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Doug Weibel asked

Replacing ve.net blue power panel

I have a ve.net Blue Power Panel whose display is degrading and becoming hard to read. I think I would like to replace it with a Cerbo GX or a Color Control GX. I also currently have a ve.net Battery Controller that is plugged into a ve.net port on the Blue Power Panel and a Multiplus charger/inverter plugged into a ve.bus port on the Blue Power Panel. Finally I have two SmartSolar MPPT controllers and one BlueSolar MPPT controller, none of which are connected to the Blue Power Panel. I have four questions.

  1. It appears I will have to replace the ve.net Battery Controller as ve.net is deprecated. I am thinking I'll use a BMV-712 Smart. Will I be able to reuse the shunt and battery temperature sensor from the ve.net Battery Monitor?
  2. Is the Cerbo GX with a GX Touch 50 preferable to the CCGX panel? There appears to be a bezel kit so the Touch 50 can use the same cutout and the Cerbo seems to offer more features. There does not seem to be a big price difference between a CCGX and a Cerbo+Touch 50.
  3. Can the SmartSolar MPPT controllers communicate with the CCGX or Cerbo by bluetooth?
  4. Is there anything else I should be looking at to make this upgrade more effective? I thought perhaps a Smart Battery Sense module would improve the charging by providing a measurement directly at the battery? Something else?

Thank you for your assistance.

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wkirby answered ·

1. You can use either a BMV-712 Smart or a Smart Shunt.
You cannot re-use the shunt resistor nor the temperature sensor from the old Battery Controller. The BMV-712 Smart and the Smart Shunt can use an optional temperature sensor.
The shunt is included with a BMV-712 / Smart Shunt products.

2. The CerboGX and Touch 50 would suit you better because it has three VE.Direct ports, one for each of your MPPT controllers and your BMV-712 or Smart Shunt.
It's newer of course and offers touch screen interface which the CCGX does not.

3. No, you need to connect the MPPTs to the CerboGX using VE.Direct cables.

4. A Smart Battery Sense is of no use at all if you are using a BMV-712 or a Smart Shunt, both measure Voltage at the battery terminals and both measure battery temperature if you purchase the temperature sensor too.

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Doug Weibel avatar image Doug Weibel commented ·
Thank you for your answer.
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