MockTurtle

... you might wanna budget for the solarmd loggerv2 as well, not sure how well the batteries will work without one. having said that, am not a fan of their Logger/system. it is STILL buggy. it has been for years (see my previous comments on their logger). i've a couple of their batteries and currently their logger system is unreliable and do not work well. the batteries might be good, the system/battery management/interface is not so good.

geeze things have changed, or maybe they are just swamped due to loadshedding going ape. when we had ours done two years ago the process just took two weeks, but then again the installer took care of it, it was part of the deal. yup also one of the reasons i dIdn't DIY the initial install. i've since doubled up on storage and PV - that was easy enough to DIY.

well according to pdf attached it does... not so clued up on protocols. i've 2 axperts in parallel, so one is connected to LoggerV2, and the other to SolarAssistant. i rely on the SolarAssistant for metrics, LoggerV2 just manages the SolarMD batteries. wanted to scrape data off it so tinkered a bit and that LoggerV2 runs raspi os/linux and payara server... so yeah its basically just a souped up raspberry. LoggerV2-Datasheet-v10.2-EN.pdf

SolarMD make great batteries, but that LoggerV2 really lets it down... actually I have no words for it - its really unreliable. I won't even get into the UI... if there was a way to bypass that logger I would like to know!

this is the way. anybody got experience/research on this with coct? what is the process and cost of removing the meter and of going totally off grid?

amen brother! brushless impact driver is my most used power tool. was a breeze punching in tek screws when i added a few panels earlier this year. this was "teal team six" a few years ago.. i've added a few to the collection since then. need an updated family photo 🙂

Really glad there is now an mqtt interface! I have configured it and it seems to work... albeit its only one way at the moment - see suggestion below. ...however I wouldn't have known of these developments (and what the story behind the 'lost' data was) had I not logged on these forums... one should not have to rant on a public forum to get meaningful feedback 😐 ...also i have noticed lately there are broken image/logo links - so i know something has changed. some suggestions: - maybe add a notice functionality on the mypower24 dashboard. you can notify users of system changes/updates/issues/new features. heck you can even plug sales pitch on there... - ability to send mqtt commands as well? ie to toggle loadshedding prep mode, set discharge levels etc. that would be really be icing on the cake. In any case, once again I really appreciate the response and the new features ...am really hoping things improve.

...yip i've no qualms with the battery itself. the issue is the interface. for example i like to tinker a bit with home automation (nodered/hass) and their logger doesn't provide a straightforward interface or APl. luckily I can pull stats from my 2nd inverter using a Rpi. i was using an opensource alternative but i've now purchased solar assistant just to be able to poll/log stats reliably. more importantly now if my internet link is down i can still at least check figures - with the solarmd "cloud" your basically s.o.l, if the internet link or their server is down. well thoretically you *can still* access your logger on the local network but that frontend has not been updated in yonks and its simply broken.

yeah i also got notification from coct of this 'upgrade'. i reckon this is a precursor for them moving towards time based tarriffs... ie where electricity costs more during peak times/evenings/winter. see this is why they asked for solar registrations. none of my neighbours have been scheduled for this "upgrade". but no worries i guess i'll just buy more storage and be less reliant on them as possible.

<Okay just a rant> I've been happy with their batteries so far. But their logger and software update process however is a full on disaster. One basically can't rely on SolarMD for meaningful stats and logs. Also I don't think they test before doing software updates - i've last summer's data/logs (three months worth) basically disappear when they did an update. Also no warning or notice to customers before said software updates. Currently now the dashboard is showing wonky data, ie +-90 kilowatts continuous draw (wtf?).... and I apparently consumed 5.3k worth of electricity today.. hahaha. guess their devs been playing on the live environment again 🙄. Luckily I have SolarAssistant plugged in to the second inverter and am able to see system's status. Oh yeah - had to purchase SolarAssistant as SolarMD doesn"t have API I can use for HomeAssistant/NodeRed. Sorry for the rant. I'll relax now.

...hmm. thanks for the info and yeah definitely food for thought. i've got solarmd's... and yup to upgrade they're a bit on the expensive side!

...it was this video that initially got me to post. ...hmmm but yeah that smart shunt/solar assistant idea is interesting. i understand manufacturers will definitely discourage it - i guess i'm the sort who despise being delberately locked in and limited to my options... but don't we all?

okay since the different battery brands/vendors out there are now getting competitive, started wondering whether it would be possible to mix/parallel different battery brands to a battery bank (provided chemistry/architecture is same)? or are we really locked in to the brand we initially bought? for example say i got an existing hubble, and want to add a pylontech/bluenova.. is it a matter of just connecting them to the bank/busbar? sure they will each have their own bms, and will not necessarily be able to comm with each other. also only the one bms will be able to communicate with the inverter...

another follow up on pvstore - they eventually had the panels in stock and managed to pick up from montague branch. also picked up cables and mc4 connectors, just wish they had more choices wrt to mounting and electrical bits but otherwise great service with very competitive pricing. the rest of the items i needed i managed to get from sonopsolar (fuses, spd, and ibr mounts). very quick delivery. only downside is their webstore does not offer credit card facilities (just old school eft's). rubicon was just down the road from me but they appear to be disinterested in helping walk-in diyers. thirty minutes waiting, lots of blokes behind the counter/office all appearing 'very busy' and trying their best to avoid eye contact (maybe the next day being a public holiday had something to do with it). in the end they only had two types of panels in stock, and only the most expensive mounting gear. in any case finished my small project during the weekend - adding 12x panels on my carport to augment my existing install.

my 2nd vehicle... which I rarely use... essentially in storage... is permanently hooked up to an optimate 6 in the garage. always starts effortlessly even if left for months at a time. i see prices have gone up - got mine yonks ago, but its more than paid for itself in batteries saved and recovered.