5. Operation
5.1. Device display
The Inverter RS has an LCD screen that displays operational information.
Inverter:
Inverter state, Power output, Frequency and AC Voltage
Battery:
Battery Power (charging shows positive number, discharging shows negative number), Current, DC voltage, Temperature (*), State-of-charge (*) and Time-to-go (*). Battery state (e.g. discharging, bulk, absorption, float, etc).
(*) These items are only visible if the data is available.
Solar:
In the top right of the display are other system information icons.
 | Communicating on any interface (e.g., Bluetooth, VE.Can, etc.) |
 | Bluetooth Enabled, Icon colour changes when connected |
 | MPPT Active |
 | (Blinking) Error or Warning |
 | Inverter Active |
 | Battery, fill corresponds with voltage, blinks when empty |
5.2. STATUS - Live Data Information
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MPPT [Model Number] confirms the connected device. A custom name can also be set if desired.
Solar 'Gauge' icon shows the dynamic real-time power output from the solar array. With regard to the Solar Panel voltage, note that the Solar charger will only operate once the Panel voltage has risen more than 5V above battery voltage.
Battery - Voltage The voltage measurement is taken at the battery terminals of the Solar charger.
Battery - Current This reading shows the current flowing-to, or drawn-from the battery terminals of the Solar charger. Note that in the case of the 100/20 Solar chargers and smaller - which have a dedicated load output - a Positive notation alongside the current reading means that current is flowing to the battery; whereas a Negative notation means that current is being drawn from the battery.
Battery - State:
Bulk: During this stage the Controller delivers as much charge current as possible to rapidly charge the batteries. When the battery voltage reaches the Absorption voltage setting, the Controller activates the Absorption stage.
Absorption: During this stage the Controller switches to the constant voltage mode, where a pre-set absorption voltage, suitable to the battery type (See section 4.1 Battery Settings below), is applied. When the charge current decreases below the Tail current and/or the pre-set Absorption time has elapsed, the battery is fully charged. The Controller switches to the Float stage. The Tail current is 1A for models 100/20 and smaller; and 2A for larger models. (When an automatic equalisation is being performed this will also be reported as 'Absorption'.)
Float: During this stage the float voltage is applied to the battery to maintain a fully-charged state. When the battery voltage drops below float voltage during at least 1 minute, a new charge cycle will be triggered.
Equalization: This is shown when 'Start equalization now' is pressed in the battery settings. The charger applies the equalization voltage to the battery as long as the current level stays below 8% (Gel or AGM) or 25% (tubular plate) of the bulk current.
* Menu items only available on MPPT models with load output (100/20 and smaller.)
Load output on/off The function of the load output switch is to disconnect the load when the battery is low on power in order to avoid damaging it. See the configuration section (4.2 below) for available load switching algorithms.
Load current This shows the current being drawn by electronic devices, lights, fridge, etc.
Note that for the load output reading to be reliable, all loads must be wired directly to the load output …including their negative terminals. See manual or consult your installer for details.
Note that some loads (especially inverters) are best connected directly to the battery. In such cases the load output does not show a reliable reading - the current drawn by the inverter, for example, will not be included. Consider adding a BMV battery monitor which will measure all current going to - or being drawn from the battery, including loads connected directly to the battery …not just the load output terminals of the charge controller.
Is my battery being charged?
The battery will be charged whenever the power available from the PV panels exceeds the power being drawn by the loads (lights, fridge, inverter, etc.).
You can only tell if that is the case with Charge Controllers which have all loads connected to the load output terminals. Remember: any loads connected directly to the battery can't be monitored by the Solar Charger.
5.3. History - Thirty-day graphic
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(The fragmented square icon (top left) allows you to toggle between 'portrait' and 'landscape' screen presentations.)
A summary of activity for the last 30 days is presented graphically. Swipe the bar left or right to show any of the previous 30 days.
The daily log shows:
Yield: The energy converted for that day.
P max: The maximum power recorded during the day.
V max: The highest voltage from the PV array during the day.
Clicking on any day/bar in the graph will expand the information to show charge-status times - both as hrs/m; and also as a percentage of the 'charge' day. This graphic provides an at-a-glance representation of how much time your charger is spending in each of three modes: Bulk / Absorption / Float.
Tip! You can use the charge times to see if the PV array is properly sized for your requirements. A system which never reaches 'Float' may need more panels; or perhaps the load could be reduced?
It is possible to export the history as a comma separated file (.csv) by clicking the three connected dots at the top right of the history screen:
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This is an example of the exported data for 3 of 30 days:
Battery Voltage
The first figure shows the maximum battery voltage for the day …the figure below is the minimum battery voltage.
Errors
Shows the number of errors (if any) for the day, to see the error codes click on the orange point. See MPPT Solar Charger Error Codes. (You may need to slide the display on your device up to see the errors.)
Total
This shows the total energy converted by the installation and is not re-settable.
Since Cleared
This shows how much energy has been converted by the installation since the last reset.
5.4. Protections and automatic restarts
5.4.1. Overload
Some loads like motors or pumps draw large inrush currents during start-up. In such circumstances, it is possible that the start-up current exceeds the over current limit of the inverter. In this case the output voltage will quickly decrease to limit the output current of the inverter. If the over current limit is continuously exceeded, the inverter will shut down for 30 seconds and then automatically restart. After three restarts followed by overload within 30 seconds of restarting, the inverter will shut down and remain off. To restart normal operation, disconnect the load, Switch Off the inverter, then switch it On.
5.4.2. Low battery voltage thresholds (adjustable in VictronConnect)
The inverter will shut down when the DC input voltage drops below the low battery shutdown level. After a minimum shutdown time of 30 seconds, the inverter will restart if the voltage has risen above the low battery restart level.
After three shut down and restarts, followed by a low battery shutdown within 30 seconds of restarting, the inverter will shut down and stop retrying based on the low battery restart level. To override this and restart the inverter, switch it Off, and then On, and limit loads to enable recharging of the battery with solar energy.
The solar MPPT will continue to recharge the battery even when the inverter has shut down due to low battery voltage. If the inverter has shut down 4 times, it will again attempt to switch itself back on as soon as the DC voltage stays above the Charge Detect level for 30 seconds.
See the Technical Data table for default low battery shut down, restart and charge detect levels. They can be adjusted with VictronConnect (computer or app).
Additionally another external MPPT or battery charger can also be used to recharge the battery to reach the Restart Voltage or Charge Detect voltage level. !!! If using the allow to charge signal functionality, it must remain above the minimum voltage, so if the battery is completely dead it will not allow charging to start. In this case, you can temporarily disable this function in VictronConnect to allow charging to resume, then enable it again.
See the Technical Data table for default low battery shut down and restart levels. They can be changed with VictronConnect (computer or app). Alternatively Dynamic Cut-off can be implemented, see https://www.victronenergy.com/live/ve.direct:phoenix-inverters-dynamic-cutoff
5.4.3. High battery voltage
Reduce DC input voltage and/or check for a faulty battery- or solar-charger in the system. After shutting down due to a high battery voltage, the unit will first wait 30 seconds and then retry operation as soon as the battery voltage has dropped to acceptable level.
5.4.4. High temperature
A high ambient temperature or enduring high load may result in shut down to over temperature. The inverter will restart after 30 seconds. The inverter will continue to try and resume operation, and will not stay off after multiple retries. Reduce load and/or move inverter to better ventilated area.