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Charge Controllers and Clippers => The "Classic" charge controller => Topic started by: Vic on December 28, 2019, 04:22:01 PM

Title: Will Classics Using SkipDays & FollowMe, Work?
Post by: Vic on December 28, 2019, 04:22:01 PM
Skip Days works predictably with a single Classic.

We have one system at a remote site,  using two Classics,  that uses FollowMe,   and have been trying to use Skip Days.   BUT, the Skip Day function seems to operate unpredictably on this system.

We set all parameters in the Charge menu,   identically in each Classic.   But in a day or two,   the following Classic winds up with the Skip number being different from the Leading Classic.

Arrived at the site this AM,  with the Lead Classic showing the skip number as 2 (the set number of skip days).   This should indicate that today was a full-charge day,   but the Logs in each of the two Classics show,   that there was NO Absorb today.

Does anyone here use Skip Days,  with multiple Classics in FollowMe?

AND,   YES,   these Classics really should be on MyMidNite,   but are not yet there   ...   another project.

What am I missing?   Thanks,   Vic
Title: Re: Will Classics Using SkipDays & FollowMe, Work?
Post by: boB on December 28, 2019, 06:18:44 PM
Hi Vic.

I don't have my Classic hat on today but if one of the Classics in Follow-Me force it to have an Absorb, then the other Classics SHOULD follow its lead. What you might try is to set the one Classic that you want to "lead" to however many days for Skip and then set all of the others to a LONG time skip days ?  Then, the others should just follow along UNTIL it's their turn.  Once in a while then, they will Absorb.

So, in short, there is no coordination in Follow-Me for Skip-Days but that setup should work I would think ?

The Skip-Days won't decrement or anything through F-Me though.

Will post more when I have a chance to look closer at this.

Title: Re: Will Classics Using SkipDays & FollowMe, Work?
Post by: Westbranch on December 28, 2019, 06:19:43 PM
Hi Vic,  hope your Christmas festivities were better than your current project is going.

Q's : are the 2 Classics use the same  firmware and is it the most recent version ? have you tried a reload of FW?

Title: Re: Will Classics Using SkipDays & FollowMe, Work?
Post by: Vic on December 29, 2019, 11:07:10 AM
Hi boB,  Wb,

OK boB,   Well,  we set each Classic to the same Skip Day number,  at the same time (within seconds of each other).   Then a few days later,  notice that the Skip number twix the two CCs is different.  Have had the feeling that the battery was being recharged daily with a low Skip number.   Did not have the time to scour the logs,   though.

As an aside,   we have ARst set to ON on each CC,   but have NOT checked the Date/Time on each CC to see if they are reasonably close to each other (we do not use the LA on this system)   ...   if any of this matters.

Wb,   YES,  the FW Versions for each CC is identical,   but,   NOT the latest  --  Cl 2126,   IIRC.   Usually resist Updating CCs,  until there is some important reason to do so.

Will try to get this remote site's Classics on MM,   soon.

boB,   we all DO know that  the absolute,   most important use of resources @ MidNite,  is the work on all of the new products that you folks have in the hopper.  We cannot wait to get our hands on many of these!

73 - THANKS,   will report any additional observations.   Vic
Title: Re: Will Classics Using SkipDays & FollowMe, Work?
Post by: FNG on December 30, 2019, 08:09:17 AM
In follow me the issue will be that the classics can command each other for bulk or float so if they get out of sequence you would get some odd results. What I would do is set one classic for the desired skip days and run the other one up to the max on skip days this way it is less likely to cause a second bulk charge.

Title: Re: Will Classics Using SkipDays & FollowMe, Work?
Post by: Vic on December 30, 2019, 12:39:20 PM
Hi Ryan,  boB,

You and boB are on the same page on this.   This solution would never have occurred to me !

Will try what you have suggested.

Thank you for all  the help in the past and now !

Hope that you guys and the whole MidNite crew had wonderful holiday festivities,   and all the best for the New Year.

73,   THANKS again,   Vic  (Kilo Six Italy Charlie)   .   .
Title: Re: Will Classics Using SkipDays & FollowMe, Work?
Post by: Vic on June 11, 2020, 08:06:05 PM
Just to try to close the loop.

Setting one Classic with the desired number of Skip Days,   and the other Classic = Max Skip Days does NOT provide predictable results.   The CCs get out of sync rather quickly.

Need Skip Days,   more than FM.   But sure DO wish that the two together would work predictably.   Realize that NO other CC that I know of has either of these functions   â€¦

73  Thanks,   Vic