ebrsa

BJ vd Linde did you manage to get ICM to communicate with the JK-BMS. It took me a while as ICM showed the SOC data but none of the Sunsynk inverter data. I have a Sunsynk 5.5Kva and one needs a splitter cable for the RS485/CAN port. as well as 2 x RS485/USB cables. I got mine from Solar-assistant and the technical descriptions on their website is very good. The CAN cable I crimped myself following their instructions. After much fiddling I finally found that I did not set the port numbers for the inverter to ICM and once done all data was displayed. Unfortunately ICM only shows 15 cell voltages and reads the inverter's battery SOC for the System/Working Mode table. That SOC is totally wrong and useless. ICM displays the SOC of the battery correctly on the dashboards so it seems to have a bug or two. Sadly I saw a comment on the forum that Manie, the programmer, has passed away so I don't know where to turn for help other than alternative software. I did send ICC Software an e-mail and will see what happens.

Hi Mike, All fine here and hope same with you. My link to your cameras is dead but Bernard will take a look at the routing when he finds time. Hope you find supplies in the present turmoil.

Hi @Mike. I hear you are a very busy man with new installations. Small wonder we have not had a word for the past year or so. Stay well in the icy cold weather.

This matter has been discussed in great detail in the past. If an inverter is connected to the grid in any way, even to draw mains power for charging or switching to grid if batteries or solar is not sufficient, it is grid tied. Just study the CofC brochure posted by @Steve87, particularly the off grid illustration. There is no connection whatsoever between the inverter and the grid. So the moment you connect to the grid, the inverter becomes grid tied. Best to check with CofC before buying an inverter classified as off grid, such as those made by Voltronics ie Axpert, Kodak and others. The inverters on the list are the only ones that may be connected to the grid in any way. It does make solar a lot more expensive as a qualified engineer has to sign the installation off too. In Australia the Axpert inverters are perfectly legal as explained by @Coulomb in the past. However if you are prepared to switch the load manually between the grid and inverter output and not connect the grid to the inverter at all an off grid inverter may be used. Automatic transfer switches are quite expensive, around R12000 last I looked but probably more now.

ICC displays what tne battery BMS tells it the state of charge, volts and amps sensed are. The state of charge will drop suddenly when full charge voltage is reached as the charge amps drop to near zero but the load is still there. I have a DIY battery with BMS but information to ICC comes from a Victron Smart Shunt. Even so my ICC displays similar graphs. For a good understanding read Protection and Management of Marine Lithium Battery Banks on Nordkyndesign.com. All articles on lithium batteries on the website are worth reading for better understanding of LiFePO4 batteries.

If you want an off grid system, any of the inverters may be used. The moment you connect to the grid legislation applies. So if one is going to connect to the grid, first step is to enquire with municipality or Eskom if they supply directly to you, about regulations and applications. The inverter will then require a certificate of compliance.

That is disappointing. Perhaps try lodging a question on the website.

@Colin I don't know who Diversified Software is but the developer of ICC is Manie and as @John suggested above send an enquiry to him at [email protected] or post one on the website. Manie is sure to give you the right explanation.

@Colin at about 12h30 your battery voltage rises exponentially which is normal behavior for LFP cells when almost at 100% charge. My charge amps fall sharply as the float voltage of ICC and therefore the Axperts is set to 53.7V (16 cells). My Axperts are flashed with the latest firmware by @Coulomb (also known as Aussie firmware) and it allows me to see the charge current of of each inverter. I can't remember what the factory firmware displays. Perhaps you should investigate if there is an Aussie LFP firmware for your inverters if you have the courage to flash them. I have flashed mine many times as newer versions became available and also for others without mishaps. However it remains a personal decision and if it goes wrong you have an expensive paper weight or two on your hands. It seems that LFP batteries should not be kept at a float voltage but apparently little happens at a cell coltage below 3.4V and mine at 3.36V was recommended by @Coulomb. There are also detailed articles on https://nordkyndesign.com/. Perhaps you should switch the load to grid and then check what the charge amps or watts are on each inverter to narrow down the source of the low PV watts.

If you post the battery graphs one would be able to see what is happening while batteries are being charged. I have 2x4Kw Axperts with a 240AH diy battery and controlled by ICC on an RPi3. Works perfectly although solar power is down since it is winter with frequent cloudy days.

@Gnome I have always found Manie Erasmus of ICCSoftware most helpful and cordial. As a long time user of ICC I can say that it controls my 2 x Axpert 5Kva cluster flawlessly. Recently had to replace my BMV700, which failed and opted for the Victron Smartshunt. My FLA batteries I also replaced with a DIY 240AH LFP battery bank. ICC works perfectly on a RPi 3B in controlling all necessary functions and does a sterling job in controlling the sensitive matter of correct battery charging voltages. Manie was understandably very upset when his source code was published publicly. The source remains unknown but it seems likely that it might have been a trusted associate of the past. I am one satisfied customer who has paid only once and my licence is valid until 2063.

I have been using ICC from Manie of ICCSoftware since it was a Windows program. My Raspberry Pi boards and official Pi power supplies come from Pishop who are local official distributors. Never have any problems with hardware and software hanging. Inverters are 2 parallel Axpert MKS 5Kva/4Kw inverters. Battery is 240AH 48V LiFePO4 DIY with Smart ANT BMS. A Victron BMV700 battery monitor is connected to the RPi. All this is working flawlessly so I have about 5 years of experience using ICC and have no hesitation in recommending it. Not sure what the latest version (ICM) licence costs are but the ICC version is valid until 2063. From information on the ICCSoftware website it would seem that ICM is required for Deye/Sunsink so better check licencing costs and validity with them.

@Acuario Thanks a lot for your drawing and details of your underfloor heating system. It will be of much value to me.

@Acuario Do you have a storage tank for the hot water from the solar panels and what is the volume in litres. Also are your heating pipes embedded in the floor slab or in an isolated concrete layer above the floor slab. Perhaps you would be so kind as to describe the your hydronic floor heating system a bit more comprehensively. I did embed pex pipes in my concrete floor slabs when building the house and am trying to figure out the most effective way of producing the required hot water. In the Western Cape Province of South Africa, where I live, we have a fair amount of sunshine in winter but our electricity infrastructure has been badly neglected and willld probably fail at some stage. We are already having frequent rolling blackouts and electricity prices keep escalating. So I think it is time I put the pipes in the floors to work.

A friend has SLA batteries of unknown make as shown on picture. Does anyone know the absorb and float voltages for these. There are no batteries listed on the product list of the website printed on the batteries.