I would like to disable pass thru mode and have the AC inputs only charge the batteries. The Quattro is in island mode. Is there a way to prevent pass thru mode starting and stay in inverter mode only with charging from the grid?
asked
Quattro - How to disable pass thru mode
What happens when the load exceeds the specified AC input power is that the inverter flips from charge mode into invert mode, and operates in parallel with the generator - in power assist mode. This drains the battery, so as when the AC load decreases, the inverter starts charging the battery again. This function can be turned off in the inverter setup (on a multiplus - think quatro should be similar) using a Mk2.
Thank you for your reply. As I mentioned, I have PowerAssist disabled with 15A AC input limit set. What I see is that the inverter switches to pass through and then just starts powering all loads with the AC in exceeding the AC-in.
The more I think about this, the more it makes sense. Since inverter and charger use the same transformer, once the AC-input limit is exceeded, it just completely gives up and "shuts down" defaulting to whatever is coming in via AC-in and ... passing-thru to the loads.
I guess my problem is I want it to work differently, and it can't. If I don't want my AC-in limit exceeded, I must enable PowerAssist.
If I want more AC charge, I have to be able to provide more AC-in as the loads take away from the AC-in available for charge.
Not sure how it did it, but my 15A breaker ran as high as 20-22A for over 30 minutes. Given that it's a cheap Predator generator, the logical conclusion is... I shouldn't trust the breaker.
Thanks!
No, that is not possible.
I know this is old, but I'm confused by the answer.
The answer implies the inverter/charger can't charge from AC input and inverter at the same time. Is that correct?
48V off-grid. No ESS. No BMS. No UPS. No PowerAssist. AC input limit at 15A, DC charge limit to 39A (about 2300W).
If I'm seeing AC loads and charging, how is this possible? Is it "passing through" the AC to power the loads, but it's using "excess" up to the AC input limit to charge?
I guess I'm struggling with what I'm seeing on VRM Dashboard. When running the generator, I see AC loads, and I see the inverter in BULK mode, and the generator appears to be limited by the AC Input and charge current values.
However, if I add loads I see the unit transition to Passthru, and it may pull much higher power than the AC Input limit. What is most confusing is that the passthru power well exceeds my generator's 15A 120VAC breaker with up to 22A observed, yet the breaker never popped.
Can you please help me understand what actually triggers passthru? Is it the loads exceeding the AC input limit?
The inverter uses the inverter circuit in reverse to charge.
So if you would like the inverter to charge, it can not inverter at the same time.
Also the AC-IN will be connected to AC-OUT during charging, unless you are charging from AC coupled PV.
Typically if you have AC coming in, The inverter will change the charge rate to keep the AC-IN at the current limit you set. So if you have 10A of load, the charger will use 5A. If you have 15A of load the charger will turn off and go into passthrough. If you turn on Power Assist, the inverter will inverter when AC-IN is there if the load goes above 15A to provide the difference.
15A breaker won't trip at 15A instantly. It will take a few minutes if you are only 10 or so percent above the rating. This is normal.
Passthrough happens for a few reasons, but it is basically when the inverter or charge isn't running then you are in passthrough. if the inverter is unhappy with the power, maybe the frequency or voltage isn't stable, or if the battery is full and the charge stops charging or if you are close to the current limit so it turns off the charger.
