After my installation I started playing with my new "TOY" but quickly realize that it's not going to perform to the levels I wanted to.

So like any software developer I started developing my own software. I wanted to achive the following goals:

- Generated max power, use the power as long as posisble, switch over to grid when needed
- Automaticlly change the power management for load-shedding 
- Protect my batteries against high power usage by switching over to grid when power usage exceed X for a few minutes and back when usage recovered
- Only switch to Solar when Batteries is over X voltage and Solar is over X Watt (provide to levels) 
- Switch over to Grid in the afternoon when Solar is under X level or Time. 
- Identify Low average power generation (Clouds, Rain) - For Load-Shedding
- Move from Solar Charge only to Solar/Grid when batteries are very low or for Load-shedding 

I also wanted the system to look "Cool" and I wanted to make it accesable from a browser. 

Bought a Raspberrypi and screen...

Here is the results...so much fun... still learning

 

 

Lekka! Now THIS is what I am talking about! Very nice! I have very similar requirements as to your automation points noted. Please keep us posted on the progress. 

Very nice. I also use Grafana for my graphs - why re-invent the wheel? What size screen is that, where did you buy it and cost?

And don't get too obsessed with the data 😀

haha, thanks for the comment. Just love development. Must say I was very disipointed with the Axpert inverter (it's a device from the 80s!)

Using a Raspberrypi 4 with 5inch touch screen (abount R 2300 with the box and all parts ), 

Grafana for graphs (it's so powerful !) and my own Python script that manage the Axpert Inverter.

Next is the write an Android and ios app or maybe intergrate. 

On 2020/04/08 at 7:42 AM, Tsa said:

Lekka! Now THIS is what I am talking about! Very nice! I have very similar requirements as to your automation points noted. Please keep us posted on the progress. 

Thanks for the reply. Lots of fun  Let me know if I can assist

Wow, feeling a little jealous, very impressing! Compliments!

Wish I had these skills.

On 2020/04/07 at 10:24 PM, [email protected] said:

Bought a Raspberrypi and screen...

Here is the results...so much fun... still learning

I really like what you are doing here... I hope this will be a huge success.. 

On 2020/04/09 at 9:37 PM, [email protected] said:

it's a device from the 80s!)

I wouldn't go that far. At least on technical grounds I won't. Some of the techniques used in this device were only developed in the 90s. MOS technology, for example, was very expensive in the 80s, and PWM techniques (which all modern inverters use to module a sine wave efficiently) only really developed in the 90s. Switch mode power supplies (which is essentially what the buck/boost stage in the Axpert is) is also a fairly recent development. Sure, the first transistors-switched supplies date to the 70s, but I'm talking of when these things became mainstream.

For a low cost design it is not a bad design. I think it is let down on two fronts: 1) it is somewhat cheaply executed, and 2) the firmware: it has bugs and the manufacturer does little to fix them and support the existing units in the field.

Just a question on this, seeing the laminated wood backing for the DB's and inverter etc. Is this to code?

I have a very old setup in my pantry, with the council provided metres and breakers mounted on a wooden panel as well. After re-doing my DB's I was considering mounting them on a piece of wood as well, to cover the hole-in-the-wall left by the old bulky DB.

Is this OK  ? No issues with compliance ?