Multiplus AC in

Ok ā€¦ I think that ignoring the AC and the relays only works on one of the devices ā€¦
Maybe :thinking:

This is what I thought as well but I was advised to load the assistants on both just in case.
Another test is to try removing them from the slave and see

If you connect to the multis via the MK3 interface and are then in the VE Configure interface ā€¦ you can see the AC In / Out status and voltages on the left-hand side

True, But I need to interrupt the off-grid to do so. I can try that as well and monitor what actually goes in even though I fear itā€™s simply going to agree with what I read going in. Definitely worth a try, we need to go by elimination step by step :wink:

This is the way ā€¦ :+1:

Will do and report tomorrow, thanks for your timešŸ™

The frost of the weekend prevented me from testing until today
Here are the results:

TEST with ACin disconnected
0V - all clear :+1:

TEST with no ACin on Slave
97V still shows an incoming voltage from grid - 0.17A measured on Line cable ACin :-1:t2:

TEST with no Inverter feedout
97V still shows :-1:t2:

TEST with Grounding conductors disconnected
97V still shows :-1:t2:

TEST with no AC2out to the external supplementary ground isolator (just in case)
97V still shows :-1:t2:

TEST with grid earth IN disconnected
97V still shows :-1:t2:

There certainly appears to be a small load at AC-in even when ignored.
The Victron diagram shows a pair of NO contactors in series so it cannot be a solenoid since they are both in repose.
I wonder though if only the second one stays open when AC is present and the first one closes in which case that would create a small load but I fear that only a Victron engineer will be able to tell us this.

Hereā€™s a synthesis of my grounding arrangement

Iā€™m looking for a Victron technician at this point to help me solve this potential problem.

I posted this question on the 9th, but after all the suggested tests, nothing has changed, and no explanation has been found.

My two Multis are both set to ignore AC-in unless otherwise instructed, and yet as soon as AC-in is present (on both) a current of 0.39A shows as flowing.

My question is, since there are two internal contactors on the Line in, does the first one close as soon as AC-in is present?
If so, could that be responsible for the current being used?
Or is there another internal circuit that becomes energised thus justifying this current?

Iā€™m not a technician, but there is certainly a circuit to sense the voltage and synchronize to grid present, even when Ignore AC In is active. Otherwise, there would be no way for the multiplus to know if the input is connected to power.

Seems like a lot of current though.

Exactly my feeling, too much for a simple sensing circuit and or one relay, I have similar external contactors and they hardly draw any current.

Something must be leaking out or inside somewhere, itā€™s a annoying as I had to install a secondary contactor as an AC-in disconnect which seems silly having already one internal that does the job.

As posted earlier these are all the test that I did:

TEST with ACin disconnected
0V - all clear :+1:

TEST with no ACin on Slave
97V still shows an incoming voltage from grid - 0.17A measured on Line cable ACin :-1:t2:

TEST with no Inverter feedout
97V still shows :-1:t2:

TEST with Grounding conductors disconnected
97V still shows :-1:t2:

TEST with no AC2out to the external supplementary ground isolator (just in case)
97V still shows :-1:t2:

TEST with grid earth IN disconnected
97V still shows :-1:t2:

You have to test with a low impedence meter.is it voltage or wattage that you are concerned with there?

For testing solar installations you need a low impedence DMM.
It is not abnormal to have ghost voltage in an inverter installations.

I follow Mikeā€™s seminars a lot but I hadnā€™t encountered this page so thank you, however here I was measuring the current rather than the voltage but my grid meter has been showing wattages between 32 and 97 when AC-in is connected even if in ā€œIgnore AC-inā€ mode, I cannot see how that could be wrong
The grid sensor has a modest resolution so it will jump from a minimum of 32W to 64W or the next step will be 97W
It all points to something going on inside the Multi wouldnā€™t you say?

Itā€™s wattage as I said in the answer above because the grid sensor/consumption-meter shows up to 97W been drown from the grid when I connect the AC-in regardless of the ā€œignore ACinā€

Hereā€™s whatā€™s happening at the supply energy meter when I switch the AC-in to the inverters:

32w at 120v is .2 amps. Why does that seems excessive for a sensing circuit and relay?

This is what i was thinking.
AC is present but the inverters are not connected. (Relays not engaged so not power path)

So it is the device that reads and measures the AC that is consuming the power?

Even less considering that Iā€™m in the UK at 230V however I am using many exteral contactors (relays) for currents up to 60A and they only use milliamps, never exceeding 0.5A

What I was doing in the video clip is connecting and disconnecting the Line into the iverters before the internal relays, I was using an external contactor remotely controlled by the phone.

As you can see the device goes to 0kWh as soon as I disconnect the AC-in. That devise is a standard energy reader with a conventional clamp sensor on the mains supply just after the meter, it has been on my grid forever and always reads 0kWh unless something is in use on that line.
It only shows current flowing when I connect the AC-in of the inverters.
My thinking is, why are there two internal relays for the AC-in?
Perhaps (and this is why I was asking for a Victron technician to answer) the first one become energised just by the AC-in presence and the second one acts upon ā€œAC-in Ignoreā€ function?

That would explain some current flowing into the solenoid however it shout not be so high unless some other circuits are also energised with it.

Hi Mauro.
I canā€™t speak for the engineering within, just an observation for contemplation.
Some of us use gensets (mine an old AVR regulated one), and one day I was wondering why the ā€˜Economyā€™ setting didnā€™t seem to do anything. So one day I started it while unplugged. It went straight to idle revs, Economy mode. Plugged it back in and it went immediately to full revs, even though the Multi hadnā€™t accepted it.
So what youā€™re measuring may well be by design, to wind up and presync gensets.

Just a wild guess though, see it as you will.

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