Classic 150 Equalize Issues

[Garret]

Not sure this fits in here.  I observed what appears to be another bug related to EQ.  I decided to EQ today to bring up the gravity on a couple of low cells.  It was a bright sunny day with plenty of PV power to spare.  The inverter was running other loads during the EQ (EQ only drawing ~4-5 amps).  On termination of EQ (timer reaching 0:00), PV output from Classic just stopped.  I was watching the watt meter on Local Status App just go to zero and stay there.  All the while, the Whizbang monitor showed a negative amps reading indicating that the system was drawing (all) current from the batteries and nothing from the panels.  This persisted until I entered the configuration menu and pushed the Force Absorb button (have no idea why this might work, but it did).  Everything then returned to normal.  PV output back up to about 1100 watts or so.

Thought nothing of it, checked SG on batteries and decided to run EQ again.  Once again, while watching in LSA, when EQ timed out, watt output from PV (brilliant sunshine) at zero with inverter running and some light-moderate loads. Forced absorb again from LSA to resume normal operation.

Pilot error pehaps?  Any thoughts?

[Vic]

Hi Garret,

This is customary behavior,  at least on the CCs and batteries in use here.

After an Absorb stage,  or an EQ,  as the battery voltage descends to the compensated Float voltage,  there is no need for ANY PV power,  as the CC is waiting for the correct Float target voltage to be reached.

I would call this a Surface Charge effect.

From an EQ,  it can take a number of minutes for any PV power to be used,  depending upon the load on the batteries.   The only time that power is needed from the CC,  and therefore will look like current flowing to the batteries, is when it is needed to maintain a voltage regulating setpoint,  like Veq,  Vabs,  and Vfloat.  If the battery voltage is above the applicable setpoint,  the CC will just wait until its contribution is needed to maintain a set voltage.   IMO,   Vic

[boB]

Thanks Vic.  That is exactly what I was going to say except for the addition of the question of
what the battery voltage was after the EQ...  And/Or how long did he wait.

Also, the battery current will read negative some because of loads or even the
powering of the Classic itself.

boB

[Garret]

I'm just impatient.  Guess it would take a minute or so for the voltage on a 400 Ah bank to decline from 31 to 26.2 V. 

Thanks, no worries.  I am a a little worried about one of my batteries, though.

[boB]

Garret, if you have a good amount of load on your batteries, the voltage WILL drop
quickly.  The more load, the faster that voltage will usually drop down to Float.

boB

[Resthome]

Time to bump this thread back to the top!

Hey boB did the MNGP manual Equalize Start/Stop ever get fixed to set the MNGP message back to the Stop Equalize setting after completing a manual Equalize cycle? What got me thinking about this is I was reading a blog from another fellow who stated he had his Classic start an Equalize cycle without ever asking it to do so. I have seen this along with at least Vic also commenting about it in this thread on the Midnite forum.

I know you have said that it just toggles a bit in a register but the strange ability of the Classic to start an Equalize without ever manually selecting it has me making sure it is in the Stop Equalize position before leaving it even if that flag bit is set back to 0.  I know you also said you don’t have to hit Enter to set this but that might make it more failsafe.  I pretty sure it takes messing around with other menus or buttons to trigger it rather than it just starting by itself. At least I hope that is the case.
I believe if the Equalize is started from the LA the MNGP display will stay in the Stop Equalize position (IIRC).
Anyway want to bring this up to see if there has been any progress.

[SolarMusher]

John, I don't know if it has been fixed but mine started Equalizing by itself last week when I was messing around other menus.
Auto EQ counter seems to work now (FW2074), it is equalizing since yesterday the way I had set it last week (every 7 days for 2 days) as I wanted to be sure.
Erik

[Resthome]

John, I don't know if it has been fixed but mine started Equalizing by itself last week when I was messing around other menus.
Auto EQ counter seems to work now (FW2074), it is equalizing since yesterday the way I had set it last week (every 7 days for 2 days) as I wanted to be sure.
Erik

Well that's at least 4 of us that has seen the problem ! 

I hope bOB has a chance to work on this as it's been almost a year that this has existed.

[SolarMusher]

Not only one year John, this EQ issue has been part of the classic from the begining.
I had posted about it maybe 3 years ago...
Erik

[boB]

Does everybody that has a problem EQing use the Local App ?

Do you see problems when using ONLY the MNGP ?

.....(not counting the resetting of Day-Count due to going to Float)

boB

[Halfcrazy]

Time to bump this thread back to the top!

Hey boB did the MNGP manual Equalize Start/Stop ever get fixed to set the MNGP message back to the Stop Equalize setting after completing a manual Equalize cycle? What got me thinking about this is I was reading a blog from another fellow who stated he had his Classic start an Equalize cycle without ever asking it to do so. I have seen this along with at least Vic also commenting about it in this thread on the Midnite forum.

I know you have said that it just toggles a bit in a register but the strange ability of the Classic to start an Equalize without ever manually selecting it has me making sure it is in the Stop Equalize position before leaving it even if that flag bit is set back to 0.  I know you also said you don’t have to hit Enter to set this but that might make it more failsafe.  I pretty sure it takes messing around with other menus or buttons to trigger it rather than it just starting by itself. At least I hope that is the case.
I believe if the Equalize is started from the LA the MNGP display will stay in the Stop Equalize position (IIRC).
Anyway want to bring this up to see if there has been any progress.

Yes there are a lot of confirmed cases of the EQ starting on its own, The only logical explanation I have is a memory leak. I asked if we could make 2 flags (1 in a seperate register by itself that gets set by "enter")

So the theory would be the EQ could not go unless both bits where high. This "should" fix it if it is a memory leak.

[boB]

Yes, something like what you said, Ryan.

boB

[Vic]

Hi boB,

Have never used the Local App,  the Classics here all have EQed on their own,  when manipulating some other Menu items (like Charger > Advanced settings).

So,  have been leaving EQ voltage set to Vabs (wish we could set Veq = Vflt),  and also set EQ Time to 00,  until this gets resolved.

Thanks for looking into these things that have been around for a while.

FWIW,   Vic

[Resthome]

I use both. But believe as Vic does that it only occurs when doing something in the MNGP. And I believe but can not be 100% sure that it happens after an Equalize has taken place using the Start Equalize. IIRC when doing it from the MNGP and the Equalize is complete with the Equalize Done flashing the setting still remains on Start Equalize it only goes to Stop Equalize if you select it on the MNGP.  boB check me on this but that is what I recall. At least when it started on it own and I went back to look at it that it what I think I found. But I could be all wrong on this as the memory isn't as good as it use to be.

I second Ryan's suggest, but at least somehow make sure it goes to The Stop Equalize function automatically when an Equalize cycle completes it time and require any new Equalize cycle to press Enter to start or something similar.

[Resthome]

Time to bump this thread back to the top!

Hey boB did the MNGP manual Equalize Start/Stop ever get fixed to set the MNGP message back to the Stop Equalize setting after completing a manual Equalize cycle? What got me thinking about this is I was reading a blog from another fellow who stated he had his Classic start an Equalize cycle without ever asking it to do so. I have seen this along with at least Vic also commenting about it in this thread on the Midnite forum.

I know you have said that it just toggles a bit in a register but the strange ability of the Classic to start an Equalize without ever manually selecting it has me making sure it is in the Stop Equalize position before leaving it even if that flag bit is set back to 0.  I know you also said you don’t have to hit Enter to set this but that might make it more failsafe.  I pretty sure it takes messing around with other menus or buttons to trigger it rather than it just starting by itself. At least I hope that is the case.
I believe if the Equalize is started from the LA the MNGP display will stay in the Stop Equalize position (IIRC).
Anyway want to bring this up to see if there has been any progress.

boB

Hate to bring this up but it happened again after a manual Equalize Start. After completing the MNGP showed it was still displaying EQUAL START although it takes something to trigger it again when not desired it is usually looking and pushing buttons on the MNGP and NEVER GOING INTO the EQUALIZE menu. It could have been the TWEAK menu but not sure.

Please fix this !!  Just resetting the Equalize to EQUAL STOP after completing a full timed out Equalize I think would do the trick, but maybe not. I know it has been a bug for a long time. And I am using the latest firmware.