An Proto-Teach Éireannach

[clockmanFRA]

Thanks Scruff regards those DIGI rs232 to USB.  A couple on the way here.

The last converter i got was from IE488 (i think, cant remember as I am getting older), to RS232, and it was only one way. Use and used it for my HP High Stability Frequency Counters that i use as a time base.

MS View uttube video interesting.

Now i have to drag out my old laptop and go play.

[Scruff]

Yerself and Paul Camilli are hilarious CM,

Yee can power villages and build anything under the sun and neither of yee ever programmed a TriStar!

I'll send you some screenshots later. There's one more unintuitive hurdle to guide you over.

Kind regards,
Scruff.

[Scruff]

Righto, not so easy do this with an 85% functional keyboard. "PrtSc" is out for the count for one.

There's a few caveats

If your units are 10 years old I'd suggest you start with a firmware update CM.
Here's the firmware loader
Here's the TS PWM firmware

The instructions are in one or both, I can't remember which.

Disconnect the loads [in diversion mode] or the solar [in solar control mode] before you start plugging in RS232.
Follow the included instructions on the battery power startup/power down proceedure.

Two warnings there; if you do not disconnect the solar before updating firmware you can blow the FETs if it's sunny and you are under load [covered under warranty if it's in warranty], I dunno about diversion...probably same so don't.
If you lose power on the machine running the firmware update or the TS while it is updating then it's quite likely the TS will be bricked.

It's pretty easy. Just be careful and AC power the laptop while you are running updates.

Next problems;
You'll haveto install the drivers for the Edgeport
It ought to default as COM1 in your device manager [windoes machine]
If it doesn't right click, go to properties and make it COM 1 [Edgeport will have to be plugged in when you do this]

That Edgeport won't fit in the TS RS232 port. You'll have to take it outtov the wrapper and marmalade it in.
or use an RS232 extending cable.
Depending on the cable dimensions you may still have to take a hack saw to it....thanks MS

Sooo 

Hopefullly at this point you have the Edgeport recognised as COM1 in device manager.
Launch MSLoad and follow instructions [or don't update firmware and risk cross-compatability issues]

After that is complete and the TS has been rebooted
Set the dips to custom, Connect machine to RS232 & Launch MSView
Tools -> TriStar Setup Wizard -> [Confirm] -> [Confirm] -> Read TriStar -> [Diversion Control + Confirm] -> Edit Settings
Make desired changes & Program TriStar

Write to File.
Save new settings somewhere handy.

Close Wizard. Unplug Edgeport. Reboot TS-45. Reconnect Load.

Next TriStars [update firmware...or not]
Set the dips to custom, Connect machine to RS232 & Launch MSView
Tools -> TriStar Setup Wizard -> [Confirm] -> [Confirm] -> Read from file -> [settings you just saved somewhere handy] -> Program TriStar
Close Wizard. Unplug Edgeport. Reboot TS-45. Reconnect Load.

Repeat for 2 more TriStars.


If you want to view the States or logs
Devices -> Manual Connect -> TriStar -> [Confirm]



Device will appear in LHS menu
[pretend it says TriStar]



Right Click -> Connect
When the serial number appears you are connected.
Go to Displays -> New -> State or Log



You can expand the controller pull down menu [plus icon on the TS in the LHS menu] and drag attributes from there into the state/log menu to view them in real time.
The log file is in the other tab at the bottom of the controller list.

To remove items from the state/log window right click -> properties -> remove selected.


See easy peasy...  ....and quicker than you can say "So I built me own inverter because SMA ara buncha spoofers who can't play nice with other manufacturers' hardware....if I achieved nothing else at least Scruff was listening" 

[mab]

ffs 3 keyboards later now the flippin' spacebar is bust
Manufactured obsolescence I proclaim vendetta upon thee!
Who the eff decided Z-stacking a flat flex was good enough? Twats!
I'm going Bluetooth. I've spent as much on keyboards as this entire machine cost.

Er the D+ D for diode.
The regulation is working fine, with-load & no load and has an external reg anyway.
The battery light isn't coming on with the key-start and allegedly the engine battery is running down.
...this is coming from the same people who called me to say that every charger onboard (3 alternators, solar and an inverter combi) was broken thuther night because the meter said so (battery full and meter inaccurate; not synced since install).

The main diodes are on the B+ so not an issue. I reckon it may be powering the field windings.
I can trip it off with a relay triggered from the partner alternator or put a diode on it but I reckon the latter will effect the regulation with the Vf drop.
I must look up the circuit. There's +12V constant one side of the lamp, +12v switched thuther and some other trickery.

Pretty difficult regulator to source the sticker says Balmar.

I'm guessing AB was thinking it was a '9 diode' alternator (that was my thought too) - a 9 diode alt had 3 extra '+ve' diodes to provide a 2nd 'b+' power output for the regulator that's independent of the main B+ output, so it couldn't drain the battery. - the simplest thing would be to add 3 diodes to make it into a 9 diode alt. regulation won't be quite as good but it should be fairly close if your diodes have a similar Vf drop to the main bridge diodes.

Either that or graft in a different make regulator from a similar modern 6 diode alt?

[Scruff]

Hi Mab.

tbh I haven't a clue what it is other than electrons come out one side when you spin thuther side.
I think it's a PM from reports but still requires excitation/triggering.
It's a pretty posh jobber, it may even have it's own temperature sense regulation, it does have a ground isolated from the casing which is very handy for a boat...except yours truely bypassed it and chassis grounded it.

The claim that it's draining the battery is unverified. It's just been flagged. We're in a countrywide  6-week lockdown so it's not really urgent. I've installed a redundancy to start the engine from the house battery if needs must.

I think swapping the regulator is a good place to start.  At the time I posted the question I wasn't sure I'd find one. I have to be conscious of these "hack jobs" not benefiting anyone longterm. or being less desireable solutions of equal cost.
With the what is my time worth [at mates rates] philosophy applied, by the time I've paid for diodes, sourcing, shipping, getting myself to site and troubleshooting...well I've spent a regulator and a half already.

Thanks for the advise tho. much appreciated! If it was my own and sitting in the yard, I'd definately try it. I'll save that as a plan C for now.
Plan A; measure it, confirm issue.
Plan B; throw a regulator at it.
Plan D; hack it with a relay from the partner alternator.

The actual problem might be a nav light for all we know...ya know!

[Scruff]

[*Scruff's a grumpy Mary because all his sh1t is breaking and he's stopped smoking to add insult to injury*]

You know what pisses me off the most?
Manufacturers that don't use their own hardware.
You know stuff so obviously flawed that it can only be assumed it made it through production without ever being used in a real world application....

Let's take for example this Schlicktron BMV:

It's a battery "monitor" with a display so small you can't monitor a thing unless yer eyeball is 1m from the display.
Oh handy it's a 52mm gauge! Automotive standard!
That'll fit in my 52mm dashboard hole!



You know what's blue and lives in a dashboard? Headlamp indicating lamps!
You know what'll make you eternally paranoid night-time driving? Foreign blue lamps!
It also takes about 17 presses to turn the backlight on and same again to turn it off...no trigger like all the other automotive gauges come standard with.

This is not a tale about how bad Schlicktron are at everything except marketing however....I just like to pick on them because it's so easy and hey, people ought to know what they are signing up for with entry level high end.

I've already fixed that ages ago...[still don't like it though]



Yurp...I did backlight the keys too...nope, not standard.


This is a tale about FLIR!

I started working on this.



and ended up working on this instead



[apply the what is my time worth to fix this rule and it's not]
[***often superceeded by the "I want it now!" rule***]

Quick and dirty test; give 'er juice & look for hot spots with the Flir.
Works ~30% of the time.
I used IPA before I got a thermal imager.

Low and behold. Flat Flir battery.
Low and behold. Flir wouldn't charge battery.
Low and behold. Flir won't work without battery. Even if you plug it in.
Low and behold. $700 piece of test gear.

RTFM I did.



Then I read the battery cell too!



Then I doffed two fingers in the general direction of the authors!





Fiver says they "can't" sell me a replacement either.



Don't worry about it Flir...I know who your suppliers are. 

{---Rude w*rd$---}

[SparWeb]

See you in the Pub for an Irish Whiskey.  You need to take the edge off, man.

[Scruff]

You need to take the edge off, man.

Yer probably right SparWeb. I tidied the workshop to begin with.
I reckon it's not as bad as perhaps perceived.

For one Mrs Scruff is British and speaks the Queen's English, her dad was in the Navy most of his life. He calls my use of language "Irish", We just have a varied selection of adjectives the poignancy of these ought to be considered colloquial as much as empassioned.

One of my vocations is building best in class hardware systems. Please try to appreciate my disposition working in an industry with no watchdogs where most installers are lazy/ ignorant/negligent and/or ill-informed, the manufacturers are for the better part outright liars and the performance is a bar so low yer likely to trip over it before you see it.

I've shown you the cable.
I've shown you the scoped outputs.
I've shown you the fuses.
I've shown you the meters.
I've shown you the battery chemistry performance comparison.
I've shown you the better charge controllers topography comparison [under Irish skies at least].
I could well show you how well some charging boxes benchmark against a hydrometer [do they improve the chargers? No! They add bluetooth instead and promote sealed batteries]
Would you like to see the switchgear too?



Same rating...The RHS one has "40A" terminals [I rate them 32A terminals]

Hence my auxiliary vocation has become calling BS when and where I see it.

Now when I find a $700 piece of test gear with a predictable failure mode that limits the device lifespan and demonstrably falsely advises ensuring manufacturer only servicing and NO REDUNDANCY, then I'm not going to say nice things about them.
That's up there with Audi attempting to make the bonnet latch openable only by a dealership computer.

We vote for successful products with our wallets. Buying such hardware design implementation decisions is akin to saying "I'm ok with that".
I am certainly not, and I'm not putting sugar on top to make it more palatable.

I have no brand loyalty, I will take every manufacturer i have personal experience with to task for duplicitous pricing or manufacturing.
Why buy a product that is 40% hardware, 30% warranty and 30% marketing?

In a way I ought to be grateful. The market is so entrenched in BS one can't be an expert without 10 000 hours on the tools, a vast array of testgear and a critical mindset.



[nicotene withdrawal lasts about a week...I fully intend to get over myself...see ya fer a pint...whiskey was it?]

[Mary B]

That way with a LOT of electronics. I had a name brand 12 volt power supply for the ham gear. 50 amp rated. I melted the output terminals drawing 30 amps thru them and they were tight! 50 amps my ***!

Had a car battery charger/jump box supposedly rated 100 amps, I blew it up jumping the totally dead battery in my lawn mower that draws all of 15 amps when starting(measured this when they tried to deny warranty repair!). Battery is open so it didn't contribute any draw. That one took threats of small claims court to take care of. Only costs me $25 to file, they have to show up in my court to defend. Another well known name brand I won't mention...

[Scruff]

Sadly the only regulation here is the users' lack of imagination.

Hey, I'm a cowboy. I love the Wild West.
We can still be honest without rules, we'd all be better off.

Yes, Mary B I know those devices, they supplement the remaining charge in the starting battery, they are underbuilt to take full load.
We could use a "flat battery" to turn a starter motor with a capacitor instead...there are some clever "boosters" out there that do this.
They don't go off in storage.

[Scruff]

 
Love these. I'd get way more raised eyebrows on the prototype budgets if the grid was more reliable.

Probably too soon to push for the 3 phase truck tho....

[electrondady1]

we don't get to see much Gaelic around here.

[Scruff]

Ba mhaith liom ualach dumpála uathoibrithe! 

[Mary B]

Sadly the only regulation here is the users' lack of imagination.

Hey, I'm a cowboy. I love the Wild West.
We can still be honest without rules, we'd all be better off.

Yes, Mary B I know those devices, they supplement the remaining charge in the starting battery, they are underbuilt to take full load.
We could use a "flat battery" to turn a starter motor with a capacitor instead...there are some clever "boosters" out there that do this.
They don't go off in storage.

This one actually had a decent sized 40AH lithium battery in it, it doubles as a portable backup power pack for the ham rig if I take one camping. It was NOT cheap when I bought it!

[Artful Bodger]

Love these. I'd get way more raised eyebrows on the prototype budgets if the grid was more reliable.

If the French power company tried a long outage like that, there would be a riot and much manure would be dumped at their offices. We'd have a short outage whilst they rigged a local genny. If we lose power for more than 4 hours, they pay us.
A local substation blew out a few years back on a Sunday. Heard the bang from a few km away. New trafo found and installed in 7 hours.

[Scruff]

This one actually had a decent sized

I see more melty ones than wholesome with a bittov abuse Mary B.

[Scruff]

If the French power company tried a long outage like that, there would be a riot and much manure would be dumped at their offices.

Regular thing around these parts, I love pointing out to Sparkies that Off-Grid is more reliable and I haven't had a powercut for over a decade.

7 hours since grid power came back and I still haven't switched back.



First thing I do is throw 2kWh into the hot water tank because I'm running without PV throttling.

I'm AC coupling PV to the lead battery which is also feeding the torque-filling WuPoG with a 1kVA input threshold from lead + solar.
Once lead runs out LiFePO4 will take up load with a full tank.

Seems to work pretty well for now.
Lead capacity is up with the dodos vanquished. [less is more...love that]

Leadite is coming along slowly. I tell ya these things are 85% fabrication, 15% wiring.



The case airflow is reworked too and ~80% complete.

[Artful Bodger]

Regular thing around these parts, I love pointing out to Sparkies that Off-Grid is more reliable and I haven't had a powercut for over a decade.

We had a power cut in the village one evening which I never noticed, being off grid at the time. If I'd known I may have put a few more lights on. Turns out a neighbour dropped a tree on the 33kV feeder.  Oops.

7 hours since grid power came back and I still haven't switched back.

You're just showing off now

The case airflow is reworked too and ~80% complete.

I'll warm up the soldering iron. You know where to send it...

[Mary B]

This one actually had a decent sized

I see more melty ones than wholesome with a bittov abuse Mary B.

Not useful for ham radio portable use... great for a short burst of energy.

I never abused the jump pack, 15 amps to a 40 amp rated battery is minor, mower battery was doing nothing, it is open circuit(cheap walmart battery... go figure). It spent more time running a ham radio receiver at 1 amp out than anything else!

[Mary B]

Every time someone farts I lose power. Xcel has a bad substation that trips the entire area offline and they refuse to replace it. Little wind, offline... ice? Offline for a day... and not from lines going down. Ice gets into the substation equipment and trips it offline.

[Scruff]

Turns out a neighbour dropped a tree on the 33kV feeder.  Oops.

Musta been a wet one.

You're just showing off now

Capacity check of opportunity AB, I've not yet seen the bottom of them.
I abandoned test and went to bed instead.
Good thing, looks like the lesser 200Ah Gel can outrun it's partner 250Ah AGM...bittov rearranging to do tomorrow.

I'll warm up the soldering iron. You know where to send it...

If you wanna change yer policy to no-fix, no-fee then I'll have plentya work to keep you busy into the new year. 

I never abused the jump pack

I wasn't suggesting you did MB, more commenting on that they always seem to sh1t the bed when they solo.
As a guiding rule of thumb compare the power cable gauge to the one the car makers used.

If the car battery is totally pancaked the boost pack is turning a flywheel against compression and charging the starting battery too....so few manufaturers use their own products..

Or ya can do what I do. Bring a DC clamp meter to the shop, run the boost pack short circuit through the clamp eye in front of the cashier after you buy it and then demand yer money back.

[Scruff]

Cooling's done.

New way of running 12v fans at 24v AB. 



Cable grommits make great fan noise isolators. I close the gap with Ali-foil tape after.



Intakes



With swivel feet for extra vertical clearance


Exhausts




Control & Main Isolation [Ignition protected 100% Load Switch-Disconnect Rated  ]



Ready to start wiring it tomorrow. 
A week later I suppose...




Last chance to impress me fellars or yer getting reincarnated tomorrow!


I've been having this thought rolling about my noggin'
If yer ever interviewing an installer; Ask "What sized charger should I use use fer my lead acid?"
If they say "10%" walk away.
If they ask "How fast do you want to charge them and what loads are you running?" they're capable.

[Scruff]

Leadite Mk 2.0 is settling into her new home.



I'm waiting on some parts I haven't ordered yet to finish her. So I'll just leave her almost finished and start something else now...
I was tempted to fire her up on a temp supply. I've another rule of thumb which goes; "Don't test and commission until the day after you finish building it."
It's a far less expensive policy I've noticed!


[/img]

"Bare Case"




Field Serviceable

[Scruff]

I've some corrections to make;

It's been brought to my attention that my not fusing alternators is wrong, and I should.
But don't fuse the starter motor or the starting circuit that consists of an alternator most of the time.

I said earlier I don't because they set fire when the B+ goes...well this is not strictly true. They blow the rectifier then the fuse (if the fuse exists & it hasn't already popped or has just been replaced).
So the alternator only sets fire when it's unfused. If say the problem is intermittent or you're rockin' one of those Gawd-awful 1 - All - 2 - Off Battery Isolator (Not Load Disconnect Rated) yolks ...



...and the position is set to Off and configured to interrupt the alternator or the track gets pitted as is inevitable with those yolks and it opens circuit in the no-longer make-before-break transition, or the terminal is loose and krusty etc..

Going forward I'm going to fuse the blighters. Looking backwards...starting circuits!
Thinking about Froya...95mm² feeder, on a diesel block...I bet she can run short circuit until the starting battery is pancaked...meh...I might suggest the upgrade...or add another P-Clip/cable tie around the stud insulating boot.

I also said my 200Ah Gel can outrun my 250Ah AGM....not true, that's just how it looked, the Gel was first charged and holding back the AGM...it's a pretty poor mix.

I was thinking of derating the battery to the offset.....but I've had a better idea..

I've invented an new balancer circuit specifically for this application. It's passive, solid state, low noise and high reliability!



  KISS





Lead-Fi is donating her battery to the reserve, joining forces via her external Anderson with offline electronics.
I know we shouldn't pick favourite children but Lead-Fi is sooo much more useful than Li-Fi. The weight has never bothered me.
I'll maintain the battery with XTM solar back-feed. The battery hospital hasn't the horse power for that lump.

1.3kWh added to the unknown reserve total.
I sent 100kg of dodo lead to meet their reshapers yesterday.
3 Wing AGMs, 2 starters (factory orignal truck axle ballast) & Lead-Fi Mk-1
Ever tried recycling Li-ion?

A last correction was the "less is more" figure on the last capacity check, that figure included an unknown amount of double conversion solar power.

[Scruff]

Keyboard is fixt. Once and fer all.



When aftermarket is more reliable than OE you know you're in trouble.

[Mary B]

My last bad KB made it to 150 feet before coming back down... set off a pound of tannerite under it... came down in pieces...

[Scruff]

I've wanted to Mary B, alongside the designers heads what made the connector 30mm closer than the flat flex is long.

I've done a bit on WuPoG. Remote, remote connection point.

Square holes are a pain. I bias round switches for ease of mounting. Round Cat V is harder to find.



I employed some neo. magnets to minimise expensive lessons in swarf management.

WuPoG is getting low temp foldback too. A bigger RCBO & beefier output terminals (32A).
I spent some time removing the last traces of ApprenticeVolt. Data cables extracted. Plugged my Peli hole.

[Scruff]

Leadite parts have mostly arrived.
I bought ingredients to make Studer temp sensors for about 15% RRP each.
The only thing I couldn't find at the electronics retailer was corporate collateral.
I have work for 3 more.





Inputs, Outputs & Feeders made.



The Banana Jacks are +12v Genstart triggers.

I added a bus strip to the shunt for Lead-Fi, Leadite & what may come so I wasn't bypassing the meter



Insane what they're charging for a folded copper plate with some threads tapped through these days.

I expect Leadite wants more cooling vents but I'm not speculatively drilling holes in my case unless I need to.
I may also get to the answer of what capacity I actually have in that lead contingent.

[Scruff]

Burn testing Leadite at the mo. 2kVA continuous. Holding about 40°C now.
Extra vents anna nuther 60mm fan happened. Widened intakes too.



It's time for another name and shame...

These SmartGauges...
...remarkably accurate devices...the only problem is they 10% lie (under-read) 

I ran a test in parallel to my Ah counter once...





The yolk dives down 10% outtov the gates and then tracks pretty accurately. Too accurate to be an accident. I happened to notice this during normal usage referencing both against eachother.

Here's what they have to say for themselves;

"The most advanced, yet simplest, battery state of charge meter currently available
highly accurate state of charge meter. Cannot run out of synchronisation with the batteries."

BS-o-meter trip.

They do go on quite a bit about Ah counter bashing....I'll spare yee. Any Ah counter I've setup and calibrated is more accurate. There is a certain amount of drift...10% inaccuracy takes about 3 weeks to achieve the way I tune them.

Here's what happens when you set an XTM to current compensation charge while loading the same battery with a C2600.



Why is Scruff such a cynic?
Gold star for best answer.

What? €120 meter.
Directions for correct operation: reference meter then compensate...money well spent!
If using for SOC triggering offset all values -10%.

[Scruff]

Few updates...for little jobs there sure's a lottov invested time.

I'm waiting on the active ingredients to build the Studer T-sensors



€2 box + €1.50 semi-conductor + €0.15 passive component + time = €35 proprietary hardware

WuPoG got her front panel reworked.



32A and 16A outlets with combined individual overcurrent and earth fault protection.



getting busy at the back now.

I've a selection of leads made up for her too.



I might delete that naughty 32A to 16A. It's served it's porpoise by inspiring me to upspec to dual outputs with proper cable protection. Never enable the user to harm the device or themselves. Engineering 201.

To save yee 115V foreigner types having to look up conversion charts 16A is 3.5kW capable and 32A is 7kW capable this side of the pond...I know right....it'll never catch on! 

The Souper Charger is getting Mk-II'd with proper disconnects.
This thing is too cool for school.
I'm about €300 into a 2kW mains, 3.6kW solar hybrid passively cooled universal voltage & fully programmable charger. Show me a better one for love or money! 



She's waiting on the postman to bring me more Anderson connectors.


I'm entirely unimpressed with Studer as a lead battery charger.
That float current is too low.



I'll be fitting a MorningStar beside it to finish the job.
..that's normal. I've never seen it not be a requirement.

[Scruff]

I offlined the XTM Charger and stoked up Lead-Fis ProStar MPPT.

Low and behold there was charging to be done!



Fancy that. Robin hood style archery lesson fer ya Studer. MS do this to everyone.
About those temperature sensors Studer...? Why don't you heat sink them to the battery instead of measuring the air temperature?
I might have to make better than OE ones...
Yurp the MS ones are heat sinking.....and cheaper to replicate...
I've noticed that the XTM temp. sensing is conservative too. I set it to 30mV per degree and it reacts as 20mV per degree....I think I'll investigate this more closely later.



If only I had a battery SOC meter becoming of it's pricepoint that displayed >100% I could use it to ascertain some data instead of being mollycoddled by certain design engineers lack of foresight about their products applications and/or desire to gloss over certain hardware shortcomings in the market.

I wonder where I'd find one...



Here hasn't that TriMetric got a lower pricetag, bright legible display for monitoring with, data logging, more features and a broader battery voltage compatibility?

[Scruff]

The Souper Charger Mk-II is ready for testing.



That Locking Emergengy Disconnect is €600 per press.
I haven't figured a way around blowing the TS FETs when you isolate the battery before the solar array. I settled for simultaneously in the E-stop...MS advised me that It's still the wrong way to do it.

E-stops are a pain. They have to be there, rarely are they good for the hardware.









Series Old Skool Elteks, the best kind, fanless and standalone capable.
The newer flatpacks are a pain in the bottom.

[Scruff]

That's a proper float current what'll keep a battery tippy top. Thanks MS.



I wouldn't pay too much attention to the float voltage. The ProStar is remotely voltage sensed and has a temperature sensor local to a case heat soaking from it's internal charger. Whereas the XTM had it's temp sensor removed for scientific analysis.

Presently, all things considered MorningStar is better regulated, more accurate and has a superior charge algorithm.
As I say I'll get to the bottom of how much apples to apples disparity there is in due time.

For now, entirely as I expected I'll be running parallel chargers. Studer can brute force while MorningStar can solar & finesse.
I'd never buy a combi inverter charger if the charger wasn't effectively free...ie. the same price as a stand-alone inverter.
Large stand-alone inverters are pretty rare these days.

The one thing I'll say about Studer is at least I can disable the charger with shore transfer enabled. Certain other teal, pewter and probably many other manufacturers are too arrogant to provide users with this option.