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MyInverter

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  1. Like
    MyInverter got a reaction from TimCam in Victron - installation / upgrade   
    Hi all, 
    I am busy upgrading my current system and locked on replacing with a Victron. 
    I have decided on Victron Quattro 15Kva, paired to the following (which are already installed to my current system):
    33 330w Canada Solar - panels - currently connected in a series of three panels.  3x 10kw Narada LifePO4 batteries. (total 30kw in Dec will add another 30kw) The application will be eventually to be as self sufficient as possible but with the understanding I will always be connected to Eskom. I want to make sure that it always fully utilizes the 33 solar panels where possible during the day for essential and non essential (geyser etc) and if additional power is needed it can blend from Eskom. Haven't decided yet if I want to use the batteries during the no solar period as they now used for pure backup. 
    I have about 3 1/2 years of data on my current system which tells me the following profiles:
    Highest load (concurrent load 14kw - ACs, geyser etc etc)  Average load during "high usage periods" (bathing kids, cooking etc) - 6kw Average load "quiet times" (kids in bed, just watching TV etc) - 3kw The average load (point 3) is high but I have a large home with lots of electronics that constantly run, and some critical equipment that has to be on 24/7. As above my 30kw battery bank was designed to get me from sunset to sun up incase of a significant outage (stolen cables, substation issues you know stuff that happens all the time here in ZA) @ a load of 2-2.5kw.
    I am a geek by nature so would want as much of the technology as possible (the screen of course) but also the app connection and as much monitoring as possible. 
    Been doing some research and what Confuses me is all the bits and bobs you need over and above just the inverter. Thought I would ask here what would be recommended to add to the inverter for this type of system? 
    I have solar now with the 30kw of batteries (as per above) so this would be an upgrade on the inverter and additional equipment side. 
  2. Thanks
    MyInverter reacted to Brainquan in Narada Inter Battery Coms   
    You can connect it any position from pack 1 to pack 2 and 2 to 3 with rs485 cable.
    remember need change ADDR SWITCH in front of batt 
    Pack master: 1 st up
    2nd pack: 2nd up
    3rd pack: 1 and 2 up

  3. Like
    MyInverter got a reaction from WannabeSolarSparky in Narada Inter Battery Coms   
    Hi all,
    I just bought 3 10K Narada Life P04 batteries. Now have a question on the front there are four connections, of which I know they are for coms between the batteries and coms with a BMS.
    Front Panel: -

     
    From what I understand you connect them for inter battery coms as follows with a network cable - can someone please advise?

     
    Thank you for the advise.
  4. Like
    So I am running both at the moment ICC and Solar Assistant. Here is my (this is my personal view) findings to date:
    ICC Solar - Price I can't remember the exact amount but I think I paid $49 via pay pal - No Pi included there are options to include a Pi Pro's Incredible software from a perspective of the developer knowing the inverters correct calculations and displaying the information It has MQTT built in so if you need to stream the values and access them for another system (like me) you can. A use case is I have home automation in my entire house. I use the MQTT values to do certain things i.e. turn things on and off, arm certain parts of the alarm system if loadshedding or the grid drops at a certain period of time. Another use case is if you want to create your own dashboards and work with the data you not stuck in their interfact. They allow you to SSH into the machine (Raspberry Pi) so that you can always make sure packages etc are up to date and because the load on the machine is not high you can utilize the same RPi for other services you might need. Updates are frequent which is great and you can track the updates in their change log which often is over looked by developers and is good info for the end user. Setup is pretty solid  You can connect a HDMI cable and you have the RPi Desktop you can interact with Con's They don't have a mobile app they rely on the centurion solar interface which leaves a lot to be desired but this is where the MQTT service comes in to build your own dashboards which is awesome for mobile. Could do better Their support is good, but often you met with a short answer when you seeking more information or VNC to connect which is not always the best answer. Not saying this is a negative just saying spending more time explaining when all one needs is a text answer. Solar Assistant - disclaimer been using it for one week. - Price R799 (as of last week) - No Pi included, there are options to include a PI Pro's Their user interface is far superior and more "modern" Info is displayed in a user friendly way so if you just want to see the important info easy to read this is your option. ICC Solar is more aimed at installers from my point of view. Setup is easy  Graphs are done in a great way they using Grafana in the background which is one of the best interfaces for dashboarding. They have a "mobile app" even though its not a true app and is merely a link on your device to the web interface its functional and works great. Support is quick at responding and often answers the question first time round. Con's It's a headless system meaning there is no user interface for Raspberry Pi installed and the only interface you have to the OS is via the web interface solar assistant provides you.  No option to login to the Raspberry Pi via SSH to install a desktop interface or update the operating system (for me this is a big no no). No MQTT however I have been told this is coming in an update in the next few months. Could do better: Besides improving on the con's nothing much  So having said all that both will give you what you asked for, now its about understanding which one has the better pro's and con's for your senario.

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