Btw.
icc11.JPG
Maybe Manie do not want do any more development with second version of ICC
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Don't know where you got that from, current version is 2.9....
Support was originally on
https://powerforum.co.za/forum/117-icc-solar-software/ - but a month or so back it disappeared the other posts are old.
I know Mannie had problems with the South African 'partners' - the relationship went sour - perhaps they finally pulled the plug on the forum posts.
But as far as I can see ICC is still in development.
I didn't go down that route, as the software is tied to the Pi hardware key - if/when hardware dies you have to re-purchase the software, experience dictates this is inevitable
Fortunately I came across Nuno and his SolPipLog.
I've been involved with 'green' power for many years - back in 2007 I designed and built a 1.5KW 48v wind turbine which has functioned well for the past 12 years, that and a 4KW Grid-tie PV system means I have had 'spare' power and an inverter based backup for a while.
In December lst year I decided I needed to upgrade - my 48v inverter and batteries are all 'recycled' IT UPS systems and were showing their age - and use, so I started research and came upon the Voltronic Power systems and their clones.
I was attracted to the claims that they supported Lithium Batteries and their BMS - so in April this year I bought one from Maximum Solar on eBay.
- PIP_5048MK BMS Promise.JPG (62.24 KiB) Viewed 13447 times
Initially I was impressed, but then came across several problems, not least of which was finding that the BMS port was only active on 'post January' built models.
Surely mine qualified - but consulting Mpp Solar, I found that mine was actually built in November 2018! so the BMS port didn't function!
Even worse is that no Firmware upgrades exist, so I'm stuck on v71.50 - with all it's bugs.
It has the 'premature Float bug' - so running in SBC means my batteries were never fully replenished.
It also decides that they need re-charging at a seemingly arbitrary level of 'around' 50v - so it constantly cycles charging/discharging throughout the day/night.
Initially I blamed my knackered batteries - I had 184 x Yuasa NP7-12's and 48 x Yuasa NPL38-12's series/parallel - I know it shouldn't be done - but they worked ok for years.
So I spent 3 weeks tested each one individually and weeded out the duffers - about 25% - either s/c or o/c cells.
After re-connection I did a capacity test (fully charged for 2 days ~52v, then discharge to 42v to measure the Ah capacity, it came out to 228Ah.
The problem is not my batteries, just the cr@p firmware in the MK - Mpp Solar support have been zero help - they (because they don't design the thing) can only diagnose problems if it's a failure etc.
The MK switches back to charge my batteries at exactly midnight every day for one hour - how weird is that? - until you read the command protocol document that has the:
QOPPT<cr>: The device output source priority time order inquiry
and
QCHPT<cr>: The device charger source priority time order inquiry
But no way to set these parameters! - so I expect they gave up trying to implement it, but left some debug code in that switches back to Line mode at midnight - nice one!
The PIP SCC is so slow that my BMV regularly records 60v voltage peaks from my 720w PV panels when the sun shines bright and clouds come/go during the day.
I wouldn't trust it with any more solar PV input....
So overall I got pretty fed up with the thing - then I found SolPipLog.
With Nuno's help and a RasPi it tames these 'issues'
The time switching stops the midnight Line mode change to 10 minutes (again must be a minimum period in the firmware) by switching (and monitoring) to SbL UdC - during the night.
ECO/Bypass mode during the day so my batteries charge (no losses in the inverter, external 4KW PV and PIP attached 720W PV) fully harvest the PV.
The attached BMV-712 monitors the battery SOC accurately and should I get down to 50% SOC changes back to Line mode.
I still have my 1.5KW wind turbine attached to charge my batteries - via a series diode (STPS80H100) - the turbine dump controller limits the max voltage to 54.5v to avoid conflicts with the PIP.
I'm not really interested in logging PV in/out etc. - I have a meter into the PIP and one on the output - if the output one reads less than the input one - I'm winning.
But why do I need to do all this? - because the PIP-50438MK firmware is SO BAD! - and looking back over weber and coulomb's MS inverter posts - is not likely to be fixed.
Ho hum.....