Victron Solar Mppt 100/30 - Detail monitoring (1 Viewer)

[ChrisL]

Straight forward for the battery, I'm not sure if the shunt has expert mode.



View attachment 950187

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These are my solar settings. No expert settings on the shunt. I think you need to set the shunt to join the ve network

 

[acenip]

Your batteries are 72.6 AH depleted IE the net of the ins and outs since last sync, so yes overall usage, which means there is 64% available of their capacity based on the figures you entered in the settings.

You are charging at 8.49amps, whilst the solar was producing 11.5amps (so 3amps being used by stuff in the van)

The Solar output voltage is at 14.1v but the shunt is measuring 13.12v at the battery, so some voltage drop or something going on there.

Have you set up a smart network between the shunt and solar controller? that would help compensate for the voltage difference, which seems quite high so perhaps I'm missing something if cables are correctly sized, and connections are all good.....

Someone will be along soon with a better idea.....

I managed to set the network up, nothing seems to have changed. Does it take time to learn from previous data?

 

[tidewatcher]

I’ve got an analogue brain. If it gets hot it uses a lot.

 

[Lenny HB]

I assume you mean the battery tab settings.



View attachment 950157

Looks OK.
What is your battery BMS reporting?

 

[acenip]

Looks OK.
What is your battery BMS reporting?

Don't laugh....... what's a BMS?

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[Lenny HB]

Don't laugh....... what's a BMS?

Battery Management System, all Lithium's have them but not all have Bluetooth so you can communicate with them.

 

[acenip]

Don't laugh....... what's a BMS?

Do you mean on the panel, my motorhome is 25 years old this year. There's nothing digital. The panel has a couple of old fuel gauge needle type gauges that has a rocker switch selection. Showing full for both batteries.

 

[acenip]

Battery Management System, all Lithium's have them but not all have Bluetooth so you can communicate with them.

This is my battery. Not aware of any form of BMS on it.

 

[fishplug]

It is really easy to set up a RasPi GX. I use. Pi2 which can be picked up on eBay really cheaply and is easily powerful enough. There is a 4 way unit from https://www.duppa.net/shop/ that can handle the connections to the Victron kit.

Thanks OldAgeTravellers - that's really interesting.

I've half heard of people connecting victron kit to a Raspberry Pi and half looked into it some years ago but I half remember that you needed special cables that were really quite expensive so I ruled it out.

If I've understood it correctly (which is unlikely!) then that 4 way device you linked to would allow me to connect 4 x Victron devices to the Pi so that I could then monitor them remotely from anywhere in the world?

I'll go do a search / research in a bit more depth again. It would be a 'nice to have' but not essential for me so there's a finite amount of money I'm prepared to throw at it!

 

[fishplug]

This is my battery. Not aware of any form of BMS on it.



View attachment 950241

It will have one built in.

They all do as they need to balance cell charging and discharging, protect from overvoltage etc and also to shut down if things look like they're going squirrelly so the battery doesn't catch fire and so on.

If you're not aware of it then it's likely that it doesn't have bluetooth or they would have made a song and dance about it somewhere, and charged you extra for it!

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[acenip]

It will have one built in.

They all do as they need to balance cell charging and discharging, protect from overvoltage etc and also to shut down if things look like they're going squirrelly so the battery doesn't catch fire and so on.

If you're not aware of it then it's likely that it doesn't have bluetooth or they would have made a song and dance about it somewhere, and charged you extra for it!

So, is it just sit back and allow it to mange itself. But the data Lenny HB was asking about can't be seen?

 

[ChrisL]

I managed to set the network up, nothing seems to have changed. Does it take time to learn from previous data?



View attachment 950220

The solar should adapt to what information it is receiving from the shunt. Once the battery is fully charged it should all synchronise.

 

[Lenny HB]

So, is it just sit back and allow it to mange itself. But the data Lenny HB was asking about can't be seen?

Not unless your battery has Bluetooth just looked it up, it doesn't say so I assume not.
if you have a mains charger suitable for Lithium I suggest you give it a good charge so it is at 110% then sync the shunt manually, then partly discharge the battery below 50% then repeat, you may need to do it a few times.

 

[OldAgeTravellers]

Thanks OldAgeTravellers - that's really interesting.

I've half heard of people connecting victron kit to a Raspberry Pi and half looked into it some years ago but I half remember that you needed special cables that were really quite expensive so I ruled it out.

If I've understood it correctly (which is unlikely!) then that 4 way device you linked to would allow me to connect 4 x Victron devices to the Pi so that I could then monitor them remotely from anywhere in the world?

I'll go do a search / research in a bit more depth again. It would be a 'nice to have' but not essential for me so there's a finite amount of money I'm prepared to throw at it!

I am sorry I am away at the moment and don't have my paperwork. I also have the memory of a goldfish unlike many on here so forgive me if I don’t give the proper names and serial numbers. The 4 way isolated connector with cables suitable for connecting to your Victron stuff from Duppa costs about as much as one genuine victron cable. You can make non isolated ones but they can be troublesome. The advantage of the Duppa unit is that it connects to the pi with a USB to USB C cable which can be as long as you like. My RasPi iso in the tech cupboard above the sink and connects to the Dupper connector in the battery box via an 8mt cable. There it connects to the shunt, XS & inverter and the MPPT if I had one but I have a Votronic one.
The Pi setup is very easy and there are many YouTube videos on it. Just get a cheap Pi2 from eBay that is quite powerful enough. A cheap 12v to micro USB power supply. Don’t bother with a screen to start with, any tablet or phone with preferably a Chrome browser will do because the screen size can be optimized and it remembers. When you get Venus working immediately install the add-on GuiMods because it improves the capability greatly. Like safely resetting or turning off the Pi and a better display.
As I said above there are a number of discussions on here just search Venus OS and skip through the stuff which is too techie at first. Then just askaway. Four months ago I had never heard of VenusOS or Victron GX.
Mine has been operating continuously for 4 months now and if you have internet on board it can upload it all to the VRM portal. To view and control from anywhere.
I haven’t costed it but probably around £70 including everything except the tablet of course depending on how much stuff you already have like a USB stick for loading the Pi, memory cards etc.

 

[AdrianChen]

I managed to set the network up, nothing seems to have changed. Does it take time to learn from previous data?



View attachment 950220

Solar charger will hopefully now see the actual battery voltage and so be more accurate in applying the settings you have made in the solar charger.

P.S. Could you post the Solar charger history tab - Interested to see if its getting through Absorb/float....

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[fishplug]

I am sorry I am away at the moment and don't have my paperwork.

No need for any form of apology. Very helpful information and enough to be setting me off down the right paths.

I didn't even know about the VRM portal, and yes, I do have WiFi on board so this opens up so many options for relatively low cost.

This is now potentially the third Raspberry Pi on board

I already have one acting as a PiHole/Unbound recursive DNS server and ad blocker (why pay to download ads when paying a premium for overseas roaming?), I'm in two minds about setting up another as an onboard computer for general browsing / Plex Media server and this could be the third.

I'm quickly building a tech heavy van here! Have spent the last couple of days playing around (with some limited success) with an 8 camera MDVR which also doubles as a tracker.

One project at a time - but I'll definitely be looking into this further. Thank you again for putting me back on this track.

 

[OldAgeTravellers]

No need for any form of apology. Very helpful information and enough to be setting me off down the right paths.

I didn't even know about the VRM portal, and yes, I do have WiFi on board so this opens up so many options for relatively low cost.

This is now potentially the third Raspberry Pi on board

I already have one acting as a PiHole/Unbound recursive DNS server and ad blocker (why pay to download ads when paying a premium for overseas roaming?), I'm in two minds about setting up another as an onboard computer for general browsing / Plex Media server and this could be the third.

I'm quickly building a tech heavy van here! Have spent the last couple of days playing around (with some limited success) with an 8 camera MDVR which also doubles as a tracker.

One project at a time - but I'll definitely be looking into this further. Thank you again for putting me back on this track.

If you know Pi’s that much then you are almost there, it is the easiest Pi project I have tried.
I tried a Pi1 but it wouldn’t handle it but the Pi2 is fine and they are very cheap on eBay.
The VenusOS is a bit clunky but does the job but I am planning to make a much better dashboard in HomeAssistant when I can get some time to play.
I used to have so much more time before I was retired. I am sure the hours are shorter since digital watches!

 

[acenip]

Solar charger will hopefully now see the actual battery voltage and so be more accurate in applying the settings you have made in the solar charger.

P.S. Could you post the Solar charger history tab - Interested to see if its getting through Absorb/float....

Can you tell from this image?

 

[ChrisL]

Can you tell from this image?



View attachment 950580

It looks like it got to the float stage on at least half of the recorded days which suggests the battery was fully charged. I would manually sync your shunt to 100% once the solar has gone to float for a while and then see how you get on.

 

[acenip]

It looks like it got to the float stage on at least half of the recorded days which suggests the battery was fully charged. I would manually sync your shunt to 100% once the solar has gone to float for a while and then see how you get on.

I'll do that, it's definitely a work in progress kinda thing. I got back up to 87% from 55 this morning, so things are definitely working.

My shunt settings could well be slightly off as well, I found serval different options on YouTube regarding the correct settings.

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[Lenny HB]

I'll do that, it's definitely a work in progress kinda thing. I got back up to 87% from 55 this morning, so things are definitely working.

My shunt settings could well be slightly off as well, I found serval different options on YouTube regarding the correct settings.

Your sunt setting are close enough not to cause any problems. As I said eairler you need to get the battery fully charged then do a manual sync and repeat if necessary.

 

[AdrianChen]

I'll do that, it's definitely a work in progress kinda thing. I got back up to 87% from 55 this morning, so things are definitely working.

My shunt settings could well be slightly off as well, I found serval different options on YouTube regarding the correct settings.

Overall it looks like the Solar charger is working well, the Shunt settings mean that when charging your battery has to hit 14.1v and a charge current of 1A (0.5% tail) for 3 mins to be considered full.

There's no perfect setting for the Tail current (mine is 2%) given the difference between cloudy skies vs clear etc. Victron suggest a Charged Voltage to be set 0.2v below the absorb setting ie 14v in your case. When it gets to that the shunt should set itself back to 100%

In your first pics the shunt was at 13.1v, whilst the solar charger was outputting 14.1v, so I guess to solar will soon go to float, but unless the shunt sees the above 14.1v/1amp it wont reset.

 

[acenip]

Overall it looks like the Solar charger is working well, the Shunt settings mean that when charging your battery has to hit 14.1v and a charge current of 1A (0.5% tail) for 3 mins to be considered full.

There's no perfect setting for the Tail current (mine is 2%) given the difference between cloudy skies vs clear etc. Victron suggest a Charged Voltage to be set 0.2v below the absorb setting ie 14v in your case. When it gets to that the shunt should set itself back to 100%

In your first pics the shunt was at 13.1v, whilst the solar charger was outputting 14.1v, so I guess to solar will soon go to float, but unless the shunt sees the above 14.1v/1amp it wont reset.

Thanks, very helpful. There's a slight difference with the recommendations on YouTube. A lot of these videos are from permanent installations on buildings which usually have multiple batteries, so I'm not sure what to think of their advice. Most suggest that the settings are like a trial and error learned from testing.

Anyway I seem to be going the right way

Your sunt setting are close enough not to cause any problems. As I said eairler you need to get the battery fully charged then do a manual sync and repeat if necessary.

I'll be doing this a couple of times like you've suggested. Can I trust the shunt when it reads 100% or do I need a multimeter reading due to the shunt not actually knowing what 100% is ATM?

 

[AdrianChen]

Thanks, very helpful. There's a slight difference with the recommendations on YouTube. A lot of these videos are from permanent installations on buildings which usually have multiple batteries, so I'm not sure what to think of their advice. Most suggest that the settings are like a trial and error learned from testing.

Anyway I seem to be going the right way

I'll be doing this a couple of times like you've suggested. Can I trust the shunt when it reads 100% or do I need a multimeter reading due to the shunt not actually knowing what 100% is ATM?

Buildings being fixed positions, possibly in sunnier climes might be a little easier to set up, so I just accept that Julie likes to park in the trees, and there's often clouds in the sky!

Shunts can drift over time especially if they do not sync to 100%. Lithiums can also be a pain if the cell balancing isn't triggered for some reason...

Best with yours (As a one off exercise) would be to get it to the point where you can be sure the battery is full ie say 14.5v for 2-3hours inc absorption, and set the shunt manually to 100% (As per Lenny HB), then it should stay accurate. Easy on a sunny day, or better still on EHU. I would want to see both the charger, and the Shunt showing 14.5v, even if there is some voltage drop in the charging cables, it should be negligable at very low currents, you can always confirm using a multimeter if you want.....

You could then disconnect the load side of the shunt, (IE not the battery connection side) so there is not any possibility there is any current running through the shunt and do a manual calibration to ensure it is measuring 0. Doubt it will make any difference, but at least you can be sure its amp counting is then accurate!

 

[acenip]

Buildings being fixed positions, possibly in sunnier climes might be a little easier to set up, so I just accept that Julie likes to park in the trees, and there's often clouds in the sky!

Shunts can drift over time especially if they do not sync to 100%. Lithiums can also be a pain if the cell balancing isn't triggered for some reason...

Best with yours (As a one off exercise) would be to get it to the point where you can be sure the battery is full ie say 14.5v for 2-3hours inc absorption, and set the shunt manually to 100% (As per Lenny HB), then it should stay accurate. Easy on a sunny day, or better still on EHU. I would want to see both the charger, and the Shunt showing 14.5v, even if there is some voltage drop in the charging cables, it should be negligable at very low currents, you can always confirm using a multimeter if you want.....

You could then disconnect the load side of the shunt, (IE not the battery connection side) so there is not any possibility there is any current running through the shunt and do a manual calibration to ensure it is measuring 0. Doubt it will make any difference, but at least yo? u can be sure its amp counting is then accurate!

Perfect, do you think I need to do this more than once?

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[fishplug]

If you know Pi’s that much then you are almost there, it is the easiest Pi project I have tried.

I had a couple of spare Pi3 kicking around (as you do) so I now have a fully functional setup and just need to wrap my head around which version of that 4-port hub you linked to and what connectors / cables I need to hook my 100/50 MPPT controller and SmartShunt to it.

Thanks for the nudge to do this - it was a simple project, but I enjoyed it and, as always, learned a bit more about the Pi along the way.

 

[AdrianChen]

Perfect, do you think I need to do this more than once?

I'd do it once and see how it goes after that.

 

[OldAgeTravellers]

I had a couple of spare Pi3 kicking around (as you do) so I now have a fully functional setup and just need to wrap my head around which version of that 4-port hub you linked to and what connectors / cables I need to hook my 100/50 MPPT controller and SmartShunt to it.

Thanks for the nudge to do this - it was a simple project, but I enjoyed it and, as always, learned a bit more about the Pi along the way.

I bought the one with shrink sleeve and sockets fitted. With a pack of four matching cables with VE direct plugs on the end. Then a suitable USB to USB-C cable from Amazon long enough to reach your Pi. Can’t remember the proper name of the plugs but it is obvious on their website shop pages.
The buying was easy and it took about a week to come from Italy taking a couple of days to clear customs inHolland.

 

[Lenny HB]

Thanks, very helpful. There's a slight difference with the recommendations on YouTube. A lot of these videos are from permanent installations on buildings which usually have multiple batteries, so I'm not sure what to think of their advice. Most suggest that the settings are like a trial and error learned from testing.

Anyway I seem to be going the right way

I'll be doing this a couple of times like you've suggested. Can I trust the shunt when it reads 100% or do I need a multimeter reading due to the shunt not actually knowing what 100% is ATM?

Once you get the shunt calibrated the Victron shunts are very good with Lithium, they hardly drift out of sync like they do with Lead.
They may drift out a bit with very low current flowing out a period but will correct on the next full charge.

 

[fishplug]

Can’t remember the proper name of the plugs but it is obvious on their website shop pages.

It is easy! In case anyone else is following this, the connectors you want to select are the JST ones and then you can buy the JST to VE.Direct cables in 1, 2 and 5m lengths.

Just ordered mine - well, that's a second Pi allocated to the van then!

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