Adam, thank you for all your videos! I didn't really like the station monitor software, i wanted something more dynamic and fast. Using a Raspberry Pi, USB to RS485 Converter, Node Red and MODBUS Nodes, I am now able to view in real time the status of the charger. I have also setup text alerts for certain scenarios, being that its realtime i get the texts with current data. My next step is to write to the registers to turn on and off the load via Node Red. Again thank you so much.
I am doing the same using an arduino and a gsm module (for text alerts). epever sent me a pdf with the modbus documentation. i can also turn the load on and off by sending sms to the arduino. very cool! Thanks Adam! This video helped me getting this project started (only 4 years after) ;)
Thank you! This video just helped me figure out why my rs485 dongle wasn't communicating with my Epever tracer. It turns out the latest EPever Tracers don't come with the RJ45 pin out in the manual like yours did, and the pin-out I previously found online had the ground on the incorrect pin (causing me to ground one of the signals). Thanks for the great content.
Thank you a bunch for your video, I finally got my connection going to the mppt :D Started out with a RS232->RS485 circuit but could not get it to work. A usb to rs485 circuit was the way to go.
Great stuff! Being a techno geek, this is right up my alley, my USB stick is on order. Can't really go wrong for AU$1.60!!!! Thanks for making the vid.
Glad to find this video. EPEVER have "omitted" the RJ45 pinout in the booklet which comes with the Tracer AN! Also, they clame that the default configuration is suitable for both sealed lead/acid batteries, and LiFePO4 batteries, 12 or 24 volts...
Personally, I think that the default configurations are standard and can be left ad they are. In my case, I have a tall tubular flooded lead acid battery and I checked and observed that the default configuration for that selection of battery aligns with the parameters in the manual from the manufacturer. So, I don't think I have to worry about inputing a user configuration to match.
RJ11 telephone connectors have the same thickness, contact spacing and retaining clip width as the RJ45 connectors. I'm using a 2 wire generic telephone cord as my RS485 cable. The 3210A's metering is optimistic at low values, something I discovered in my tabletop testing using a 7AH battery and a 17 volt, 200 ma wall wart as the solar panel. Thanks for the video.
Just an FYI, the "official" USB to RS485 cable, (CC-USB-RS485-150U) has one wire attached to pin 4 on the RJ45 end and the other wire attached to pin 8 which is ground. The USB end is molded so I can't take it apart easily. I did use one of the cheap RS485/USB adapters like you mention, wired as you said and it does work.
Thanks George - Grounding all the devices together is sensible and it's good to hear EPSOlar have done that. The cheap usb to RS485 adapters don't have an easy to access ground though (I did consider soldering a wire to the neg on the usb connector internally) but like you, found it wasn't entirely necessary. Thanks for letting me know.
Awesome Video Series. I just purchased the newly updated 3210AN Charge Controller and I also bought the official CC-USB-RS485-150U cable (USB to RS485 Adapter w/ RJ45). It would not work at all until I opened the Device Manager, Right-Clicked on the COM port, and choose Properties. Under the "Port Settings" Tab, I had to check the "RS485" box and apply. As soon as I did that it worked. Thought it might be helpful to someone else out there! I'm on Win7 if that comes up.
Thanks for this vid. I had to buy the rs485 modbus usb for my 2210 Tracer-AN version. Worked like a charm. I had to setup user settings for my LifePo4. Those settings are very specific and yeah. i could not just use the default 3 that was part of the Charger. When i bought the 20amp MPPT. I was hoping one could just cycle through the settings via the 2 button interface... but ye. USB to RJ45 via that chip was needed
Hi, I'm about to set-up my Tracer3210AN (older version with orange buttons) for my LiFePo4 battery. Unfotunatelly there is no preset/default mode for this type od baterries, so I need to set up 'user' settings through rs485 (CC-USB-RS485-150U). Thanks for this help!
Hi Adam, thanx for creating and sharing your review of this product. It has helped me decide on which MPPT controller to purchase for my RV system that I'll be installing from scratch. I choose the 30 Amp unit, with 4 x 100 Watt Panels, and 2 x 79 AH AGM Batteries., and have ordered the USB to RS485 adaptors, however, I noticed something that I wanted to share, and of which I hope you will to be of benefit. When you build your own cable using either CAT 5 (or CAT 6) cables, be aware that you should be using a twisted pair of cables, contrary to your choice of leads. Be sure to check the standard wiring diagram for a Cat 5 or 6 Cable, (Google Everything) which will reveal the designs twisted pair leads. (Typically a solid colour is mated with a striped insulator of the same colour.) According to the book diagram, one should use lead's 4 and 5, or 3 and 6, as they are "each a set" of a twisted pair. This is important to maintain correct impedance, maintain noise reduction, capacitance, etc, especially in longer runs. Additionally, for longer runs, instead of a standard UTP CAT 5 cable, it might be wise to use shielded instead... and one other point, especially for longer runs, CAT 6 cable uses a slightly heavier gauge of wire in the sheath, of 23 Gauge, instead of 24 Gauge. I've yet to hook my gear up, but look forward to sunnier days ahead. Cheers! :)
Thanks for your comments, it's always great to hear when I've helped someone out. It sounds also like you're going to have a nice system setup. If you're conservative with your power consumption it should provide almost everything you need. Yes, in hindsight perhaps using either the green or blue pair may have had some advantages. However I've had a number of people copy my method and it has worked for them. A couple of people have got back to me to say they've had some issue with communication and actually the fix for them was to use a common ground (by popping open the USB-RS485 adapter and wiring one of the brown pair to the usb connector ground). RS485 is used in industry because it is so resilient to noise ( admw.uk/je ) however that isn't to say your improvement would reap some rewards in some applications. So, thank you for your suggestion Max.
After 2 days of trying to make it work (drivers, combinations of wiring, etc.) I can confirm that soldering the common ground to the brown made my device work! I'm glad I found your response here Adam. Brilliant videos BTW. Thank you!
Very helpful video. It took me quite a while to get my self-made cable to work with the Tracer 2210AN. I used the green and blue wire like you did. The drivers included in Windows 10 didn't seem to work, I had to download the CH341 drivers manually. Finally I was able to adjust the controller parameters to disable equalization charge for my AGM battery. I left the outer insulation of the cable (is it called jacket in english?) a bit longer than the inner wires and taped that to the RS485 adapter to prevent damage to the very thin wires.
@@jussikankinen9409 Hi. After two years I don't remember and I can't find any notes which values I used, sorry. I think I probably used the setting for sealed batteries and set the equalization charge voltage to the same voltage as boost charge, which should be 14.4 V according to the manual. But I don't remember.
Thanks for the info Adam. My new AN series manual does not have the RJ45 wiring info. I guess they would rather that you buy their cable. Less support problems. Already had a couple of those cheap USB-RS485 adapters. So making my own cable was a no brainer. Did not need to add a ground wire. Thanks again.
Great video! I noticed you changed the boost duration from 120 minutes down to 60. Any particular reason? I have 6 UPS batteries @ 12v (110 amp hours each at the 20hr rate ) for my battery bank... How long should I run the boost cycle for my mppt controller? Is there anyway to mathematically figure this out for your battery bank size? Thank you for your time, great channel!
Thanks for the info. You could teach this company a few things about how to write a proper user manual. Unfortunately, I'm getting an "Operation failed. Operation timed out" error in the msg dialogue after clicking the 'start monitor' button. Program recognises the connection to COM5, but I'm no computer wiz. I just want to charge my damn batteries. Get what you pay for I guess, next time I'm biting the bullet and getting a Midnite Classic.
There's also something not right about the charging modes with this controller. Currently only putting 25W into the battery bank on a rainy day from a 1000W array, but I have a separate 1000W array controlled by an even cheaper 40A so-called mppt controller from China that's also quite popular on ebay and it's currently dumping 50W into the battery bank. Can anyone explain that? For twice as much money I would expect these controllers to be more efficient, not less. This seems to be a similar problem as what another user described in a comment below about their PV input voltage and current dropping when they really shouldn't be. My battery bank is currently only at 60% soc
+James Biggar Some people find the MPPT algorithm can be slow to track in some conditions. I have seen some evidence to suggest it gets 'stuck' tracking just above battery voltage. My battery is filling reasonably well while I'm out during the day so it's not been a big issue for me, but I'm looking forward to some better sun in a couple of months because I want to test this theory a little more.
***** To be honest I've just hooked up the new array and the system hasn't operated on a clear day yet - but I'm not getting my hopes up, may have to switch to the other model I'm using if the EPEVER controllers don't make up for these rainy day losses during sunny weather. Every little bit counts when you're off the grid. Thanks again for your input
Well when she does please let me know. I connected and commissioned my little system (250W PV, Epever Tracer 30A controller, 2 x 100Ah gel batteries and a pure sine wave inverter) on Saturday and left the batteries to charge for three days as suggested by the manufacturer. It is a 70th birthday present to myself and last night I sat back and watched 4 hours TV courtesy of the sun. I am going to run a water pump to fill a 500 litre tank on my roof (it leads into 80 meters of 25mm black plastic pipe curled across the roof which heats up when the sun shines and takes the water into the house plumbing. No early morning or showers before going to bed of course) my TV, laptop and lights. A bit of juggling is going to be needed and info about how much each item uses and how long it will take to be replenished will be handy. I am in the bush in the Eastern Cape of SA and have plenty of sun and time to play. Watching you make the 485 cable reminded me of 1000 years ago when I worked out the pinouts between Autocad and HP A0 plotters. HP charged an arm and a leg and were horrified by my cheek. Add them to the dozens of 232 fly leads to Xenix/Unix terminals and .... oh sorry I am blathering on .....
I will - I'll make a note. Sounds like you're having fun with your projects, perhaps you should start documenting your progress in a few videos? Normally I'd be very jealous about your beautiful South African sun, but actually today it's gorgeous here - time for a solar experiment after work hopefully. :-)
Hi Adam, First of all, great channel you got here. Learning alot with it. Just purchased a tracer2210an and also have the same USB adapter you have. Now, the problem is where to load the monitoring software. I can't find it in their website. The website is completely diferent. Can you help? Thax
The adapter does not have a ground connection on the rs485 side. It’s often not needed but on longer runs or in electrically noisy environments it can help.
You mentioned real time logging. That is what I looked for but the fine print was that some models are capable and some are not. Ive been attempting to access the controller with python and a Raspberry Pi 3B. I've been working with the pymodbus library and kasbert's Epever python software. The following is a quote from a readme file: Begin Quote----------------- sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install python-dev sudo apt-get install python-pip pip install pymodbus Additionally, I had to install some extra packages: pip install pycrypto pip install pyasn1 End Quote------------------ The python Epever package from Kasbert : github.com/kasbert/epsolar-tracer The info.py and readall.py scripts load a mock modbus client and readout false data. I'm now studying the API and Epever scripts.
Great review on this charge controller, am thinking of getting one of these myself and I am also thinking the same about whether something can be done with a Pi to capture the info as I have a couple sat about so will be watching for when you start looking into that :)
+coolamasta1 Hi there. I have done exactly this using the pymodbus library, and some python code (found online written for the Tracer BN) I have adjusted the code to pull data from a Tracer 2210A and publish it to the internet around the clock with a Raspberry Pi. See here www.solarpoweredhome.co.uk
Hi Matthew, thanks for the link, I have got myself the 30A Tracer now for my system and its great, I will have a proper read of your site when I have a bit more time but long-term if I can get something like that set up on a Pi sending it to a DB (I have MySQL DB's with my web host) that would be awesome, I am very much a noob with programming code though as I used my Pi's for media streamers haha but no doubt will be seeing if you can help me get something set up on the Pi in the near future, cheers :)
Hey Adam, just a heads up if you didn't already know, there is a newer version of the Windows EPever Solar Station Monitor software out, V1.5, I noticed there is a new option under Parameters called "Control Parameter(LiBattery)" which lets you set voltages etc up for Lithium batteries, thought you might want to take look if you haven't seen it? :) Keep up the good work on the vids, been following for a long time now and you have great content which has been helpful on more than 1 occasion :)
Thanks - I haven't seen v1.5 but that option was introduced in v1.4 which I've been using. I'll check it out and see but I wasn't that impressed with the charging voltages I saw in the default options in 1.4 (not a big problem as there is a user mode still). I'll grab a copy now and see what else has changed anyway. Glad to have been of assistance to you in the past. Cheers
There at 10:20 , could this battery under temp. setting be used for LiFe low temp charging protection under zero degrees? As the setting goes from negative 40 up to zero...right on the limt. I suppose that needs the external temp sensor. I did not check on newer versions of the software... Edit: just downloaded the current software V1.95 and it has an additional section in that actual window in the video, especially for low temperature cutoff for lithium, possible to set from -40 to +10, seperately for charge and discharge. Edit: on the website it lists the compatible inverters. Tracer A, Tracer AN, etcetc. So it SHOULD work....
Thank you for the video. In my case, we don't get much choices regarding mppt charge controllers and most times have to buy what is available. So, I purchased a generic looking charge controller. According to the seller, the feedback on the device by installers has been great. That's mostly what we have relied on over here. I have been searching for information on how to use the RS485 port having noticed that it looks quite like an RJ45 and to which it fits quite squarely. The USB to RS485 device seems like the way to go, so I'm wondering if the EPEVER software is universal and will work for my charge controller. Is there such a thing as a universal software to monitor and configure solar charge controllers?
Hi Adam - I've just gone rash and bought a 4210A + MT50 + RS485/USB stick for my shed. Just waiting for suitable panels on flea-buy. It works so far with just the 24v battery connected. The plan is to monitor from indoors via 50ft of cat5 laid in duct twixt house and shed. I've installed the controller software after updating my PC from W7 to W10. Are you using W10? Rgds, Nick
+nlo114 Sounds like you've got big plans! Yes I'm using Windows 10, but I also ran the EPSolar software on Windows 7 and it ran fine. If you've bought the official RS485 cable I think the driver is in the Solar Station Monitor software directory or install files (can't quite remember off the top of my head). Assuming to add all that length of cable (which theoretically should be fine) you're using the adapter I did then you'll need the ch340 driver. Let me know if you need a link (I'll dig it up from somewhere). Thanks for being the first person to use the word twixt on my channel and enjoy your solar setup. :-)
+Adam Welch Thanks for this tutorial video of yours. It's really informative and detail. Please checkout my channel and subscribe if you happen to find anything you like and thumbs up to any of my videos. Cheers
+Adam Welch - Despite having no panels yet or big battery, I have established coms 'twixt' shed and PC in house. I made a quick cat5e lead up and ran it out through the back-door out to the shed. It talks each way, so I'm dead chuffed. W10 seemed to know what to do, all I had to do was change from com1 to com5, then bingo. Now looking forward to getting panels and battery bank. BIG THANKS go to datahardware.co.uk for sending me a RS485 to USB stick, (identical to yours), for evaluation on Win10. He is a UK supplier, so first-class post available. Your vid has been useful and inspired me to get on with my system. G**gle 'the shedifice' to see my workshop. Cheers!
nlo114 Good for you Mate. I am proud and happy for you. I can't wait for the solar array to be up and running for you. I am working on upgrading my system right now from 24V to a 48V system which I will be uploading the video soon. Please stay tune for that and don't forget to subscribe and thumbs up to my channel. Cheers
Hi Adam - very interesting and detailed video about the Tracer! I have one question about these device in general. Do you think it is possible to charge a Lithium Ion Battery with these MPPT-Charge controler? - because of the possibility in the setup menu "Control Parameter" I would think it could be? What du you think about? Thanks for an answer - greetings from Berlin! :-)
+Der Trash Hello. Thanks for your comments. You can set your user define battery perimeters to anything between 9-17 (or 18 and 34) volts. So I'm fairly sure you'd be able to adjust it for the needs of lithium ion cells. The issue is more around the charging cycle - Bulk, Absorb, Float. Bulk is 'constant current' (as much as a solar charge controller can do anything constant) charging and absorb would be constant voltage. Both pretty standard in lithium charging profiles. I still worry that a float charge (maintaining a voltage through pwm) isn't a great idea for lithium - but other people have disagreed with me on that. I hope that helps a little.
@@AdamWelchUK need to set USER parameters for any Lithium battery. Controller can’t do it. MT50 or that solar station software. The is an Epever eLOG01 which records data for later analysis.
Hey great vid ! Good quality and clear content, I like it. I'm planning a van conversion and I want everything to be powered by solar (small fridge, couple led lights, charging my laptop, maybe a water pump) and I'd like to know if you have any recommandation on brands ? I want a 200w kits. If I can save a lot by buying separatly I will but otherwise a complete kit would be great. Would like to keep it under 1k$. Any recommandation ? Or brands I should avoid ? Heard some decent comment on renogy ...
+oli36 Renogy Sen to be well regarded in the US because I think it's a US brand. However all the renogy charge controllers I've seen are rebrands of the usual Chinese manufacturers. So the extra cash just pays for the local distributer and their service levels. I think they've rebranded EPSolar kit like the one I show in this video. You'll definitely be able to get a 200w panel, a charge controller and some size of battery bank for $1000. You need to think about your loads and how much power they'll consume and for how long, then work out your battery bank to power all that got a few days, then think about how much solar you need to top it up even on a poor sun day. Good luck and thanks for the kind comments.
Adam, I was wondering about that bit, where you lowered the charge V to 14. In your case it's probably a good thing to do, because you have sealed batteries. But if they were flooded type, higher voltage would be recommended, because that's what drives the sulfate anions out of the plates, at the cost of loosing a little bit of water each full charge, but that's no problem, when you can just add some water. I think the batteries will get sulfated more, with that voltage lowered. But I would do the same you did, if I had sealed ones, it will likely give it a longer life, as you can't add water.
@@AdamWelchUK Hi I notice you made this comment 5 years ago, but are you still using AGM batteries? If so are the suggested settings the same as what you changed them to in this video?
I brought a cable to adjust the settings on my friends epever. What i really want to change is the low volt disconnect voltage which I see you skipped over. When it comes to lead acid batteries, discharging below 50% is not healthy and at 11.1V, they are seriously over discharged and absolutely being damaged.
Great job. I like these solar shed projects. when you do the Arduino or pi data logger can you cover how the charger DATA is stored. I keep hearing the word DATA logger, but how are you thinking of doing it. Thank you for your hard work Adam.
+King Red Leg I hope to do a full explanation if I can get it working! I'm waiting for some bits which I need to make the next steps with this project - so it might be a few weeks. The theory is a RS485 module plugged into an Arduino making requests and logging the data to some sort of storage medium. It would be nice to add a screen to show more information permanently as well so I don't have to wait for the Tracer screen to rotate round to the information I'm interested in.
+Daniel Desmedt The battery voltage on the charge controller readout? Yeah - they're pretty accurate I think. I've got a panel meter next to my charge controller which agrees. The voltage at the terminals of the battery is probably a bit higher due to voltage drop across the cables. It depends on the thickness and quality of the cabling though. Thanks for the question.
Hi Adam, Thanks for the video! You mentioned that you don't have a battery temperature sensor connected. Is there a way to get the controller to use it's internal temperature for the charge compensation settings? I thought this might be closer than having a static 25C. Keep up the great work :)
+ShazAu8 Thanks for the kind comments. I've seen no evidence that the internal thermometer allows the compensation algorithm to run unfortunately. I have now got the external sensor (£5/$8) and it seems to give accurate readings, but I haven't compared the figures with the internal temperature. I'll do that.
@@AdamWelchUK Thank you for the video. Is the load voltage able to be set manually with this software or on the unit itself? Do you know what it is set to from the factory? Thank you
If you follow the link in the description, then click on the Software & APP tab the software is listed as PC Software for the Solar Charge Controller. Hope that helps
Hi Adam, awesome video. I've just bought the 40A version, and was wondering if there was a cheaper way to connect to PC. Your timing is impeccable! I'll order one of those converter thingys :) I have two 220aH standard flooded leisure batteries, should I change the charge voltages to 14v as you did? I'm new to this sort of thing so have no idea. Any help appreciated. Scott
+dimmaz88 Thanks for your comments. You'll probably find your flooded cells are happier at the higher voltage than sealed or AGM. Keep an eye on your water levels though. I'm not a battery expert and different folks have differing opinions on optimum charging. Glad to be of help regarding the cable.
Hi Adam ! Great stuff !! Have you tried having the two units att different adresses and connected together, to be able to monitor the two units in the software att the same time ? I have two units in My van, and have Them om different adresses, works fine, but I would like to monitor them att the same time. Tje program has support for it !!
Adam, I am planning on using this controller with my RV solar system. RV batteries are negative ground and so is all other components in the RV. Will this be a problem?
+Danny Woods Yes you can use it you just need to be mindful that it is common positive. As long as you make sure you wire your solar panels straight to the charge controller - ensure they are isolated from the chassis. Same for the load - if you want to use that. Although I'm guessing all your loads will already be taken straight from the battery in an RV. Hope that helps.
Hi Adam some time since you did this video which is really helpful they have a bluetooth interface have you done a video about this Thanks heaps for your time to do these videos Ross tga NZ
Sorry no I didn’t ever buy the Bluetooth module. Once I had the charge controller on my network (and now logging to my pi) I didn’t need it on my mobile like that.
Adam I went to the Tracer manufacturers site looking for something that would log and keep the info you have shown here. This because dedicating my laptop to the task is not practical. In the Tracer section they have something they call eLOG01 which does, and I cut and paste, eLOG01 eLOG01 is a record accessory matched with controller of RS485 interface, It can record solar system working data, and also real-time monitor system status via PC software or MT50. Default record time is every 10 minutes, with record range to 4 months. Is this not what we are after? I could not find one for sale or even mentioned across the iNet so have this morning sent them an e-mail asking where I can lay my hands on one. They acknowledged the e-mail in Chinese at least I hope it was an acknowledgement and not the bird.
Thats a very interesting little find - I may contact them myself. Last time I noticed a new product like this they did put me in contact with a British supplier who had just ordered some. I like the fact that you can piggy back on an MT50 or PC (via the eBox-Wifi perhaps as well as the cable?) to still see the live data as well as store it. Very interesting, thank you.
Hi Mike - I've had an email from the European sales manager in reply to my inquiry. She explains that they don't have stock at the moment, but from what she says I think it is only a couple of weeks away. I think she is going to contact me once they are available.
Hi Mike - just to keep you in the loop. EPSolar themselves now have stock so hopefully this will start filtering out to the resellers. I've managed to secure one - so hopefully I'll have it in a couple of weeks to play with.
I have one of these in a motorhome. Now it seems somewhat ridiculous to also spend good money on a high current multi stage mains charger when this is in place, so I'm thinking of simply pushing 24-35v into the unit from a rectified 100a arc welder or a pair of stacked 12v server psu. Already have the welder transformer and diodes, just wondering of you think the waveform would be too noisy for the tracer to cope, if so I'll go for the other end of the spectrum with ultra-smooth kva 24v. Your thoughts? I'll talk to you later about the unmatched batteries and 70a draw...
Hi, I purchased one of these after watching your video and it works very well thanks. In the instructions it mentions battery discharge protection, does this mean that the load function shuts off automatically when the battery level drops to low? Cheers Andy
I tried to download logging data, but the 3210A is not so equipped. Every time I tried, I got a file with column headers but no data. Oh, those logging files were also invisible. I had run into the problem before and had located a program that 'sees' them. Getting data out of the invisible files can be a challenge. The compiler is probably an obsolete Windows version. Thanks for the videos.
+Jim Julian I assumed the tracer A series doesn't have the memory to hold that data - data can only be extracted live. I think the etracer and itracer series have memory to hold a few days / a week / a months worth of data.
Hey Adam Welch. I wondering can I see data like how many power I produced and how many power I used the past month on my laptop ? like the MT50 remote monitor.
Thanks Adam, Any ideas on problems arising from not getting the software to display the settings? I bought the recommended cable but not getting it to display at all. Just trying to drop the max volts down. I have a 24v system and when the batteries reach 29v the inverter cuts out. The moment I switch off the solar all is well again. Great videos by the way and appreciated the prompt response. Well done.
Adam Welch no response from controller at all. Uninstall Ed software and downloaded new. Trouble is my setup is on a remote beach in northern Tanzania and I an in Kenya so cannot test from here. Going back down next week so will try again when on site. One thing was the software was freezing/seizing on the old and new version. Thanks for everything. Will let you know when I get back.
thanks for the video! just ordered the cable required to hook up to my tracer. my system is running fine but I'm not overly impressed with what the battery seems to be producing. will I be able to figure it out/get it working better once hooked up or is it mainly for tracking the numbers etc? hope that makes sense. thanks.
Thanks for the comment. If you're referring to the state of charge meter on your tracer and that is leaving you worried about your battery it may be worth watching my latest video on the EPEver charge controller. ua-cam.com/video/YowgBCl1F1I/v-deo.html All of the EPSolar / EPEver charge controllers seem to have the same settings on that SOC meter - and it's possibly one of the most frequent complaints I hear. It will only show as full when the battery is actively being charged. It quickly drops to 40-60% once the sun has set. Personally I prefer to keep an eye on the battery voltage - at rest. 12.7+ is 100% charged for me. I don't ever take my batteries lower than 12 volts, but I tend to keep them at 12.4 or above even after an evenings use. I'd call 12.4 ~50% charged but the EPEver will show almost depleted.
Thanks for your response, appreciate it! I'm not exactly referring to the SOC meter really (Had seen you mention this in other videos, I tend to ignore it anyway on my MT50 through my Tracer 2215BN). I guess what I'm not convinced by is my new 135ah 'deep cycle leisure battery'. This is my first dive into solar/12v power so I'm still very much learning, but the battery seems to go from 12.6 say to 12.3 after running what I'd consider a very small load for a short while. Was wondering if setting it up properly via the cable might help? Thanks for your help.
Friend, I read the other posts and I saw that you are looking for exactly what I'll do. With this software I talked called ScadaBR it makes storage and the graphics of this information and also available on the internet. In my channel have also this being shown.
This software is good, I use it on a minix pc (150 euros incluing tax and win 10), associated with teamviewer you can then use your smartphone to watch remotly (win/android app). that way you can control the load as well (connected to a relay for instance).
Does the "Battery Information" show the actual voltage of the battery or the charge voltage of the battery like the LCD display on the controller itself? Thanks. UPDATE: After watching your video fully, It looks like it does indeed show the real battery levels, not the charging levels. Thanks.
Hi, Nice video! I thinking of starting with a few solar panels and working my way up in watts, same idea with my battery bank AMG deep cycle type. I was thinking of getting the larger EPEVER Tracer4210A 40A MPPT Solar Charge Controller Regulator 12V / 24V EPsolar so I can add more as I go. (solar panels and batteries) will be looking at a 24Volt set up but starting with 12 volt battery. Would this type of controller work with 140 watt panel mono with a 12volt 130 AH battery just to start? Does the controller recognise the smaller amp and adjust accordingly? Thanks
+RED RUM Hello. Yes you can place a smaller battery and panel combo on a larger controller with no issues. Charging is based on battery voltage so big and small batteries act in the same manner. Good luck with your install. Thanks for the question.
Friend, your video was wonderful. I was really interested in this model by having RS485 and speak the MODBUS RTU protocol. This means it is much easier for me to integrate it in my home automation network. The only question that remains is this. If I use an external software, like the one I use, called ScadaBR, I need a register table. So I know what the address of each data. Can you tell me if it came with the manual? or you could contact the supplier? I will look at the price it on ebay and I will soon buy mine.
+farmsidney Hello - yes this is a solution I'm interested in too. I have contacted EPSolar to ask for an address list but they haven't got back to me yet. It sounds like you have much more experience than me in Modbus - I'll be interested to hear about your experiments.
Of course I can help. I already use modbus a long time. I found a list of the old model addresses that it may be applied. I also sent a message to the seller of aliexpress, who knows he has to register table. I'm still curious to know the difference between the two models, that you have and the one that is higher. This your costs half the other.
+Adam Welch If you run the app from EPever 'APP (V2.1.5)' on your mobile, and connect to the charge controller, there is an export option. I did this and it list the register I belive you are looking for, they are in Hexadecimal and look something like this. reg_9013_real_time_clock_second_minute = 2598.0
reg_9014_real_time_clock_hour_day = 787.0
reg_9015_real_time_clock_month_year= 4101.0
reg_9016_balance_charge_period= 0.0 I have used Modbus Poll, to confirm these. Oddly enough the app, does not give me all the values, a lot of 00, zeros. But Modbus Poll, reads them fine. Hope this helps. I really like the idea of having an arduino to gather this data. But feel it's a bit beyond me, but will plug away.
+Michael Breslin Thanks. I have managed to poll some of the stats in real time using alternative modbus programs. Other projects have taken over though - I definitely want to get this working before too long though.
Thank you for the very informative videos Adam! I did not do a proper search on your channel yet, but my question is, did you get anywhere with the arduino logger?
Perfect. This is exactly what is needed for SCADA! Thanks, I couldn't find it anywhere. Reading this document, the baud rate isn't changeable. If that is the case it is fairly useless as a SCADA RTU over radio networks.
hi adam i just got my ep controller today but i not get my pc to read it but had gutt full tonight so if it ok i try and chat with you soon about it please .cheers jim
No the official software doesn't. You can integrate the charge controller into a Modbus network though using some standard software, although I haven't done this.
Awesome video! You’ve got a bunch of neat ones :) I’m curious... the rs485 specs say it can connect to 32 devices but I haven’t found a way to do this yet. Does anybody here know if one of those adaptors could be used to connect multiple tracer models??
Hi, I'm about to set-up my Tracer3210AN (older version with orange buttons) for my LiFePo4 battery. Unfotunatelly there is no preset/default mode for this type od baterries, so I need to set up 'user' settings through rs485 (CC-USB-RS485-150U). Thanks for this help!
Hi Adam, just found your videos and they are very informative. I have installed a tracer 3210 an to my caravan that has a 115ah battery and has a 120w solar panel. What would the best settings be to prevent overload on my battery or over discharge that could also damage it? Regards Mike
Thx for informative video! Stupid question - how is the temperatue probe mounted to the battery? My is a wire with a brass colored cylinder at the end - do I just tape this to the side of the battery? Thanks.
THANKS for this video and the one before this :) . I need one charger like this but capable to charge 40 Am/h . Is the only model I can bye here in my city. Do you think is good for charging 400 Amp batterys every day????
+Practical Technologys There's a 40 amp version of this controller. Whether it would fit your needs depends on how much you drain your batteries each day and how much solar you're bringing in.
+Adam Welch I want to put on 4-5 solar panel at 260 Watt/one, by around 8 Amps/h each one. 5 paneles will charge me arownd 40 Amp/h --> 5 houres /day , sow I will have like 100% solar radiation 5 houers/day, that will be like 40 Amp/h in a total 200 Amp/day in a 12 volts battery system. After seeing your video I notice you sead that will have like 90% efficience , and that is fine whit me. I sow one of this here but at a close look it seem that they are made in CHINA and I suspect this chargers are not so good. Seeing your video whit the test give me hope to bye 1 of this for my solar system. Now I need a good charge regulator for my batterys, do you know some good regulator for the battery that I can install in my system after the charger so I can charge the batter cell equel ???!?!?1?!?1
+Practical Technologys The epsolar tracer does do (as do most charge controllers) a equalisation charge. They are often set to complete this about once a month. Basically it holds the battery voltage at a higher level for a couple of hours to help equalise the cells.
Hi Adam, Have you come across a "Doesn't exist or has not yet been set up" error? I followed this video to a T. Exact same dongle, cut network cable using pins 4(blue) to B and Pin 6(green) to A. Tried a different RS485 dongle, laptop all together (different antivirus, Win7/10 etc), Ensured epever software is referencing the right virtual com port, recreating a new "station"... no luck
Does anybody have 1.2 or 1.4 version of Solar Station software? I'm using v1.92 and I'm thinking they've disabled RS485 support so people are more likely to buy their RS232 dongle?
This ended up being my RS485 driver! I was using the windows driver from 2006 assuming it would work... not using drivers from wch.cn, dates 8/8/14. FINALLY connected!
Thanks for these clips. I bought a 4210A and a RS485 adaptor and have tried to set it up on my computer. Used your instructions to download software and install (Your clips were great.) I only have one problem. I cannot get it to work. I believe I have set it up correctly. I believe I am using the correct port (COM5) identified via Device Manager. However when I select 'Start Monitor' I get the following message 'The operation has timed out (COM5). When 'Monitoring' is cancelled I then get the message 'COM5 has been occupied by other software'. Unfortunately I am relatively computer illiterate. Do you have any ideas on what I could try?
+Sallie Moulds Hello Sallie and thanks for the kind comments. Has the RS485 adapted installed correctly? In device manager check there isn't an warning next to the com port or something like that. If you are using the exact same one as me you might need to check you have the correct driver installed. It's a CH340 based adapter. The only other suggestion I have is to switch the a and b cables around to check they are right. Happy to help further if you can try a few things and give me some more information.
Thanks for your great video I have 2 Tracer 3210AN the monitoring with solar station monitor and a USB to RS485 works perfectly. Since I have two devices, I wanted to operate both with the software at the same time. So I bought 2 USB to RS485 converters and connected them to a USB hub. In the software I now have 2 solar controllers one on COM5 one on COM7 when I set the first to start monitoring everything works fine. If I set the second to start monitoring I get an error message "Operation failed. The operation has timed out. (COM7)" Do you know what the problem can be why I get this error message
I didn’t no, but my good friend Colin Hickey did. His video takes you through the setup... ua-cam.com/video/_VcWwJIq4XU/v-deo.html Actually I intend to mention this in a video soon. :-)
Hi Adam, great video. I did everything as you did and it works great with no load being pulled from the battery bank. However, as soon as I start to pull a load it stops working and gives an error. Stop the load and it starts to monitor again. It monitors on the device itself, just not on the computer. Do I have something wrong? Has this happened to you? Thanks in advance
Hi Ray. No - this hasn't happened to me. In fact now I've got the wifi to RS485 box I've recently reviewed I've been monitoring my tracer 24/7 remotely with no issues at all. My load is on all the time, I use external switches to control whats on and off and generally my load is quite small (a few led lights). What is the error message?
It says Operation failed. The operation has timeout (com3) and operation failed. Other error(com3) I am pulling the load directly from the battery to the inverter. Using about 300-400 watts. It still monitors on the charge controller itself under these conditions, but not with the software. Obviously I would like to moniter while pulling a load because I run all my 110v with solar. Thanks for the reply
The only thing I can really think of is that there is a fault with the unit (whether that's one or two of them or a fault in the design) or possibly more likely, that there is an awful lot of electrical interference or noise being created by the inverter and that is knocking off the communication. RS485 is meant to be very good with interference but I guess it's not perfect. I only have a small inverter and I don't often use it. I will test this though and let you know how I get on monitoring the tracer and running the inverter from the battery.
Do you think that me pulling a load of 25-40 amps from the battery bank on a 20amp charge controller could be the issue? I will try a smaller load and see if it works but you may be right about the interference. Thanks for your help. Let me know what you find out if you do your test with the inverter.
ray b Pulling 25-40 amps direct from the battery shouldn't cause any issue - except for the fact that you'll always have a net loss even if it's nice and sunny... I suspect interference is probably the cause - I will test at some point over the next few days and get back to you - unfortunately using a different inverter may reap different results. Anyway, we'll see.
Hi Adam, just watched your video again and noticed that the max battery voltage was at 16.06v (7.38 min into the video ) yet in the controller settings it was set at a lower max v value. Did this cause you any issues with the battery as yours are sealed? Thanks
It's a funny parameter I think that 'max battery voltage'. The battery should never get to that level - so effectively it is a final safety thing - and it will flag a warning on screen. The battery should never go over the Boost or Equalization charge voltage at any time. I guess you may have other chargers attached to the battery banks which may charge to a higher level than the EPEver - so it might be called into action I guess.
Adam Welch, have just heard back from epsolar, wanderer, who informs me that particular reading is the absolute peak voltage which would have lasted m/seconds and should be nothing to worry about
Hi Adam thanks for the video ,I follow your step but when I plug the usb it can not read or doesn't exit in epever software said,would you help me to solve this one ,thanks adam
Hi Adam! An other good video ! One question please , because IAM using mac and probably cant use this software with my epever. Can we limit the current ? Best thanks Phil
I had the same question.. when I found the RS485 adaptor on e-bay it did not mention the Mac O/S .... and Adam confirms that the software won't work on a Mac either...too bad...
Hi Adam, Nice stuff. Maybe silly question but can I use just a network cable for this through the network port on my laptop? Having trouble getting the software to connect to computer. Checked ports and all. Downloaded software again but no luck. Would 32bit have anything to do with it on a 64bit machine?
I’m afraid it isn’t a network port. It’s a RS485 port so it uses a different protocol. You need a USB adapter (or some other way of connecting). I did a video about making a cheap usb cable, but to be honest they are cheap enough just to buy the proper one.
Hello, I have such a regulator on my plot (Tracer 4210), is it possible to connect it to the Internet and control it remotely via a computer or telephone?
+Lizlie Gen Dolor Acidillo Check which port has been assigned in computer management and make sure that is the same in Solar station manager. Then check your driver settings and see if the RS485 tick box is there and try turning it on.
Yes sir, i have checked it but the problem is i don't find any option for rs485 in the port settings. I am a little bit confused right now. I have used cat5 utp. I attached the blue in B and green in A. Thanks for the help.
Some preparations is required. Install the Github phpepsolar package. Needless to say, PHP5 will need to be installed with relevant packages. Go to the website and read the comments for issues, number 1 Edit the two lines as mentioned. Install the RPi-source program and run, then compile the driver from the epsolar package (also installed). The first installs headers to match the Raspbian kernal. THEN the driver will compile correctly. The python epsolar package will run too. A script has to be written that removes the cdc_acm module and inserts the driver module, xr_usb_serial_common.ko from the compile. That script can be made bootable. Check permissions for files and folders if errors pop-up. The PHP script is as follows: ============================================================= -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- typical output: PV array voltage(V),PV array current(A),PV array power(W),Battery voltage(V),Battery charging current(A),Battery charging power(W),Load voltage(V),Load current(A),Load power(W),Battery temperature(°C),Charger temperature(°C),Heat sink temperature(°C),Battery SOC(%),Remote battery temperature(°C),System rated voltage(V),Battery status,Equipment status, date, time 45.42,2.56,116.44,26.77,4.35,116.44,0,0,0,25,38.27,38.27,82,25,24,0,11,2016-09-12,16:31:41 44.27,2.66,117.96,26.81,4.4,117.96,0,0,0,25,38.24,38.24,81,25,24,0,11,2016-09-12,16:32:11 45.99,2.58,118.81,26.64,4.46,118.81,0,0,0,25,38.17,38.17,79,25,24,0,11,2016-09-12,16:32:41 39.79,2.81,111.85,26.38,4.24,111.85,0,0,0,25,38.11,38.11,77,25,24,0,11,2016-09-12,16:33:11 45.53,2.87,130.81,26.48,4.94,130.81,0,0,0,25,38.06,38.06,75,25,24,0,11,2016-09-12,16:33:41 45.28,2.45,111.14,26.4,4.21,111.14,0,0,0,25,38.02,38.02,73,25,24,0,11,2016-09-12,16:34:12 44.84,4.33,194.32,26.73,7.27,194.32,0,0,0,25,37.95,37.95,72,25,24,0,11,2016-09-12,16:34:42 47.16,5.28,249.15,27.5,9.06,249.15,0,0,0,25,37.95,37.95,72,25,24,0,11,2016-09-12,16:35:12 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Good luck.
+upupupupnaway Very interesting. Sounds like something I'd be interested in trying for myself. My Pi is sat idle at the moment. Thanks for letting me know - will you be releasing it in the future?
Thanks very much for this. It looks like a really good complete guide. I'll definitely be trying this out when I get some time. I'll report back once I've had a chance to play.
Checked out your blog. The instructions for installing MySQL, as written, do not work. I keep getting errors for not having a password. I've followed the MySQL instructions for changing the password but get permission errors.
+Jim Connelly Hi Jim. On my about page there is an email address if you want to send me a more detailed explanation of the issue - perhaps some pictures too?
I'm having an issue with mine were the battery symbol flashes with an error triangle. When I select the battery it says 2.8v but when I put a millimeter to the battery it says 11.7v? Any ideas? Sorry this is totally new to me.
Adam, thank you for all your videos!
I didn't really like the station monitor software, i wanted something more dynamic and fast. Using a Raspberry Pi, USB to RS485 Converter, Node Red and MODBUS Nodes, I am now able to view in real time the status of the charger. I have also setup text alerts for certain scenarios, being that its realtime i get the texts with current data.
My next step is to write to the registers to turn on and off the load via Node Red.
Again thank you so much.
have you got an R-pi image for this? cheers
I am doing the same using an arduino and a gsm module (for text alerts). epever sent me a pdf with the modbus documentation. i can also turn the load on and off by sending sms to the arduino. very cool! Thanks Adam! This video helped me getting this project started (only 4 years after) ;)
@@Honeybadger0815 hey i know you wrote this 1 year ago, but do you still have the modbus documentation?
Thank you! This video just helped me figure out why my rs485 dongle wasn't communicating with my Epever tracer. It turns out the latest EPever Tracers don't come with the RJ45 pin out in the manual like yours did, and the pin-out I previously found online had the ground on the incorrect pin (causing me to ground one of the signals).
Thanks for the great content.
This is some thing that would be most useful to me, but it went clean over my head
I just followed your guide and made the cable. Huge thanks for your explanation of MODBUS!
Thank you a bunch for your video, I finally got my connection going to the mppt :D Started out with a RS232->RS485 circuit but could not get it to work. A usb to rs485 circuit was the way to go.
Great stuff! Being a techno geek, this is right up my alley, my USB stick is on order. Can't really go wrong for AU$1.60!!!! Thanks for making the vid.
It's difficult to complain at the price!
Glad to find this video. EPEVER have "omitted" the RJ45 pinout in the booklet which comes with the Tracer AN! Also, they clame that the default configuration is suitable for both sealed lead/acid batteries, and LiFePO4 batteries, 12 or 24 volts...
We have LiFePO4 12V, are you saying you had problems with that?
@@mattwilliams6500 so far, no problem. Have it for a year not.
Personally, I think that the default configurations are standard and can be left ad they are. In my case, I have a tall tubular flooded lead acid battery and I checked and observed that the default configuration for that selection of battery aligns with the parameters in the manual from the manufacturer. So, I don't think I have to worry about inputing a user configuration to match.
thanks Adam for showing me how to use this cheap rs485 / usb converter
It's good to see another sceptic of basing things on S.O.C....! :) Voltage is definitely more reliable in my view.
RJ11 telephone connectors have the same thickness, contact spacing and retaining clip width as the RJ45 connectors. I'm using a 2 wire generic telephone cord as my RS485 cable. The 3210A's metering is optimistic at low values, something I discovered in my tabletop testing using a 7AH battery and a 17 volt, 200 ma wall wart as the solar panel.
Thanks for the video.
+notyoung Yeah that's a good alternative for the USB cable. Cheers
Just an FYI, the "official" USB to RS485 cable, (CC-USB-RS485-150U) has one wire attached to pin 4 on the RJ45 end and the other wire attached to pin 8 which is ground. The USB end is molded so I can't take it apart easily.
I did use one of the cheap RS485/USB adapters like you mention, wired as you said and it does work.
Thanks George - Grounding all the devices together is sensible and it's good to hear EPSOlar have done that. The cheap usb to RS485 adapters don't have an easy to access ground though (I did consider soldering a wire to the neg on the usb connector internally) but like you, found it wasn't entirely necessary. Thanks for letting me know.
Awesome Video Series.
I just purchased the newly updated 3210AN Charge Controller and I also bought the official CC-USB-RS485-150U cable (USB to RS485 Adapter w/ RJ45). It would not work at all until I opened the Device Manager, Right-Clicked on the COM port, and choose Properties. Under the "Port Settings" Tab, I had to check the "RS485" box and apply. As soon as I did that it worked.
Thought it might be helpful to someone else out there! I'm on Win7 if that comes up.
Thanks for this vid. I had to buy the rs485 modbus usb for my 2210 Tracer-AN version. Worked like a charm. I had to setup user settings for my LifePo4. Those settings are very specific and yeah. i could not just use the default 3 that was part of the Charger. When i bought the 20amp MPPT. I was hoping one could just cycle through the settings via the 2 button interface... but ye. USB to RJ45 via that chip was needed
Hi, I'm about to set-up my Tracer3210AN (older version with orange buttons) for my LiFePo4 battery. Unfotunatelly there is no preset/default mode for this type od baterries, so I need to set up 'user' settings through rs485 (CC-USB-RS485-150U). Thanks for this help!
Hi Adam, thanx for creating and sharing your review of this product. It has helped me decide on which MPPT controller to purchase for my RV system that I'll be installing from scratch. I choose the 30 Amp unit, with 4 x 100 Watt Panels, and 2 x 79 AH AGM Batteries., and have ordered the USB to RS485 adaptors, however, I noticed something that I wanted to share, and of which I hope you will to be of benefit. When you build your own cable using either CAT 5 (or CAT 6) cables, be aware that you should be using a twisted pair of cables, contrary to your choice of leads. Be sure to check the standard wiring diagram for a Cat 5 or 6 Cable, (Google Everything) which will reveal the designs twisted pair leads. (Typically a solid colour is mated with a striped insulator of the same colour.) According to the book diagram, one should use lead's 4 and 5, or 3 and 6, as they are "each a set" of a twisted pair. This is important to maintain correct impedance, maintain noise reduction, capacitance, etc, especially in longer runs. Additionally, for longer runs, instead of a standard UTP CAT 5 cable, it might be wise to use shielded instead... and one other point, especially for longer runs, CAT 6 cable uses a slightly heavier gauge of wire in the sheath, of 23 Gauge, instead of 24 Gauge. I've yet to hook my gear up, but look forward to sunnier days ahead. Cheers! :)
Thanks for your comments, it's always great to hear when I've helped someone out. It sounds also like you're going to have a nice system setup. If you're conservative with your power consumption it should provide almost everything you need.
Yes, in hindsight perhaps using either the green or blue pair may have had some advantages. However I've had a number of people copy my method and it has worked for them. A couple of people have got back to me to say they've had some issue with communication and actually the fix for them was to use a common ground (by popping open the USB-RS485 adapter and wiring one of the brown pair to the usb connector ground).
RS485 is used in industry because it is so resilient to noise ( admw.uk/je ) however that isn't to say your improvement would reap some rewards in some applications. So, thank you for your suggestion Max.
After 2 days of trying to make it work (drivers, combinations of wiring, etc.) I can confirm that soldering the common ground to the brown made my device work! I'm glad I found your response here Adam. Brilliant videos BTW. Thank you!
Very helpful video. It took me quite a while to get my self-made cable to work with the Tracer 2210AN. I used the green and blue wire like you did. The drivers included in Windows 10 didn't seem to work, I had to download the CH341 drivers manually. Finally I was able to adjust the controller parameters to disable equalization charge for my AGM battery.
I left the outer insulation of the cable (is it called jacket in english?) a bit longer than the inner wires and taped that to the RS485 adapter to prevent damage to the very thin wires.
What values, isnt sealed next best
@@jussikankinen9409 Hi. After two years I don't remember and I can't find any notes which values I used, sorry. I think I probably used the setting for sealed batteries and set the equalization charge voltage to the same voltage as boost charge, which should be 14.4 V according to the manual. But I don't remember.
your right. I mixed up parallel with series.
Thanks for the info Adam.
My new AN series manual does not have the RJ45 wiring info. I guess they would rather that you buy their cable. Less support problems.
Already had a couple of those cheap USB-RS485 adapters. So making my own cable was a no brainer. Did not need to add a ground wire. Thanks again.
Glad to hear it. Nice one.
Great video! I noticed you changed the boost duration from 120 minutes down to 60. Any particular reason? I have 6 UPS batteries @ 12v (110 amp hours each at the 20hr rate ) for my battery bank... How long should I run the boost cycle for my mppt controller? Is there anyway to mathematically figure this out for your battery bank size? Thank you for your time, great channel!
Yes why, is it better if sunny or clowdy which way
I'll take a look. thanks Adam. great vids by the way.
Super video. Thanks for sharing this information.
I've written and am using a PHP script to extract live data and store in a CSV file on the Rapsberry Pi. Data collection is very do-able.
+Jim Julian Excellent. I'd love to see this if your happy to make it public? It's on my to do list but I struggle with free time. Thanks.
Great video. Very informative. Thank you
Thanks for the info. You could teach this company a few things about how to write a proper user manual. Unfortunately, I'm getting an "Operation failed. Operation timed out" error in the msg dialogue after clicking the 'start monitor' button. Program recognises the connection to COM5, but I'm no computer wiz. I just want to charge my damn batteries. Get what you pay for I guess, next time I'm biting the bullet and getting a Midnite Classic.
There's also something not right about the charging modes with this controller. Currently only putting 25W into the battery bank on a rainy day from a 1000W array, but I have a separate 1000W array controlled by an even cheaper 40A so-called mppt controller from China that's also quite popular on ebay and it's currently dumping 50W into the battery bank. Can anyone explain that? For twice as much money I would expect these controllers to be more efficient, not less.
This seems to be a similar problem as what another user described in a comment below about their PV input voltage and current dropping when they really shouldn't be. My battery bank is currently only at 60% soc
+James Biggar Some people find the MPPT algorithm can be slow to track in some conditions. I have seen some evidence to suggest it gets 'stuck' tracking just above battery voltage. My battery is filling reasonably well while I'm out during the day so it's not been a big issue for me, but I'm looking forward to some better sun in a couple of months because I want to test this theory a little more.
***** To be honest I've just hooked up the new array and the system hasn't operated on a clear day yet - but I'm not getting my hopes up, may have to switch to the other model I'm using if the EPEVER controllers don't make up for these rainy day losses during sunny weather. Every little bit counts when you're off the grid. Thanks again for your input
Well when she does please let me know. I connected and commissioned my little system (250W PV, Epever Tracer 30A controller, 2 x 100Ah gel batteries and a pure sine wave inverter) on Saturday and left the batteries to charge for three days as suggested by the manufacturer. It is a 70th birthday present to myself and last night I sat back and watched 4 hours TV courtesy of the sun. I am going to run a water pump to fill a 500 litre tank on my roof (it leads into 80 meters of 25mm black plastic pipe curled across the roof which heats up when the sun shines and takes the water into the house plumbing. No early morning or showers before going to bed of course) my TV, laptop and lights. A bit of juggling is going to be needed and info about how much each item uses and how long it will take to be replenished will be handy. I am in the bush in the Eastern Cape of SA and have plenty of sun and time to play. Watching you make the 485 cable reminded me of 1000 years ago when I worked out the pinouts between Autocad and HP A0 plotters. HP charged an arm and a leg and were horrified by my cheek. Add them to the dozens of 232 fly leads to Xenix/Unix terminals and .... oh sorry I am blathering on .....
I will - I'll make a note. Sounds like you're having fun with your projects, perhaps you should start documenting your progress in a few videos? Normally I'd be very jealous about your beautiful South African sun, but actually today it's gorgeous here - time for a solar experiment after work hopefully. :-)
Great practical information, explained clearly
Hi Adam,
First of all, great channel you got here.
Learning alot with it.
Just purchased a tracer2210an and also have the same USB adapter you have.
Now, the problem is where to load the monitoring software. I can't find it in their website. The website is completely diferent. Can you help?
Thax
Nice video and informative. I have a little question. How can I monitor on raspberry pi. I will be happy to get the answer.
In other video can see you have connected the ground as well.. But why not in this one?
The adapter does not have a ground connection on the rs485 side. It’s often not needed but on longer runs or in electrically noisy environments it can help.
would love a raspberry pie to run the monitor, cant wait till you start that project...
that's what I'm looking to do
You mentioned real time logging. That is what I looked for but the fine print was that some models are capable and some are not. Ive been attempting to access the controller with python and a Raspberry Pi 3B.
I've been working with the pymodbus library and kasbert's Epever python software.
The following is a quote from a readme file:
Begin Quote-----------------
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install python-dev
sudo apt-get install python-pip
pip install pymodbus
Additionally, I had to install some extra packages:
pip install pycrypto
pip install pyasn1
End Quote------------------
The python Epever package from Kasbert :
github.com/kasbert/epsolar-tracer
The info.py and readall.py scripts load a mock modbus client and readout false data. I'm now studying the API and Epever scripts.
+Jim Julian Thanks. I'll take a look at this as soon as I can. Thanks again.
Looks like the controller params settings might be configurable enough to use it for LifePO4 batts? Thanks Adam! Great videos.
+Paul Vudmaska Yeah it's quite configurable. Thanks for the kind comments Paul.
Great review on this charge controller, am thinking of getting one of these myself and I am also thinking the same about whether something can be done with a Pi to capture the info as I have a couple sat about so will be watching for when you start looking into that :)
+coolamasta1 Hi there. I have done exactly this using the pymodbus library, and some python code (found online written for the Tracer BN) I have adjusted the code to pull data from a Tracer 2210A and publish it to the internet around the clock with a Raspberry Pi. See here www.solarpoweredhome.co.uk
Hi Matthew, thanks for the link, I have got myself the 30A Tracer now for my system and its great, I will have a proper read of your site when I have a bit more time but long-term if I can get something like that set up on a Pi sending it to a DB (I have MySQL DB's with my web host) that would be awesome, I am very much a noob with programming code though as I used my Pi's for media streamers haha but no doubt will be seeing if you can help me get something set up on the Pi in the near future, cheers :)
Hey Adam, just a heads up if you didn't already know, there is a newer version of the Windows EPever Solar Station Monitor software out, V1.5, I noticed there is a new option under Parameters called "Control Parameter(LiBattery)" which lets you set voltages etc up for Lithium batteries, thought you might want to take look if you haven't seen it? :) Keep up the good work on the vids, been following for a long time now and you have great content which has been helpful on more than 1 occasion :)
Thanks - I haven't seen v1.5 but that option was introduced in v1.4 which I've been using. I'll check it out and see but I wasn't that impressed with the charging voltages I saw in the default options in 1.4 (not a big problem as there is a user mode still). I'll grab a copy now and see what else has changed anyway.
Glad to have been of assistance to you in the past. Cheers
There at 10:20 , could this battery under temp. setting be used for LiFe low temp charging protection under zero degrees? As the setting goes from negative 40 up to zero...right on the limt. I suppose that needs the external temp sensor. I did not check on newer versions of the software...
Edit: just downloaded the current software V1.95 and it has an additional section in that actual window in the video, especially for low temperature cutoff for lithium, possible to set from -40 to +10, seperately for charge and discharge.
Edit: on the website it lists the compatible inverters. Tracer A, Tracer AN, etcetc. So it SHOULD work....
gracias por el video , esta muy bueno
Thank you for the video. In my case, we don't get much choices regarding mppt charge controllers and most times have to buy what is available. So, I purchased a generic looking charge controller. According to the seller, the feedback on the device by installers has been great. That's mostly what we have relied on over here. I have been searching for information on how to use the RS485 port having noticed that it looks quite like an RJ45 and to which it fits quite squarely. The USB to RS485 device seems like the way to go, so I'm wondering if the EPEVER software is universal and will work for my charge controller. Is there such a thing as a universal software to monitor and configure solar charge controllers?
Hi Adam - I've just gone rash and bought a 4210A + MT50 + RS485/USB stick for my shed. Just waiting for suitable panels on flea-buy. It works so far with just the 24v battery connected. The plan is to monitor from indoors via 50ft of cat5 laid in duct twixt house and shed. I've installed the controller software after updating my PC from W7 to W10. Are you using W10? Rgds, Nick
+nlo114 Sounds like you've got big plans! Yes I'm using Windows 10, but I also ran the EPSolar software on Windows 7 and it ran fine.
If you've bought the official RS485 cable I think the driver is in the Solar Station Monitor software directory or install files (can't quite remember off the top of my head). Assuming to add all that length of cable (which theoretically should be fine) you're using the adapter I did then you'll need the ch340 driver. Let me know if you need a link (I'll dig it up from somewhere).
Thanks for being the first person to use the word twixt on my channel and enjoy your solar setup. :-)
+Adam Welch Thanks for this tutorial video of yours. It's really informative and detail.
Please checkout my channel and subscribe if you happen to find anything you like and thumbs up to any of my videos.
Cheers
+Adam Welch - Despite having no panels yet or big battery, I have established coms 'twixt' shed and PC in house. I made a quick cat5e lead up and ran it out through the back-door out to the shed. It talks each way, so I'm dead chuffed. W10 seemed to know what to do, all I had to do was change from com1 to com5, then bingo. Now looking forward to getting panels and battery bank. BIG THANKS go to datahardware.co.uk for sending me a RS485 to USB stick, (identical to yours), for evaluation on Win10. He is a UK supplier, so first-class post available. Your vid has been useful and inspired me to get on with my system. G**gle 'the shedifice' to see my workshop. Cheers!
+nlo114 Thanks for the update - I'm glad my bodged together cable is working for you over a longer distance. I'll look you up for sure.
nlo114 Good for you Mate. I am proud and happy for you. I can't wait for the solar array to be up and running for you.
I am working on upgrading my system right now from 24V to a 48V system which I will be uploading the video soon. Please stay tune for that and don't forget to subscribe and thumbs up to my channel.
Cheers
Hi Adam - very interesting and detailed video about the Tracer! I have one question about these device in general. Do you think it is possible to charge a Lithium Ion Battery with these MPPT-Charge controler? - because of the possibility in the setup menu "Control Parameter" I would think it could be? What du you think about?
Thanks for an answer - greetings from Berlin! :-)
+Der Trash Hello. Thanks for your comments. You can set your user define battery perimeters to anything between 9-17 (or 18 and 34) volts. So I'm fairly sure you'd be able to adjust it for the needs of lithium ion cells. The issue is more around the charging cycle - Bulk, Absorb, Float. Bulk is 'constant current' (as much as a solar charge controller can do anything constant) charging and absorb would be constant voltage. Both pretty standard in lithium charging profiles. I still worry that a float charge (maintaining a voltage through pwm) isn't a great idea for lithium - but other people have disagreed with me on that. I hope that helps a little.
+Adam Welch Hey Adam, thanks a lot for your answer! - I am still gathering information to build up a little solar system ...
@@AdamWelchUK need to set USER parameters for any Lithium battery. Controller can’t do it. MT50 or that solar station software. The is an Epever eLOG01 which records data for later analysis.
Hey great vid ! Good quality and clear content, I like it. I'm planning a van conversion and I want everything to be powered by solar (small fridge, couple led lights, charging my laptop, maybe a water pump) and I'd like to know if you have any recommandation on brands ? I want a 200w kits. If I can save a lot by buying separatly I will but otherwise a complete kit would be great. Would like to keep it under 1k$. Any recommandation ? Or brands I should avoid ? Heard some decent comment on renogy ...
+oli36 Renogy Sen to be well regarded in the US because I think it's a US brand. However all the renogy charge controllers I've seen are rebrands of the usual Chinese manufacturers. So the extra cash just pays for the local distributer and their service levels. I think they've rebranded EPSolar kit like the one I show in this video.
You'll definitely be able to get a 200w panel, a charge controller and some size of battery bank for $1000.
You need to think about your loads and how much power they'll consume and for how long, then work out your battery bank to power all that got a few days, then think about how much solar you need to top it up even on a poor sun day.
Good luck and thanks for the kind comments.
Adam, I was wondering about that bit, where you lowered the charge V to 14. In your case it's probably a good thing to do, because you have sealed batteries. But if they were flooded type, higher voltage would be recommended, because that's what drives the sulfate anions out of the plates, at the cost of loosing a little bit of water each full charge, but that's no problem, when you can just add some water. I think the batteries will get sulfated more, with that voltage lowered. But I would do the same you did, if I had sealed ones, it will likely give it a longer life, as you can't add water.
+TheRadiastral Thanks - yes I used sealed (AGM now actually) so I tend to run them a little lower.
@@AdamWelchUK Hi I notice you made this comment 5 years ago, but are you still using AGM batteries? If so are the suggested settings the same as what you changed them to in this video?
I brought a cable to adjust the settings on my friends epever. What i really want to change is the low volt disconnect voltage which I see you skipped over.
When it comes to lead acid batteries, discharging below 50% is not healthy and at 11.1V, they are seriously over discharged and absolutely being damaged.
Great job. I like these solar shed projects. when you do the Arduino or pi data logger can you cover how the charger DATA is stored. I keep hearing the word DATA logger, but how are you thinking of doing it. Thank you for your hard work Adam.
+King Red Leg I hope to do a full explanation if I can get it working! I'm waiting for some bits which I need to make the next steps with this project - so it might be a few weeks. The theory is a RS485 module plugged into an Arduino making requests and logging the data to some sort of storage medium. It would be nice to add a screen to show more information permanently as well so I don't have to wait for the Tracer screen to rotate round to the information I'm interested in.
Have you verified, the Volt numbers you see there? Mine are off by 0.3 to 0.5, no big deal, until those wrong number are used as charging parms.
+Daniel Desmedt The battery voltage on the charge controller readout? Yeah - they're pretty accurate I think. I've got a panel meter next to my charge controller which agrees.
The voltage at the terminals of the battery is probably a bit higher due to voltage drop across the cables. It depends on the thickness and quality of the cabling though.
Thanks for the question.
Hi Adam,
Thanks for the video! You mentioned that you don't have a battery temperature sensor connected. Is there a way to get the controller to use it's internal temperature for the charge compensation settings? I thought this might be closer than having a static 25C. Keep up the great work :)
+ShazAu8 Thanks for the kind comments.
I've seen no evidence that the internal thermometer allows the compensation algorithm to run unfortunately. I have now got the external sensor (£5/$8) and it seems to give accurate readings, but I haven't compared the figures with the internal temperature. I'll do that.
Thanks for the reply. I can't wait to see what you have planned with this Controller! Time for more panels?
@@AdamWelchUK Thank you for the video. Is the load voltage able to be set manually with this software or on the unit itself? Do you know what it is set to from the factory? Thank you
@@SteveGuzer the load output is tied to the battery, so it is always at the battery voltage.
hello it seems that the software is not available from the link now ?? any advice .... your videos are empowering cheers tim Australia
If you follow the link in the description, then click on the Software & APP tab the software is listed as PC Software for the Solar Charge Controller. Hope that helps
cheers mate looking forward to more of your videos
Hi Adam, awesome video. I've just bought the 40A version, and was wondering if there was a cheaper way to connect to PC. Your timing is impeccable! I'll order one of those converter thingys :)
I have two 220aH standard flooded leisure batteries, should I change the charge voltages to 14v as you did? I'm new to this sort of thing so have no idea.
Any help appreciated.
Scott
+dimmaz88 Thanks for your comments. You'll probably find your flooded cells are happier at the higher voltage than sealed or AGM. Keep an eye on your water levels though. I'm not a battery expert and different folks have differing opinions on optimum charging.
Glad to be of help regarding the cable.
+Adam Welch Ok cheers, I'll see how it goes. Out of interest, where abouts in W.Yorks are you?
+dimmaz88 I'm in sunny Leeds :-)
Ah right, I live near Todmorden. I was thinking your accent was a bit diluted to be fully yorkshire lol. I was wrong :)
Hi Adam !
Great stuff !!
Have you tried having the two units att different adresses and connected together, to be able to monitor the two units in the software att the same time ?
I have two units in My van, and have Them om different adresses, works fine, but I would like to monitor them att the same time. Tje program has support for it !!
Hey Adam.Please help with an older version of Solar Station monitor for Tracer.Thanks!
Adam, I am planning on using this controller with my RV solar system. RV batteries are negative ground and so is all other components in the RV. Will this be a problem?
+Danny Woods Yes you can use it you just need to be mindful that it is common positive. As long as you make sure you wire your solar panels straight to the charge controller - ensure they are isolated from the chassis. Same for the load - if you want to use that. Although I'm guessing all your loads will already be taken straight from the battery in an RV. Hope that helps.
Adam Welch
Thanks! and thanks for your video's they are very helpful.
+Danny Woods Pleasure. Thank you.
do the batteries need to be isolated from ground as well?
Hi Adam some time since you did this video which is really helpful they have a bluetooth interface have you done a video about this Thanks heaps for your time to do these videos Ross tga NZ
Sorry no I didn’t ever buy the Bluetooth module. Once I had the charge controller on my network (and now logging to my pi) I didn’t need it on my mobile like that.
tx for sharing.. sangat bermanfaat ..
Adam I went to the Tracer manufacturers site looking for something that would log and keep the info you have shown here. This because dedicating my laptop to the task is not practical. In the Tracer section they have something they call eLOG01 which does, and I cut and paste,
eLOG01
eLOG01 is a record accessory matched with controller of RS485 interface, It can record solar system working data, and also real-time monitor system status via PC software or MT50. Default record time is every 10 minutes, with record range to 4 months. Is this not what we are after?
I could not find one for sale or even mentioned across the iNet so have this morning sent them an e-mail asking where I can lay my hands on one. They acknowledged the e-mail in Chinese at least I hope it was an acknowledgement and not the bird.
Thats a very interesting little find - I may contact them myself. Last time I noticed a new product like this they did put me in contact with a British supplier who had just ordered some. I like the fact that you can piggy back on an MT50 or PC (via the eBox-Wifi perhaps as well as the cable?) to still see the live data as well as store it. Very interesting, thank you.
I haven't heard from them yet so if you have any luck please let me know. regards
Hi Mike - I've had an email from the European sales manager in reply to my inquiry. She explains that they don't have stock at the moment, but from what she says I think it is only a couple of weeks away. I think she is going to contact me once they are available.
Hi Mike - just to keep you in the loop. EPSolar themselves now have stock so hopefully this will start filtering out to the resellers. I've managed to secure one - so hopefully I'll have it in a couple of weeks to play with.
Hi Adam. I'll follow with interest. Thanks for the info.
I have one of these in a motorhome.
Now it seems somewhat ridiculous to also spend good money on a high current multi stage mains charger when this is in place, so I'm thinking of simply pushing 24-35v into the unit from a rectified 100a arc welder or a pair of stacked 12v server psu.
Already have the welder transformer and diodes, just wondering of you think the waveform would be too noisy for the tracer to cope, if so I'll go for the other end of the spectrum with ultra-smooth kva 24v. Your thoughts?
I'll talk to you later about the unmatched batteries and 70a draw...
Thank you for telling me to "Start Monitor"! I missed that button for a while. :)
Hi, I purchased one of these after watching your video and it works very well thanks. In the instructions it mentions battery discharge protection, does this mean that the load function shuts off automatically when the battery level drops to low? Cheers Andy
I tried to download logging data, but the 3210A is not so equipped. Every time I tried, I got a file with column headers but no data.
Oh, those logging files were also invisible. I had run into the problem before and had located a program that 'sees' them. Getting data out of the invisible files can be a challenge.
The compiler is probably an obsolete Windows version.
Thanks for the videos.
+Jim Julian I assumed the tracer A series doesn't have the memory to hold that data - data can only be extracted live. I think the etracer and itracer series have memory to hold a few days / a week / a months worth of data.
Hey Adam Welch. I wondering can I see data like how many power I produced and how many power I used the past month on my laptop ? like the MT50 remote monitor.
Thanks Adam, Any ideas on problems arising from not getting the software to display the settings? I bought the recommended cable but not getting it to display at all. Just trying to drop the max volts down. I have a 24v system and when the batteries reach 29v the inverter cuts out. The moment I switch off the solar all is well again. Great videos by the way and appreciated the prompt response. Well done.
If you’ve got the right cable then I’m guessing you’ve got a driver issue? Can you read the stats from the charge controller at all?
Adam Welch no response from controller at all. Uninstall Ed software and downloaded new. Trouble is my setup is on a remote beach in northern Tanzania and I an in Kenya so cannot test from here. Going back down next week so will try again when on site. One thing was the software was freezing/seizing on the old and new version. Thanks for everything. Will let you know when I get back.
thanks for the video! just ordered the cable required to hook up to my tracer. my system is running fine but I'm not overly impressed with what the battery seems to be producing. will I be able to figure it out/get it working better once hooked up or is it mainly for tracking the numbers etc? hope that makes sense. thanks.
Thanks for the comment. If you're referring to the state of charge meter on your tracer and that is leaving you worried about your battery it may be worth watching my latest video on the EPEver charge controller. ua-cam.com/video/YowgBCl1F1I/v-deo.html
All of the EPSolar / EPEver charge controllers seem to have the same settings on that SOC meter - and it's possibly one of the most frequent complaints I hear. It will only show as full when the battery is actively being charged. It quickly drops to 40-60% once the sun has set.
Personally I prefer to keep an eye on the battery voltage - at rest. 12.7+ is 100% charged for me. I don't ever take my batteries lower than 12 volts, but I tend to keep them at 12.4 or above even after an evenings use. I'd call 12.4 ~50% charged but the EPEver will show almost depleted.
Thanks for your response, appreciate it! I'm not exactly referring to the SOC meter really (Had seen you mention this in other videos, I tend to ignore it anyway on my MT50 through my Tracer 2215BN).
I guess what I'm not convinced by is my new 135ah 'deep cycle leisure battery'. This is my first dive into solar/12v power so I'm still very much learning, but the battery seems to go from 12.6 say to 12.3 after running what I'd consider a very small load for a short while. Was wondering if setting it up properly via the cable might help? Thanks for your help.
Friend, I read the other posts and I saw that you are looking for exactly what I'll do. With this software I talked called ScadaBR it makes storage and the graphics of this information and also available on the internet. In my channel have also this being shown.
This software is good, I use it on a minix pc (150 euros incluing tax and win 10), associated with teamviewer you can then use your smartphone to watch remotly (win/android app).
that way you can control the load as well (connected to a relay for instance).
Does the "Battery Information" show the actual voltage of the battery or the charge voltage of the battery like the LCD display on the controller itself? Thanks. UPDATE: After watching your video fully, It looks like it does indeed show the real battery levels, not the charging levels. Thanks.
It does, you’re right.
Hi, Nice video!
I thinking of starting with a few solar panels and working my way up in watts, same idea with my battery bank AMG deep cycle type.
I was thinking of getting the larger EPEVER Tracer4210A 40A MPPT Solar Charge Controller Regulator 12V / 24V EPsolar so I can add more as I go. (solar panels and batteries) will be looking at a 24Volt set up but starting with 12 volt battery.
Would this type of controller work with 140 watt panel mono with a 12volt 130 AH battery just to start? Does the controller recognise the smaller amp and adjust accordingly? Thanks
+RED RUM Hello. Yes you can place a smaller battery and panel combo on a larger controller with no issues. Charging is based on battery voltage so big and small batteries act in the same manner. Good luck with your install. Thanks for the question.
Thank you, I appreciate you taking the time to reply.
Friend, your video was wonderful.
I was really interested in this model by having RS485 and speak the MODBUS RTU protocol. This means it is much easier for me to integrate it in my home automation network. The only question that remains is this. If I use an external software, like the one I use, called ScadaBR, I need a register table. So I know what the address of each data. Can you tell me if it came with the manual? or you could contact the supplier? I will look at the price it on ebay and I will soon buy mine.
+farmsidney Hello - yes this is a solution I'm interested in too. I have contacted EPSolar to ask for an address list but they haven't got back to me yet. It sounds like you have much more experience than me in Modbus - I'll be interested to hear about your experiments.
Of course I can help. I already use modbus a long time. I found a list of the old model addresses that it may be applied. I also sent a message to the seller of aliexpress, who knows he has to register table. I'm still curious to know the difference between the two models, that you have and the one that is higher. This your costs half the other.
+farmsidney Let me know if you hear anything from the seller. I'll do the same if I find out more. Thanks.
+Adam Welch
If you run the app from EPever 'APP (V2.1.5)' on your mobile, and connect to the charge controller, there is an export option. I did this and it list the register I belive you are looking for, they are in Hexadecimal and look something like this.
reg_9013_real_time_clock_second_minute = 2598.0
reg_9014_real_time_clock_hour_day = 787.0
reg_9015_real_time_clock_month_year= 4101.0
reg_9016_balance_charge_period= 0.0
I have used Modbus Poll, to confirm these. Oddly enough the app, does not give me all the values, a lot of 00, zeros.
But Modbus Poll, reads them fine.
Hope this helps.
I really like the idea of having an arduino to gather this data. But feel it's a bit beyond me, but will plug away.
+Michael Breslin Thanks. I have managed to poll some of the stats in real time using alternative modbus programs. Other projects have taken over though - I definitely want to get this working before too long though.
Thank you for the very informative videos Adam! I did not do a proper search on your channel yet, but my question is, did you get anywhere with the arduino logger?
Hi Adam, is there a modbus map for this if I want to poll with a master rather than use the software?
This is the only documentation I have found - and I'm not sure how accurate it is. Perhaps you could confirm please? admw.uk/jc
Perfect. This is exactly what is needed for SCADA! Thanks, I couldn't find it anywhere.
Reading this document, the baud rate isn't changeable. If that is the case it is fairly useless as a SCADA RTU over radio networks.
Hello Adam. I have one question.
When you make this video,did you use something driver for 'RS485 to USB Adapter'?
If it’s the same adapter as mine you’ll need the CH340 driver.
@@AdamWelchUK Thanks a lot!! I'll try to install.
hi adam i just got my ep controller today but i not get my pc to read it but had gutt full tonight so if it ok i try and chat with you soon about it please .cheers jim
nice vid. does this software also run on raspi2?
No the official software doesn't. You can integrate the charge controller into a Modbus network though using some standard software, although I haven't done this.
Awesome video! You’ve got a bunch of neat ones :)
I’m curious... the rs485 specs say it can connect to 32 devices but I haven’t found a way to do this yet. Does anybody here know if one of those adaptors could be used to connect multiple tracer models??
Hi, I'm about to set-up my Tracer3210AN (older version with orange buttons) for my LiFePo4 battery. Unfotunatelly there is no preset/default mode for this type od baterries, so I need to set up 'user' settings through rs485 (CC-USB-RS485-150U). Thanks for this help!
Hi Adam, just found your videos and they are very informative. I have installed a tracer 3210 an to my caravan that has a 115ah battery and has a 120w solar panel. What would the best settings be to prevent overload on my battery or over discharge that could also damage it? Regards Mike
with 120w you cant
Thx for informative video! Stupid question - how is the temperatue probe mounted to the battery? My is a wire with a brass colored cylinder at the end - do I just tape this to the side of the battery? Thanks.
Yes just tape it onto the side of your battery.
I wonder if the bulk charge voltage can be set to 16.8v/21v/25.2v/29.4v to charge lithium ion packs of 4s, 5s, 6s, and 7s.
THANKS for this video and the one before this :) . I need one charger like this but capable to charge 40 Am/h . Is the only model I can bye here in my city. Do you think is good for charging 400 Amp batterys every day????
+Practical Technologys There's a 40 amp version of this controller. Whether it would fit your needs depends on how much you drain your batteries each day and how much solar you're bringing in.
+Adam Welch I want to put on 4-5 solar panel at 260 Watt/one, by around 8 Amps/h each one. 5 paneles will charge me arownd 40 Amp/h --> 5 houres /day , sow I will have like 100% solar radiation 5 houers/day, that will be like 40 Amp/h in a total 200 Amp/day in a 12 volts battery system.
After seeing your video I notice you sead that will have like 90% efficience , and that is fine whit me. I sow one of this here but at a close look it seem that they are made in CHINA and I suspect this chargers are not so good. Seeing your video whit the test give me hope to bye 1 of this for my solar system.
Now I need a good charge regulator for my batterys, do you know some good regulator for the battery that I can install in my system after the charger so I can charge the batter cell equel ???!?!?1?!?1
+Practical Technologys The epsolar tracer does do (as do most charge controllers) a equalisation charge. They are often set to complete this about once a month. Basically it holds the battery voltage at a higher level for a couple of hours to help equalise the cells.
Hi Adam,
Have you come across a "Doesn't exist or has not yet been set up" error?
I followed this video to a T. Exact same dongle, cut network cable using pins 4(blue) to B and Pin 6(green) to A.
Tried a different RS485 dongle, laptop all together (different antivirus, Win7/10 etc), Ensured epever software is referencing the right virtual com port, recreating a new "station"... no luck
Does anybody have 1.2 or 1.4 version of Solar Station software?
I'm using v1.92 and I'm thinking they've disabled RS485 support so people are more likely to buy their RS232 dongle?
This ended up being my RS485 driver! I was using the windows driver from 2006 assuming it would work... not using drivers from wch.cn, dates 8/8/14. FINALLY connected!
Did you managed to get it going? I have the same problem
Does the rated current apply to the load terminal as well, or just the PV/battery terminals
Thanks for these clips. I bought a 4210A and a RS485 adaptor and have tried to set it up on my computer. Used your instructions to download software and install (Your clips were great.)
I only have one problem. I cannot get it to work.
I believe I have set it up correctly. I believe I am using the correct port (COM5) identified via Device Manager. However when I select 'Start Monitor' I get the following message 'The operation has timed out (COM5). When 'Monitoring' is cancelled I then get the message 'COM5 has been occupied by other software'.
Unfortunately I am relatively computer illiterate. Do you have any ideas on what I could try?
+Sallie Moulds Hello Sallie and thanks for the kind comments.
Has the RS485 adapted installed correctly? In device manager check there isn't an warning next to the com port or something like that. If you are using the exact same one as me you might need to check you have the correct driver installed. It's a CH340 based adapter.
The only other suggestion I have is to switch the a and b cables around to check they are right.
Happy to help further if you can try a few things and give me some more information.
Hi Adam been trying to download monitoring software but no joy any other links available?
cheers kenny
Yer download but needed to update laptop to accept software
Thanks for thinking of me ;)
I wonder why the manual i have does no info about RS485 ethernet pinout. Do you have softcopy of it?
Thanks for your great video
I have 2 Tracer 3210AN the monitoring with solar station monitor and a USB to RS485 works perfectly.
Since I have two devices, I wanted to operate both with the software at the same time. So I bought 2 USB to RS485 converters and connected them to a USB hub.
In the software I now have 2 solar controllers one on COM5 one on COM7 when I set the first to start monitoring everything works fine. If I set the second to start monitoring I get an error message "Operation failed. The operation has timed out. (COM7)"
Do you know what the problem can be why I get this error message
I found the solution to the problem in this video
ua-cam.com/video/e-AK32P9yso/v-deo.html
Adam did you ever get any software working with the Raspberry Pi ?
I didn’t no, but my good friend Colin Hickey did. His video takes you through the setup... ua-cam.com/video/_VcWwJIq4XU/v-deo.html Actually I intend to mention this in a video soon. :-)
I have a problem I want to use same system but i want to have that data in CSV file. I dont know how to do that?
will be happy to recieve your answer.
Hi Adam, great video. I did everything as you did and it works great with no load being pulled from the battery bank. However, as soon as I start to pull a load it stops working and gives an error. Stop the load and it starts to monitor again. It monitors on the device itself, just not on the computer. Do I have something wrong? Has this happened to you?
Thanks in advance
Hi Ray. No - this hasn't happened to me. In fact now I've got the wifi to RS485 box I've recently reviewed I've been monitoring my tracer 24/7 remotely with no issues at all. My load is on all the time, I use external switches to control whats on and off and generally my load is quite small (a few led lights).
What is the error message?
It says Operation failed. The operation has timeout (com3)
and
operation failed. Other error(com3)
I am pulling the load directly from the battery to the inverter. Using about 300-400 watts. It still monitors on the charge controller itself under these conditions, but not with the software. Obviously I would like to moniter while pulling a load because I run all my 110v with solar.
Thanks for the reply
The only thing I can really think of is that there is a fault with the unit (whether that's one or two of them or a fault in the design) or possibly more likely, that there is an awful lot of electrical interference or noise being created by the inverter and that is knocking off the communication. RS485 is meant to be very good with interference but I guess it's not perfect.
I only have a small inverter and I don't often use it. I will test this though and let you know how I get on monitoring the tracer and running the inverter from the battery.
Do you think that me pulling a load of 25-40 amps from the battery bank on a 20amp charge controller could be the issue? I will try a smaller load and see if it works but you may be right about the interference. Thanks for your help. Let me know what you find out if you do your test with the inverter.
ray b Pulling 25-40 amps direct from the battery shouldn't cause any issue - except for the fact that you'll always have a net loss even if it's nice and sunny...
I suspect interference is probably the cause - I will test at some point over the next few days and get back to you - unfortunately using a different inverter may reap different results. Anyway, we'll see.
Do you try connecting to Victron Venus os
Hi Adam, just watched your video again and noticed that the max battery voltage was at 16.06v (7.38 min into the video ) yet in the controller settings it was set at a lower max v value. Did this cause you any issues with the battery as yours are sealed? Thanks
It's a funny parameter I think that 'max battery voltage'. The battery should never get to that level - so effectively it is a final safety thing - and it will flag a warning on screen. The battery should never go over the Boost or Equalization charge voltage at any time. I guess you may have other chargers attached to the battery banks which may charge to a higher level than the EPEver - so it might be called into action I guess.
Adam Welch, have just heard back from epsolar, wanderer, who informs me that particular reading is the absolute peak voltage which would have lasted m/seconds and should be nothing to worry about
Hi Adam thanks for the video ,I follow your step but when I plug the usb it can not read or doesn't exit in epever software said,would you help me to solve this one ,thanks adam
Can I also use the cable with my smartphone?
Hi Adam!
An other good video !
One question please , because IAM using mac and probably cant use this software with my epever.
Can we limit the current ?
Best thanks
Phil
Hi Adam, is there a Mac version of this software?
+Alex Shone Hello. I'm sorry no - they haven't created a mac version. :-(
I had the same question.. when I found the RS485 adaptor on e-bay it did not mention the Mac O/S .... and Adam confirms that the software won't work on a Mac either...too bad...
You can run Windows on a Mac. Google’s your friend
thank you thank you thank you
You’re welcome (x3)
Hi Adam, Nice stuff. Maybe silly question but can I use just a network cable for this through the network port on my laptop? Having trouble getting the software to connect to computer. Checked ports and all. Downloaded software again but no luck. Would 32bit have anything to do with it on a 64bit machine?
I’m afraid it isn’t a network port. It’s a RS485 port so it uses a different protocol. You need a USB adapter (or some other way of connecting). I did a video about making a cheap usb cable, but to be honest they are cheap enough just to buy the proper one.
HI ,Please I need for help ,how to program a PWM regulator EPLI using the SPP-02 , how to apply and send a strategy to a regulateor .
Hello, I have such a regulator on my plot (Tracer 4210), is it possible to connect it to the Internet and control it remotely via a computer or telephone?
Hello Adam. Tried doing this but the software doesnt recognizes the port. It says the port does not exist. Please reply asap. Thanks!
+Lizlie Gen Dolor Acidillo Check which port has been assigned in computer management and make sure that is the same in Solar station manager. Then check your driver settings and see if the RS485 tick box is there and try turning it on.
Yes sir, i have checked it but the problem is i don't find any option for rs485 in the port settings. I am a little bit confused right now. I have used cat5 utp. I attached the blue in B and green in A. Thanks for the help.
The link to the software doesn't work anymore and I can't find the file on the web page!
Try this... admw.uk/kx
Some preparations is required. Install the Github phpepsolar package.
Needless to say, PHP5 will need to be installed with relevant packages.
Go to the website and read the comments for issues, number 1
Edit the two lines as mentioned.
Install the RPi-source program and run, then compile the driver from the epsolar package (also installed).
The first installs headers to match the Raspbian kernal. THEN the driver will compile correctly. The python epsolar package will run too. A script has to be written that removes the cdc_acm module and inserts the driver module, xr_usb_serial_common.ko from the compile. That script can be made bootable.
Check permissions for files and folders if errors pop-up.
The PHP script is as follows:
=============================================================
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
typical output:
PV array voltage(V),PV array current(A),PV array power(W),Battery voltage(V),Battery charging current(A),Battery charging power(W),Load voltage(V),Load current(A),Load power(W),Battery temperature(°C),Charger temperature(°C),Heat sink temperature(°C),Battery SOC(%),Remote battery temperature(°C),System rated voltage(V),Battery status,Equipment status, date, time
45.42,2.56,116.44,26.77,4.35,116.44,0,0,0,25,38.27,38.27,82,25,24,0,11,2016-09-12,16:31:41
44.27,2.66,117.96,26.81,4.4,117.96,0,0,0,25,38.24,38.24,81,25,24,0,11,2016-09-12,16:32:11
45.99,2.58,118.81,26.64,4.46,118.81,0,0,0,25,38.17,38.17,79,25,24,0,11,2016-09-12,16:32:41
39.79,2.81,111.85,26.38,4.24,111.85,0,0,0,25,38.11,38.11,77,25,24,0,11,2016-09-12,16:33:11
45.53,2.87,130.81,26.48,4.94,130.81,0,0,0,25,38.06,38.06,75,25,24,0,11,2016-09-12,16:33:41
45.28,2.45,111.14,26.4,4.21,111.14,0,0,0,25,38.02,38.02,73,25,24,0,11,2016-09-12,16:34:12
44.84,4.33,194.32,26.73,7.27,194.32,0,0,0,25,37.95,37.95,72,25,24,0,11,2016-09-12,16:34:42
47.16,5.28,249.15,27.5,9.06,249.15,0,0,0,25,37.95,37.95,72,25,24,0,11,2016-09-12,16:35:12
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Good luck.
Excellent - thank you for your help Jim. I need to dust off one of my raspberry pis!
+upupupupnaway Very interesting. Sounds like something I'd be interested in trying for myself. My Pi is sat idle at the moment.
Thanks for letting me know - will you be releasing it in the future?
Thanks very much for this. It looks like a really good complete guide. I'll definitely be trying this out when I get some time. I'll report back once I've had a chance to play.
Checked out your blog. The instructions for installing MySQL, as written, do not work. I keep getting errors for not having a password. I've followed the MySQL instructions for changing the password but get permission errors.
Oh yes, the pages in the background of your video seem to no longer exist.
hi adam is there any way i can contact you i am having no joy with this pc connection to my ep .i also live in west yorkshire many thanks jim.
+Jim Connelly Hi Jim. On my about page there is an email address if you want to send me a more detailed explanation of the issue - perhaps some pictures too?
Adam Welch will do cheers
Would you be able to get it to work with 4s lithium ion battery pack?
I get this question a fair bit - I'll be looking into this soon... :-)
I'm having an issue with mine were the battery symbol flashes with an error triangle. When I select the battery it says 2.8v but when I put a millimeter to the battery it says 11.7v? Any ideas? Sorry this is totally new to me.
Hey Adan, why didn't you just buy the cable from the EP site instead of DIYing the USB?