Conext MPPT 100 600

AlexDykes
AlexDykes Registered Users Posts: 23 ✭✭
Has anyone out there installed two or more of these on the same system? I just got a pair to upgrade from my MPPT 80 600 units and I'm seeing some odd things. I suspect it's a firmware issue that I'll have to report to Schnider and wait for a fix on. In a nutshell when one (it doesn't matter which one) is connected to the system (three XW pro 12/240, one battery monitor, one system control panel, one gateway) the system is fine. Put both on their at the same time and the slave inverters go online/offline constantly while displaying error F.66 which is a multi-unif configuration error. The two chargers are set up basically the same as the old MPPT 80s were with one primary and one secondary, same settings, etc. Thankfully I can leave one charge controller off the xanbus network "orphaned" on its own without too much of an issue for now. 

Comments

  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,729 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    Did you change one of the chargers to a different address? Sounds like you did? Using the recommended network cables?

     Have a hard time believing it is mppt firmware as there really is not anything different from the old and new mppts other than now 100 adc. I have had (2) mppt-80's running here since 2010 and it is about all I use for my clients.

     I do not suppose you tried removing the slave xwp's? There were some issues with their firmware in multi-units.  Good Luck
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
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  • AlexDykes
    AlexDykes Registered Users Posts: 23 ✭✭
    Yep. The cables are the recommended ones and have been working fine with the MPPT 80s for a year. Removing the slaves isn't an option as the loads are too much for a single XW. It's an odd one as Ive never seen or heard of anything like this. The funny part is that either one works fine solo, its just when you have both together that things go wrong. I have not tried re-arranging the Xanbus which I'll try later (putting one charger on the other side of the bus for instance) but I can't imagine it would change anything. 
  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,729 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    Better tell Schneider. If you have any trouble with that I can get into engineering if you email me (below) your address.
    I would try them first as this is not an emergency and you can use both chargers. Are you running rule 21 firmware in xwp's?
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net

  • AlexDykes
    AlexDykes Registered Users Posts: 23 ✭✭
    Yep, the latest firmware in everything set to Rule 21 with the new firmware. I'm wondering if it is come eccentricity with this config. I've been toying with the idea of resetting everything to factory defaults to see if that helps. Not that there is too much non-default with the config to be honest however.
  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,729 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    1.09 bn9 is current.
     I think I would wait on your idea. In the past that was a good idea. you might try the mppts but if you are running alot of loads? This is offgrid ?
    Get a case number from S is my opinion. Good Luck
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net

  • AlexDykes
    AlexDykes Registered Users Posts: 23 ✭✭
    Grid is available, but highly unreliable and due to a variety of factors the most we can pull from the grid is 9kW. (Bottom line, it's off the grid with battery storage but once a month or two we'll use the grid to charge, but we treat the utility power like a generator.). As I recall the firmware for the MPPT 100 is not available for download since it is the release firmware?
  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,729 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    Hi Dave,
    I have not heard of this issue, but it needs to be investigated. Please escalate thru Tech Support.
    Eric
    
    Sent from my iPhone
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net

  • AlexDykes
    AlexDykes Registered Users Posts: 23 ✭✭
    I opened a ticket with them. I discovered that there is still a communication issue even with just one MPPT, although it happens much less often (1-2x a day). I'm probably going to reset everything to factory defaults this weekend just in case a software config issue is present that I have not noticed. 
  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,729 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November 2020 #10
     Good! All of your network internals are Schneider standard install by the manual? Network cables in raceways, not more than 130 feet, no short network cables, and DC and AC are away from network or cross at 90 degrees?  A picture of the system?

    I would make sure you have a copy of existing firmware just in case the factory defaults cause a hiccup. Even though XWP has been out for 2 years, it is a very different beast than xw+ which is mature and stable. Gobble Gobble!

    Oh yea, any historical or active events in Gateway? Any weird logs? You can search the logs when there were hiccups.


    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net

  • AlexDykes
    AlexDykes Registered Users Posts: 23 ✭✭
    Yep, all cabling is to standard. The only off things in the logs are 91 and 66 errors, so its for sure a xanbus communication issue as its also complaining about an inability to communicate with the battery monitor. 
  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,729 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    And all you did was replace the 80's with 100's right? No issue before? All firmware is current? Let them sort it or try the reset to factory. Maybe a DC shutdown for 5 minutes?

    Got a spatchcock turkey in the oven and prosecco on ice better get ready!
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net

  • AlexDykes
    AlexDykes Registered Users Posts: 23 ✭✭
    Yep, just a direct swap and the 80s were fine (6 months old, but otherwise fine). All firmware is the latest. 
  • mcgivor
    mcgivor Solar Expert Posts: 3,854 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    Just a few thoughts, perhaps the system is looking for the 80 controllers which may still be in memory hense the F66 configuration error,  the F91 is state of charge loss from the battery monitor perhaps lost during a reboot, each controller must have its unique identity number  as well. 

    Note, I don't claim to be an expert, these are just things I would consider possibilities 
    1500W, 6× Schutten 250W Poly panels , Schneider MPPT 60 150 CC, Schneider SW 2524 inverter, 400Ah LFP 24V nominal battery with Battery Bodyguard BMS 
    Second system 1890W  3 × 300W No name brand poly, 3×330 Sunsolar Poly panels, Morningstar TS 60 PWM controller, no name 2000W inverter 400Ah LFP 24V nominal battery with Daly BMS, used for water pumping and day time air conditioning.  
    5Kw Yanmar clone single cylinder air cooled diesel generator for rare emergency charging and welding.
  • AlexDykes
    AlexDykes Registered Users Posts: 23 ✭✭
    It is my understanding that F66 is just a multi unit master/slave config error state, not a general error state. Or are there other conditions that can cause it?
  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,729 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    No way !  The only thing that could interfere and cause F66 is a bad stack cable. This assumes that the xwps are doing what you said. Working fine together!

     You sound like a smart guy to get this far and for the system to work. Other than what we talked about in doing the DC shutdown, and then if no joy do a reset to factory defaults, I would let schneider do a remote view of the system. See what they say, and it may take them a bit. Everyone is out on vacation this week.

    The mppt 100's do not have any issues on their individual events and history?
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net

  • AlexDykes
    AlexDykes Registered Users Posts: 23 ✭✭
    No way !  The only thing that could interfere and cause F66 is a bad stack cable. This assumes that the xwps are doing what you said. Working fine together!

     You sound like a smart guy to get this far and for the system to work. Other than what we talked about in doing the DC shutdown, and then if no joy do a reset to factory defaults, I would let schneider do a remote view of the system. See what they say, and it may take them a bit. Everyone is out on vacation this week.

    The mppt 100's do not have any issues on their individual events and history?
    No that is probably the oddest part, the MPPT100s don't have any errors on them and the gateway can always communicate with them. When this issue is presenting and you log into the gateway, you can see the two MPPTs, the batt mon and the SCP, but not the XWs. If you pull the MPPTs out, then all is lovely. I have been running since this thread started with the two MPPTs "orphaned" on their own and all is fine. What I need to try but haven't done is re-arrange the xanbus just in case that has some effect. Right now it is XW>XW>XW>MPPT>MPPT>SCP>BATT>Gateway. I need to rearrange things to maybe try MPPT>MPPT>XW>XW>XW>SCP>BATT>GW. Not sure if that would allow the XWs to talk to the gateway while the error is preventing or not. 
  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,729 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    Hmm can you try everything again but leave out the bat mon and SCP in xanbus. This would tell you that xanbus is not being overtaxed.
    Xanbus should easily run all of your devices but since you are an early adopter, both xwp and mppt-100, you get to be a test case ;)

    So what is using all the power? Farming, microgrid, or?
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net

  • AlexDykes
    AlexDykes Registered Users Posts: 23 ✭✭
    This weekend is going to be the day for trials.

    We could have gone with two XWPs, and nearly did but at the 11th hour we decided to get three mainly for redundancy. There are times where we go over ~16kW although generally our sustained peaks (over 20 min) are around 13kW. We're in rural CA (Redwood forest) and due to a variety of factors we ended up with mainly AC run appliances and a heat pump rather than propane which could cut usage. Even still however, well pumps, water treatment, irrigation pumps (a few acres of ag use) meant that the 3 units "make sense" when we get around to putting everything on the set up. Right now the well and some portions of the water treatment system are still on the unreliable grid, but if the power is out for a week there its not the biggest issue. 

  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,729 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November 2020 #20
    Thanks !   
     Have to ask,  in post 17,  you do have terminations at the beginning and end of the bus?
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net

  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,729 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    Big Basin?  Or up norcal?  We had a place for HP in Big Basin where I did my first offgrid telcom in 1978. You would not want to know how much a solar panel cost then.
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net

  • AlexDykes
    AlexDykes Registered Users Posts: 23 ✭✭
    Yep. The xanbus is terminated properly, just like a 1980s 10-Base-2 network LOL. I had some spare time today so I just re-arranged the Xanbus in every permutation I could think of. Just the MPPTs, SCP and XWPs, MPPTS at one end, then at the other, then in the middle, the one at one end and the other at the opposite. No dice. Any time they are connected bad juju happens. Oddly it is not immediately, sometimes it'll take 30min to an hour to cause the F66 errors, sometimes its almost right away. Do you have any idea how I can snag the firmware for the MPPT100? Since it is new and there is only the launch firmware release its not available on the consumer facing Schneider site. 
  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,729 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    Drop me an email. 
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net