Li-thiiii-um.... continued.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by RangerMan

I installed VictronConnect on my MS Surface and the app runs fine. It won't work with bluetooth tho. Says USB will work but I don't see a USB port. There's a port named 'VE' i think it is but it ain't like no USB port I've ever seen. Victron has a bunch of cables on their site. One of those would probably do the job.

I don't know if Victron Connect will run on your tablet, but this cable goes from a VE Direct connector to USB.

[BobG]

I do have Victron Connect on my Surface Pro 7 from when I installed it a long time ago and it does give me access to Cerbo GX which then gives me access to Remote Console and VRM Portal. Remote Console is pretty much the same as using Victron Connect on the phone.


More than likely, I just never explored the app so didn't know what it could do.



What it doesn't do is allow access to the equipment setup settings. From what people have told me, I think Victron is working toward Victron Connect being the app that is used for setup settings as well as operational settings like being able to adjust AC amps allowed to the AC panel or switching things on and off like the inverter.


VRM Portal allows downloading a settings file and then editing the file and uploading it. This is the dangerous part that Victron doesn't like untrained people doing and is mainly used for configuring the MultiPlus for the environment it will be used in. I used the MK3 dongle to access these settings when I set the system up. In the future, it will be easier to use the file method to avoid connecting the MK3 between the computer and system.

[RangerMan]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

I don't know if Victron Connect will run on your tablet, but this cable goes from a VE Direct connector to USB.

Did you intend to provide a link to the cable?

[Vermilye]

Oops!

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by ATHiker

Where are you planning to install the Orion-Tr DC-DC 12/12-18 charger?

originally I was going to put it up front under the bed near the junction box, but now I'm planning on running another wire to the back, adn putting it on my main wiring board.

[John in Santa Cruz]

my SOK batteries do indeed have a low temp charging cutoff, as tested and confirmed by Will Prouse on his youtube chan.


sigh, bright mid day January sun on my 160W panel is only creating 70 watts or so charging power. sun at 12:30 pm was at 34 degrees elevation, meaning 56 degrees off axis. 3.5A at 18V PV is creating 4.2A at 13.6V

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by BobG

I have a Surface Pro 7.

ok, that one is a Intel Core I?-10xx so should work with any regular Windows application.

[RangerMan]

Originally Posted by BobG

I do have Victron Connect on my Surface Pro 7 from when I installed it a long time ago and it does give me access to Cerbo GX which then gives me access to Remote Console and VRM Portal. Remote Console is pretty much the same as using Victron Connect on the phone.


More than likely, I just never explored the app so didn't know what it could do.



What it doesn't do is allow access to the equipment setup settings. From what people have told me, I think Victron is working toward Victron Connect being the app that is used for setup settings as well as operational settings like being able to adjust AC amps allowed to the AC panel or switching things on and off like the inverter.


VRM Portal allows downloading a settings file and then editing the file and uploading it. This is the dangerous part that Victron doesn't like untrained people doing and is mainly used for configuring the MultiPlus for the environment it will be used in. I used the MK3 dongle to access these settings when I set the system up. In the future, it will be easier to use the file method to avoid connecting the MK3 between the computer and system.

VictronConnect does indeed allow changing settings now. Just began using the app. Very handy as opposed to manipulating the buttons on the monitor.

[BobG]

RangerMan, You are correct and I do have access to operational settings using Victron Connect v5.53 that I installed last June when I was setting up my system.



What I was referring to in regards to settings I can not access are the setup settings such as frequency, voltage, etc of the inverter or bulk charging voltage or type of battery I am using, etc in the charger setup settings.


I have been told that Victron is working to incorporate setup settings in Victron Connect. I don't know if this is true or if it has happened. When I tried to install the latest version of Victron Connect the other day I got this message: "This app can't run on your PC"


It is interesting that this morning when I opened Victron Connect on my tablet, I got a message that a newer version of Victron Connect is available. This hasn't happened before. I chose to not upgrade yet.

[RangerMan]

Originally Posted by BobG

RangerMan, You are correct and I do have access to operational settings using Victron Connect v5.53 that I installed last June when I was setting up my system.



What I was referring to in regards to settings I can not access are the setup settings such as frequency, voltage, etc of the inverter or bulk charging voltage or type of battery I am using, etc in the charger setup settings.


I have been told that Victron is working to incorporate setup settings in Victron Connect. I don't know if this is true or if it has happened. When I tried to install the latest version of Victron Connect the other day I got this message: "This app can't run on your PC"


It is interesting that this morning when I opened Victron Connect on my tablet, I got a message that a newer version of Victron Connect is available. This hasn't happened before. I chose to not upgrade yet.

Same thing happened to me this morning. didn't ask me squat tho , just started updating when I connected.

Perhaps Victron considers a 'new version' different from updating what you have installed.

[BobG]

Yes.


I am thinking next time I open Victron Connect I will let it go ahead and see what happens. I hope that if things don't go well that Victron will have a fail safe back to what I had.

[RangerMan]

Originally Posted by BobG

Yes.


I am thinking next time I open Victron Connect I will let it go ahead and see what happens. I hope that if things don't go well that Victron will have a fail safe back to what I had.

Let us know how it went.

[BobG]

I opened Victron Connect on the Surface Pro 7 tablet and it automatically started downloading version 5.54. I let it continue and then closed and re opened the app. As far as I could see, it works just like before but I noticed that as the information displayed in the tablet app changes, the Touch 50 screen in the trailer changes to the same information. I had not noticed this happening before but it could have. Everything is good.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

.....
I am going to stick the thermistor between the batteries so I can monitor temps, and I figure if the solar controller can use that, even better. I know I can't get the PD4655Li to read it, but in a pinch, the battery has low temperature shutoff at 32F, so it won't be ruined, and if the PD is plugged in, there's a very good chance the battery is already fully charged. I suspect that as long as 30-50 amps of charge power is flowing into the batteries, its not likely to freeze inside until its fully charged, the current goes to zero, and then it cools down, and then the BMS shuts down the charge, thats ok.. the low *discharge* temperature is -22F, I hope to never ever see weather that cold again.

oops, no. the thermistor thing HAS to be attached to the battery plus lead, as it doubles as the power wire, for some reason I was thinking it was a seperate indepedent sensor. ok so wired.

[ATHiker]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

oops, no. the thermistor thing HAS to be attached to the battery plus lead, as it doubles as the power wire, for some reason I was thinking it was a seperate indepedent sensor. ok so wired.

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but since you have the batteries wired individually to the power distribution block, if the temperature sensor is wired to the battery, does the Smartshunt only read that battery?

[Centex]

Originally Posted by ATHiker

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but since you have the batteries wired individually to the power distribution block, if the temperature sensor is wired to the battery, does the Smartshunt only read that battery?

As seen in this post, both of John's battery negative (black) cables are wired directly to the Smart Shunt. Therefore, insofar as all data other than temperature, the shunt 'reads and reports' the status of his total battery bank (all batteries combined).

Because the small +12V power lead with temp sensor can only connect to one positive terminal the temperature will only reflect the status of that one battery at that terminal. IMO absent some internal anomaly causing the one battery to behave different from the other, that temperature should be reasonably reflective of both battery's positive terminal temperature.

As long as the negative-side of all loads are routed through the same ground connected to the negative load-side of the Smart Shunt, and the positive-side of all loads are routed through the positive distribution block, all will be good for whole-system status reporting; and that's John's configuration

[MyronL]

This stuff usually flies right over my head. I tend to be more carpenter than electrician. It took a little time but I finally got my smart phone to download and connect the Victron connect AP to my Smart Solar MPPT 100/30. It wouldn’t do it until I was close by in the trailer. Kinda cool, but likely too much data for me - will be mostly ignoring/taking its data for granted.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by ATHiker

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but since you have the batteries wired individually to the power distribution block, if the temperature sensor is wired to the battery, does the Smartshunt only read that battery?

the difference in voltage between the two batts should be so close to zero as don't care, they are separated by about 18" of AWG4. And indeed, I'm more concerned with current than voltage.

indeed, the alternative would have been to use the aux to monitor the voltage on the 2nd battery

the way the batteries are mounted, the terminals are like [+ -][+ -}, so I put that temp sensor on the + terminal near the middle

[ATHiker]

Centex and John, Thanks for the clear explanation.

[BobG]

RangerMan, I opened Victron Connect on the Surface Pro 7 tablet and it no longer works. One of the options that it gives for not working is because it is not compatible with Windows Bluetooth. Well, it was working the other day so Who knows. Although my Surface Pro 7 showed it paired, it didn't work. I unpaired it and now it doesn't show up under "Show Bluetooth Devices" on the SP 7.


I suspect this might of happened because I turned the SP 7 off last night causing it to reboot this morning.