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Hi!
Is it possible to dim the display or does it maybe have a dark/night mode?
If I connect a Cerbo GX to a Multiplus, can I use the Touch50 to turn the inverter on/off? If not then what would be a good solution for that? This is for a van installation where most of the time I do not need the Multiplus to be on.
Thanks!
Hi @Eran Rundstein,
Yes, It is possible to adjust the brightness of the display, have it automatically adapt to ambient light (with it's sensor), and also possible to have it automatically turn off after a certain amount of time:
There is no "dark" mode to inverter colours to black yet though (unfortunately).
It is possible to use the CerboGX +Touch GX 50 to turn off a connected MultiPlus- there are some exceptions to this though where it is not possible, specifically if you are also using a Digital Multi Control (that has it's own on/off switch) so you will need to do some more research if that is the case.
Thank you Guy, that is very helpful.
Do you happen to know whats the solution to turn the inverter on/off when Victron smart Lifepo4 batteries are in use?
The latest firmware update for the GX v2.62 now allows this.
Hi Guy, does this mean you no longer require a DMC to control the Multiplus and can instead control it via the GX Touch/Cerbo GX? Even with a VE.Bus BMS installed?
I would love to see some updated schematics to include all of these updates that have been made to compatibility in systems and components.
At the moment if you have a VE.Bus BMS then the only way I have found is to disconnect the VE.Bus BMS from the VE.Bus (RJ45 connector) and then connect the charge disconnect to Aux1 on the MultiPlus and load disconnect to Aux2 (or temperature port) and install the 2-Wire assistant rather then the VE.Bus BMS assistant. This re-enables the screens shown above.
The downside of this is that at load disconnect with no mains available the MultiPlus will not totally switch off and have a small parasitic load on the batteries.
Thank you for your reply. When connected the way you suggest, how would SOC and current going in/out of the battery be communicated to the Cerbo GX? Is that what the 2-wire assistant for? I am not familiar with that connection.
How would the system behave if the VE.Bus BMS turned on the load disconnect signal, signaling the Multiplus inverter to turn off, however as you mentioned it is not totally off and continues to draw a small amount of current? Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of the BMS being able to properly stop discharging the battery when it is no longer safe to do so?
@Eran Rundstein. Even with a VE.Bus BMS, SOC is not provided. You would need a Smart Shunt or BMV connected to the Cerbo to get the SOC/Current/Voltage. The Cerbo can then sync this with the inverter over the VE.Bus.
The 2 wire assistant is just another way of signalling to the MultiPlus that a charge disconnect or load disconnect event has happened. So connecting the output of the BMS charge disconnect port to the MultiPlus aux1 port via an inverting on/off cable. When the BMS signal drops the relay on Aux 1 will open and the inverter knows a charge disconnect has happened. The same happens with the lid disconnect to aux 2.
See this Link on assistants
When the charge disconnect happens you can tell the MultiPlus to drop to Float. On load disconnect it still has to power the VE.Bus portion of the MultiPlus and so still draws something like .05A to .1A. I have note found a way to shut down the VE.Bus interface on the MultiPlus when the 2-Wire assistant is used.
Note if you stay with the VE.Bus BMS being connected by the RJ45, make sure you do not connect the negative pin of the VE.Bus BMS to the battery. Allow it to get its negative through the RJ45. This is part of what is required to shut the VE.Bus down on the MultiPlus and why the AC Detector is required to bring the MultiPlus back to life when the mains power is returned. If you want more background on this take a look at section 3.5 in this document Interfacing with VE.Bus Products - Mk2 protocol. It describes how the VE.Bus works and can shut the MultiPlus down and bring it back to life.
Thank you. So it looks like this would only work with batteries that have some built-in low voltage disconnect. My main concern is leaving the system unattended for a few weeks, and if something stops working with the solar charging, the Multiplus would eventually drain the battery to unsafe levels even when told to load disconnect - so some extra protection on the battery side is needed for a completely safe solution. Does that make sense?
