Is there a interface for SOC available to talk between an Conext xwpro and a Victron BMV-712 Smart shunt? And other questions.

[Joe_]

New to this. My first attempt.
I have eg4 48-100 mppt charge controllers. They apparently talk to their power pro batteries. But, their manual warns not to use that function when using their inverters because of communications issues of both the charge controller and the inverters choosing to talk to the batteries at the same moment in time. Im not using their inverters. But that information might be usefu?
I have a pair of Schneider xwpro inverters and assorted accessories for hooking the two up . I have a Victron smart shunt which I hope to incorporate . I will have eg4 power pro batteries when they ship. I have a Schneider insight home.

I’d like to use some of the inverter functions that utilize state of charge.

I don’t know what I need to accomplish this with the equipment I have purchased, or what I need to purchase and install instead to allow the insight home and inverters to have access to an accurate SOC.


The power pro batteries do have addressing and protocol for the insight home but I don’t understand what that will actually amount to, how accurate it or useful that will be. The literature doesn’t explain much else but addressing.

To me it looks like I may need a Schneider battery monitor instead of the Smart shunt? However in some of the posts I have read it would seem that the Schneider unit is more for lead acid batteries than lithium. If the Victron smart Shunt can’t be made to communicate to the Schneider equipment I will go that way. But I’d rather use the Victron as it is paid for.

Do I need something in the middle to get the smart shunt to talk to the insight home? Maybe available software on an Arduino or RP? Is that even possible? Do I already own what I need or are there pieces missing?
I appreciate any advice anyone has on this.

 

[MaikaiLifeDIY]

Let’s make sure your question is understood.

You want to use SOC from your EG4 batteries as the battery energy measurement in your Schneider inverters. Is that correct?

 

[MaikaiLifeDIY]

Rather than wait for your response I re-read your post and I’m pretty certain I understood your question.

The short answer is you don’t need a shunt if you’re using closed loop communication which can be enabled between your Schneider Insight and the EG4 batteries.

See this forum thread for details.

EG4-LL (V2) Integration with Schneider Insight Home

Hello, Has anyone managed to make the connection between the EG4-LL (V2) batteries and the Schneider insight home? I am not able to detect the BMS in the insight home if I put the dip switch on the battery in position 1 (Master). But, if I put the dip switch to position 2, I can detect and add...

diysolarforum.com

 

[Joe_]

Thank you. I read through the first thread. I am about to read through the second that is linked in the last post.
Sounds like a real nightmare was had from what I read. That’s unfortunate.
Seems like I have everything I need. I want to be certain before I start mounting equipment and making cables.

 

[MaikaiLifeDIY]

I didn’t read those two entire threads, but the long and short of it was that the firmware needed to be updated, which is now current and available for all of the EG4 batteries.

That said, it should be mostly plug and play between your EG4 batteries and the Schneider insight component.

You can still have a shunt for double measurement purposes, but the Schneider insight, I believe will only accept one source at a time of battery measurement.

 

[Joe_]

Thank you

 

[Joe_]

I called back to Schneider tech line and talked to an applications engineer there today. Another nice gentleman.
He also looked into my issue with not being able to completely understand the documentation in the Self-supply and Export Limiting documentation leading to the question of if you could use multiple inverters to do self supply.
Here is a summary of what he pointed out.
Start of Email/*******************

As Discussed over the Phone:





The Information (Note) from the XW Pro Self-supply and Export Limiting (990-91371) documentation.











This means that these feature are mostly used on single inverter system, however, on a multi unit system with respect to your type of set-up that has 2 inverters in a system. The XW Pro has Independent Operation of Features, kindly see the information below:








Page 30 of the XW Pro owners guide.





End of email\

It looks as if it is possible with two inverters as long as they are both set to do it.
It also looks as if you could set the parameters different on each inverter within reason, whatever that turns out to be and each would do as it was told independent of the other.
It doesn’t seem to be a strict master/slave relationship when the two units are tied together. I belive that might be a potentially useful feature but it I’ll know and understand more as this progresses. The verdict seems to be that 2 units in parallel can do self supply.