Two Inverters with Solar Assistant, odd change in setup

[Riaan Eloff]

Hi all,

I have two axpert (Mecer branded) inverters.  They were installed to work in parallel.
Multiple Pylontech batteries and obviously panels (Canadian Solar and/or JA Solar)

I have Solar Assistant software installed to control the system.

It used to be that when I go to the gear icon, and then tap on settings (below Inverter) that I would see the work Configuration on the new page, with a drop-down for the two inverters next to it.
I could then select one of the inverters, and its info would be shown below, with the ability (specifically) to change CHARGER SOURCE PRIORITY from Solar, to Solar and Utility, to Solar First etc.

Recently (I think it may be after SA's latest upgrade - BUT, it could be something that I did on the system?) when I go to that configuration page, only invert 1 has the option to actually change the CHARGER SOURCE PRIORITY.  Inverter two does not allow it to be changed.
Also, when I select inverter 2, instead of showing the Max AC current, Max Output power, Nominal battery voltage, Firmware version, and SEVERAL other pieces of info that used to display there (and still displays when inverter 1 is selected), there is a messae:
"This inverter is indirectly read via parallel connection.  Although most values will be available, you can connect it via it's own direct cable for full communication".

As far as I know, it IS connected via its own cable, and has been since installation.

So, any suggestions or ideas/steps to start following?  I am very hesitant to just switch off and on again

Thanks all

[zsde]

Is this the tab you are referring to, where you can select the Inverter that you wish to perform the changes on?

If your Inverters are in parallel, then you should be able to select either and the changes performed on the one will be done on both.
 

49 minutes ago, Riaan Eloff said:

"This inverter is indirectly read via parallel connection.  Although most values will be available, you can connect it via it's own direct cable for full communication".

If that is the case then the USB cable from this Inverter to the Pi is either missing or faulty.
Every Inverter needs its own USB cable to the Pi, unlike parallel Batteries where only one BMS comms cable is needed to read all the batteries.

[Riaan Eloff]

Hey there, thanks for the reply

Yes, that's exactly it.

So, to clarify:  in the past (let's say the last 2 years), I would go and select one inverter, switch it, save, and wait a few moments, then select the second inverter, switch it, and save.

As mentioned, since about a month or two ago, around the time that I updated SA, I can suddenly not do that anymore.  When I select the second inverter, it has less info under that tab, AND, even though it does still show the "edit" dropdown, one cannot change anything, it just doesn't react.

Also, today, when I did switch the one, the other did not switch.  This was "normal", expected behavior in the past, as I only ever remember having to switch both.  For this reason that I don't "understand" why it now suddenly does not allow me to make the change anymore.  I was in the habit of always going to both inverters individually, and making the changes on each one.

Yet, as in the attached image, it does seem to me that they are connected in parallel.  What is odd, though, is that each one is connected "directly", it seems, via their own USB cable - yet, I get the message about the second one being read indirectly.

Could it be a setting in SA, that is not allowing/reading the second USB cable?  Or maybe a faulty cable/wear-and-tear?

[Riaan Eloff]

Apologies, the previous screenshot shows the multiple connected cables. 

Here's the one that let's me think they are in parallel.

[zsde]

Swap the two Inverter USB cables going to your Pi and see if the issue transfers from the one Inverter to the other.
You could also remove both USB cables and then test each one on the same Inverter. If both check OK on one Inverter, then test both on the other Inverter. That way at least you can determine if it maybe cable or Inverter related.

[Riaan Eloff]

Hey there zsde, and others,

Thanks for the advice thus far.

Here's what I have figured:  It seems the error may be either in SA (being a setting that needs to change) or on the actual inverters (again, possibly a setting which needs to change).

Obviously you folks may see an error, and highlight it for me, or recommend alternative options.  Here's my reasoning, and the process by which I came to this conclusion: (Please use attached image as reference).

1. There are four USB ports on the Pi.  Two are blue and two are black.  Thus I assume the blue are the faster ones (I forget which version/what they are called), and the black are the older ones.  For the experiment, though, this seemed to make no difference.
2. One of the black ports (bottom left as we look at the image) is connected to the Pylontech batteries.
3. The two blue ports (top-right and bottom-right) are connected to the two individual inverters.  Let's say the grey cable is inverter X and the black cable is inverter Y.
4. When I unplug both cables, the "STATUS" changes from connected, to "Failed to Read. Reconnecting in 20 sec".  Obviously, right?
5. Here's where it gets "wonky"....
6. I connect the grey cable (inv X) to ANY of the three currently open ports, and connection is re-established.  "Inverter 1" does what it should, and "Inverter 2", does it's thing with the message "This inverter is indirectly read via parallel connection......" and its charger source (and other settings in that block) cannot be changed - even when I change it on Inverter 1.  As mentioned, only Inv 1 changes, no 2 remains locked and cannot be adapted.
7. So, I disconnect the grey (Inv X) cable, and get the failed reading message.
8. Now I connect the black cable (Inv Y) to ANY of the three currently open ports, and connection is re-established.  EVERYTHING that I said in point 6 above, is then again exactly the same.  So - Inverter 1 can be set, but Inverter 2 has restrictions.
9. This leads me to believe that both cables are working.  Please be aware.....I did not randomly connect one cable to one of the ports.  I systematically connected one cable to a port, then disconnected, then same cable to next port, then disconnected, then same cable to final port.  I repeated the process with the other cable.  ALL CABLE and ALL PORTS "connect", but only Inverter 1 is fully "settable".  Inverter 2 always has limitations.
10. As you can deduce from my story - it appears that to the software, Inverter 1 and Inverter 2 are not always the same unit, since one cable comes from Inverter X and another cable from Inverter Y - but, no matter which of X or Y's cable is being used, the software always makes "Inverter 1" fully accessible, and "Inverter 2" restricted access.  Along with this, the inverter that is currently connected (with the one-cable-experiment) is always "made" to be Inverter 1.  I tested this by connecting one cable, then making changes in the software, and only the connected inverter changed.  Tried systematically, again, switching between both inverters and both cables.

So, with all that....please tell me someone has a suggestion as to what ails me, or additional tests I could try.

[Riaan Eloff]

Ok....sheezzz....just to "wierd everybody out" even a little further.....

I have Home Assistant, and the Inverters are connected via MQTT.

When I change inverter 1 in HA, it also changes inverter 2.  BUT - this is only from HA.  If I go directly to SA (Solar Assistant), the same is not true.