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Charge Controllers and Clippers => The "Classic" charge controller => Topic started by: phonetic on July 25, 2012, 03:39:09 AM

Title: Can a Classic Lite..be a slave off a Classic Charge Reg
Post by: phonetic on July 25, 2012, 03:39:09 AM
Im looking to upgrade my Off Grid system looking at adding a 2nd charge reg..can a Classic Lite be slaved off a Classic 150, and use the Classic as a display for both charge regs ?
Regards
Frank
Title: Re: Can a Classic Lite..be a slave off a Classic Charge Reg
Post by: boB on July 25, 2012, 04:11:26 AM
Quote from: phonetic on July 25, 2012, 03:39:09 AM
Im looking to upgrade my Off Grid system looking at adding a 2nd charge reg..can a Classic Lite be slaved off a Classic 150, and use the Classic as a display for both charge regs ?
Regards
Frank

Hi Phrank  (that's a combination of phonetic and Frank of course)

Yes, it can.  Right now, with the existing software, your Classic 150 can connect and display and control one other Classic through
the network connection.   Soon, it will be able to master/slave with many Classics, but two units has been possible for quite a while now.

There is a jumper (the left jumper out of the 4 jumpers behind the terminal block) where if you place it across both
pins, it changes the Classic to address 11 rather than modbus address 10.

Then, on the MNGP Remote (latest software), in main status, you hold down the left arrow key and tap the up arrow key,
it will take the address up one.   Hold the left arrow key and tap the down arrow key will bring it down 1 address.
With the latest MNGP software, It sometimes takes a couple of seconds  for the MNGP to acknowledge the other Classic,
but it comes up and looks the same as if you had the MNGP plugged into that Classic Lite.

Phone cable plugs into the SLAVE jack of your 150 and into the MASTER jack of the Lite.

boB
Title: Re: Can a Classic Lite..be a slave off a Classic Charge Reg
Post by: phonetic on August 05, 2012, 01:38:05 AM
I placed an order with DC Solutions in Melbourne AU, hope to get the ClassicLite 150 2 weeks time :)
Title: Re: Can a Classic Lite..be a slave off a Classic Charge Reg
Post by: Tom on August 06, 2012, 06:38:54 PM
I want to slave one of my Classic 200s to the other. I wanted to clarify the process.

Quote
There is a jumper (the left jumper out of the 4 jumpers behind the terminal block) where if you place it across both
pins, it changes the Classic to address 11 rather than modbus address 10.

Then, on the MNGP Remote (latest software), in main status, you hold down the left arrow key and tap the up arrow key,
it will take the address up one.   Hold the left arrow key and tap the down arrow key will bring it down 1 address.
With the latest MNGP software, It sometimes takes a couple of seconds  for the MNGP to acknowledge the other Classic,
but it comes up and looks the same as if you had the MNGP plugged into that Classic Lite.

Phone cable plugs into the SLAVE jack of your 150 and into the MASTER jack of the Lite.

Here's my understanding of how this works:
So I have Classic #1 (Master) and Classic #2 (Slave).
1. Put the jumper on to Classic #1.
2. Plug a phone cable into the SLAVE jack on #1, and the MASTER jack on #2.
3. Power up both classics
4. On #1, hold left arrow and tap the up arrow.
5. #1 should somehow acknowledge that it's controlling #2.

Step 5 is not happening for me. I note that you mention "through the network." Do the classics need to be connected to a network for this to work? Should I unplug the MNGP from classic #2? Are there more comprehensive directions for this somewhere?

Thanks,

Tom
Title: Re: Can a Classic Lite..be a slave off a Classic Charge Reg
Post by: Halfcrazy on August 06, 2012, 09:30:38 PM
The Jumper should be set on the slave Classic and it is the first Jumper on the Left above the blue terminal block

Ryan
Title: Re: Can a Classic Lite..be a slave off a Classic Charge Reg
Post by: Photowhit on August 07, 2012, 03:22:51 PM
Hi Half,

"5. #1 should somehow acknowledge that it's controlling #2."

My understanding is that the master>slave is not yet up and running, it does display the other controller though? So you can make changes in the setting for the 2nd controller, but they aren't working together as master and slave yet? (software in the works if boB doesn't escape the sealed room too often)
Title: Re: Can a Classic Lite..be a slave off a Classic Charge Reg
Post by: Tom on August 07, 2012, 03:34:30 PM
Photowhit - What you're saying makes sense with what I'm seeing now that I got the jumper right. The displays are carbon copies of each other, but the controllers don't seem to work together as master/slave.
Title: Re: Can a Classic Lite..be a slave off a Classic Charge Reg
Post by: Photowhit on August 08, 2012, 12:42:58 AM
Ryan or someone will come along and clarify the situation, I do believe they are working on a Master>Slave relationship. I may end up with 3 classic's all with different panel setup's feeding 1 battery bank.
Title: Re: Can a Classic Lite..be a slave off a Classic Charge Reg
Post by: boB on August 08, 2012, 01:08:32 AM

Yes, you are correct.  We are working on the master slave networking.

You can still control 2 controllers with one MNGP if the master/slave  jacks are connected together but the two classics
won't actually play together quite yet.

boB