Re: final solar upgrad.
Reply #25 –
@DavidS yes, the controllers actually do work together just fine as they are; the issue is really more of a perception one than a performance one. If you have two MPPTs connected to the same battery bank, you'll notice that one will go into "float" a little earlier than the other one; this is because the controllers decide how long their absorption cycle is by looking at the battery voltage when they wake up, and since one almost will always wake up later (how much later depends on the sun/angle of panels, etc), the second controller to wake up sees a higher voltage at the battery than the first (because the first is already charging, of course) and so decides it needs a shorter absorption time than the first... and so of course goes into float sooner as well.
The reality is that there is nothing functionally wrong with this behavior at all, but the perception is that the two devices should be working precisely in tandem, which is currently impossible given the way their algorithms function... and, to be fair, two devices working exactly in tandem would be just a hair more efficient in completing the overall task of fully charging your battery banks. That in mind, I'll certainly be happy to see the upcoming F/W update for SmartSolar and VE.Direct BlueSolar devices that permits device synchronization, since obviously more efficient=more better, but tbh I'm more excited about it because then I won't have to explain how/why these algorithms aren't perfectly synced anymore... @craneman and a number of other customers understand the base concept so it's not a big deal, but oh lord some people simply cannot be convinced that there's nothing wrong with their device just because one went into float sooner than the other!
Topic: final solar upgrad.