Sungold Batteries with a EG4 6000xp

[srmiller51]

My electrician and I installed the EG4 6000xp and 8 400 watt solar panels and were trying to get the inverter to communicate with the 2 5.12KW Sungold batteries (my first mistake). It wouldn't work and so I called EG4 support. I did manage to get the dongle to work so the EG4 support guy could do in and see what was happening. EG4 was very helpful, he told me there have been problems with Sungold and I should just register them as a lead acid battery.

I had them hooked up so they would work in parallel, with one being the master and the other the slave, but it didn't work. I keep getting a 'battery voltage low' warning and wonder if I should change the setup on the batteries. Should I just get a bus bar and run both batteries to the bus bar or what? Since the batteries are not being recognized by the inverter I don't know why I would be hooking the one up to the other and not both to the bus bar?

 

[42OhmsPA]

Pinging @marionw

The SGP batteries use the Pylontech protocol on their RS485A port, the master would connect to the inverter using this port.

I prefer bus bars.

 

[srmiller51]

Does the bus bar then take over the discharging and charging of the two batteries or does the BMS still have that function?

 

[42OhmsPA]

I'm not sure I understand the question.
All the bus bar is doing is passing current and allowing connection points (don't buy junk cheap brass bus bars).

The charging will depend on available power and charge amperage setting, as well as the battery pack size. The discharging will depend on the loads being ran, battery pack size and inverter losses.

In closed loop communication the BMS will control charging voltage and current, iirc. In open loop the settings programmed in the unit control that.
I've been running open loop since day 1 on 3 different systems, it's my preferred method.

 

[srmiller51]

Here is a picture, The EG4 support told us to designate the sungolds as Lead Acid batteries. So my electrician is also getting his feet wet so excuse my no knowing, but with the batteries no longer being identified as Lithium what good is the BMS because the way we hooked them up in the picture, from a laymans view, it doesn't make sense.
That is why I am wondering, would it be better to hook both batteries up to a bus bar and then to the Inverter which will manage the batteries. You said not to buy a cheap one so I found this on amazon and it is not the cheap one:

DAIERTEK 300A Bus Bar 12V Marine 12V Power Distribution Block with Cover 6 x 3/8" (M10) Terminal Studs Max 300V AC 48V DC Positive & Ground Busbar​

Thank for any help. I am seeing some progress and we are gettting a few watts on the Oregon coast, but we need the batteries to work efficiently. I plan on just going with an EG4 battery at some time but don't like having wasted the money on Sungold.

 

[42OhmsPA]

Here is a picture, The EG4 support told us to designate the sungolds as Lead Acid batteries. So my electrician is also getting his feet wet so excuse my no knowing, but with the batteries no longer being identified as Lithium what good is the BMS because the way we hooked them up in the picture, from a laymans view, it doesn't make sense.

The BMS is meant to be a last line of defense, at least I view it that way. It will protect the cells from over/ under voltage, over current, hopefully temperature protection, etc.
It can also provide balancing of the cells, passive in this case. Some have active balancing.
I use 'safe' charging voltages ~55.6V bulk ~54.8V float; they are below the BMS limits.
In closed loop some BMS try to charge all the way to 3.65V /cell; there is 0 need for this (look at the charge / discharge curve of LiFePo4 and you'll understand why).

That is why I am wondering, would it be better to hook both batteries up to a bus bar and then to the Inverter which will manage the batteries. You said not to buy a cheap one so I found this on amazon and it is not the cheap one:

DAIERTEK 300A Bus Bar 12V Marine 12V Power Distribution Block with Cover 6 x 3/8" (M10) Terminal Studs Max 300V AC 48V DC Positive & Ground Busbar​

Thank for any help. I am seeing some progress and we are gettting a few watts on the Oregon coast, but we need the batteries to work efficiently. I plan on just going with an EG4 battery at some time but don't like having wasted the money on Sungold.

I have no experience with that bus bar, as long as it isn't brass it should be fine.
I used these from Current Connected in my first build and DIYd my own in my second build.
You didn't waste your money on those batteries, search for post from @Lighthouse Beacon .he's running the same batteries and recently finished a very clean bus bar install.

 

[Lighthouse Beacon]

It’s not the batteries fault. Those rookies at Signature Solar are saying that EG4 can’t communicate on RS485? No way to talk to the batts RS485 Pylontech or PACE? Our inverter can support a lot of different RS485 comm languages; PAC=PACE，RDA=Ritar，AOG=ALLGRAND BATTERY，OLT=OLITER， HWD=SUNWODA, DAQ=DAKING, WOW=SRNE, PYL=PYLONTECH UOL=WEILAN.

Are they saying that EG4 unit can’t communicate or they just are being lazy and want you to switch it to LEAD which basically translates as custom and you set your voltage params and be open loop? That’s what it sounds like to me. You tried emailing: support@sungoldpower.com

Maybe they’ve directed another customer with that unit. I can’t help with your inverter, I think EG4 and Signature Solar are both extremely overrated. No offense.

 

[Ennis437]

My electrician and I installed the EG4 6000xp and 8 400 watt solar panels and were trying to get the inverter to communicate with the 2 5.12KW Sungold batteries (my first mistake). It wouldn't work and so I called EG4 support. I did manage to get the dongle to work so the EG4 support guy could do in and see what was happening. EG4 was very helpful, he told me there have been problems with Sungold and I should just register them as a lead acid battery.

I had them hooked up so they would work in parallel, with one being the master and the other the slave, but it didn't work. I keep getting a 'battery voltage low' warning and wonder if I should change the setup on the batteries. Should I just get a bus bar and run both batteries to the bus bar or what? Since the batteries are not being recognized by the inverter I don't know why I would be hooking the one up to the other and not both to the bus bar?

The 6000xp only uses can protocol for communication switch the port on the Sungold batteries to the Can port and make sure your master battery dip switch first digit is up and the others all down to designate it as the master. It should be plug and play after that. Make sure you select pylontech for batteries I believe it is number 2. In the menu.