...


That hall effect mike posted looks good ,

1, yes, the BMV has a display and programmable relay. Although everything can be carried out via the display controls its 100 times easier to set up and read conditions via the app. Note once the app connects the softwere is automatically updated to the latest version. A SH android phone or tablet would be a worthwhile investment.
The smart shunt offers almost identical features as the BMV, you lose a display ( very dated) and the relay.
Note the smart shunt/ BMV in is usual application as a battery monitor, is recording and displaying the battery status. Thus if the battery has loads connected the true solar yield would not be recorded.
2. Yes
3 30days info recorded. As stated you really need the phone/ tablet display to get a practical view of recorded data

It's possible to use the smart shunt/ BMV to monitor power in part of the system as an energy meter,

Victron SmartShunt as a energy meter? - Victron Community

community.victronenergy.com

Note this is a completly separate application to using these as a battery monitor.

I suggest going for the Smart Shunt for battery monitoring and use a smart phone/tablet. Since you have lead acid batteries you need to set up battery charge efficiency and Peukerts constant in the monitor. The low cost alternatives do not have this feature.

Idealy changing your solar controller to a Victron Smart MPPT would offer built in solar yield history and status via the Victron Connect app, and you would have increased yield and improved control of charge perameters.

With your existing systen, a hall effect sensor driven power meter would give limited info on solar yield,

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Charge-Discharge-DROK-Voltmeter-Watt-Hour-Multimeter/dp/B07YWVCBRN/ref=sr_1_9?crid=1A5GA529FZLLZ&keywords=12v+power+meter+hall+effect&qid=1682092338&sprefix=12vpower+meter+hall+effect%2Caps%2C100&sr=8-9

Mike

Thank you for an in-depth answer