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Solar PV battery options

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Comments

  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,641 Mod ✭✭✭✭graememk


    DrPhilG wrote: »
    The manual diagram shows 4 cables from can to the monitor. I'll check with the manufacturer.

    12v and ground is the other 2 to the monitor. The solis doesn't need that


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,032 ✭✭✭championc


    I found this. Obviously the Sofar end is an RF11 and not an RJ45

    557694.jpg

    Sofar ME3000 Battery Storage Inverter for sale in Ballinteer, Sth. Dublin - see Adverts.ie - https://www.adverts.ie/other-electronics/solar-sofar-me3000-battery-storage-inverter/32914042 or PM me



  • Registered Users Posts: 12,153 ✭✭✭✭DrPhilG


    Thanks folks.

    I've emailed the BMS manufacturer to confirm his recommendation. He's in Oz but generally very quick with email responses so hopefully I'll have an answer in the morning.


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,153 ✭✭✭✭DrPhilG


    Are we back?



  • Registered Users Posts: 12,153 ✭✭✭✭DrPhilG




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  • Registered Users Posts: 3,165 ✭✭✭irishchris


    Was looking forward to getting this site back to and running to see the progress in the battery set up Phil. How's the BMS wiring working out for you? Looking at possibly adding a 5kw version of these myself to start with.


    As an aside this new boards site update is terrible



  • Registered Users Posts: 12,153 ✭✭✭✭DrPhilG


    It's crap. I can't find my followed threads list.



  • Registered Users Posts: 3,165 ✭✭✭irishchris


    It's a mess alright. I had to click on categories at the bottom of the page. Find stuff I used to follow like renewable energies and click the cog beside it and click follow.

    Then after under categories click the drop down menu and change to following and shows then from there on. It's such hard work compared to the old site though!



  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,641 Mod ✭✭✭✭graememk


    When the ZEVA BMS was mentioned in April and looked into it a bit more.

    It supported the SMA (LG, BYD) protocol but with some support for the pylontech one, but no guarantees.

    I ordered one, even though the default battery setting was doing ok, it needed an eye on it, also was running the inverter in "passive" mode which allowed me to control it remotely. Had code wrote to prevent "recalculations" of the SoC unless I wanted it to.

    Been sitting on the desk to "season" since then.

    Got it installed at the weekend as the little balance board wasn't keeping it as balanced as I wanted on the high end.

    All installed now and it keeps a great balance of the cells.

    The pylon setting on the Inverter didn't work great but a new firmware update for the inverter has added LG to the battery list. Selected that and it has been perfect ever since.



  • Registered Users Posts: 6,032 ✭✭✭championc


    Thankfully, the PC version of Boards.ie is somewhat the "Normal" version - but It's a complete mess on a phone or tablet

    Anyway, are you all done Phil - up and running now ?

    Sofar ME3000 Battery Storage Inverter for sale in Ballinteer, Sth. Dublin - see Adverts.ie - https://www.adverts.ie/other-electronics/solar-sofar-me3000-battery-storage-inverter/32914042 or PM me



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  • Registered Users Posts: 12,153 ✭✭✭✭DrPhilG


    Not near it lol


    I've got everything I need, apart from time. Made a start, but I'm happy to just go a step at a time.


    This is some progress thus far. Updated cable drawing and the first stages of connecting.


    I'll be spreading the cells across 2 shelves and the BMS wires will be run up the back of the unit and the BMS itself mounted on the top.


    Ignore the 2 BMS in the diagram, it was just for ease of illustration. Still has a few gaps to fill too. And I know those cables run to the isolator, not to the inverter itself.





  • Registered Users Posts: 12,153 ✭✭✭✭DrPhilG


    Tis a match!





  • Registered Users Posts: 64,548 ✭✭✭✭unkel


    All up and running then with the battery connected to the Sofar?



  • Registered Users Posts: 12,153 ✭✭✭✭DrPhilG




  • Registered Users Posts: 1,884 ✭✭✭SlowBlowin


    If you have a large battery bank I would suggest a infrared laser thermometer as essential equipment.

    I recently picked one up for no reason than it was cheap (20 euro in Lidl). Looking for something to point it at I tried the terminals on the cells in my battery bank (2v lead acid 4500 Ah each). While most were at the same temperature 3 were higher than average, and one was up by 9 degrees centigrade. After a clean and a few hours they were all at the lower temperature (they were being charged at about 120 amps at the time). There was no corrosion visible, surfaces were bright and clean, but a quick clean up with emery paper made the difference. I would not have cleaned them if I did not have the thermometer as they were spotless to my old tired eyes.

    The thermometer now lives next to the battery bank.



  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 18,560 Mod ✭✭✭✭slave1


    Good stuff DrPhil, keep up the momentum and pics



  • Registered Users Posts: 12,153 ✭✭✭✭DrPhilG


    What else would you be at on a sunny Sunday morning.





  • Registered Users Posts: 3,165 ✭✭✭irishchris


    Good man Phil. Keep us updated with photos as it progresses 👍



  • Registered Users Posts: 6,032 ✭✭✭championc


    Just one thing - your Bottom Shelf End shouldn't have two BMS cables going to the last positive terminal. The BMS will have 17 cables, one to the negative and 16 to the positives in sequence. Your drawing has 18 cables, which I don't believe is correct.

    Sofar ME3000 Battery Storage Inverter for sale in Ballinteer, Sth. Dublin - see Adverts.ie - https://www.adverts.ie/other-electronics/solar-sofar-me3000-battery-storage-inverter/32914042 or PM me



  • Registered Users Posts: 6,032 ✭✭✭championc


    The busbars are 6 leaf copper strips, and the bolts are M10's I think, and even with a 5kW inverter connected to these, you couldn't heat these if you were pulling a full load. For once, they are possibly overspec'd, or at least for our use anyway.

    Sofar ME3000 Battery Storage Inverter for sale in Ballinteer, Sth. Dublin - see Adverts.ie - https://www.adverts.ie/other-electronics/solar-sofar-me3000-battery-storage-inverter/32914042 or PM me



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  • Registered Users Posts: 64,548 ✭✭✭✭unkel


    Not the sofar, but whatever inverter you have. Are you up and running?



  • Registered Users Posts: 64,548 ✭✭✭✭unkel


    Can confirm that. Mine does 3.2kW charge and discharge and the busbars nor the outside of the cells barely go above ambient temps



  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,641 Mod ✭✭✭✭graememk


    The BMS has a terminal for cell 16 and another terminal for most positive (can be run with less than 16 cells)

    So you either put a jumper between most positive and 16 or run a second wire.



  • Registered Users Posts: 1,884 ✭✭✭SlowBlowin



    Its nothing to do with the gauge of material, its the junction surfaces (my interconnects and terminals are over an inch thick - overspec'd too). They only started showing this issue after 10 years of use, the surfaces are bright but there must be a very slow oxidization under the nut slowly increasing junction resistance. Every time I have observed this its the nut and bolt that are the hottest surface measured. It also would help you spot a nut that was not fully tightened down on the busbar, which would also lead to the same issue. For the money a easy, second opinion, temperature measurement that is quick and easy to do seems a good idea, especially for someone with an older battery bank like me. Looking forward to seeing your finished set up.



  • Registered Users Posts: 12,153 ✭✭✭✭DrPhilG


    Yup the latest version of the bms has a + and a - at either end of the 16.





  • Registered Users Posts: 1,884 ✭✭✭SlowBlowin


    Yep mine are stone cold at full charge now I fixed the issues.



  • Registered Users Posts: 12,153 ✭✭✭✭DrPhilG


    Nope, as above its a work in progress a bit at a time.


    Got the rest of the BMS cables ringed and heat shrunk today. Just need to find the time to hook them all up.


    Then work out the configuration of the Solis.



  • Registered Users Posts: 6,032 ✭✭✭championc


    Well done so far @DrPhilG - very nicely done on the BMS tails.

    Sofar ME3000 Battery Storage Inverter for sale in Ballinteer, Sth. Dublin - see Adverts.ie - https://www.adverts.ie/other-electronics/solar-sofar-me3000-battery-storage-inverter/32914042 or PM me



  • Registered Users Posts: 12,153 ✭✭✭✭DrPhilG


    Any of you other LiFePo4 builders put any heat control in place? As in fans or anything to cool them down?


    I think the seller lists a charging temperature of minus 5 up to 60c so it wouldn't be needed as we'd never get that high.


    On a scorching day the attic could tip over 30c. Today it was between 24 and 27c most of the day.



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  • Registered Users Posts: 12,153 ✭✭✭✭DrPhilG


    Edit, just loaded the data from the stat sitting on top of my PylonTech batteries.


    Yesterday saw the highest temp I've recorded up there, 35.7c at peak.




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