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chriskirk avatar image
chriskirk asked

Venus gx and Marlec Wind Generator

I live off- grid remotely and have recently added the Venus gx to my solar wind set-up. Wind is a small part of the mix but can be important in long full periods. On a recent visit abroad, the batteries dipped enough to cut out the inverter and our freezers!

I see from another thread that ppl have tried using another smart shunt in the wind line, but there appears to be teething issues.

I am thinking of using a current sensing induction relay to detect current in one of the 3 phase conductors from the turbine, wired through an appropriate resistor to one of the Venus tank sensors. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/126122619512?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=5ucjjzpttck&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=lzRkCRhsTKK&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

The likely readout won't tell me about actual wind output, but it should tell me if the Marlec controller has decided to switch itself off (which it can do from time to time).

I'm a Biologist not an electrical engineer, so any advice would be welcome.

Thanks

Venus GX - VGX
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2 Answers
Mike Dorsett avatar image
Mike Dorsett answered ·

The advantage of the smart shunt is that it will provide an accurate readout of the wind charging current. The relay you are looking at has a threshold setting, but would need to be set really low to give charging status at low wind speeds, possibly leading to false results.


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chriskirk answered ·

Thanks for that, yes all that current detecting relay will tell me is whether wind is generating or not. The smart shunt would definitely be more fun informative. Can I add a smart shunt to the GX if I already have a battery monitor attached?

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