Moved this to here from another post I have on the go in the wbjr section.
]*** Another issue I've just noticed, the voltage is out about 3/10ths. Batteries read 29.3v, my Trimetric reads 29.3v, but the Classic is reading 29.6v, and I "cannot" change the offset value in the Tweaks section. The array voltage (input voltage) adjusts fine in Tweaks, but the battery voltage is not moving up or down with adjustments made in the Tweaks menu. I can adjust the battery voltage offset in the LA, and it shows what the voltage should be, but it doesn't actually change the voltage displayed by the controller. It looks like the controller is displaying the temperature compensated value on the display, instead of the true battery voltage. I thought the MNGP showed the true battery voltage, not the temperature compensated voltage?
More testing of the battery offset voltage setting. In the MNGP tweaks I can increase the offset a full 2.5 volts and nothing happens to the displayed voltage. I can decrease the battery offset 1 full volt before the displayed battery voltage changes. This did not happen prior to the firmware update, and bank voltage change. If I adjusted 1/10 volts up or down prior to the recent changes the display reflected it immediately.
I'm re-flashing the firmware as I type this to see if that helps.
No change, flashed the controller, mngp, did a factory reset, still can't adjust vbatt in tweaks menu.
Is the controller in absorb or float at the time? if so the controller voltage wont change as it stays regulating but the actual battery voltage will. So if in Absorb or Float watch the trimetric and adjust the classic and make the two match but note the trimetric will change not the classic.
Thanks for the reply, but now I'm even more confused.
I have always been able to adjust the vbatt or vpv, in the tweaks menu on this controller regardless of the "stage" it was in.
Regardless of what stage, I was able to meter my battery, or panel voltage, adjust vbatt in tweaks, and immediately see the change displayed on the Mngp, same goes for vpv. Now I can't do that, I can for vpv, but not vbatt. I was using a firmware prior to this latest, and I honestly don't know which it was, but I have updated it a few times over the years since it went in service in 2013.
Was your response something new that was added to this firmware update from 2018, in other words a change to the way the controller operates, from previous firmwares?
This is where I'm confused. Again today it's pretty cool out, so there's quite a variance in temperature compensation. My batteries meter at 29.4v (well into absorb, near the end actually), the Trimetric is reading 29.4v, but the mngp is showing battery voltage to be 29.7v, but it's not, it's only 29.4v per multiple meters.
The temperature compensated voltage is 29.7v, which is fine for charging purposes, but it's not the true voltage of the battery bank. Why isn't the mngp showing the true voltage, it's confusing when it's showing the temperature compensated voltage.
Again, this system was just changed to 24v, so I really only have "experience" with this system for many years at 12v. Prior to doing the firmware update, and changing to 24v, I never had a problem getting metered voltages to match. I was always able to get the Trimetric, and the Mngp, to show the same voltage, the actual metered voltage of the battery bank, at that time. Regardless how hot or cold it was outside, or what stage the charge controller was in.
The system just went to Float, batteries meter to 28.56v, Trimetric shows 28.6v, Mngp is at 28.9v.
So if the classic is in absorb or float it is regulating a target voltage.
Lets assume float and it is set for 54 volts and the t comp has it charging to 54.3 The classics display will show 54.3
The battery measures say 54 using the fluke volt meter at this point and we want to calibrate
If I go to the tweaks menu and start raising the offset the voltage shown on the MNGP will still be 54.3 as that is still the target but the fluke will change as the actual voltage of the battery is being manipulated.
What you can do to make it easy is shut off the pv breaker and calibrate
Quote from: Muskoka on March 16, 2020, 09:35:22 AM
Thanks for the reply, but now I'm even more confused.
I have always been able to adjust the vbatt or vpv, in the tweaks menu on this controller regardless of the "stage" it was in.
Regardless of what stage, I was able to meter my battery, or panel voltage, adjust vbatt in tweaks, and immediately see the change displayed on the Mngp, same goes for vpv. Now I can't do that, I can for vpv, but not vbatt. I was using a firmware prior to this latest, and I honestly don't know which it was, but I have updated it a few times over the years since it went in service in 2013.
Was your response something new that was added to this firmware update from 2018, in other words a change to the way the controller operates, from previous firmwares?
This is where I'm confused. Again today it's pretty cool out, so there's quite a variance in temperature compensation. My batteries meter at 29.4v (well into absorb, near the end actually), the Trimetric is reading 29.4v, but the mngp is showing battery voltage to be 29.7v, but it's not, it's only 29.4v per multiple meters.
The temperature compensated voltage is 29.7v, which is fine for charging purposes, but it's not the true voltage of the battery bank. Why isn't the mngp showing the true voltage, it's confusing when it's showing the temperature compensated voltage.
Again, this system was just changed to 24v, so I really only have "experience" with this system for many years at 12v. Prior to doing the firmware update, and changing to 24v, I never had a problem getting metered voltages to match. I was always able to get the Trimetric, and the Mngp, to show the same voltage, the actual metered voltage of the battery bank, at that time. Regardless how hot or cold it was outside, or what stage the charge controller was in.
The system just went to Float, batteries meter to 28.56v, Trimetric shows 28.6v, Mngp is at 28.9v.
I should point out the 29.7 is an error in calibration the MNGP shows the actual voltage it doesnt compensate. The change is int he target, so if float is set to 26v and the battery is extra cold the target voltage goes up, So the trimetric and everything would show a higher voltage
Sorry, but your responses still make absolutely no sense to me, and is not the way my controller operated in the past 6+ years.
I could go to the tweaks menu at "anytime", and make adjustments up or down "live" to vbatt, and the displayed voltage on the Mngp would match what my meter was showing.
For example, I'd meter the bank, then I would adjust vbatt lets say down -2/10's, and I'd see that reflected in the voltage displayed on the Mngp, immediately. The Mngp would change from 12.6v to 12.4v, live, while I was making the adjustment. Because that's the true voltage of the battery bank I just metered.
I know that worked, because I've been doing it for over 6 years, and this system has always needed about -2/10ths of a volt adjustment. Sometimes during charge it would be out a bit more, but once the system settled out the voltage between my metering the bank physically, trimetric, and Mngp always matched.
Well now it doesn't, the displayed Mngp voltage is always too high compared to the actual voltage of the battery bank, which to me is wrong. That Mngp should be displaying the metered voltage of the battery bank, and it's not. And I can't adjust it, like I used to.
In my mind this is really simple, and the way it used to work. I'd walk by my trimetric and see the bank voltage. I'd then meter the bank, and if the trimetric didn't match the meter I would make the proper adjustment in the trimetric. I'd then look at the Mngp and see what voltage it was displaying. If it didn't match what I had just metered on the bank, I'd go into vbatt and make an adjustment so it matched what I had just metered, and I'd see that change reflected on the Mngp display, live, immediatly. That isn't possible now, the Mngp is not changing the displayed voltage with vbatt adjustments, like it used to.
Please shut off the PV array and try calibrating
if you are in Absorb or Float the MNGP voltage is regulated to the Set points of those stages.
Try adjusting tweaks setting up or down and and press enter, does the battery voltage reading on the Trimetric change? If it does set the Trimetric reading to match the MNGP battery voltage reading with the tweaks adjustment and then take your meter and measure the actual voltage at the battery bank. Note these reading will change with loads because the Classic does not have remote sensing wires.