With all I learned from Andy on the good and bad things of Victron and 2 Mason running in my home without a Smart Shunt...I continue to measure SOC, cell voltage , control Charge current and turning on off the MP2 by modbus and IObroker. This will do exactly all the control as well as can process forecast data to set SOC limits... Thank you Andy for all your shared insights! 🙏
Thank you Andy for your work. I've followed the Seplos Series from the beginning. Soon it was clear the balancer sucks. Made new PCBs for the Mason DIY-Kit. Now a Neey is in charge for that task. Balancing problem solved. Then followed how to integrate the bms into the victron world. Raspi4, waveshare 2 CanHat, venus os2.93. Never got the Mppt falling back to it's internal algorithms with DVCC turned on. The maximum we get out of your journey with the BMS. Why and what has a BMS to tell? It's the last line of defense, having some parameters visible in the venusos ist nice, but not more. The only usefull I can think of is current limiting requested from a bms due to temperature issues like too high or too low. The Smarshunt by the way does all that the lynx is lacking of.
I would hope that you dont stop making experiments and videos with the seplos bms. They are so exciting and also extremly useful also for people not using a victron system. Thank you very much und beste Grüße aus Wien!
Andy thanks for all your experiences of the past couple of years. It helped me a lot and learnt a lot. One thing I have learnt in battery management is I will only let a BMS do what it is supposed to do and that is protect the battery from cell max voltage cell max and min discharge and charge. Temperature protection high and low. Some people like to control everything (Seplos) I would never allow it. If I was the Seplos mother I would say just look after the parameters and I will look after everything else. Your 45kw battery system works perfectly. Simple and effective. Cheers Ken
Super Andy again an extremely interesting video. For this series on the Seplos BMS, you have come to a full circle. You started the series by asking the question of what benefit a Smart BMS could bring compared to a Dumb BMS and the conclusion after a few months of testing is that it brings nothing! Obviously you consider, and rightly so, that the algorithm used by Victron in its charge controllers is perfect and that this is what Seplos should implement. In the solution you describe here, the regulation is done by the MPPT charge controllers and the SOC measurement is done by the Shunt. So the CAN communication from the Seplos BMS to the Victron system is only used to bring up the detailed parameters on the battery and with that we have an almost perfect solution. So if Seplos implemented Victron’s charging algorithm and SOC measurement, it would be close to a perfect Smart BMS. There is still one point to be dealt with, which you mention in your next video, the problem of optimizing the balancing of the cells at the end of the battery load. Looking at different videos, everyone more or less stumbles on this problem. This is due to the fact that the load curve is exponential for LFP cells and therefore at the end of the load the highest cells quickly go into overvoltage. This is especially true when the load current is high. If for example the charge current supplied to the battery bank is 100 A, balancing the cells with a passive or even active balancer is no longer effective. The only solution in this case is to reduce the charging current. A possible algorithm (very simplified) would be to define four voltages: the first voltage would be the balancing trigger voltage (let’s say for example 3.3 V), the second voltage would be a voltage that would tell the chargers to decrease slightly the maximum charging current (let’s say for example that this voltage would be over 3.45 V), the third voltage would tell the chargers to increase slightly the maximum charging current (let’s say for example that this voltage would be less 3.4 V), the fourth voltage would be the cell protection voltage that would cut off the charge (let’s say for example that this pension would be 3.65 V). Such an algorithm would normally converge the voltage of all cells to 3.45 V. While waiting for such a BMS to exist, it is quite possible to implement this kind of algorithm with a home automation system such as Home Assistant. Indeed, most of the charge controllers and BMS have the possibility to communicate using the Modbus protocol and it is therefore possible to collect the different parameters of the overall system and to send back the appropriate command to implement such algorithm.
Hi Andy, Thank you for this video series 👍. It was very educational. I had hoped that the Lynx Shunt would provide a good solution. The seplos videos show that your battery shelf design was a very good idea, and it certainly holds up against ready-made solutions. Keep up the good work !🌞
Yeah, the shelf is working great. Even without communication. The Battery3.0 will work the same way. We also have a huge project at some stage to connect all the batteries together. Already thinking about that...
I think you have completely covered this BMS and its interaction (or lack thereof) with the Victron equipment. On to another experiment! That information about the Lynx Shunt is very interesting. I guess I assumed the Lynx Shunt was pretty much a version of the smart shunt with all the same features and more. If true, and it appears that it is, that it does not capture DC loads that is really disconcerting. Wouldn't all this BMS angst be for not if Victron made a BMS that worked with any battery pack (not just their own battery) and dovetailed nicely with all the other Victron components? Hey Andy, you seem to be able to get the ear of those Victron engineers. Perhaps convince them of the potential size of the market for such a BMS. Of course, I think we all know why Victron does not have one now-------they want you to purchase their battery!
Andy, John Strein captured everything I planned to say. So, I have nothing meaningful to contribute, or any value whatsoever to add, other than to say “ditto!” 😊
An interesting experiment might be to perform a capacity test on one of the 12v batteries using the capacity tester (can’t remember the model number) but include the smart shunt in the circuit so that the accuracy can be observed.
Did you ever had a look at Batrium?- An Australian Company. I´m using their Watchmon Core with several Cellmate K9. Connected also via CAN to Victron. Works nice. Major Downside is clearly passive Balancer. So I have connected also a seperate active Balancer to my battery
Yes, absolutely. It is far away from plug'n play. And if users just plug it in and use it as it comes they need to have at least an understanding of all the settings and they do to their battery. It is indeed a complex topic
Hi Andy. No, it's not the end as the title is on your video :-) let me just show you how are my settings that make my Victron 3 phases Multiplus II 10kVA working with my bank of three SEPLOS MASON 280 batteries: - Firmware installed on my CERBO GX is v2.93 - Firmware installed in my 3 SEPLOS batteries with 10C BMS (200 Amps) is v2.8 - DVCC is turned on, so all is under the SEPLOS master BMS control: * charge current limit is OFF * charge voltage limit for the managed battery is ON and set to 55.0V (I have to test if I can leave it to OFF) * SVS is ON * STS is ON * Temperature sensor is automatic (the SEPLOS BMS of course) * SCS is ON * SCS status is disabled (external control) - ESS is set to Optimized (with battery life) - Charge Voltage limit (CVL) is set to 55.5V - and in my case, charge current limit is set to 570A, and discharge current limit is set to 585A I think the most important setting might be the CVL set to 55.5V. In your video, you've tested to set it to 58.4V if I remember, which I think is far too high and consequently doesn't enable the SOC to be reset. I think the key point is to have it much lower, like me for example at 55.5V, and not higher like you did. And I think thanks to that, it enables the SOC to reset to 100% I don't have any issue with my VICTRON/SEPLOS system since 2 days basically, SOC is reset, I see absorption status in the VRM as well as on the LEDs of my Multiplus II, all is working fine. And I think it's very important to not have different battery types linked together in the same system. All manufacturers agree on this particular point and say the same think. So keep avoiding linking your MASON battery with your PUSUNG SEPLSO one (or whatever). I'll continue to buy SEPLOS MASON 280 batteries to extend my system from 44 kWh to 112 kWh (5 more to buy), now I know how to make it working correctly all together 🙂 That's my 2 cents. Keep up the good work, man!!!
Sounds great, thanks for sharing. I wonder whether these settings would work as fine with the 10E BMS. And (why) is it important to have "charge current limit is OFF"? Have you tested also setting "charge voltage limit" to OFF in the meanwhile?
Thanks for putting in the leg-work, Andy! It looked like a promising system, but it is a shame about the software, balancing and support. Plus the voltage drop in the system and Victron DVCC make things even more interesting! Perhaps your next step is to try out DIYBMS where you have full control over the software, although that is perhaps too much control! :-)
I watched the videos but I have to say - as a newcomer to the Victron/Seplos world (battery built just finished) - I am confused: What is the best (working) solution now? Seplos only as a battery monitor/safety system, smart shunt for all measurements, and DVCC to control it all? Which configuration settings need to be set in which way to make the system work like that? I think this could be super valuable for all of those people out there with the same setup (like me).
@Off-Grid Garage, although I don't have a Seplos BMS, and have no intention (yet) of getting such a BMS or battery drawer, I really appreciate ALL of the videos on the Seplos system, because it brings out little quirks or explains buried feature of the Victron system also; for example, the issues with the Lynx shunt you discuss in this video, and how it inter-operates with an external CAN bus capable BMS. The only thing that is missing in all of these videos, and is probably out of scope for the channel, is the actual 'plugin' or software module that facilitates the CAN communication between Victron and Seplos. It's entirely possible there are some quirks or bugs there also which results in the issues you have seen with the Seplos/Victron setup. I'm moving house now, so my solar tinkering has been put on hold and have sold most of the components I have acquired for the basic system. Maybe I will have the chance to start again, if I can get a new rental with the space for a solar array in the back yard. 🤷🏻♂️
Thanks a lot Collin. The comms seems to be ok as I have never seen any errors or dropped packages in the communication log. After all, Seplos is not official supported by Victron. There might be a reason for that...
@@OffGridGarageAustralia I was thinking more along the lines of values in the Seplos being sent incorrectly to the Victron system. As confusing as the Seplos options are, I can only imagine how obscure the actual data variables in the comms are labelled. Not knocking the community contribution, but if there was any misunderstanding by the developer of what a particular value coming out of the Seplos BMS means, it may be quite easy to provide it to the Victron system as an unrelated, or unhandled data value, which could cause strange behaviour.
Hi Andy,I knew there was a good chance it would end like this.😉 But it's good to have done all these tests, and to share them with us.👍 Let's turn the BMS seplos page now, I think you've covered it!🤣 Thanks again Andy.😄
Thank you very much. I'm still working with Seplos and we will have three identical batteries and BMS in paralell at some stage and test this again, just not in that detail.
Many thanks for this video - caused me to order a SmartShunt immediately. I tried to set it up already without the shunt, but then my 0 W control and DC couppled PV did not longer send PV overflow to the grid. Any Chance to enable this again or do I need to wait for the shunt to arrive?
Vielen Dank für dieses Video und für die ganze investierte Zeit von Dir. Es war mehr als beeindruckend was Du hier für die Community geleistet hast. Ich stimme Dir absolut zu, das Seplos BMS ist ein BMS mit einem verdammt großen Potential was leider so nicht genutzt wird, vor allem, da all die beschriebenen Probleme keine große Softwareänderung wäre. Das Grundprinzip ist da und müsste nur ein wenig verfeinert. Vielleicht wachen die nochmal auf und es ändert sich was. Ich wünsche Dir alles Gute und mache bitte weiterhin solche Videos. Ich bin auf die anderen Videos gespannt, die jetzt noch folgen werden.
Danke Dir vielmals, Ich bleib am Ball und versuche weiter mit ihnen zu arbeiten. Vielleicht klickt es irgendwann bei denen. Was fuer eine Chance! Hab was toll auf dem Weg, das scheint wirklich zu funktionieren und die meisten Problem die wir hier mit Seplos gefunden haben, scheinen dort geloest zu sein. Ich bin auch gespannt.
Hi Andy, regarding the Lynx shunt not calculating dc loads, where are your dc loads connected? On the battery side or on the inverter side? Isnt the inverter a dc load, so if it measures power to the inverter, then surely it should measure any other dc load?
So what is your final recommendation for victron + seplos users? Don't buy a Shunt and wait for a better firmware? Or buy a Lynx Shunt and use Seplos as "stupid" balancer?
I would not recommend the Lynx shunt if you have any DC loads or non Victron inverters. It won't show any of that as a load. Seplos and Victron works together but not in the indented way, that the BMS controls the Victron system. It is better to let the BMS only report to Victron but not controlling it.
Hello. As always, very interesting video. I sent you an email with a picture of my own installation: 3 phases Victron system (MultiPlus II 10000 x 3), and 3 SEPLOS MASON batteries stacked (for a total energy of almost 44 kWh). I made a firmware update of the Victron Cerbo GX last sunday. Now, version v2.93 of the firmware is installed. Previously, it was with v2.92. And guess what I've found: - when I was with v2.92, SEPLOS batteries had no issue to come back to 100% state of charge for the battery bank once a week when I used the "keep batteries charged" Victron setting (it did not come at the same time for all batteries, but over some time depending of SOC deviation). But I was never able to see in the VRM graphs that the Multis were in absorption, it was never displayed. - Since 3 days now with v2.93, my SEPLOS batteries cannot reset their state of charge to 100% even after a complete night of full charge and absorption: they seem to block at 94/95% SOC in average, but each battery has a different SOC between 92 and 98%. And now at least, the various status are correctly displayed in VRM portal for the Multi, so I can confirm the Multis are in bulk, absorption, passthrough or whatever. So there is definitely an issue that doesn't depend of the SEPLOS BMS firmware only. That's what I think. I consider today it's a bad conjunction of "things" between the CERBO installed firmware version and the SEPLOS firmware installed version. So by the way, the voltage of my batteries never reach any more the voltage needed by the BMS (I've 10C with firmware 2.8) to reset the SOC. I don't know why absorption phase is instructed to be made at 54.2V by the BMS to the VICTRON Multis and the CLV is set at 55.5V as well. The fact is that SOC was correctly reset at 100% when CERBO firmware was at v2.92, and not any more since v2.93...
At lunch time today, and finally, my three batteries made a reset of their SOC to 100%. So at the end, all is working fine for me between VICTRON and SEPLOS. I presume a lot more time than I was expecting was needed to come at this status.
I certainly appreciate the time and effort that you put in discovering all of the "features" of the Seplos. Simply put, just say no. Not worth the time and effort of figuring out the settings. Certainly there is potential, and maybe in a couple of years it would be worth the extra cost. I shall stick with my JBD, so far I have had no need for an active balancer.
Thanks John for coming along on this wild ride. I truly appreciate all your comments and sharing your thoughts. I keep working with Seplos and I'm sure we will revisit from time to time if they make the right improvements. As most of the issues are purely software related, it is all fixable.
Hey Andy. (Victron 10Kw, 4x100ah ....SEPLOS.... battery set, etc.) running battery BMS, with DVCC (no limit on charge or voltage, SVS,STS,SCS tuned on SCS on external control). Seplos FW29_HW14_PN01_220623 drops the CVL from 57.6 to 55.5v. this is more than fine, works well balances well, 0.02 average cell imbalance between all sets. only thing I don't like is the redundant issue with one battery will disable the entire battery set, shutting down the system. I know you have a 'off-grid" system, but why don't you off-set the house loads directly, I run a wireless RS485 with a CT in the main switch board 20M away this way you can offset the house loads and maximise the current house solar feed-in. Many thanks, Matt (also a solar on/off grid designer/installer).
Hi Matt, thanks for sharing. I could not replicate the issue, that one bank shuts down the whole system. It affected only the bank wich was low in my setup and the others kept going. I cannot connect any other inverter to the grid because of my high feed tariff for the grid solar on my house. the contract does not allow that. I made a few videos about that last year when I was looking for solutions: ua-cam.com/video/LQJZUmWDuCs/v-deo.html
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Hey Andy, Try disconnecting a cell supply, I had a loose connection this should trigger this problem, though I have not tried this recently (after the new firmware) as my battery bank sits vertically in a steel box. Yes I were wondering what the contract may say in regards to this. look me up if you ever want to go down this path, besides myself and another company I gave the idea to, as far as I am aware we are the only companies that do a wireless CT monitoring over considerable distance that feeds into the Victron system. have a great day, Matt.
The solution is actually easy, why do you even need a total voltage protection if you have per cell voltage protection !? so just disable the switch for the total voltage protection on the right, now you have a charging voltage control, then disable intermittent switch and set the total voltage protection to 55V and now you have a stable 55V charging, yes floating is not available but 55V is very safe for the cells and actually after 400 days of having exactly these settings, my cells haven't lost any extra capacity when compared with other cells that are charging at 55.2V and floating at 54.4V
If you have a system with MP2 then you can still show the measured values with the same procedure as shown by you. after that the second box is used Thanks for the great, important and helpful content! BR / Greetings from the old homeland... Mario
Hello Andy, Today I write in English because of the other viewers. You are testing and testing and testing BMSes and Battery's and other stuff. If I were able to write software/firmware and design PCBs I would construct with you the Perfect BMS but I didn't can. I have a question, why you don't search a manufacturer with that you can design "THE" only one BMS aka "Die Eierlegende Wollmilchsau" ? I think you searched enough and I don't think that there is not only one manufacturer that will sell or produce actually a nice Product what you and others search. I wish that here are some people that have more Knowledge than me that would support you. I think here are some Dudes that would make a Community Project out of this whole Informations and Knowledge. Try and ask for it! Sorry for my English it's horrible but I think you understand.
Your English is great! I may have found a manufacturer now which is willing to take ideas on board and change their products as per community feedback. Just like with the good old NEEY balancer back in the day.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Thank you. Hopefully that this new Manufacturer will make this Collaboration. And then I hope that they will design your logo on the BMS as a Thanks. So Andy have a nice day. Und trink Ned so viel Bier, das ist ja Schweineteuer bei euch. Nächstes Projekt DIY Bier brauen?
Use a virtual mqtt battery in Front of the seplos. There you can change the soc, voltage and even the allowed maximum current as needed. Works great here.
The second box can show more BMSs indeed. Thanks for the hint. I can unhide my Multiplus and my JK at the same time. Whatever benefit that brings... (and still, third and last time: Managed battery charge voltage is not what you think it is if I am not mistaken). ;-)
That might be a good feature for more smartshunts to show the usage of energy. As I own only one as battery monitor I can't say if that works as intended
Andy , Question : How failprove are those RJ45 connectors on the seplos 10E board ?? Was there a reason why Seplos gave you this USB to RS485 adapter instantely ??
Hi, thanks your great videos. I have a SEPLOS 10E with Firmware 16.4. And a Victron Multiplus II GX and so far I found out the following: - I use it as an ESS System with the ESS Assistant in VE Configure - The BMS resets its SoC to 0 or 100% if one of the protection values are reached as you mentioned. But you can configure them, so you can change them to your needs. So you could set the cell/total over/under voltage level to what you like. Does this not work at your 10E model/Firmware? - Every Alarm of the BMS leeds to a "Low Voltage Warning" in Victron. But you can disable them or configure the values with the BMS Software. This took me some time to figure out especially the remaining SoC Alarm). - You need configure the ESS Assistant Values with a little lower values than the BMS Values so that the Battery could even reach 0% SoC if you set it 0% in the ESS Settings. These values are the "Dynamic Cut off Voltage" settings I set all values to 45V. If these are higher than the low Voltage alarm setting in the BMS, the multipuls never discharges the Battery to 0% SoC because the dynamic cut off values kick in first. Also the Sustain Voltage should not be higher than this level. I set it also to 45V - Did you ever get an Answer from Seplos why the CCL Value in the Victron Settings is only the half of what is configured in the Seplos BMS? This is indeed very confusing.
Thanks for your comment. - I'm off-grid so no ESS assistant for me. - Yes, we can change the OVP settings as per our needs, that is not the problem. The issue is that this OVP value and triggering the BMS should not be used to rest the SOC to 100% - Yeah, the alarms can be annoying or useful if setup and fine-tuned correctly - I'm off-grid so no ESS assistant for me. - I have not discussed this specific question with Seplos. I'm not too concerned about how this works as long as we know how to handle it.
This is an interesting question - if one runs an ESS (like I also do), are the values that one selects when setting up the ESS used at all in the end? They don't show up anywhere anymore it seems. How is the interplay between the ESS assistant, the Victron internal (MPPT) algorithms, and the Seplos BMS algorithms?
Not planning anything with Seplos, but just to get this sorted - when you say ‚Seplos BMS‘ here, you are still referring to the 2 daisy-chained different Seplosses, which to connect Seplos does not recommend? Just asking…😉
We have tested both BMSes separately with the same results. That the data from one BMS to another one is not 100% accurate is correct, but this was not my main concern. Many issues can be fixed with new software and more testing. I'm in contact with Seplos to get things moving but it will take time. More to come...
Hi, Andi - i allready wrote you an text on your other video - I'm using the Gobel Power BMS (it is like the same as Seplos) you have to think a lite bit diffrent when u are using them. The Algorithmus of the bms works diffrent then the Bluk, Absop and Float Mode. Maybe we can have a chat! Grüße aus Österreich!
Andy perfect video. I agree with you Victron smartshunt is the best to determine the SoC. I had JK bms with special emulator (emuleted Pylon protocol through CAN) but JK measurement of SoC sucks! So I think (and you confirmed it) the comunication between bms and Victron system is not needed if you have smartshunt. It could be different on other systems like Goodwe, but it is other story. Thanks again and I am appologize, because I am one of the people who suggested Seplos as your next smart bms.
Thanks a lot for suggesting Seplos to me, Stanislav 😠😂 It was very good experience and we all learned a ton and have now these fundamental information available.
I admire your persistence........I wouldv'e given up 24 video's ago...... For me its, 'All the way with JK.......' Meanwhile I will await the Unicorn BMS......
Yes, it sounds like a good idea to have both batteries addressed separately in the vrm. Especially as they are different capacities, it doesn't make sense to combine them. Watch out for reflections and resistance when using multiple points on CAN. Is there an alternative firmware from another vendor? Are there other boards in the same dimensions from other vendors?
Oh, no, you misunderstood. The Seplos BMS still reports the 280Ah and 135Ah battery combined in the VRM. Don't know if there are other FW out there which can be used for these BMSes. I doubt it...
Is there a way to use the lynx shunt in the smart network for the mppt show it shows the correct voltage? I didnt hear you mention that problem so wondering if you were able to get that to work? Thanks
Andy, isn't the JK-BMS the same regarding resetting the SoC at 100%? Is there any way to resetting it without hitting OVP?? Thank you for your videos !!
I never paid attention to that but my JK does not hit the OVP and still shows 100%SOC. I don't know what the trigger is though. I'll ask Hankzor as they work closely with JK.
Hi Andy, I have comment under your Seplos videos before and some tings you have experienced I have not. The BMS is not perfect but ok, I agree they need to work on it some more. But regarding resetting to 100% SOC, my 10C with 2.8 will do that without hitting the limits you have needed to hit. Charging with 55,5V and when the charge current dips under about 5A it will reset SOC for me without trigger any alerts or protections. We have had some difference in experience before with this BMS but the only big difference I see between our two systems are that you charge with solar and I with grid with the multiplus II. Sounds strange but could that cause the difference in experience? //Markus
Thanks Markus, you need to differentiate between the 10C and 10E BMS. I have made a dedicated video about the different versions and firmware and how they handle the 100% SOC: ua-cam.com/video/KHxpQgg-TZQ/v-deo.html The 10E will only reset at OVP settings while the 10C will do this at 56V with FW 2.8.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Hello Andy, I have had different experiences in the meantime. My 2 Seplos with FW 2.8 have a CVL of 55.5V. When reaching 98%SOC, the CVL is set to 55.4V. The CCL is also regulated by the BMS from 240A to 120A. When the battery voltage exceeds 55.4V (SOC at 99%) the CCL is set to 10A. Thus is slowly charged further current between 1A-7A until the SOC has 100%. Voltage reaches 55.5V. Battery current oscillates around 0A. The load continues to be supplied by the MPPT with about 2.5kW. So my summary, I am currently satisfied. Was the first time that after the winter the batteries could be charged to 100% again. Will continue to monitor. Greetings Helmut
New to batteries :) Is this a settings issue? Learning so please bear with me. 90% of 55.2V = 49.68v. 81% of 58.4v = 47.3v. First, is this a discrepancy between actual settings & Victron’s interpretation of 100%? Second, why wouldn’t one set both parameters as 58.4v being 100% SoC? Thanks
Great video! Question: wouldn't be easier to disconnect the Seplos BMS from Victron and leave Victron to manage charging and discharging alone? What is the benefit to have this connection in this scenario ?
This is exactly the point. If you use Victron system there is no benefit at all. You can use smartshunt as close to battery as posible and different bms just for safety of your battery. It is different on other systems like Goodwe, where you are not able to connect any shunt, so you have to rely on the bms shunt only.
If the photovoltaic strings are connected in a 48 volt configuration can they be connected directly to the batteries which are also configured for 48 volt DC. If so, there isn't any need for a Victorian electronic wealth status because the simple Chinese battery charger discharger (BMS) set up is perfectly designed for the properly arranged photovoltaic system. Ya?
That is not possible. You ALWAYS need a charger and BMS. It is not just for charging but also think about temperature and low voltage, high current protection, balancing. This is all part of the BMS task.
I didn't quite understand why you have a problem with the 55.2V, that's your specification in the BMS. I don't have a Victron, but a different hybrid WR, which adheres to the specifications of the BMS, just before full, the current goes down.... what more could you want? Of course, it would be great if there was an extra parameter for the charging voltage and not the Total_voltage overvoltage protection. I hope Seplos will bring something out there.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia either the BMS sets it itself when the upper voltage is reached, as you have also noticed, or via software. The inverter shows what the BMS tells it. the first time, all cells must be fully charged, either slowly and the balancer compensates, or manually recharge individual or fully discharge. so that all cells are really full and have a uniform level. The worse the cells are, the faster and further they will diverge. But that is not the problem of the BMS.
Hello Andy, what I do not understand, why 58.4 volts??? Why not 56Volt? Is enough to reset the SOC and not too high that something takes damage. DVCC can work, BMS can work and SOC is also reset. What else? Should the BMS shit gold?
It does not matter if the BMS is set to 55.5V, 56V it 58V. It is the voltage you need to reach to reset the SOC to 100%. It is also the voltage the BMS goes into overvoltage protection. This should never trigger unless there is a fault. But here, they suggest to use this safety function on a daily base just to get the BMS back to 100%. That's such a wrong design!
@@OffGridGarageAustralia As you say yourself the pack or cell voltage must be triggered to achieve a reset to 100% SOC on the 10E. But the values 3.65 and 58.4 can be changed by you or anyone who has 1 finger to type in the app. If I enter there as pack 56.4 V overvoltage protection and leave the cells on 3.65 as protection, the SOC is reset when 56.4 volts is reached. That work at 10E, the other 10C i dont know.
Yes, they are just down the road from me (~800km or so). They got in contact with me but I wanted to test other solutions before going all the way to the top. Staying mainstream for now, as not many can afford such a solution. And it is not easy to understand and setup.
Hello! Thank you for your videos! I wanted to ask your point of view. I am assembling pack of cells that consist from 13 cells from Smart EV3 Each cell - 50 Ah. And the higher voltage is 3.7 Volt. Can you tell me which is a good solution for BMS and Charger/inventor for this kit?
Thanks Nick. I assume these are Li-ion cells @ 3,7V. I would recommend the JK-BMS for such a pack. Choosing the right charger is bit more tricky as I don't know your requirements in terms of loads and what specs the cells have.
Wondering if the 1000A shunt is too big for your DC loads and sources, giving you insufficient resolution and a greater degree of error in measurements.
Andy Always says how satisfied he is with the victron smart shunt. So If i want to know the Amps going in and Out my battery and the current capacity i only have to install the smart shunt and Connect IT to victron cerbo gx to Monitor the Data from on the move? Or do i need other devices to Connect the smart shunt with my WiFi? 🤔 I don't have any charge Controllers or inverters from victron. Thanks in advance
The smart shunt connects to your Cerbo and shows the same data as in the Off-Grid Garage VRM. All this battery data comes from the shunt. I was really disappointed with the Lynx shunt not measuring any DC Power. So, atm the Smart Shunt or the BMV is the best solution if you have other non-Victron gear as well.
Hi Andy. Would you consider replacing the BMS with a Batrium and then give us your rundown how that should be setup with the Victron hardware? PS ive been watching your videos since your Outlander videso years ago
That would be a very expensive test to switch to Batrium... They got in contact with me a while back but I wasn't quite ready for jumping directly to the top. Maybe I will at some stage but for now, I have one more important manufacturer to test and I'm really looking forward to that. Oh, thanks a lot for sticking with me for so long. The good old PHEV. Man, that was a whole other dimension...
@@OffGridGarageAustralia 'I agree it is expensive, but work very well for my use with 48kwh of recycled Nissan leaf cells. I loved my Outlander and love your videos and got the PHEVbox as per your videos. It worked perfectly for me out of box on my base model 3h
Change log: v1.09 - 30-3-2015 IMPORTANT: Do not use v1.09. The version has been redrawn because of bugs. From CCGX version v1.30 onwards, coming in October 2015, it is possible to change Lynx Shunt settings, also when Lynx Shunt is running v1.08 or earlier. Change log: - The State-of-Charge is now periodically stored in persistent memory. So after a power cycle it no longer shows the unsynchronized state, but the last known value. The first time (after update to v1.09) it will show 100% - Keeps track of charged and discharged energy (kWh) - Fuse blown alarm is enabled by default - When the relay function is set to charger/generator start/stop, all other conditions than low SoC and low voltage are ignored - Added separate setting for the low SoC relay threshold, it is no longer combined with the discharge floor setting (used for time-to-go calculation). - Upgraded to NMEA2000 database v2.000 v1.08 - 2-6-2014 Change log: - Fixed bug in high temperature alarm: an alarm would be generated when there is no sensor connected. - Improved VE.Can stability - State of charge can now always be written via VE.Can. This is used by the Lynx Ion to maintain SOC while the system is off - Fixed bug in relay binary switch status pgn - Added relay mode: always open - Fixed bug in relay conditions: once activated because of an internal temperature problem, it would never be cleared again. Known issue: - The low state-of-charge thresholds for relay and alarm can be set in steps of 10% instead of 1%. When using the CCGX (v1.30 or later) and set to an unsupported value it is automatically rounded to the nearest multiple of 10%.
@@Mayhemkillerweed I got it through the VRM. I am running v1.08. It was not that when I installed the lynx last fall, but I do not know how long my box has been sitting on the shelf.
One wish for the SmartShunt: The option to syncronise to 0% SOC based on voltage...in Germany in winter that could be very usefull, if it never reaches true 100% SOC for months. Some finding with a ESS-System and the Seplos BMS 10-C v2.8: Once the BMS reports a Charge limit (CCL) of 0A, the System stops feeding back into the grid and the solar energy is not used at all. I have the BMV-712 installed as well and I'll probably go back to it as a main battery monitor. But I am still gratefull for the communication of the max. and min. cell voltage as well as the cell temperature. Thanks for sharing all your findings and also the frustration to work together with those BMS / Battery companies. I found the same...can be quite annoying.
I have to thank you for your assistance and many emails with information, Raphael. You were one of the biggest motivators to get me started on this Seplos journey. I found the SOC in the Smart Shunt is actually not too far off after months with no full charge. I have the same issue down here during winter. With the new FW version of the shunt, you can manually set a SOC now and 'calibrate' it like this from time to time if desired.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia This solution has so much potential, but it is just not done right by seplos and victron 🥴 I am curious to see, what other options you discover on the way Andy🙂 I wished, I had more time experimenting. But for now I actually asked Shenzhen Taico Technolog to build me 5kWh battery packs with the JBD Smart BMS. I'll be back home in 2 weeks and I am looking forward to test them. The balancing of the Seplos BMS ist a hot mess as it is right now. But the JBD BMS can do a good job, even with a passive balancer.
Just a few day ago my EVE battry box arrived in Germany after 2 months... did just a first check until now, but it seems that the calibration to 100%SOC is not different to yours. At least the alarm values are not function like a calibration setpoint. My software version is not 2.6, 2.7 or somethin like that, it is V16.4 ( in Android App and Windows battery monitor) whatever that means...
Hi Andy! Thanks for all your effort that you put in the SEPLOS BMS. Maybe Seplos react on your Video an improve the Firmware. And also the BMS APP which does not show the cell Diff on iOS :-( . With my SOLIS Inverter the SEPLOS BMS works good enough.
You can put them in parallel and they will charge and discharge differently. The smaller battery will give/take less power than the large one. I made this video here: ua-cam.com/video/fQz7vZEYLfY/v-deo.html
I think it will work no worries. Top balance all cells. The Battery capacity will be determined by the lowest/worst cell. The worst cell will get to 2.5V and 3.65v (before the others) if you charge that high. Because cells are in series there will be no natural balancing between cells. I don't expect there to be much deltaV difference when recharged to full even after a full discharge. The healthier or larger capacity cells will merely have more unused capacity.
Andy Did try to get you to look at the 123 Smart BMS before it went into the boat but ... We are fast approaching the question of leaving the battery with a operating "standby" SOC 80-90% due to the high solar charge being available. That maybe sun + AC chargers. It sounded easy to charge to above bal Voltage & then turn off & use to some recharge point but like the Tesla maybe just charge to 80% capacity?? Which method will give the longest life!! These present blue cells are not as good as the CALB cells I used over 10years ago & need to be kept balanced. Regards Bill
I never tried the 123 BMS, no. Tesla uses different chemistry and 80-90% is better for longevity. LiFePO4 can be charged to 100% all the time without increase degradation.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Have you a reference to LIFEPO4 not needing to be de-rated to allow for degradation? It is recommended to X.8 the rated capacity of the LIFEPO4 as well. I will check with the engineers as they stat it is best over the life of the pack to do so for aging & temp effects.Regards Bill
What kind of donation will it take to get you to test the Batrium BMS w/shunt? I feel you are seriously missing out on the true benefits of a properly integrated BMS/victron solution. Get you a Watchmon Core with 3 CellMates. The only thing I’ve found that I don’t like about the Batrium solution is that you have to install a separate Shunt-Trip breaker to protect the cells if a pack gets too far out of line. Other than that, I am confident in saying that you will find it hard to not like it. And the expansion of the system to more future packs is nearly infinite. Or at least it’s far more packs than you’ll likely ever get too. 😊
That has nothing to do with a donation, hahaha. You don't get a Batrium system to just test it, it is a commitment for that price! Batrium got in contact with me a while back but I didn't like the idea of buying the top system on the market and have it all working right away. That's not what the channel is about. I want to test and fail (sometimes) and share this with others. I have another option incoming soon which seems very promising. That does not mean I will not go with Batrium or REC at some stage.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia I hear ya. I guess I’m just ready to see you get to that level sooner rather than later. 😊 point taken about the purpose of the channel. 👍
you could try PaceBMS. Its installed in some of the Victron approved batteries. Its somehow similar to your Seplos, but slightly better integrated, i would say. But also weak balancer, etc. Not as good as REC or Batrium
I "downgraded" last week to the Lynx shunt from the 712 .. Got almost same system as yours (2Xpower in, Lynx and 2X Distributor , Qattro 10000, Multiplus II 8000 , 2 X MPPT 250/100, MPPT 150/60, Cerbo gx) also the smart shunt would show consumed Ah on the small dial, wondering if i shall try to use the smart shunt on the DC side? and monitor My battery as "Second battery"? would it work? But really, feel i dowgraded so hope there will be a update for it
I'm equally unimpressed with the Lynx Shunt. I've a Smart Shunt sat here that I'm tempted to add before the Lynx and use that instead. Meaning the Lynx Shunt will basically become a £300 fuse holder.
@@trygvetveit4747 I've a BMS cable to route later when my battery is full. I'm going to fit the smart shunt at the same time. Will be interesting to see the difference.
May I ask you to read marks on the 3 big TVS-diodes which pass from B- to P- contacts ? They black big cylindrical components in the same row with MOSFETs
First thing I do every morning is to bring up the Victron system and see what is going on. My shunt does not report the correct voltage either. The charge controllers always have the correct voltage. There is a constant .35 VDC difference.
Glad, I'm not alone with that 😁 How can your MPPT show an accurate voltage but your shunt does not? The shunt should be very close to the battery and measure the best voltage in your whole system.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia I am not sure why. Right now the shunt shows 52.65 volts, Quattro says 53.85 and the charge controllers show 53. Volt meter on the busbars says 53 volts- it's correct. Battery cables are more than big enough and I am only discharging 15 amps at the moment. When I measure the voltage at the shunt it is 53 volts. I never set a zero current calibration so I figured that was it. Always the same .35 volts.
A little off topic for this video, however, with the same battery chemistry I had more luck getting the victron smart shunt and inverters reporting battery SOC ( from battery bms, unknown brand but same screen) when I set victron smart shunt Peukert exponent to 1.05. Obviously this will depend on the specific charge/discharge system and power rolling in and out rates but perhaps tweaking this may help someone, after two years of playing around it was the only way I found ( for my sytem ) to match the bms soc with the victron shunt soc, tweaking capacity figures did not work.
Thanks for sharing this. The Peukert exponent can be adjusted so SOC matches the real SOC. I will try 1.05 on my system as well. At the moment I have 1.01 set and SOC seems to be a bit too low.
I’m confused… all power consumption from the battery to the inverter(s) is DC so how does the Lynx shunt know that the power drawn by the inverter(s) is for AC power?
@@OffGridGarageAustralia So it’s not really the Lynx shunt that knows what the power is being used for it’s the Cerbo which for some reason isn’t really reporting what the Lynx shunt is reporting to it. I have had the SmartShunt for a while now and just decided to get the Lynx Distributor and Power In but I’m going to use them backwards and put the fuses on the batteries instead of the loads. One question though, based on the Lynx connectors do you think I should be able to connect the the SmartShunt directly to the negative connection bars or am I going to need to use cable to accomplish that?
Hi Andy, well, you/ us tried and failed? We tried to integrate the Seplos system with Victron and we failed to get the desired results, not that these results are not good mind you. It's just not entirely what we wanted to see. To that end, I am going to be making a video soon detailing my Enersol battery journey over these past few months, what I've learnt, what can be done and what can't be done, I do think though that the BMS's that Enersol are currently using are a bit better than the Seplos ones. We'll see what the viewers say if at all anything.... I do not have many subscribers so my base reach is somewhat limited by that fact. If you would like, you can take a look at what I have done and could maybe give some pointers to something I might be overlooking. Thank you again for all your experimenting and trial and error...... It does help the community out a great deal.
I would not call this a fail, Charles. The Seplos BMS is good and has amazing features. Seplos will improve over time and become better. Most of it is just software. At this stage I'm not sure how their software developer is, if in-house or external. So that could be the reason for a delay as well as understanding what is desired/needed from the community. I'll have a look at your video, for sure.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Hi Andy, yes I understand, what I meant by fail was that you could not achieve what you wanted to because of software and possibly hardware limitations. I agree that Seplos will improve, and is for now a pretty good BMS bar a few things that need changing. But, if it were not for your channel with the subscriber base you have I fear they would not listen. This is unfortunately the nature of the beast with Chinese development markets, if there is enough screaming to get attention then they work on it, otherwise it is ignored....
So the problem is the lynx shunt not the seplos BMS? SO why shouldn't we buy the seplos BMS? The seplos bms can interact with the Victron system but the JK BMS cannot? I am confused after this video. And instead of replacing the seplos bms with the jk bms people should add the Neey 4A active balancer. That is cheaper and has more functionality together with the seplos bms.
Yes, I did. But this is not something you just test. Due to the very high price you would need to commit to it. And the installation is rather a medium project as they need to mount these balance boards directly at the cells.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Hey Andy! i Think you don't longer need to mount the balancer Boards.You have to install the CellMate-K9 Board instead. Which can be mounted on a central place :-)
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Installation (BATRIUM) is really expensive, but you don't have to mount anything on the cells (it's not necessary) if it's WatchMoonCore and K9 It's nice to watch you and I will always be a fan regardless of your future videos :-)) Greetings from Poland
That is not possible. You would need the Lynx BMS with a Victron battery. The shunt does not control the charging, it only measures and displays the information.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia so using the lynx shunt ve can with a carbo and battle or a the multiples still has to “control” the charging of the batteries. When I plug my laptop to the multi-plus it has a check box to use external BMS. In my case I wouldn’t check that?
@@OffGridGarageAustralia so using the lynx shunt ve can with a carbo and battle born batteries the multiples still has to “control” the charging of the batteries. When I plug my laptop to the multi-plus it has a check box to use external BMS. In my case I wouldn’t check that?
Hi Andy, Noooooooooooooooo. The solution is on the Seplos BMS settings ! There is a way to reset the 100% SOC independently from the OVP. To do it- the OVP on the "flag setting control" need to be disabled. Once disabled, it will only act as "charging setpoint" communicating the charging voltage to the charge control. The battery protection will be triggered through "charging overvoltage protection" which has an indipendent setting (different from OVP). The 100% SOC wil be resetted 30 minutes after the total/cell high voltage alarm is reached. It's just matter of settings. Peppe from Napoli.
Good info, thanks Andy, I am resetting my SOC every month by turning off DVCC for one cycle to let the (ANT) BMS trip on max cell value. (set conservative to 3.50V). Will not change anything seems to be the state of art.
Yes, that is a manual process to get it back to 100%. It is very hard to negotiate with these manufacturers. I feel we have to go two steps back to make one forward. Well, I'll keep trying and maybe one day it clicks in their minds and they will remember us...
With all I learned from Andy on the good and bad things of Victron and 2 Mason running in my home without a Smart Shunt...I continue to measure SOC, cell voltage , control Charge current and turning on off the MP2 by modbus and IObroker. This will do exactly all the control as well as can process forecast data to set SOC limits...
Thank you Andy for all your shared insights! 🙏
Thank you Andy for your work.
I've followed the Seplos Series from the beginning. Soon it was clear the balancer sucks. Made new PCBs for the Mason DIY-Kit. Now a Neey is in charge for that task. Balancing problem solved. Then followed how to integrate the bms into the victron world. Raspi4, waveshare 2 CanHat, venus os2.93. Never got the Mppt falling back to it's internal algorithms with DVCC turned on. The maximum we get out of your journey with the BMS. Why and what has a BMS to tell? It's the last line of defense, having some parameters visible in the venusos ist nice, but not more.
The only usefull I can think of is current limiting requested from a bms due to temperature issues like too high or too low. The Smarshunt by the way does all that the lynx is lacking of.
I would hope that you dont stop making experiments and videos with the seplos bms. They are so exciting and also extremly useful also for people not using a victron system. Thank you very much und beste Grüße aus Wien!
Andy thanks for all your experiences of the past couple of years. It helped me a lot and learnt a lot. One thing I have learnt in battery management is I will only let a BMS do what it is supposed to do and that is protect the battery from cell max voltage cell max and min discharge and charge. Temperature protection high and low. Some people like to control everything (Seplos) I would never allow it. If I was the Seplos mother I would say just look after the parameters and I will look after everything else. Your 45kw battery system works perfectly. Simple and effective. Cheers Ken
I think I agree with you. Would you link 2 batteries together for communication (master / slave)?
Super Andy again an extremely interesting video.
For this series on the Seplos BMS, you have come to a full circle. You started the series by asking the question of what benefit a Smart BMS could bring compared to a Dumb BMS and the conclusion after a few months of testing is that it brings nothing! Obviously you consider, and rightly so, that the algorithm used by Victron in its charge controllers is perfect and that this is what Seplos should implement. In the solution you describe here, the regulation is done by the MPPT charge controllers and the SOC measurement is done by the Shunt. So the CAN communication from the Seplos BMS to the Victron system is only used to bring up the detailed parameters on the battery and with that we have an almost perfect solution. So if Seplos implemented Victron’s charging algorithm and SOC measurement, it would be close to a perfect Smart BMS.
There is still one point to be dealt with, which you mention in your next video, the problem of optimizing the balancing of the cells at the end of the battery load. Looking at different videos, everyone more or less stumbles on this problem. This is due to the fact that the load curve is exponential for LFP cells and therefore at the end of the load the highest cells quickly go into overvoltage. This is especially true when the load current is high. If for example the charge current supplied to the battery bank is 100 A, balancing the cells with a passive or even active balancer is no longer effective. The only solution in this case is to reduce the charging current. A possible algorithm (very simplified) would be to define four voltages: the first voltage would be the balancing trigger voltage (let’s say for example 3.3 V), the second voltage would be a voltage that would tell the chargers to decrease slightly the maximum charging current (let’s say for example that this voltage would be over 3.45 V), the third voltage would tell the chargers to increase slightly the maximum charging current (let’s say for example that this voltage would be less 3.4 V), the fourth voltage would be the cell protection voltage that would cut off the charge (let’s say for example that this pension would be 3.65 V). Such an algorithm would normally converge the voltage of all cells to 3.45 V.
While waiting for such a BMS to exist, it is quite possible to implement this kind of algorithm with a home automation system such as Home Assistant. Indeed, most of the charge controllers and BMS have the possibility to communicate using the Modbus protocol and it is therefore possible to collect the different parameters of the overall system and to send back the appropriate command to implement such algorithm.
I think SerialBattery is what you are looking for
The system needs to work as advertised. When no one is looking. In my way of thinking thumbs up 👍
Hi Andy,
Thank you for this video series 👍. It was very educational.
I had hoped that the Lynx Shunt would provide a good solution.
The seplos videos show that your battery shelf design was a very good idea, and it certainly holds up against ready-made solutions. Keep up the good work !🌞
Yeah, the shelf is working great. Even without communication. The Battery3.0 will work the same way. We also have a huge project at some stage to connect all the batteries together. Already thinking about that...
I think you have completely covered this BMS and its interaction (or lack thereof) with the Victron equipment. On to another experiment!
That information about the Lynx Shunt is very interesting. I guess I assumed the Lynx Shunt was pretty much a version of the smart shunt with all the same features and more. If true, and it appears that it is, that it does not capture DC loads that is really disconcerting.
Wouldn't all this BMS angst be for not if Victron made a BMS that worked with any battery pack (not just their own battery) and dovetailed nicely with all the other Victron components?
Hey Andy, you seem to be able to get the ear of those Victron engineers. Perhaps convince them of the potential size of the market for such a BMS. Of course, I think we all know why Victron does not have one now-------they want you to purchase their battery!
Andy, John Strein captured everything I planned to say. So, I have nothing meaningful to contribute, or any value whatsoever to add, other than to say “ditto!” 😊
An interesting experiment might be to perform a capacity test on one of the 12v batteries using the capacity tester (can’t remember the model number) but include the smart shunt in the circuit so that the accuracy can be observed.
Did you ever had a look at Batrium?- An Australian Company.
I´m using their Watchmon Core with several Cellmate K9. Connected also via CAN to Victron. Works nice. Major Downside is clearly passive Balancer. So I have connected also a seperate active Balancer to my battery
Thanks for all your hard work and sharing all this. Gives a lot of an idea in how complex all this communication can be.
Yes, absolutely. It is far away from plug'n play. And if users just plug it in and use it as it comes they need to have at least an understanding of all the settings and they do to their battery. It is indeed a complex topic
@@OffGridGarageAustralia here here
A test is never a proper test unless it is done completely. Great test and summary.
Hi Andy. No, it's not the end as the title is on your video :-) let me just show you how are my settings that make my Victron 3 phases Multiplus II 10kVA working with my bank of three SEPLOS MASON 280 batteries:
- Firmware installed on my CERBO GX is v2.93
- Firmware installed in my 3 SEPLOS batteries with 10C BMS (200 Amps) is v2.8
- DVCC is turned on, so all is under the SEPLOS master BMS control:
* charge current limit is OFF
* charge voltage limit for the managed battery is ON and set to 55.0V (I have to test if I can leave it to OFF)
* SVS is ON
* STS is ON
* Temperature sensor is automatic (the SEPLOS BMS of course)
* SCS is ON
* SCS status is disabled (external control)
- ESS is set to Optimized (with battery life)
- Charge Voltage limit (CVL) is set to 55.5V
- and in my case, charge current limit is set to 570A, and discharge current limit is set to 585A
I think the most important setting might be the CVL set to 55.5V. In your video, you've tested to set it to 58.4V if I remember, which I think is far too high and consequently doesn't enable the SOC to be reset.
I think the key point is to have it much lower, like me for example at 55.5V, and not higher like you did. And I think thanks to that, it enables the SOC to reset to 100%
I don't have any issue with my VICTRON/SEPLOS system since 2 days basically, SOC is reset, I see absorption status in the VRM as well as on the LEDs of my Multiplus II, all is working fine.
And I think it's very important to not have different battery types linked together in the same system. All manufacturers agree on this particular point and say the same think. So keep avoiding linking your MASON battery with your PUSUNG SEPLSO one (or whatever).
I'll continue to buy SEPLOS MASON 280 batteries to extend my system from 44 kWh to 112 kWh (5 more to buy), now I know how to make it working correctly all together 🙂
That's my 2 cents.
Keep up the good work, man!!!
Hi Nicolas, will try your settings. Thank you for sharing them!
Sounds great, thanks for sharing. I wonder whether these settings would work as fine with the 10E BMS. And (why) is it important to have "charge current limit is OFF"? Have you tested also setting "charge voltage limit" to OFF in the meanwhile?
Could you post the individual settings you have done in your Seplos BMS in this case? Thanks a lot!
Thanks for putting in the leg-work, Andy! It looked like a promising system, but it is a shame about the software, balancing and support. Plus the voltage drop in the system and Victron DVCC make things even more interesting! Perhaps your next step is to try out DIYBMS where you have full control over the software, although that is perhaps too much control! :-)
I watched the videos but I have to say - as a newcomer to the Victron/Seplos world (battery built just finished) - I am confused: What is the best (working) solution now? Seplos only as a battery monitor/safety system, smart shunt for all measurements, and DVCC to control it all?
Which configuration settings need to be set in which way to make the system work like that? I think this could be super valuable for all of those people out there with the same setup (like me).
@Off-Grid Garage, although I don't have a Seplos BMS, and have no intention (yet) of getting such a BMS or battery drawer, I really appreciate ALL of the videos on the Seplos system, because it brings out little quirks or explains buried feature of the Victron system also; for example, the issues with the Lynx shunt you discuss in this video, and how it inter-operates with an external CAN bus capable BMS.
The only thing that is missing in all of these videos, and is probably out of scope for the channel, is the actual 'plugin' or software module that facilitates the CAN communication between Victron and Seplos. It's entirely possible there are some quirks or bugs there also which results in the issues you have seen with the Seplos/Victron setup.
I'm moving house now, so my solar tinkering has been put on hold and have sold most of the components I have acquired for the basic system. Maybe I will have the chance to start again, if I can get a new rental with the space for a solar array in the back yard. 🤷🏻♂️
Thanks a lot Collin.
The comms seems to be ok as I have never seen any errors or dropped packages in the communication log.
After all, Seplos is not official supported by Victron. There might be a reason for that...
@@OffGridGarageAustralia I was thinking more along the lines of values in the Seplos being sent incorrectly to the Victron system. As confusing as the Seplos options are, I can only imagine how obscure the actual data variables in the comms are labelled. Not knocking the community contribution, but if there was any misunderstanding by the developer of what a particular value coming out of the Seplos BMS means, it may be quite easy to provide it to the Victron system as an unrelated, or unhandled data value, which could cause strange behaviour.
Hi Andy,I knew there was a good chance it would end like this.😉
But it's good to have done all these tests, and to share them with us.👍
Let's turn the BMS seplos page now, I think you've covered it!🤣
Thanks again Andy.😄
Thank you very much. I'm still working with Seplos and we will have three identical batteries and BMS in paralell at some stage and test this again, just not in that detail.
Many thanks for this video - caused me to order a SmartShunt immediately. I tried to set it up already without the shunt, but then my 0 W control and DC couppled PV did not longer send PV overflow to the grid. Any Chance to enable this again or do I need to wait for the shunt to arrive?
Vielen Dank für dieses Video und für die ganze investierte Zeit von Dir. Es war mehr als beeindruckend was Du hier für die Community geleistet hast. Ich stimme Dir absolut zu, das Seplos BMS ist ein BMS mit einem verdammt großen Potential was leider so nicht genutzt wird, vor allem, da all die beschriebenen Probleme keine große Softwareänderung wäre. Das Grundprinzip ist da und müsste nur ein wenig verfeinert. Vielleicht wachen die nochmal auf und es ändert sich was. Ich wünsche Dir alles Gute und mache bitte weiterhin solche Videos. Ich bin auf die anderen Videos gespannt, die jetzt noch folgen werden.
Danke Dir vielmals, Ich bleib am Ball und versuche weiter mit ihnen zu arbeiten. Vielleicht klickt es irgendwann bei denen. Was fuer eine Chance!
Hab was toll auf dem Weg, das scheint wirklich zu funktionieren und die meisten Problem die wir hier mit Seplos gefunden haben, scheinen dort geloest zu sein. Ich bin auch gespannt.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Ich spreche kein Deutsch
@@jimjones7821 That’s why google translation in the app is so handy
@@OffGridGarageAustralia ein anderes BMS oder die Probleme mit Seplos gelöst? :)
Hi Andy, regarding the Lynx shunt not calculating dc loads, where are your dc loads connected? On the battery side or on the inverter side? Isnt the inverter a dc load, so if it measures power to the inverter, then surely it should measure any other dc load?
So what is your final recommendation for victron + seplos users? Don't buy a Shunt and wait for a better firmware? Or buy a Lynx Shunt and use Seplos as "stupid" balancer?
I would not recommend the Lynx shunt if you have any DC loads or non Victron inverters. It won't show any of that as a load.
Seplos and Victron works together but not in the indented way, that the BMS controls the Victron system. It is better to let the BMS only report to Victron but not controlling it.
Hello. As always, very interesting video. I sent you an email with a picture of my own installation: 3 phases Victron system (MultiPlus II 10000 x 3), and 3 SEPLOS MASON batteries stacked (for a total energy of almost 44 kWh).
I made a firmware update of the Victron Cerbo GX last sunday. Now, version v2.93 of the firmware is installed. Previously, it was with v2.92.
And guess what I've found:
- when I was with v2.92, SEPLOS batteries had no issue to come back to 100% state of charge for the battery bank once a week when I used the "keep batteries charged" Victron setting (it did not come at the same time for all batteries, but over some time depending of SOC deviation). But I was never able to see in the VRM graphs that the Multis were in absorption, it was never displayed.
- Since 3 days now with v2.93, my SEPLOS batteries cannot reset their state of charge to 100% even after a complete night of full charge and absorption: they seem to block at 94/95% SOC in average, but each battery has a different SOC between 92 and 98%. And now at least, the various status are correctly displayed in VRM portal for the Multi, so I can confirm the Multis are in bulk, absorption, passthrough or whatever.
So there is definitely an issue that doesn't depend of the SEPLOS BMS firmware only. That's what I think. I consider today it's a bad conjunction of "things" between the CERBO installed firmware version and the SEPLOS firmware installed version. So by the way, the voltage of my batteries never reach any more the voltage needed by the BMS (I've 10C with firmware 2.8) to reset the SOC. I don't know why absorption phase is instructed to be made at 54.2V by the BMS to the VICTRON Multis and the CLV is set at 55.5V as well. The fact is that SOC was correctly reset at 100% when CERBO firmware was at v2.92, and not any more since v2.93...
At lunch time today, and finally, my three batteries made a reset of their SOC to 100%. So at the end, all is working fine for me between VICTRON and SEPLOS. I presume a lot more time than I was expecting was needed to come at this status.
I certainly appreciate the time and effort that you put in discovering all of the "features" of the Seplos. Simply put, just say no. Not worth the time and effort of figuring out the settings. Certainly there is potential, and maybe in a couple of years it would be worth the extra cost. I shall stick with my JBD, so far I have had no need for an active balancer.
Thanks John for coming along on this wild ride. I truly appreciate all your comments and sharing your thoughts.
I keep working with Seplos and I'm sure we will revisit from time to time if they make the right improvements. As most of the issues are purely software related, it is all fixable.
I know it's not a fix or solution. Could you take one of the balance lead cables off and trip it OV with your bench power supply?
Hey Andy. (Victron 10Kw, 4x100ah ....SEPLOS.... battery set, etc.) running battery BMS, with DVCC (no limit on charge or voltage, SVS,STS,SCS tuned on SCS on external control). Seplos FW29_HW14_PN01_220623 drops the CVL from 57.6 to 55.5v. this is more than fine, works well balances well, 0.02 average cell imbalance between all sets. only thing I don't like is the redundant issue with one battery will disable the entire battery set, shutting down the system.
I know you have a 'off-grid" system, but why don't you off-set the house loads directly, I run a wireless RS485 with a CT in the main switch board 20M away this way you can offset the house loads and maximise the current house solar feed-in.
Many thanks, Matt (also a solar on/off grid designer/installer).
Hi Matt, thanks for sharing. I could not replicate the issue, that one bank shuts down the whole system. It affected only the bank wich was low in my setup and the others kept going.
I cannot connect any other inverter to the grid because of my high feed tariff for the grid solar on my house. the contract does not allow that.
I made a few videos about that last year when I was looking for solutions: ua-cam.com/video/LQJZUmWDuCs/v-deo.html
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Hey Andy,
Try disconnecting a cell supply, I had a loose connection this should trigger this problem, though I have not tried this recently (after the new firmware) as my battery bank sits vertically in a steel box.
Yes I were wondering what the contract may say in regards to this. look me up if you ever want to go down this path, besides myself and another company I gave the idea to, as far as I am aware we are the only companies that do a wireless CT monitoring over considerable distance that feeds into the Victron system.
have a great day, Matt.
The solution is actually easy,
why do you even need a total voltage protection if you have per cell voltage protection !?
so just disable the switch for the total voltage protection on the right, now you have a charging voltage control,
then disable intermittent switch and set the total voltage protection to 55V and now you have a stable 55V charging, yes floating is not available but 55V is very safe for the cells and actually after 400 days of having exactly these settings, my cells haven't lost any extra capacity when compared with other cells that are charging at 55.2V and floating at 54.4V
Brilliant, I'll try this out. Thanks for sharing
If you have a system with MP2 then you can still show the measured values with the same procedure as shown by you. after that the second box is used
Thanks for the great, important and helpful content!
BR / Greetings from the old homeland...
Mario
Hello Andy,
Today I write in English because of the other viewers. You are testing and testing and testing BMSes and Battery's and other stuff. If I were able to write software/firmware and design PCBs I would construct with you the Perfect BMS but I didn't can. I have a question, why you don't search a manufacturer with that you can design "THE" only one BMS aka "Die Eierlegende Wollmilchsau" ?
I think you searched enough and I don't think that there is not only one manufacturer that will sell or produce actually a nice Product what you and others search. I wish that here are some people that have more Knowledge than me that would support you. I think here are some Dudes that would make a Community Project out of this whole Informations and Knowledge. Try and ask for it!
Sorry for my English it's horrible but I think you understand.
Your English is great! I may have found a manufacturer now which is willing to take ideas on board and change their products as per community feedback. Just like with the good old NEEY balancer back in the day.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Thank you. Hopefully that this new Manufacturer will make this Collaboration. And then I hope that they will design your logo on the BMS as a Thanks.
So Andy have a nice day.
Und trink Ned so viel Bier, das ist ja Schweineteuer bei euch. Nächstes Projekt DIY Bier brauen?
Use a virtual mqtt battery in Front of the seplos. There you can change the soc, voltage and even the allowed maximum current as needed. Works great here.
The second box can show more BMSs indeed. Thanks for the hint. I can unhide my Multiplus and my JK at the same time. Whatever benefit that brings... (and still, third and last time: Managed battery charge voltage is not what you think it is if I am not mistaken). ;-)
That might be a good feature for more smartshunts to show the usage of energy. As I own only one as battery monitor I can't say if that works as intended
Andy , Question : How failprove are those RJ45 connectors on the seplos 10E board ?? Was there a reason why Seplos gave you this USB to RS485 adapter instantely ??
SUPER to omówiłeś.
Na to czekałem.
Wszystkie odcinki z Victron i Seplos są bardzo przydatne dla mnie.
Pozdrowienia z Polski.
Hi, thanks your great videos. I have a SEPLOS 10E with Firmware 16.4. And a Victron Multiplus II GX and so far I found out the following:
- I use it as an ESS System with the ESS Assistant in VE Configure
- The BMS resets its SoC to 0 or 100% if one of the protection values are reached as you mentioned. But you can configure them, so you can change them to your needs. So you could set the cell/total over/under voltage level to what you like. Does this not work at your 10E model/Firmware?
- Every Alarm of the BMS leeds to a "Low Voltage Warning" in Victron. But you can disable them or configure the values with the BMS Software. This took me some time to figure out especially the remaining SoC Alarm).
- You need configure the ESS Assistant Values with a little lower values than the BMS Values so that the Battery could even reach 0% SoC if you set it 0% in the ESS Settings. These values are the "Dynamic Cut off Voltage" settings I set all values to 45V. If these are higher than the low Voltage alarm setting in the BMS, the multipuls never discharges the Battery to 0% SoC because the dynamic cut off values kick in first. Also the Sustain Voltage should not be higher than this level. I set it also to 45V
- Did you ever get an Answer from Seplos why the CCL Value in the Victron Settings is only the half of what is configured in the Seplos BMS? This is indeed very confusing.
Thanks for your comment.
- I'm off-grid so no ESS assistant for me.
- Yes, we can change the OVP settings as per our needs, that is not the problem. The issue is that this OVP value and triggering the BMS should not be used to rest the SOC to 100%
- Yeah, the alarms can be annoying or useful if setup and fine-tuned correctly
- I'm off-grid so no ESS assistant for me.
- I have not discussed this specific question with Seplos. I'm not too concerned about how this works as long as we know how to handle it.
This is an interesting question - if one runs an ESS (like I also do), are the values that one selects when setting up the ESS used at all in the end? They don't show up anywhere anymore it seems. How is the interplay between the ESS assistant, the Victron internal (MPPT) algorithms, and the Seplos BMS algorithms?
Not planning anything with Seplos, but just to get this sorted - when you say ‚Seplos BMS‘ here, you are still referring to the 2 daisy-chained different Seplosses, which to connect Seplos does not recommend? Just asking…😉
We have tested both BMSes separately with the same results. That the data from one BMS to another one is not 100% accurate is correct, but this was not my main concern. Many issues can be fixed with new software and more testing. I'm in contact with Seplos to get things moving but it will take time. More to come...
Hi, Andi - i allready wrote you an text on your other video - I'm using the Gobel Power BMS (it is like the same as Seplos) you have to think a lite bit diffrent when u are using them. The Algorithmus of the bms works diffrent then the Bluk, Absop and Float Mode. Maybe we can have a chat! Grüße aus Österreich!
Thanks for the info. I am in contact with Gobelpower and will order some cells and also at least two BMS to test them out.
Andy perfect video. I agree with you Victron smartshunt is the best to determine the SoC. I had JK bms with special emulator (emuleted Pylon protocol through CAN) but JK measurement of SoC sucks! So I think (and you confirmed it) the comunication between bms and Victron system is not needed if you have smartshunt. It could be different on other systems like Goodwe, but it is other story. Thanks again and I am appologize, because I am one of the people who suggested Seplos as your next smart bms.
Thanks a lot for suggesting Seplos to me, Stanislav 😠😂
It was very good experience and we all learned a ton and have now these fundamental information available.
I admire your persistence........I wouldv'e given up 24 video's ago......
For me its, 'All the way with JK.......'
Meanwhile I will await the Unicorn BMS......
JK is great but I also hope for the unicorn BMS. It's on its way...
Are you finally getting round to testing the new JBD BMS?!? Fingers crossed you find is as good as I do!
I'm not a big fan of the JBD due to their Charge Balancing function, either on or off which neither is ideal. Unless they have fixed that recently.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia nope, its still the same.
Yes, it sounds like a good idea to have both batteries addressed separately in the vrm. Especially as they are different capacities, it doesn't make sense to combine them.
Watch out for reflections and resistance when using multiple points on CAN.
Is there an alternative firmware from another vendor? Are there other boards in the same dimensions from other vendors?
Oh, no, you misunderstood. The Seplos BMS still reports the 280Ah and 135Ah battery combined in the VRM.
Don't know if there are other FW out there which can be used for these BMSes. I doubt it...
The search for the holy BMS grail is not over yet :)
Is there a way to use the lynx shunt in the smart network for the mppt show it shows the correct voltage? I didnt hear you mention that problem so wondering if you were able to get that to work? Thanks
Andy, isn't the JK-BMS the same regarding resetting the SoC at 100%? Is there any way to resetting it without hitting OVP??
Thank you for your videos !!
I never paid attention to that but my JK does not hit the OVP and still shows 100%SOC. I don't know what the trigger is though. I'll ask Hankzor as they work closely with JK.
Hi Andy,
I have comment under your Seplos videos before and some tings you have experienced I have not.
The BMS is not perfect but ok, I agree they need to work on it some more.
But regarding resetting to 100% SOC, my 10C with 2.8 will do that without hitting the limits you have needed to hit. Charging with 55,5V and when the charge current dips under about 5A it will reset SOC for me without trigger any alerts or protections.
We have had some difference in experience before with this BMS but the only big difference I see between our two systems are that you charge with solar and I with grid with the multiplus II. Sounds strange but could that cause the difference in experience?
//Markus
Thanks Markus, you need to differentiate between the 10C and 10E BMS. I have made a dedicated video about the different versions and firmware and how they handle the 100% SOC: ua-cam.com/video/KHxpQgg-TZQ/v-deo.html
The 10E will only reset at OVP settings while the 10C will do this at 56V with FW 2.8.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Hello Andy,
I have had different experiences in the meantime. My 2 Seplos with FW 2.8 have a CVL of 55.5V. When reaching 98%SOC, the CVL is set to 55.4V. The CCL is also regulated by the BMS from 240A to 120A. When the battery voltage exceeds 55.4V (SOC at 99%) the CCL is set to 10A. Thus is slowly charged further current between 1A-7A until the SOC has 100%. Voltage reaches 55.5V. Battery current oscillates around 0A. The load continues to be supplied by the MPPT with about 2.5kW.
So my summary, I am currently satisfied. Was the first time that after the winter the batteries could be charged to 100% again. Will continue to monitor.
Greetings Helmut
Hi Andy, so as an conclusion: the JK BMS is the way to go, at least for the moment?
The JK has no communication though if banks are in parallel but the active balancer is certainly a plus.
Invaluable information and analysis Andy! Thank you so much for your Seplos series. Superb and greatly appreciated.
Thanks a lot for your ongoing support, Max!
New to batteries :) Is this a settings issue? Learning so please bear with me. 90% of 55.2V = 49.68v. 81% of 58.4v = 47.3v. First, is this a discrepancy between actual settings & Victron’s interpretation of 100%? Second, why wouldn’t one set both parameters as 58.4v being 100% SoC? Thanks
Great video!
Question: wouldn't be easier to disconnect the Seplos BMS from Victron and leave Victron to manage charging and discharging alone? What is the benefit to have this connection in this scenario ?
This is exactly the point. If you use Victron system there is no benefit at all. You can use smartshunt as close to battery as posible and different bms just for safety of your battery.
It is different on other systems like Goodwe, where you are not able to connect any shunt, so you have to rely on the bms shunt only.
If the photovoltaic strings are connected in a 48 volt configuration can they be connected directly to the batteries which are also configured for 48 volt DC. If so, there isn't any need for a Victorian electronic wealth status because the simple Chinese battery charger discharger (BMS) set up is perfectly designed for the properly arranged photovoltaic system. Ya?
That is not possible. You ALWAYS need a charger and BMS. It is not just for charging but also think about temperature and low voltage, high current protection, balancing. This is all part of the BMS task.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia I understand; everything is significant. An insignificant system design is arguably impractical.👍♥️✌️
So Andy pretty well if Seplos make a firmware update to change the reset to 100.00% to be customisable all your problems are solved???
No, and not my problems... Also needs float settings and other stuff as per my previous videos.
I didn't quite understand why you have a problem with the 55.2V, that's your specification in the BMS. I don't have a Victron, but a different hybrid WR, which adheres to the specifications of the BMS, just before full, the current goes down.... what more could you want? Of course, it would be great if there was an extra parameter for the charging voltage and not the Total_voltage overvoltage protection. I hope Seplos will bring something out there.
How do you set your BMS to 100%SOC? Or does your inverter show the SOC correctly (differently)?
@@OffGridGarageAustralia either the BMS sets it itself when the upper voltage is reached, as you have also noticed, or via software. The inverter shows what the BMS tells it. the first time, all cells must be fully charged, either slowly and the balancer compensates, or manually recharge individual or fully discharge. so that all cells are really full and have a uniform level. The worse the cells are, the faster and further they will diverge. But that is not the problem of the BMS.
Hello Andy,
what I do not understand, why 58.4 volts???
Why not 56Volt? Is enough to reset the SOC and not too high that something takes damage. DVCC can work, BMS can work and SOC is also reset. What else? Should the BMS shit gold?
It does not matter if the BMS is set to 55.5V, 56V it 58V. It is the voltage you need to reach to reset the SOC to 100%. It is also the voltage the BMS goes into overvoltage protection. This should never trigger unless there is a fault. But here, they suggest to use this safety function on a daily base just to get the BMS back to 100%. That's such a wrong design!
@@OffGridGarageAustralia As you say yourself the pack or cell voltage must be triggered to achieve a reset to 100% SOC on the 10E. But the values 3.65 and 58.4 can be changed by you or anyone who has 1 finger to type in the app. If I enter there as pack 56.4 V overvoltage protection and leave the cells on 3.65 as protection, the SOC is reset when 56.4 volts is reached. That work at 10E, the other 10C i dont know.
IS there any possibility of an update curing , the full number problem , and measuring dc output, I ALREADY HAVE A LYNX SHUNT INSTALLED
Andy, I've been wondering for a while now if you've ever looked at the Batrium BMS's? I believe they're even an Australian company
Yes, they are just down the road from me (~800km or so).
They got in contact with me but I wanted to test other solutions before going all the way to the top. Staying mainstream for now, as not many can afford such a solution. And it is not easy to understand and setup.
I recently figured out another drawback of the Seplos BMS.
Dropping a spanner on the display somehow disables it permanently.🥺
I'll add this to the list. Thanks for letting everyone know 😊
Hello! Thank you for your videos!
I wanted to ask your point of view.
I am assembling pack of cells that consist from 13 cells from Smart EV3 Each cell - 50 Ah. And the higher voltage is 3.7 Volt.
Can you tell me which is a good solution for BMS and Charger/inventor for this kit?
Thanks Nick. I assume these are Li-ion cells @ 3,7V.
I would recommend the JK-BMS for such a pack. Choosing the right charger is bit more tricky as I don't know your requirements in terms of loads and what specs the cells have.
Wondering if the 1000A shunt is too big for your DC loads and sources, giving you insufficient resolution and a greater degree of error in measurements.
That should not make any difference. It should pick up a 2kW load, you would think?
Andy Always says how satisfied he is with the victron smart shunt. So If i want to know the Amps going in and Out my battery and the current capacity i only have to install the smart shunt and Connect IT to victron cerbo gx to Monitor the Data from on the move? Or do i need other devices to Connect the smart shunt with my WiFi? 🤔 I don't have any charge Controllers or inverters from victron. Thanks in advance
The smart shunt connects to your Cerbo and shows the same data as in the Off-Grid Garage VRM. All this battery data comes from the shunt.
I was really disappointed with the Lynx shunt not measuring any DC Power. So, atm the Smart Shunt or the BMV is the best solution if you have other non-Victron gear as well.
Hey! you say "Terminator" the same way as Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Cheers to you, Mate! You have a load of great kit.
using q quite similar setup as yours - but I don't have this "Controlling BMS" setting ni my DVCC...hmm - is your Cerbo running a beta?
Yes, I'm running V3.00~17 since this morning. Always the latest for me.
But, thanks for sharing, that is interesting!
Andy, are you trying to say that the Seplos system is not slow and not fast, but kind of halffast?
Hi Andy. Would you consider replacing the BMS with a Batrium and then give us your rundown how that should be setup with the Victron hardware? PS ive been watching your videos since your Outlander videso years ago
That would be a very expensive test to switch to Batrium... They got in contact with me a while back but I wasn't quite ready for jumping directly to the top. Maybe I will at some stage but for now, I have one more important manufacturer to test and I'm really looking forward to that.
Oh, thanks a lot for sticking with me for so long. The good old PHEV. Man, that was a whole other dimension...
@@OffGridGarageAustralia 'I agree it is expensive, but work very well for my use with 48kwh of recycled Nissan leaf cells. I loved my Outlander and love your videos and got the PHEVbox as per your videos. It worked perfectly for me out of box on my base model 3h
Make sure you update the firmware on your lynx shunt via the VRM. Mine was completely wonky until it did a few upgrades.
Product Lynx Shunt 1000A VE.Can
Firmware version v1.08
For so far i know there was never an update for the shunt ... so where did you get the update?
Change log:
v1.09 - 30-3-2015
IMPORTANT: Do not use v1.09. The version has been redrawn because of bugs.
From CCGX version v1.30 onwards, coming in October 2015, it is possible to change Lynx Shunt settings,
also when Lynx Shunt is running v1.08 or earlier.
Change log:
- The State-of-Charge is now periodically stored in persistent memory. So after a power cycle it no longer
shows the unsynchronized state, but the last known value. The first time (after update to v1.09) it will show
100%
- Keeps track of charged and discharged energy (kWh)
- Fuse blown alarm is enabled by default
- When the relay function is set to charger/generator start/stop, all other conditions than low SoC and low
voltage are ignored
- Added separate setting for the low SoC relay threshold, it is no longer combined with the discharge floor
setting (used for time-to-go calculation).
- Upgraded to NMEA2000 database v2.000
v1.08 - 2-6-2014
Change log:
- Fixed bug in high temperature alarm: an alarm would be generated when there is no sensor connected.
- Improved VE.Can stability
- State of charge can now always be written via VE.Can. This is used by the Lynx Ion to maintain SOC while the
system is off
- Fixed bug in relay binary switch status pgn
- Added relay mode: always open
- Fixed bug in relay conditions: once activated because of an internal temperature problem, it would never be
cleared again.
Known issue:
- The low state-of-charge thresholds for relay and alarm can be set in steps of 10% instead of 1%.
When using the CCGX (v1.30 or later) and set to an unsupported value it is automatically rounded to
the nearest multiple of 10%.
@@Mayhemkillerweed I got it through the VRM. I am running v1.08. It was not that when I installed the lynx last fall, but I do not know how long my box has been sitting on the shelf.
@@NateCCIE 👍 , damn i thought you had a " black version" of a firmware 😁
One wish for the SmartShunt:
The option to syncronise to 0% SOC based on voltage...in Germany in winter that could be very usefull, if it never reaches true 100% SOC for months.
Some finding with a ESS-System and the Seplos BMS 10-C v2.8:
Once the BMS reports a Charge limit (CCL) of 0A, the System stops feeding back into the grid and the solar energy is not used at all.
I have the BMV-712 installed as well and I'll probably go back to it as a main battery monitor.
But I am still gratefull for the communication of the max. and min. cell voltage as well as the cell temperature.
Thanks for sharing all your findings and also the frustration to work together with those BMS / Battery companies. I found the same...can be quite annoying.
I have to thank you for your assistance and many emails with information, Raphael. You were one of the biggest motivators to get me started on this Seplos journey.
I found the SOC in the Smart Shunt is actually not too far off after months with no full charge. I have the same issue down here during winter. With the new FW version of the shunt, you can manually set a SOC now and 'calibrate' it like this from time to time if desired.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia This solution has so much potential, but it is just not done right by seplos and victron 🥴
I am curious to see, what other options you discover on the way Andy🙂
I wished, I had more time experimenting.
But for now I actually asked Shenzhen Taico Technolog to build me 5kWh battery packs with the JBD Smart BMS. I'll be back home in 2 weeks and I am looking forward to test them.
The balancing of the Seplos BMS ist a hot mess as it is right now. But the JBD BMS can do a good job, even with a passive balancer.
Just a few day ago my EVE battry box arrived in Germany after 2 months... did just a first check until now, but it seems that the calibration to 100%SOC is not different to yours. At least the alarm values are not function like a calibration setpoint. My software version is not 2.6, 2.7 or somethin like that, it is V16.4 ( in Android App and Windows battery monitor) whatever that means...
Heya, it would be nice if there was a bms witch has everything we need and support all inverters
Hi Andy! Thanks for all your effort that you put in the SEPLOS BMS. Maybe Seplos react on your Video an improve the Firmware. And also the BMS APP which does not show the cell Diff on iOS :-( . With my SOLIS Inverter the SEPLOS BMS works good enough.
Yeah, the seem to work OK with some inverters directly. The BT has a very low range and doe snot reach to my workbench.
You have 2 Battery packs, one is 6.9kwh and another 14.2kwh. My question is both battery discharge at the same time ( Same SOC).
You can put them in parallel and they will charge and discharge differently. The smaller battery will give/take less power than the large one. I made this video here: ua-cam.com/video/fQz7vZEYLfY/v-deo.html
Do you have the lastest firmware on your Cerbo GX and on the Lynx Shunt?
I think it will work no worries.
Top balance all cells.
The Battery capacity will be determined by the lowest/worst cell.
The worst cell will get to 2.5V and 3.65v (before the others) if you charge that high.
Because cells are in series there will be no natural balancing between cells.
I don't expect there to be much deltaV difference when recharged to full even after a full discharge.
The healthier or larger capacity cells will merely have more unused capacity.
Andy Did try to get you to look at the 123 Smart BMS before it went into the boat but ... We are fast approaching the question of leaving the battery with a operating "standby" SOC 80-90% due to the high solar charge being available. That maybe sun + AC chargers. It sounded easy to charge to above bal Voltage & then turn off & use to some recharge point but like the Tesla maybe just charge to 80% capacity?? Which method will give the longest life!! These present blue cells are not as good as the CALB cells I used over 10years ago & need to be kept balanced. Regards Bill
I never tried the 123 BMS, no.
Tesla uses different chemistry and 80-90% is better for longevity. LiFePO4 can be charged to 100% all the time without increase degradation.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Have you a reference to LIFEPO4 not needing to be de-rated to allow for degradation? It is recommended to X.8 the rated capacity of the LIFEPO4 as well. I will check with the engineers as they stat it is best over the life of the pack to do so for aging & temp effects.Regards Bill
Why don't you use a hybrid inverter to control all these sittings once and for all. (Growatt as an example) or maybe another one
What kind of donation will it take to get you to test the Batrium BMS w/shunt? I feel you are seriously missing out on the true benefits of a properly integrated BMS/victron solution. Get you a Watchmon Core with 3 CellMates. The only thing I’ve found that I don’t like about the Batrium solution is that you have to install a separate Shunt-Trip breaker to protect the cells if a pack gets too far out of line. Other than that, I am confident in saying that you will find it hard to not like it. And the expansion of the system to more future packs is nearly infinite. Or at least it’s far more packs than you’ll likely ever get too. 😊
That has nothing to do with a donation, hahaha.
You don't get a Batrium system to just test it, it is a commitment for that price!
Batrium got in contact with me a while back but I didn't like the idea of buying the top system on the market and have it all working right away. That's not what the channel is about. I want to test and fail (sometimes) and share this with others.
I have another option incoming soon which seems very promising. That does not mean I will not go with Batrium or REC at some stage.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia you should give a try the diybms
@@OffGridGarageAustralia I hear ya. I guess I’m just ready to see you get to that level sooner rather than later. 😊 point taken about the purpose of the channel. 👍
you could try PaceBMS.
Its installed in some of the Victron approved batteries.
Its somehow similar to your Seplos, but slightly better integrated, i would say.
But also weak balancer, etc.
Not as good as REC or Batrium
I "downgraded" last week to the Lynx shunt from the 712 ..
Got almost same system as yours (2Xpower in, Lynx and 2X Distributor , Qattro 10000, Multiplus II 8000 , 2 X MPPT 250/100, MPPT 150/60, Cerbo gx) also the smart shunt would show consumed Ah on the small dial, wondering if i shall try to use the smart shunt on the DC side? and monitor My battery as "Second battery"? would it work?
But really, feel i dowgraded so hope there will be a update for it
I'm equally unimpressed with the Lynx Shunt. I've a Smart Shunt sat here that I'm tempted to add before the Lynx and use that instead. Meaning the Lynx Shunt will basically become a £300 fuse holder.
@@pedromoonunit430 A fuseholder for very very very expensive fuses that are almost impossible to find in different sizes other than 325A
@@trygvetveit4747 I've a BMS cable to route later when my battery is full. I'm going to fit the smart shunt at the same time. Will be interesting to see the difference.
I find it fascinating you only have these troubles with the SEPLOS BMS. I would just throw it away or isolate it to a separate system.
Nooo, the potential of having a winner is too big. I keep working with them to improve it over time. It's all software related...
May I ask you to read marks on the 3 big TVS-diodes which pass from B- to P- contacts ?
They black big cylindrical components in the same row with MOSFETs
Your friends at Daly are bringing a similar solution to the market.. hope you test this..
Watch this space...
@@OffGridGarageAustralia waiting for your review.. and waiting for BMS itself 2 months waiting period
First thing I do every morning is to bring up the Victron system and see what is going on. My shunt does not report the correct voltage either. The charge controllers always have the correct voltage. There is a constant .35 VDC difference.
Glad, I'm not alone with that 😁
How can your MPPT show an accurate voltage but your shunt does not? The shunt should be very close to the battery and measure the best voltage in your whole system.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia I am not sure why. Right now the shunt shows 52.65 volts, Quattro says 53.85 and the charge controllers show 53. Volt meter on the busbars says 53 volts- it's correct. Battery cables are more than big enough and I am only discharging 15 amps at the moment. When I measure the voltage at the shunt it is 53 volts. I never set a zero current calibration so I figured that was it. Always the same .35 volts.
A little off topic for this video, however, with the same battery chemistry I had more luck getting the victron smart shunt and inverters reporting battery SOC ( from battery bms, unknown brand but same screen) when I set victron smart shunt Peukert exponent to 1.05.
Obviously this will depend on the specific charge/discharge system and power rolling in and out rates but perhaps tweaking this may help someone, after two years of playing around it was the only way I found ( for my sytem ) to match the bms soc with the victron shunt soc, tweaking capacity figures did not work.
Thanks for sharing this. The Peukert exponent can be adjusted so SOC matches the real SOC. I will try 1.05 on my system as well. At the moment I have 1.01 set and SOC seems to be a bit too low.
@Off-Grid Garage loving your videos by the way, would have liked more victron gear but couldn't afford it, so running Growatt inverters.
I’m confused… all power consumption from the battery to the inverter(s) is DC so how does the Lynx shunt know that the power drawn by the inverter(s) is for AC power?
The AC inverter (Multiplus or Quattro would be connected to the Cerbo as well and communicate the numbers to the mothership.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia So it’s not really the Lynx shunt that knows what the power is being used for it’s the Cerbo which for some reason isn’t really reporting what the Lynx shunt is reporting to it. I have had the SmartShunt for a while now and just decided to get the Lynx Distributor and Power In but I’m going to use them backwards and put the fuses on the batteries instead of the loads. One question though, based on the Lynx connectors do you think I should be able to connect the the SmartShunt directly to the negative connection bars or am I going to need to use cable to accomplish that?
Hi Andy, well, you/ us tried and failed? We tried to integrate the Seplos system with Victron and we failed to get the desired results, not that these results are not good mind you. It's just not entirely what we wanted to see.
To that end, I am going to be making a video soon detailing my Enersol battery journey over these past few months, what I've learnt, what can be done and what can't be done, I do think though that the BMS's that Enersol are currently using are a bit better than the Seplos ones. We'll see what the viewers say if at all anything.... I do not have many subscribers so my base reach is somewhat limited by that fact. If you would like, you can take a look at what I have done and could maybe give some pointers to something I might be overlooking. Thank you again for all your experimenting and trial and error...... It does help the community out a great deal.
I would not call this a fail, Charles. The Seplos BMS is good and has amazing features. Seplos will improve over time and become better. Most of it is just software. At this stage I'm not sure how their software developer is, if in-house or external. So that could be the reason for a delay as well as understanding what is desired/needed from the community.
I'll have a look at your video, for sure.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Hi Andy, yes I understand, what I meant by fail was that you could not achieve what you wanted to because of software and possibly hardware limitations.
I agree that Seplos will improve, and is for now a pretty good BMS bar a few things that need changing. But, if it were not for your channel with the subscriber base you have I fear they would not listen. This is unfortunately the nature of the beast with Chinese development markets, if there is enough screaming to get attention then they work on it, otherwise it is ignored....
Hello, I don't have "Controlling BMS" option in VDCC ? Why ?
I guess you need a BMS-able device like a Smart Shunt
Thanks Andy
Andy this puts me off anything smart!
I just want a big red button and a dial I can turn up to 11 🤣🤣🤣
So the problem is the lynx shunt not the seplos BMS? SO why shouldn't we buy the seplos BMS? The seplos bms can interact with the Victron system but the JK BMS cannot? I am confused after this video. And instead of replacing the seplos bms with the jk bms people should add the Neey 4A active balancer. That is cheaper and has more functionality together with the seplos bms.
Excellent analysis as always. Thank you !
So: with not much further to do, we ordered a REC BMS, Victron compatible.
It is not perfect either and has some issues as I have heard... But I will test it at some stage, yes.
Hello Andy! What about Top BMS ? cleverbms .
It's exactly the video I needed!
As always - thanks Andy. 👍
Thanks a lot, Dave!
Thanks for the very detailed videos
Thank you, Ray.
Andy, what are you calling the Victorian smart shunt, model # please.
“SmartShunt” is the model/name of the product
Andy have you seen the selectronic off grid inverters yet ?
Yes.
Hello Andy
Haven't you thought about testing BATRIUM?
Yes, I did. But this is not something you just test. Due to the very high price you would need to commit to it. And the installation is rather a medium project as they need to mount these balance boards directly at the cells.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Hey Andy! i Think you don't longer need to mount the balancer Boards.You have to install the CellMate-K9 Board instead. Which can be mounted on a central place :-)
@@OffGridGarageAustralia Installation (BATRIUM) is really expensive, but you don't have to mount anything on the cells (it's not necessary) if it's WatchMoonCore and K9
It's nice to watch you and I will always be a fan regardless of your future videos :-)) Greetings from Poland
@@jerzol_KOMINIARZ Thanks a lot!
what settings do I need on my Multiplus to make the Lynx Shunt do all the battery monitoring?
That is not possible. You would need the Lynx BMS with a Victron battery. The shunt does not control the charging, it only measures and displays the information.
@@OffGridGarageAustralia so using the lynx shunt ve can with a carbo and battle or a the multiples still has to “control” the charging of the batteries. When I plug my laptop to the multi-plus it has a check box to use external BMS. In my case I wouldn’t check that?
@@OffGridGarageAustralia so using the lynx shunt ve can with a carbo and battle born batteries the multiples still has to “control” the charging of the batteries. When I plug my laptop to the multi-plus it has a check box to use external BMS. In my case I wouldn’t check that?
Hi Andy, Noooooooooooooooo.
The solution is on the Seplos BMS settings ! There is a way to reset the 100% SOC independently from the OVP. To do it- the OVP on the "flag setting control" need to be disabled. Once disabled, it will only act as "charging setpoint" communicating the charging voltage to the charge control. The battery protection will be triggered through "charging overvoltage protection" which has an indipendent setting (different from OVP). The 100% SOC wil be resetted 30 minutes after the total/cell high voltage alarm is reached. It's just matter of settings. Peppe from Napoli.
Calm down. It's all sorted and will be in the next video. Thanks for all your comments 😉
So I shouldn't get the Seplos BMS? I'm so confused
Depends on your needs. There is also a follow up video: ua-cam.com/video/xN60NkIEpno/v-deo.html
thanks Andy!
Good info, thanks Andy, I am resetting my SOC every month by turning off DVCC for one cycle to let the (ANT) BMS trip on max cell value. (set conservative to 3.50V). Will not change anything seems to be the state of art.
Yes, that is a manual process to get it back to 100%. It is very hard to negotiate with these manufacturers. I feel we have to go two steps back to make one forward. Well, I'll keep trying and maybe one day it clicks in their minds and they will remember us...
Great video as always.👍
Thank you! Cheers!