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hummingbear avatar image
hummingbear asked

Synchronized Charging issues / VenusOS device throwing #66 Incompatible Device

Pulling my hair out trying to find the "correct way" to setup synchronized charging between two of my MPPT Charge Controllers. My setup:

  • SmartSolar Charger MPPT 150/100 rev2, A059, running v1.61 (latest)
  • SmartSolar MPPT VE.Can 250/85 rev2, A116, running v3.13 (latest)
  • SmartShunt 500A, A389, running v4.08 (latest)
  • MultiPlus-II 48/5000/70-48, 2623, running v500
  • Generic Venus Device (rpi), C003, running v3.00~14 (all devices connected via VE-Direct)

All of my devices are connected to my RaspberryPi running VenusOS.

The two MPPT Chrage Controllers have identical charge settings. I have reviewed this multiple times. In all of the literature I've read for synchronization I was told they need to be connected via the VE Smart Network together, I have successfully done that and there are no other devices connected to the VE Smart Network.

On my VenusOS remote console though, I get an error notification daily #66 Incompatible Device for the SmartSolar Charger MPPT 150/100 rev2, but I have no idea why! My VenusOS device has DVCC enabled if that makes any difference.

My 150/100 rev 2 shows as `standalone` in the Network Operation view, whereas my 250/85 rev 2 shows as Slave
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Why am I seeing the Incompatible Device error?

MPPT ControllersVenus OS
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2 Answers
JohnC avatar image
JohnC answered ·

Hi @hummingbear

Disable the Smart bt network. You already have the VenusOS network and the two are probably conflicting.

Ok, so the mppts wont be 'synchronized'. What do you expect from that? To me, the only useful functionality would be for both to terminate Absorb state at the same time. But you can set that up yourself. You have Smartshunt, DVCC (SCS), so battery charge Amps can be read by the mppts. They also have a Tail setting (similar to the shunt), but this one's in Amps rather than %. In both mppts set that to a value you consider appropriate, then they'll both drop to Float at the same time. This is an 'override' sort of thing to the Adaptive/Fixed settings, so ensure they are set wide enough to not interfere. And it's a far better way to set an appropriate Absorb time, at least for Pb batteries.

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hummingbear avatar image hummingbear commented ·

It's not that I expect anything, I think I'm just thouroughly confused by Victron's lack of clarity here. None of the literature mentions that you should disable it if you have a VenusOS device. And yes, the reason I want some level of sync is so they go into Absorption and Float at the same time and so that they are sharing the same voltage/temperature values.

It's also unclear to me if the MPPT's are using the shared voltage/temperature sense via VenusOS if I disable the smart network and exclude those devices.

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nickdb avatar image nickdb ♦♦ hummingbear commented ·

From limitations section of smart networking manual (which has pretty decent info in it):

VE.Smart Networking is designed for small systems which do not have a GX device - such as a Color Control GX or Venus GX

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JohnC avatar image JohnC ♦ hummingbear commented ·
@hummingbear

You're probably right that warnings aren't prominent enough. Hidden deep in the Victron Connect manual I think. We get a fair bit of this weirdness reported here, and the fix is usually to disable the bt network. It isn't needed anyway.

DVCC over wire is usually rock solid. I don't think the devices actually state themselves which data they're using, but you can look in VRM Advanced, where data is separated into System and individual readings, and from there you can usually determine what's in use. If not, the end results.

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hummingbear avatar image hummingbear JohnC ♦ commented ·

@JohnC @nickdb is my Venus device now telling both my MPPT charge controllers to use the same shared voltage/temperature devices? They both report slightly different voltages so it's unclear to me that they are using the ones defined in my VenusOS console

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JohnC avatar image JohnC ♦ hummingbear commented ·
@hummingbear

We can't tell from here. If DVCC is selected it will always share V to the system from whatever source is selected. That doesn't mean that every report will show identical instantaneous results if true V is flicking around a bit. Can't call this 'sample time error', but perhaps 'transmission/ processing' delay.

If you're also using the STS and SCS options it's easy to see DVCC is working by eliminating alternate sources and seeing the end result. V is a little tougher, but just watching it over time will give confidence.

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hummingbear avatar image
hummingbear answered ·

This video couldn't sum up my issues better. Letting DVCC control voltage/temp works terribly. Smart network works way better but throws an error on my VenusOS device. I wish Victron would figure this out, it's really disappointing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEYcsydk2qc

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JohnC avatar image JohnC ♦ commented ·

@hummingbear

And Andy did all that testing with this screen showing..

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That's not from DVCC. Whatever it is it's interfering.

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