Multiplus remote switch and aux relay output (Assistants) help required

DIY
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I am familiar with Victron equipment and active on this forum.

I am about to add a Multiplus 12/3000/120 (120v) (not multiplus II) to my RV to which I have previously fitted Cerbo GX, IP22, Smart Shunt, Battery Monitor, Orion XS and MPPT.

As per most set-ups, my system is bespoke and I have certain individual requirements and I want particular interface abilities but in order to design them I need to fully understand how the Multiplus behaves.

I have consulted the manual prior to purchase and believe the manual Manual-MultiPlus-3k-120V-firmware-xxxx4xx-EN to be the most up to date for the 120v 12/3000/120 inverter.

I am using a 120v unit because my RV is American thus most equipment is 120v

My questions.

  1. The manual for the Multiplus states “3.2 Remote control
    Remote control is possible with a 3-way switch or with a Multi Control panel.” Three way switch to me means position A,B or C or more usually on - off - on. There is no example wiring for the remote switch but there is a written description in App A that suggests that there are only two states, those being On (short left pin of connector H to middle pin) or Charge only (short right pin of connector H to middle pin) . Can I select “Off” by having none of the pins connected? (I already understand that the switch on the unit has to be in the “on” position for the remote switch to work. If not then surely the manual should state 3 pin switch rather than 3 way switch? I’ve searched the forum history and general internet and can’t find an answer although one unanswered query suggests that the Multiplus cycles on - off if none of the pins on connector H are connected?

  2. With the main switch in the “off position” is the AC input switched through? Or does the switch have to be in the “on” or “Charge only” position for the AC to be switched through?

  3. In the manual none of the relays are named. In appendix B (see attached). The relay I have arrowed is obviously the relay that permits AC to be switched through. How is this relay controlled? Is this the “Primary Relay” that is referred to in the “Assistants” when selecting a relay to control (see question 4).

  4. VE Configure. I have downloaded VE Configure so that I can familiarise myself with it, especially the “Assistants” as I will need this for my bespoke interface that I mentioned at the beginning of the post. I was expecting to find a “Assistant” that would allow control of one of the controllable relays when the Inverter “On” or rather ready to invert upon the loss of AC input, but I cannot see anything in the list of conditions that fits the bill? On the list of conditions, there is a note that states the if no conditions are set on this or the next page then the relay will always be set. Please define always, I’m not being cute. Is it when DC is available thus truly always or whilst ever the system is on. If it’s the later then it would meet my needs.

  5. Final question - In order to enable “Assistants” one has to disable the “Virtual Switch”. Does this mean that I would lose the ability to control ON/CHARGE ONLY/ INVERT ONLY or OFF from my Cerbo GX or is it just control of those items listed on the Virtual Switch page of CE Configure

Many many thanks in advance

Les

Question ref internal relay
Question ref internal relay435×553 27.4 KB

2
  1. Yes, this switch is on-off on with the on being invert one side and charge only the other, center (NC) is off.
  2. Usually not. Switch must be on for AC through.
  3. best solution to this is to add another set of poles to the remote on switch, you then get a dry contact that closes when the inverter is in the on-invert state.
  4. No. This remote via the Cerbo is not done through the virtual switch, but rather by VE-bus commands sent from the Cerbo to the inverter controlling the inverter state condition.
  5. I’ve no information on this.
3

Hi @MikeD

Thanks for the reply and the info.

I’m away from my RV for the next three weeks and only have a few weeks at home to fit the inverter and interface before a big trip, so I can’t investigate for myself until I get home and thus I’m trying to answer as many of my queries before hand so I can hit the ground running when I do get home.

  1. The info ref the switch being on-off-on is good news. Thanks.

  2. Having to have the switch in the on position (or charge only to my understanding) confirms my interpretation of the manual. Thanks

  3. Your idea about using an additional contact on the remote switch i.e. a DPDT 3 position switch is a good one, however I see a problem in that if I use a switch position as my trigger for my interface but were then to use the cerbo GX to change the state of the inverter, the switch would be out of sync with the inverter output. This is why I was hoping to use an Aux Relay that reports the actual state of the inverter.

  4. Good news that I can use the “Assistants” to control the Aux Relays but still control the state of the Inverter i.e. on, invert only, charge only, off.

I’ll tinker a bit more with the “Assistants” in VE Config and see if I can get one of the Aux relays to pick / drop at a state that’s useful to my interface.

Many thanks Again

Les

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for 3) this also puts the inverter’s control switch out of sync. If you need to get the inverter’s current state, then this can I think be done with Node red, which can also control one of the relays in the cerbo to indicate the inverter state. You could also connect the remote switch to 2 of the digital inputs and similarly control the inverter mode. Either way, the Cerbo display will reflect the inverter’s current state, regardless of control method.

5

@MikeD Good call.

I’ve get to tinker with NodeRed, but from what I’ve seen it looks pretty intuitive and thus hopefully I’ll get my head around it quite quickly.

Thanks again for the help.

Much appreciated

Les