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jonathan-drewes avatar image
jonathan-drewes asked

Disable/enable the Multiplus II charger (while still inverting)

While the inverter is in the ON mode and inverting, is there a way to disable/enable the Multiplus II charger (while still inverting) other than by using the MK3 wired connection ??

Below, from the VRM, is NOT the way to do it without shutting down the inverter--

1693321079194.png


If the answer is NO, then why is this not available? It would be very useful to do remotely and without using the wired adapter. No, I dont want to create an assistant. I do have a CERBO but also do not see a way using remote console to do this.

Thank you



Multiplus-II
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6 Answers
derrick thomas avatar image
derrick thomas answered ·

What batteries do you have and how are they connected? You might be able to enable DVCC and enable charge current control, and set it to 0.

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JohnC avatar image
JohnC answered ·

@Jonathan Drewes

The Multi cannot invert and charge at the same time. No matter what it's set to do.

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derrick thomas avatar image derrick thomas commented ·
I don't think that was the intent behind the question. The intent I believe was to be able to enable/disable the charger while still in inverter mode, before connecting or enabling shore power.
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jonathan-drewes avatar image
jonathan-drewes answered ·

This should not depend on the battery. I cannot use DVCC.

Sorry, I charge by using the MK3 by Enabling Charger and disabling the Conditional AC setting which switches to grid while I let the charger run.

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derrick thomas avatar image derrick thomas commented ·
Why can't you use DVCC?
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jonathan-drewes avatar image jonathan-drewes derrick thomas commented ·
Its complicated but basically DVCC is not compatible with my Trophy battery and how I am using my grid-as-backup system.
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derrick thomas avatar image
derrick thomas answered ·

With the exception of ve.bus bms, DVCC is compatible with any battery connected with comms, or any battery without comms as long as there is a shunt connected to the cerbo.

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jonathan-drewes avatar image
jonathan-drewes answered ·

So I guess that the answer to my question is NO, there is no other way to disable conditional AC followed by enabling the charger, other then using the MK3.


OK. It would be nice to be able to do this remotely, but I suppose it is not.

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ejrossouw avatar image ejrossouw commented ·

If you set "no virtual switches" and no assistants, no grid code, the MP will charge when connected to the grid and passthru to loads as you know. During this state, if you switch from anydevice between on and inverter modes, switching is instant without loss of power to the loads. Charging will automaticaly take place when "ON" and when you switch to "INVERTER" charging will stop.

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derrick thomas avatar image derrick thomas commented ·
"So I guess that the answer to my question is NO, there is no other way to disable conditional AC followed by enabling the charger, other then using the MK3."


No, that is not accurate. There are options available, but wether or not you implement those options of course is up to you.

Some other options for you to consider:

1: Conditional AC input can be done thru node red, and using node red you can pretty much design it to do whatever you can think up in terms of conditions to decide when to connect/disconnect. If you want dynamic control (ability to change the parameters) you can use node red dashboard to make changes on the fly from any connected mobile device or PC. If you want to be able to control it remotely, this can be done by accessing node red dashboard via VRM from anywhere.

2: A recent update to node red added two extremely useful nodes, Custom Input and Custom Control. These two nodes give you almost unlimited access to the entire dbus. Using the custom node, you can set the charge current to 0 in the inverter, essentially disabling the charger. You can also use this node to set any value you want between 0 and the maximum setting for the charge current. Same as with option 1 above, you can use dashboard to control the feature as well as access the dashboard remotely thru VRM.

Option 2 I have just tested in my own system and can confirm it will do exactly as described.

If these options don't fit the bill, then perhaps a little more info on exactly what the desired behavior is would help to steer you in the right direction.

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jonathan-drewes avatar image jonathan-drewes derrick thomas commented ·
Thanks for the ideas. I was hoping not to need node red for this but it sounds like that is the only way to go. The behavior I seek is to remotely enable charging from the grid which would come after disabling cond AC. I would do this for example, when a hurricane is coming at me here in Florida and I want to make sure my batteries are near 100% before losing the grid (which I have as backup). The strong winds are usually preceded by lots of dense clouds which prevent full charging via solar.







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elvis avatar image elvis jonathan-drewes commented ·

Sounds like a perfect case for ESS "Keep Batteries Charged"

You would simply select that remotely from your phone when you had concern of a power outage. It will charge your batteries from the grid and you will still have power to the loads.

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jonathan-drewes avatar image jonathan-drewes derrick thomas commented ·
I'm playing with Node Red now and have not seen a dbus service to switch the Conditional AC on/off as I would in the MP2 settings via the MK3 (in order to keep the lights on while charging via the grid).


If anyone knows that it is there, please comment.

If not, then how else can I switch to grid, followed by enabling the charger in Node Red? Then, disable the charger followed by switching back to inverting. Assuming I can get Node Red to do that, how does this "flow" impact the settings set in the MP2? Does the Node Red flow get priority somehow over the MP2 settings?



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derrick thomas avatar image derrick thomas jonathan-drewes commented ·
Are you running the latest firmware on the multi?
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jonathan-drewes avatar image jonathan-drewes derrick thomas commented ·
No, 498.

From what I read, ESS (DC coupled, without a grid meter, without grid feedback) is what I'd like to try but it sounds like I cannot use ESS here in the US since there is no grid code and UL for my Multi. Is that correct?


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derrick thomas avatar image derrick thomas jonathan-drewes commented ·
In order to access the "ignore ac input" on dbus I believe you need the most recent firmware on the multi. There were a few changes to the generator logic recently that added access to the necessary registers.


You can enable ESS and use grid code "other" with lom detection and leave grid feed in disabled. Unless you are a mobile installation, in which case you cannot use ESS.

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w8dev avatar image
w8dev answered ·

Not sure if this is what you're looking for but I have a pair of Multiplus-2 5kVA inverters and I programmed one of the cerbo relays to control whether or not my inverters charge from the grid when I'm on AC in power.

I'm using the Charge Current Control assistant and I have a CAT cable running between Relay 2 on the Cerbo and the Aux Input 2 on the primary Multiplus.

1693701819559.png

The charge value is hard-coded in the assistant, but I can turn it on/off through the cerbo.

1693701956689.png

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