XWPro "Active Power Limit (Charge)" No Documented Modbus Key/Value ?? (For use in script programs)

JustJoe

Grid tied solar system
2x XW-Pro v2.04.00 Conext Gateway v1.18
AC coupled to 2x SMA SunnyBoy Solar panel inverters
7x SimpliPhi 3.8kW batteries

Have had a 3 yr tolerate/hate relationship with Schneider XWP + CGW.  My neighbor got roped into buying all this hardware, but only later realized how hard it was to keep from just sending super cheap power to the pg&e grid (too late for netzero).  They were really tight on money due to health issues, so I wrote a bunch of (lua) scripts to do the daily monitoring & control.

I knew going in, the sunny 9 months of the year would WORK GREAT.  Originally I was even running a 5sec network Modbus loop that would only charge batteries based on excess solar power after in-house usage. Was happy to do a major code rewrite when the last XWP v2.04 + CGW v1.18 code nicely took over that task. 

But now for the 3 months of (cloudy) winter...  To keep grid power from being used during Bulk/Absorption charging, the system normally (spring-fall) runs with:

Devices / Config / Power Control Settings / 
  AC1 Grid/Generator Active Power Limit (Charge) = 3 W

But there just isn't enough solar power in any particularly dark day.  Manually changing this value (eg. 3000W) to supplement with some grid power works fine ... But I don't have the time to check the weather and adjust it every day.   My control scripts could easily be doing this ...

BUT DAMN IT ...

that setting has NOOO documented Modbus key/value I can find in the Schneider Modbus x-ref pdf which could be sent from my script program. 

 ...AAARRRGGG !!!

I know that some of you guys have tried hacking Xanbus ... I am currently trying to see if I can get wget or curl to issue http POST commands in place of Modbus ...  But I keep running into not being able to automate login credentials.

Being a masochist, I actually have a XWP + InsightHome on order with NAZ, so I might even be able to try serial wireshark digging...

But otherwise, I think schneider lost their good programmers, (we never even got the v2.10.00 that was promised), otherwise this would have been a request for them to correct a Modbus oversight.

Heeeelp, Suuuggestions, Pleeeease ?

Dave Angelini

write this in an easier way to understand is my suggestion.  Not that I can help you as I pay someone for this, but it might help to re-write for others.

JustJoe

Dave Angelini said:

write this in an easier way to understand is my suggestion.  Not that I can help you as I pay someone for this, but it might help to re-write for others.

Hi Dave, thanks for replying.  I intentionally posted in the Advanced Solar Electric Technical Forum group where I felt others may have been down the Xanbus hacking road before. (I thought I had seen your name in the forums experimenting with it 10 years ago, but maybe I was mistaken.) Do you actually work for NAZ?  I do have a new XW-Pro & InsightHome on order from NAZ.  I view Schneider's lack of providing a Modbus Key/Value for this parameter as a coding oversight bug, something I would expect the NAZ people to help me get a resolution/workaround from Schneider.  Part of the reason of this post was to have text for reference by the NAZ folks when I contact them.

But therein lies a possible problem... Schneider seems to have kicked their support out to The Philippines last summer.  Do you know if they even have any real programming support contacts left for XW-Pro?  Because if no, that leaves me needing ideas on how to hack to the xanbus side of the InsightHome. 

BB.

Dave is an independent system designer/installer/consultant that certainly uses a lot of Schneider/Xantrex gear.

As far as I know, he uses NAWS as a supplier, but he does not work for or represent NAWS.

-Bill "just an independent/volunteer moderator" B.

JustJoe

Thank you Bill for the followup . Yeah late yesterday I was checking why they hadn't shipped my rather simple XW PRO + minibox (their cust support was extremely helpful and instantly got it going).  So then they transferred me to tech support for this question, I didn't even finish my sentence referring to my forum post ...and the guy was instantly emphasizing their tech support has *nothing* to do with the this forum. They give no assistance in contacting the manufacturer even if this could be considered a code oversight/defect. Basically they are just there to tell you which plug to stick where.

Bottom line, this is still back on schneider, where less than a year ago they were still generating webinars on how great the upcoming v2.10.00 Conext firmware was in testing and soliciting more testers to get feedback, and then in two months they pretty much announced it eol.

BB.

Yes, this forum is independent of NAWS.

NAWS did create and does maintain/pay for this forum, but "we" (as all posters) are responsible for the content here.

Since you are a customer of NAWS, they should be supporting you directly. Just do not ask them to comment on posts made here.

Sincerely,
-Bill "moderator" B.