New Victron MPPT Firmware

[mikedefieslife]

It would be nice to see the total current too rather than just the wattage, for those of use that aren't using the Victron BMV.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Davidhoy

It would be really great if, in some future version, the mobile app could have a "system" page that shows only the consolidated view of all controllers in the current network. But this is a good step in the right direction :-)

I agree this would be a great addition.

My battery monitor (Pico) shows simultaneously the output of my three solar panels and this is useful information.

Without this you need to use the Victron app and as switching between the controllers takes a few seconds (it has to disconnect and then re-connect with the new controller) it is impossible to simultaneously compare the output of all the controllers. This comparison can be helpful for troubleshooting or to even to know if one of the panels has accumulated some bird droppings.

Displaying the total output of all controllers, as well as the details the controller the app is connected to, as the new software does, is a big improvement, but especially for those with more than two controllers the simultaneous output of each controller plus all the historical data on one page would be nice. I am sure Victron have thought of this and if it is technically feasible I suspect it will be incorporated at some stage.

Meanwhile if you have multiple solar controllers download the new software and buy the Victron Smart Battery Sense (if you do not have any other Victron networking hardware).

[noelex 77]

One interesting and quite useful feature of the new software is once you identify the dominant or controlling regulator (in my case this is my “port” controller), altering the voltage set points (such as the absorption and float voltage) on this controller alters the set points on all the other controllers.

This is not immediately apparent. The software does not report the change.

For example, if I alter the float voltage of my port controller from 27.70v to 27.60v then all the controllers try and maintain the new float voltage of 27.60v. However, following the change if I look at the set points on the app the starboard and port controllers are still shown set to the old voltage of 27.70v despite actually using the new set point of 27.60v.

This is in some way is a slight glitch, but rather than a drawback it is actually useful providing you understand how the software works. Alter the parameters on the dominant controller and all the other controllers will follow, there is no need to alter the parameters on all the controllers. However, you need to be aware that the voltage set points reported on the app are now incorrect.

[FlyingScot]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

One interesting and quite useful feature of the new software is once you identify the dominant or controlling regulator (in my case this is my “port” controller), altering the voltage set points (such as the absorption and float voltage) on this controller alters the set points on all the other controllers.

This is not immediately apparent. The software does not report the change.

For example, if I alter the float voltage of my port controller from 27.70v to 27.60v then all the controllers try and maintain the new float voltage of 27.60v. However, following the change if I look at the set points on the app the starboard and port controllers are still shown set to the old voltage of 27.70v despite actually using the new set point of 27.60v.

This is in some way is a slight glitch, but rather than a drawback it is actually useful providing you understand how the software works. Alter the parameters on the dominant controller and all the other controllers will follow, there is no need to alter the parameters on all the controllers. However, you need to be aware that the voltage set points reported on the app are now incorrect.

I would not do this. They specifically say to set them all the same. It only takes a moment to save the settings and download that to the other controllers.

There is no guarantee that the master controller stays the same.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by FlyingScot

There is no guarantee that the master controller stays the same.

Yes, this is a good point. Mine has stayed the same (the “port” controller), but this is only over a couple of cycles so this may be a coincidence.

Perhaps the dominant or controlling regulator changes. The software is a little too new to be sure. However, I expect the instructions from Victron are to avoid confusion. If you alter the set points on just the dominant controller the reported set points on the others are incorrect. So I can understand Victron making the recommendation to keep them the same even if this is not strictly necessary, providing the way the system behaves is understood.

A bit more time with the software will show if the dominant controller alters. It may be the order the software updates are implemented or it may be whichever solar controller starts first in the morning. Time will tell. I hope it stays the same, as this means the tweaking of all controllers can be done from one page.

[mikedefieslife]

For sure there is nothing to say the master controller stays the same. After all when connecting to the controllers via the app they always in a different position.

So far I've not actually found the network power feature as useful as I thought. Perhaps if it was current it would be better.

Speaking of current, I've noticed that since the update it is very slow to respond to changes. I can be looking at the app showing 20amp current. Watch a big cloud cover the sun, and the wattage changes, but current doesn't change. It's takes quite a long time for any change in wattage to be reflected in current in the app display. This was not the case before.

[Davo1404]

Has anyone noticed that after the update that there seems to be a delay in the battery current reading. I am sure that when the input from the panels was effected by clouds that the amps instantly changed. I suppose you could say that the amp reading is less sensitive.

[Davo1404]

Originally Posted by mikedefieslife

For sure there is nothing to say the master controller stays the same. After all when connecting to the controllers via the app they always in a different position.

So far I've not actually found the network power feature as useful as I thought. Perhaps if it was current it would be better.

Speaking of current, I've noticed that since the update it is very slow to respond to changes. I can be looking at the app showing 20amp current. Watch a big cloud cover the sun, and the wattage changes, but current doesn't change. It's takes quite a long time for any change in wattage to be reflected in current in the app display. This was not the case before.

Ha ha. I should have read right to the end of the thread. Good to see that I am not the only one who has noticed this.

[noelex 77]

Update:

After a few more cycles the dominant or master controller has remained the same (the port one in my case).

If a major software update is done or even if power is disconnected from the controllers I suspect this might change, but otherwise once you identify the dominant/master controller it seems to remain constant. At least that seems to be the way my system is performing. Has anyone noticed a change in the dominant/master controller?

I have not experienced the slow refresh rate of solar panel current that some have described. However, there is software update issued today that address this very issue. I have updated my software and there does not appear to be any change, but for those experiencing this problem hopefully this will provide a fix.

[Davidhoy]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

Meanwhile if you have multiple solar controllers download the new software and buy the Victron Smart Battery Sense (if you do not have any other Victron networking hardware).

I have the latest software, I believe, and I also have a Smart Battery Sense in the network. Just received a BVM-712 yesterday, installing it this weekend, in fact just got back from buying some battery lugs and cable so that I can put the shunt inline with a new negative bus-bar.

You mentioned in another post about one controller being the dominant one - how do you identify which is the master, and which is/are slaves?

Regards,
David.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Davidhoy

You mentioned in another post about one controller being the dominant one - how do you identify which is the master, and which is/are slaves?

You have to be sneaky .

If you alter the voltage set points on the non dominant controller nothing happens. The app will report the change, but the controller and all the other controllers will maintain the old voltage set points. Only when making the change on the dominant controller does anything practical alter.

So if we start with all the controllers in float and the voltage set points on all three controllers set the same value (for example 27.60 v) the voltage will, naturally, remain at 27.60 v.

If I alter the centre or starboard float set point to 27.50 v the app will report the change, but the current output will show all three controllers are still trying to maintain 27.60 v. i.e nothing alters.

If only the port solar controller is changed to 27.50 v the current in all three controllers will drop and they will all try and maintain the new voltage set point of 27.50v even when the settings on the other controllers are still reading 27.60 v.

You only need to do this once to identify which controller is dominant.

So when making changes to the voltage set points only the values on the dominant controller need to be altered. This saves switching back and forth between all controllers (three in my case) to make alterations.

Please note: I have no inside knowledge of the programming code. I am only reporting my observations on how the system seems to be working. If anyone has corrections please chime in.

[FlyingScot]

My #2 controller is master so far. I’m not changing my settings often so a small time savings is only good when you are tweaking. After finalizing I’ll make sure all four of mine are the same.

[Dsanduril]

This is what Victron has to say about the dominant controller:

How synchronising works on solar chargers
Synchronising the chargers works in a master-slave manner. The chargers will elect a master among them and that master will be the one to dictate the charge algorithm. As the master cannot be determined by the user, it is important to make sure all chargers belonging to the same network have the same battery settings. To know more about the battery settings and some other information, check the VictronConnect solar charger manual.

After being elected, the master will make sure all chargers are on the same charge state and with the same voltage setpoint. As mentioned before, battery charge current is not controlled by the master, but by each of the chargers individually.

At the beginning of the day, the master will measure the battery voltage before any of the other chargers in the network start charging (to find battery idle voltage). This information is used to decide what should be the total absorption time for some types of batteries. The battery idle voltage is shared with the other chargers, as well as the total absorption time, and the elapsed time on the current charge state. That information is important so the charge algorithm can be resumed by the chargers if, for any reason, the master stops charging (i.e. sun went down on its panels, charger was shut down, charger loses contact with the network, etc).

In the absence of battery current sensor, such as the BMV, the chargers on the network will have their output current combined to estimate a better battery charge current. This improves the precision of the tail current setting, a feature intended to finish the charge cycle earlier if necessary.

If I had to guess I'd say the election is probably by network address or serial number, with either the lowest or highest getting the job. Would be interesting to see if we could sort it out from user reports.

[noelex 77]

One drawback of the latest update is while the output current is still shown to three decimal places, it only alters in 0.1 A steps. So the display of the third decimal place is meaningless.

It looks like they have solved the slow update rate some were experiencing by cutting back the resolution.

[Davo1404]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

One drawback of the latest update is while the output current is still shown to three decimal places, it only alters in 0.1 A steps. So the display of the third decimal place is meaningless.

It looks like they have solved the slow update rate some were experiencing by cutting back the resolution.

Still waiting for an update to fix the slow amperage refresh.