I have an off grid system with a Quattro 24/5000/120-2x100 120V, connected to a Cerbo GX. The system uses 19 220W solar panels to charge 32 EVE Lifepo4 280Ah prismatic cells (28.6KWatt hours of storage). That entire system relies upon Victron equipment (5000 W Quattro Inverter, Victron Cerbo GX, Victron Smart Shunt & touch display, and 2 150/70 Victron Solar Charge Controllers).
The system is also connected to a generator (11Kw) for times when there is insufficient solar to power everything and keep the batteries charged sufficiently to make it through the night.
The system utilizes an Electrodacus BMS (SBMS0), which toggles the Victron Quattro’s charger on and off as appropriate and also toggles the two Victron MPPT 150/70 – tr VE.Can SmartSolar charge controllers on and off as appropriate. This is accomplished utilizing an “Assistant” in the VE Configure file called “Two-signal BMS support.”
Although the system functioned flawlessly for over a year, a few months ago the Victron Quattro stopped charging the batteries with power provided by the generator. The batteries are still charging when there is sufficient solar and the BMS is still toggling the MPPT solar charge controllers on and off as appropriate. However, the system will only utilize the power being provided by the generator to carry the existing power demand/loads and will not charge the batteries. I am stuck using the generator aa lot so that it carries the loads and allows the MPPT solar charge controllers to recharge the batteries.
When I go to my Victron Dashboard online (Or when I look at the Victron touch display) they both indicate the system is in “Passthrough.” I have tried many changes to the configuration of the Quattro and have had no luck whatsoever. I have followed the suggestions in the list that comes up when you click on the “Passthrough” icon on the Victron Dashboard online, with no success. I have tried a different generator. I have tested the SBMS0 state transitions and it appears to be functioning correctly (as also indicated by the fact that it is turning the MPPT solar charge controllers on and off as it should based upon battery charge levels).
Hi Dustin.
Passthrough is typically an ESS state, which is not designed for offgrid. Nor recommended. If you must persist with it, look there to the settings, or even firmware upgrades.
I will do my own research on the topic so as to not seem lazy, but I honestly have no idea how to turn off ESS or even find out if I am using it currently. I have been struggling through countless settings in the Quattro and I am starting to get the impressions that ESS may be a function that somehow (probably accidentally) was enabled in the Cerbo/GX device. Which device contains settings for ESS? If it is the inverter/charger, do you happen to know which tab it is under? I cannot seem to find it. If it is contained within some other device, would you be willing to tell me which one and how to access such settings? (Meanwhile, I will start my own research here: 1. ESS introduction & features)
I have navigated through the settings in my Cerbo and selected “Settings” and then “ESS”, but there is no way to make any changes under that tab. All it says there is “No ESS Assistant found.” Does this mean ESS is not my issue, or does this mean that I need to somhow obtain and “ESS Assistant” in order to tell ESS to leave me alone, I am off-grid with a generator and I want the generator to charge the batteries anytime it is running?
I cannot find anything in the inverter itself that would allow me to turn of ESS. The only place I find a choice is in the Cerbo, but that just says “No ESS Assistant Found.” So, I am still stuck in “Passthrough Mode” where my generator cannot charge the batteries, but can only carry the present existing load on the system. Any help would really be appreciated. I am so frustrated after more than 6 months of this that I already solicited a quote from Signature Solar to just throw all of the Victron equipment away and purchase a complete EG4 system…
In order to test the two signal bms issue, can I just short the two wires (connect each wire leaving the inverter/charger together like a loop on the inverter/charger side) and see if the charger starts working from the generator?
I have “shore power” as AC2 and “generator” as AC1. But I can connect the generator to either AC1 or AC2 (just by plugging it into the other inlet) and the result is the same. Still stuck in “passthrough” with the generator only carrying the loads. The generator cannot charge the batteries. If it matters, I am never actually connected to any grid system. Solar or generator are my only options.
Then i think it would be best to go to the roots : disconnect the quattro from cerbo and see what happens. You’ll probably have to do a total reset on the quattro with a mk3 interface and a pc.
Thank you. I will give that a try. But I am going to wait until tomorrow after sunrise to insure that I get at least some PV if things go wrong. I truly appreciate your suggestions.
Thank you for your response. No. I have not tried that. I am using an external BMS (Electrodacus SBMS0). Everything was stable for more than a year. Then when the Cerbo updated and the MPPT’s updated, I made a mistake and updated the firmware in the Quattro inverter/charger. Since then I have been stuck in “passthrough” where the generator can carry loads but cannot charge the battery system. I have tried a lot of settings inside the inverter/charger and I have tried to find relevant settings in the Cerbo. Some advice I have received led me to look at settings in the Cerbo (including turning of “ESS”), but the ESS settings just say “No ESS assistant found” but do not allow me to simply turn off ESS. I think tomorrow I will short the two wires for external charge control at the inverter/charger to see if it starts charging. But I am waiting for anyone to let me know if looping those to inputs together would correctly simulate a command to start charging.
Ah yes. So things have changed alot in the newer firmware.
The assistant is programmed onto the inverter. The only way to remove it is to delete it on the inverter. But if your gx says there is no assistant then it is not there.
Does this answer your question? I am sorry, but I am not very educated about these things. I bought into the Victron framework because I was lead to belive it was the best available. I am totally off-grid and rely upon this system for everything. And, it worked flawlessly for over a year. But now I am spending around $20/day for fuel to run a generator becuase I am stuck in “passthrough” mode.
I think this is a good step.
Remove the two signal BMS assistant for now.
Two-signal BMS support (size:139)
*) The battery is full when Auxiliary input 1 is open and
the battery is empty when Temperature sense input is open.
*) Disable charger and do not adapt SOC when battery full and switch to charger
only when battery empty.
This part.
When an system is stuck in pass through it can be the cause.