The installer was happy to do it this way. I have to trust in him  

 

The way I understood it ….. noob

 

9 x 48 V = 432 V   
 

one should never go over 450 V ….. that is the one that will cause damage ……

 

experts ?

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 5, 20224 yr by Wannebe

I have started making screenshots at night. Every day +- 12:00 the battery was back to being fully charged.  Pool pump is running from 12:00 to 16:00  

Here are the last couple of days

 

 

Edited August 5, 20224 yr by Wannebe

6 hours ago, Wannebe said:

9 x 48 V = 432 V   
 

one should never go over 450 V ….. that is the one that will cause damage ……

On cold cloudy days I have seen my panels spike to about 47v so in my opinion you should be ok if that 48v you are referring to is the VOC. 8 panels at 48v would be safer though. It just takes that one big voltage spike to bring some magic smoke.

15 hours ago, Wannebe said:

The installer was happy to do it this way. I have to trust in him  

 

The way I understood it ….. noob

 

9 x 48 V = 432 V   
 

one should never go over 450 V ….. that is the one that will cause damage ……

 

experts ?

 

 

 

 

 

This is cutting it rather close, on a clear summer day with a cool  breeze coming from the ocean those panels will produce more than than VOC.

I am not familiar with this inverter, was is the maximum Volts for the MPPT?

2 hours ago, I84RiS said:

This is cutting it rather close, on a clear summer day with a cool  breeze coming from the ocean those panels will produce more than than VOC.

I am not familiar with this inverter, was is the maximum Volts for the MPPT?

I believe 500 V, but it goes on to say one should not go more than 450 V 

 

4 000 W per channel x 2 

 

Kodak OG 7.2 kW

Edited August 6, 20224 yr by Wannebe

22 minutes ago, Wannebe said:

I believe 500 V, but it goes on to say one should not go more than 450 V 

 

4 000 W per channel x 2 

 

Kodak OG 7.2 kW

I see the Voc of 432V save with some space to go to 500V. The 450V seems for normal operation.

Good news then 😁

I was trying to size the PV (8.1 kW) for the 7.2 kW of the inverter, to get max use from the sun to supply the house etc. + leave a bit of safety margin. 
 

My plan is to run the current setup until Sept. and then see if I could also add the geyser in summer months. 
 

But before then I want to get better data etc first. 
 

 

 

Edited August 6, 20224 yr by Wannebe

On 2022/08/03 at 10:28 AM, Wannebe said:

Dear All

 

Does anyone have a contact number for me to contact Solar Assistant Sales ?

 

Many thanks

 

Albert

 

Hi Wannabe

i don’t have a contact at Solar-Assistant but have setup and using 2 x Pi Zero’s and 1 Pi 3B to run solar-assistant and monitor Kodak Inverters and Pylontech batteries. If I can help let me know. 

Tnx. Just arrived in India. Will contact once Im back. Would like to hear / see what setup you have and what data you can track etc. Many thanks

 

 

Quick question ….

I have read many threads here and elsewhere about updating firmware. How often should one do this, given that my system run 100% correct without any trouble ?

Would there be any benefit to keep updating regardless if a new version become available ?

 

 

1 hour ago, Wannebe said:

Quick question ….

I have read many threads here and elsewhere about updating firmware. How often should one do this, given that my system run 100% correct without any trouble ?

Would there be any benefit to keep updating regardless if a new version become available ?

As a general rule of thumb, don't try to fix what ain't broken.

Back, and ordered the Solar Assistant package with some cables tonight. 
 

Will see when it arrive and then the setup etc can begin. 
 

Last night I observed the following on my system. At first I did not understood but then figured it out ...... (I think ... 🙂 )

 

1. Yesterday the batteries were not fully charge before sundown (rainy day and high usage)

2. At around 11pm the batteries were down to 30% and ESCOM kicked in as per settings. I keep around 30% in case we will get load shedding.

3. BUT, the batteries were not charging !

 

After scratching my head, I realized:

1. Because setting 16 (charge priority) is on CSO (solar first and ESCOM only if solar is not available)

2. The system was showing PV1 = 81V & PV2 = 83V for 747W output

3. The Kodak must have sense Solar is available and therefore it did not kicked in the ESCOM charging.

 

Firstly, I'm I correct in my understanding of the functional operation of my settings ?

Secondly, how do one "fix" (get rid) of the ""ghost" voltage on the PV at night ?

 

OR

 

How could I changed my settings to also charge the batteries at night if ESCOM kicks in ? I think the solution is to use the timer settings for charging source priority and then make day time hours CSO and night time hours SNU, but like to confirm before I start fiddling ?

 

PS: Cannot wait to get the Solar Assistant software to properly "see" what is going on 24/7 !

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 20, 20223 yr by Wannebe

2 hours ago, Wannebe said:

Secondly, how do one "fix" (get rid) of the ""ghost" voltage on the PV at night ?

Have you tried downloading the log from the inverter via USB? This gives some basic data, but is handy to see what's happening "after hours" until you get SA. I have an OG+ 5.48 and it shows my PV drops to 0 at night (I have fewer panels though and no ambient light). There is a handy post on the forum about parsing the csv file headers if you need to.

2 hours ago, jumper said:

Have you tried downloading the log from the inverter via USB? This gives some basic data, but is handy to see what's happening "after hours" until you get SA. I have an OG+ 5.48 and it shows my PV drops to 0 at night (I have fewer panels though and no ambient light). There is a handy post on the forum about parsing the csv file headers if you need to.

Thx. Have not tried that. Will have a look. 

29 minutes ago, Wannebe said:

Thx. Have not tried that. Will have a look. 

Your previous point 2 with PV1&2 above 80V.Did they produce 747W in PV output?

53 minutes ago, Scorp007 said:

Your previous point 2 with PV1&2 above 80V.Did they produce 747W in PV output?

Mmm, I hope I understand right …. The inverter was outputting 747W

1 hour ago, Wannebe said:

Thx. Have not tried that. Will have a look. 

FYI, you don't have to use an OTG cable, I use an old samsung usb adapter I got with a free tablet years ago and it works great, like this:

https://switch.co.zw/product/samsung-micro-classic-usb-otg-connector/

Got the magic box full of tricks today (Thanks Solar Assistant !) ...... will look to setup everything next week.

 

Pi + charger + cables etc .....

 

Cannot wait.

 

Edited August 26, 20223 yr by Wannebe

Guys, my PI and solar assistant is up and running .... I think .....  🙂

Now to collect data and figure it out all .......

 

Edited August 28, 20223 yr by Wannebe

Maybe a stupid question, but is there any way of getting the historical data from the WatchPower app in the database of the solar assistant ?

 

I think it was a good "solar" day in Langebaan today ....... not knowing any better ..... the system got a good working out .....

And it seems that Solar Assistant is also working just fine.

Some notes:

No Clouds all day, Cool breeze going, Solar Assistant Emulated BMS setting activated

At various stages during the day: Base Load + Battery Charging + Swimming pool + Washing Machine + Tumble Drier + Dishwasher + coffee machine, sometimes 3/4 together.

 

Anything that the experts might see that might be concerning ? Really appreciate you taking the time ......

 

Albert

SolarAssistant.pdfSolarAssistant1.pdfSolarAssistant2.pdfSolarAssistant3.pdf

 

 

Question 1

With the Kodak inverters, is it better to use the Solar Assistant Emulated BMS setting other than relaying on the Inverter feedback to display the state of charge of the batteries ? I have the PI only connected to the Inverter, not to the battery.

 

Question 2

I have 3 x Kodak 5.12 FLS batteries connected. What should I input as the battery capacity (15.36 ?) in Solar Assistant for the above setting to ensure the most accurate battery state of charge reporting ? Obviously there are calculations happening here in the software based on Amps etc, so I think this value is critical to get right or else all will be offset by the "error".

We all have to pay school fees …… right? So don’t ask ……

 

I think (know) I have blown the DC / PV side of my Kodak.

 

Is it repairable ?

 

 

Sorry to hear that. You can get a replacement SCC board (https://shumata.com/product/kodak-scc-board-for-og-7-2/) and do it yourself or you will have to find someone local to you who can do board level repairs. There should be someone who does Kodak repairs in Cape Town.