Links to the parts & pieces in the video (affiliate links) ------------------------------------ Victron MPPT RS 450V/100A SmartSolar Charge Controller - www.currentconnected.com/product/victron-smartsolar-mppt-rs-charger-controller/?ref=AzzpK9Fl For more information, please check out my website with links to all the components, materials and products I have used in developing my off-grid solar system: going-off-grid.com Supporting the Channel -------------------------------------------------- The 'Buy me a Coffee' - link is here (on the bottom, right corner of the website): going-off-grid.com You can also click on the "Thanks" button under the video to support the channel. Thank you for your support!
I pulled the trigger today on mine, I normally buy from CC but I found a new one on the e-bays for $940 so I jumped on it. I am after all the King of Cheap :)
Absolutely mind blowing just the little bit of extra money more from either growatt or EG4 And how much safer and impressive these victron units are. What an impressive setup. Congrats 🎉
Got one of these and confirm that it is fantastic - i would go as far as to say the best controller you can get it seems to be eeking out more energy from every nook and cranny than even my SMA inverter did (and I thought that was good!!).
I caught in another video of yours that you are from Michigan. I am also and exclusively Victron equipment myself. Nice to see a fellow local user. Friend of mine are in this pretty far in the Southeast area. Good work, I will continue to watch
Yes sir! Always nice to hear of another local user! I've actually talked with a handful that are in the Detroit and surrounding areas. So what kind of system do you currently have? Thanks for following along!
Fantastic video Adam thanks a lot bro I just got off the phone with Dexter he told me to buy the 450/200amp unit Current connection customer service and knowledge is TOP NOTCH 👍🏼‼️‼️‼️‼️
Thanks! That’s awesome! Yeah the 200 is exactly the same as the 100, just has more mppts. Current Connected really does a good job helping out customers.
Once your batteries are full can you priorities the solar to run the inverters without taking from the batteries how does this work? How does this work with a grid tie?
There's no programming needed to do this. When the battery is full, as long as you have PV coming in, it seems to take that first and the remaining comes from the battery. You just have to be in battery mode, not grid-bypass mode. Unfortunately, I don't have any experience with a grid-tie system. I know I've seen them work together before, but I have no direct experience.
Should be noted the Max PV short circuit current is 30A per tracker. After 20A there simply isn't reverse polarity protection. So if you don't mess up and reverse polarity when initially connecting it you can have up to 30A Isc.
@@AdamDeLay07 Section 3.4 of the MPPT RS manual states: Connecting PV arrays with a higher short circuit current is possible, up to an absolute maximum of 30A, as long as connected with correct polarity.
was wondering why the current appeared limited to 20amp - kinda limiting to parallel anything, figured it must have been purpose built for series only. 30 gives way more headroom.
Great videos I am still confused on how you are switching back to shore power when your batteries run low from what i gather tou are using gen relay and soc. But what are you using for your relay?
Thanks! So there's actually quite a few different ways I've found to do this. The simplest one is using the built-in "virtual switch" in the MultiPlus software. That works, but it doesn't give me the ability to manually switch to grid mode if necessary. It's on my list to make a video of how I did this, but I ended up using the Relay 1 on the Cerbo and wired that to the Aux Input on the MP. I set up 2 programmable relay assistants based on the General Input flag. One for the "on" state and one for the "off" state. Then on the Cerbo, I set Relay 1 to be Generator Start/Stop and programmed my settings accordingly. It sounds complicated but it really isn't. Using the Generator Start/Stop on the Cerbo, I have the ability to change the SOC levels from the Cerbo instead of having to program with the MP software every time. Plus I can manually switch to grid using the Cerbo. I also ended up using Relay 2 on the Cerbo and Input 2 of the MP to let me control whether or not grid charging is enabled. That way if I know a storm is coming, I can just enable the relay on the cerbo and grid charging will start. Hope that helps.
Looking forward to that Vid Thanks. I like how you're doing it seems the simplest, so Ihave it strait the MP is doing the changeover of whether or not it brings in power from the grid@@AdamDeLay07
Hi Adam i have a 6000xp with the 280 ah standalone bat. I have a few half ass arrays that shift in and out of full sun (trees) i was thinking of taking a sprinkler controller and using the 24 volts to control some relays to bring strings in and out of connection with the current 2 mppt's the 6000xp has. Until i get around to that, I'm looking to add 1 or 2 additional mppt's to get every watt available even when the shady loops are subpar finally getting to my question ha ha : will the smart solar 450/100 easily communicate with the eg4 battery while the 6000 xp is connected? Thanks Scott
haha, no worries. So in this case the Victron Charge controller would just charge the batteries based on voltage that you program in. Because they're different systems, there wouldn't be any communication. It would still work fine for charging your batteries though. You would just program the charge controller for whatever you charge your batteries up to and then let it go. I've got my 450/100 running on the exact same battery bank that my 6000XP is running off of and there's been no issues.
Thank you Adam damn ,i'm tempted to just spend a small amount more and get another 6000 xp and get an inverter ect. out of it augh what to do ... to many options lol
@@justanotherdillhole7824 I know exactly what you’re taking about. The one thing I would mention is that I’ve heard that the 6000xp is designed to last for approx 5 years. I heard that mentioned on the diy solar forum. Since it hasn’t been around that long, I guess time will tell.
With any plastic connectors I tend to use “till it feels snug”. After a few days of use I’ll then recheck. Plastic cracks to easily. I saw a forum thread about torque for the 450/100, was that you?
@@AdamDeLay07 yeah that was me...with the cracked chincy plastic terminal that didn't stand up to the 2.4Nm torque specified in the manual that came with our MPPT...
I just binge watched all your Victron install vids, awesome, loved when your son flipped the transfer switch and the cover fell at the same time. I can totally relate. So I'm also looking to upgrade to Victron starting with this CC. My question is, is there someway to make it talk with Solar Assistant, to track, store info, change parameters remotely? I'm big fan of SA and that's something I would miss by upgrading.
Appreciate that! I still remember that moment and how I nearly jumped out of my skin! Stuff like that seems to happen to me any time I have a breaker panel open... So at this moment, the only Victron gear to my knowledge that Solar Assistant supports is the Smart Shunt. Honestly, the VRM can really do just as much as Solar Assistant, and then some. I'm still a huge fan of Solar Assistant and if I ever had an inverter that didn't support the VRM, it would have to support Solar Assistant. It's been on my list for a while now to do a walkthrough of the VRM it's just gotten pushed back with a lot of different projects.
Hi Adam, Currently I have a system with one EG4 3000 Watt single phase inverter and 15kw EG4 LL Ver2 batteries. One of my plans is to upgrade it gradually. I consider buying only one MPlus- II 5000VA inverter and integrate it into my existing system by keeping my current EG4 inverter as a charge controller. Do think this this would work? Signature Solar claims that EG4 V2 batteries can be compatible with Victron Cerbo Gx - they have a video. But Victron website does not include EG4 batteries as compatible. If I set the EG4 battery setting to Victron protocol, my EG4 inverter may throw a fault. So I think if I get Cerbo GX I may have to get Victron MPPT charge controller and dicth the EG4 inverter. Sometimes I think I should just replace my system with two of MP- II inverters, new MPPT change controller, Cerbo GX. I have not seen what kind of batteries you have and how you interface them with Victron Cerbo Gx. Did you have any issues making Victron Cerbo Gx to communicate with your batteris? Nick
So you could use your 3k inverter as your charge controller, you would just have to set it in USE mode and charge based on voltage. That inverter wouldn't communicate with the batteries, just the Cerbo. You can only have the one device set up to be controlled by your batteries. The other thing you wouldn't have is any data regarding to your PV coming in. I would imagine it's probably easier for the battery manufacturers/distributors to keep up with the list of inverters they support than it is for the inverter manufacturers to keep up with all the batteries that work with their hardware. I have 2 DIY batteries. I don't have any communication set up between the system and my batteries, it's all based on voltage. My system is what's referred to as "open loop communication".
Hi Adam. I have the same victron system you have. Im curious on how youre grounding your system. Do you have any videos on how your system is grounded?
Hey Adam if I'm not mistaken you know my grandfather Ricky Foster. I am Brian, i just got through all your videos from the beginning. Love all the stuff I learned I want to start my own solar setup but right now, that's just in planning stages. I have to get my house installed first. But I would love to ask you some questions on what you think for ideas I like the idea of going victron as the main brand, but I will need to work my self into that big of a set up in the beginning.
Hey Brian! Your grandfather mentioned that you were looking into things. If you wana shoot me an email we can communicate offline. Would be happy to help out. adam@going-off-grid.com
Hi, I really know with your experience with this system and the challenges o f you make to this system. Do you strongly recommend, thanks for your feedback.
The Victron system has been night and day to the EG4 6500 system I had in the past. I would recommend it but ultimately it depends on what your specific needs are.
Unfortunately not yet. Been really busy the last couple weeks and we've had a lot of crummy weather so my batteries haven't been able to get charged up. I'm hoping to do so within the next week though. I see sunshine in the forecast!
We live by Saint Joseph Michigan about 5 miles inland from the lake, so I know what you mean about crummy weather. Part of the reason I am taking so long deciding on the Victron like you have or the EG4 18K like Gavin has, is the Michigan weather and getting this one right.@@AdamDeLay07
It has a higher string voltage so you can series more panels together (which would lower your total amperage and let you use smaller gauge wire). It's also 2 (or 4) trackers built into a single unit. Pretty sure there's more "advanced" features built into the 450 series but those 2 things are the big ones that come to mind off the top of my head.
@@AdamDeLay07 got it, thank you. But doesn’t the 250/100 also allow higher amps than the 450 model? Or is this a matter of easy and stringing a lot of panels in series to make sure you have higher voltage and lower amp?
@@tlteal The 250/100 has the same amp rating (amps that can go into the battery) as the 450/100 but with a higher voltage, you can get more panels in series on the 450. You can save a lot of cost in wiring if you can have a higher string voltage because the gauge can be smaller. You could do two 250/100s but you wouldn't be able to have as many panels in series because 250v would be your absolute max (including taking the temperature coefficient into account).
@@tlteal The wire should have a voltage rating. Most of it is probably 600v so you should be fine, but double check the jacket of the wire. Just make sure you're not exceeding the max current rating of the gauge wire you have and you should be fine.
@@mustaphabdl09 no, I believe it’s telling you how much you can over-panel your system. You can charge up to 4kw on each tracker, but if your in an area with a lot of cloudy days, you could over-panel up to 7.2kw on each tracker to ensure you can get the max pv potential each day. It’s actually very nice they list this information. A lot of charge controllers have the potential for over paneling but not many manufacturers actually tell you how much extra you can add to it.
Hi First of all, I like your videos on Victron in general and I value the information you give on the system, I am learning a lot thank you for that. But I don’t like the fact you keep saying it is difficult to get the ring lugs on battery connections. You are saying the terminal is M8 (that is correct) on Lynx and MPPT RS. You are putting on a 5/16 lug, so yes you need to struggle. 5/16 is to my knowledge less than 8,0mm so putting wrong size lug on, you will need to wiggle it down the thread it can’t go straight down, that is not possible. So please get right size lugs, 8mm is not 5/16, please.
Links to the parts & pieces in the video (affiliate links)
------------------------------------
Victron MPPT RS 450V/100A SmartSolar Charge Controller -
www.currentconnected.com/product/victron-smartsolar-mppt-rs-charger-controller/?ref=AzzpK9Fl
For more information, please check out my website with links to all the components, materials and products I have used in developing my off-grid solar system: going-off-grid.com
Supporting the Channel
--------------------------------------------------
The 'Buy me a Coffee' - link is here (on the bottom, right corner of the website): going-off-grid.com
You can also click on the "Thanks" button under the video to support the channel.
Thank you for your support!
I pulled the trigger today on mine, I normally buy from CC but I found a new one on the e-bays for $940 so I jumped on it. I am after all the King of Cheap :)
Awesome! Saving a few hundred bucks adds up!
Absolutely mind blowing just the little bit of extra money more from either growatt or EG4 And how much safer and impressive these victron units are. What an impressive setup. Congrats 🎉
Thanks!
Got one of these and confirm that it is fantastic - i would go as far as to say the best controller you can get it seems to be eeking out more energy from every nook and cranny than even my SMA inverter did (and I thought that was good!!).
Victron is an awesome product !! Thank you for this video
I caught in another video of yours that you are from Michigan. I am also and exclusively Victron equipment myself. Nice to see a fellow local user. Friend of mine are in this pretty far in the Southeast area. Good work, I will continue to watch
Yes sir! Always nice to hear of another local user! I've actually talked with a handful that are in the Detroit and surrounding areas.
So what kind of system do you currently have?
Thanks for following along!
Thanks buddy, bough one and was looking for reviews...!
Convinced me that I did a good choice.
They're great charge controllers. Enjoy!
I have 3 of the 450/200 these are superb bits of kit.
That's a lot of power!
That’s a nice charge controller. Definitely quality gear.
They defiantly do it right!
Fantastic video Adam thanks a lot bro
I just got off the phone with Dexter he told me to buy the 450/200amp unit
Current connection customer service and knowledge is TOP NOTCH 👍🏼‼️‼️‼️‼️
Thanks!
That’s awesome! Yeah the 200 is exactly the same as the 100, just has more mppts. Current Connected really does a good job helping out customers.
Once your batteries are full can you priorities the solar to run the inverters without taking from the batteries how does this work? How does this work with a grid tie?
There's no programming needed to do this. When the battery is full, as long as you have PV coming in, it seems to take that first and the remaining comes from the battery. You just have to be in battery mode, not grid-bypass mode.
Unfortunately, I don't have any experience with a grid-tie system. I know I've seen them work together before, but I have no direct experience.
Should be noted the Max PV short circuit current is 30A per tracker. After 20A there simply isn't reverse polarity protection. So if you don't mess up and reverse polarity when initially connecting it you can have up to 30A Isc.
That’s interesting. Especially knowing that my panel Isc is around 12a I believe.
Where do you see the 30a figure? The data sheet only mentions 20a.
@@AdamDeLay07 Section 3.4 of the MPPT RS manual states: Connecting PV arrays with a higher short circuit current is possible, up to an absolute maximum of 30A, as long as connected with correct polarity.
@@davidb.5544 that’s awesome! Thanks! I love how detailed their manuals are!
Absolutely amazing! Your videos are really good too! Thank you that was very helpful
was wondering why the current appeared limited to 20amp - kinda limiting to parallel anything, figured it must have been purpose built for series only. 30 gives way more headroom.
Great videos I am still confused on how you are switching back to shore power when your batteries run low from what i gather tou are using gen relay and soc. But what are you using for your relay?
Thanks!
So there's actually quite a few different ways I've found to do this. The simplest one is using the built-in "virtual switch" in the MultiPlus software. That works, but it doesn't give me the ability to manually switch to grid mode if necessary.
It's on my list to make a video of how I did this, but I ended up using the Relay 1 on the Cerbo and wired that to the Aux Input on the MP. I set up 2 programmable relay assistants based on the General Input flag. One for the "on" state and one for the "off" state. Then on the Cerbo, I set Relay 1 to be Generator Start/Stop and programmed my settings accordingly.
It sounds complicated but it really isn't. Using the Generator Start/Stop on the Cerbo, I have the ability to change the SOC levels from the Cerbo instead of having to program with the MP software every time. Plus I can manually switch to grid using the Cerbo.
I also ended up using Relay 2 on the Cerbo and Input 2 of the MP to let me control whether or not grid charging is enabled. That way if I know a storm is coming, I can just enable the relay on the cerbo and grid charging will start.
Hope that helps.
Looking forward to that Vid Thanks.
I like how you're doing it seems the simplest, so Ihave it strait the MP is doing the changeover of whether or not it brings in power from the grid@@AdamDeLay07
@@DavidChelberg The MP is the device doing the switching, but the Cerbo is the device determining when to make the switch.
Thanks, Keep up the great work@@AdamDeLay07
adam, mine rs is making a lot of noise when solar is about 2kwh..what could cause it?
I wonder if one of the fans is bad in the unit? Maybe a bearing going out.
Hi Adam i have a 6000xp with the 280 ah standalone bat. I have a few half ass arrays that shift in and out of full sun (trees) i was thinking of taking a sprinkler controller and using the 24 volts to control some relays to bring strings in and out of connection with the current 2 mppt's the 6000xp has. Until i get around to that, I'm looking to add 1 or 2 additional mppt's to get every watt available even when the shady loops are subpar finally getting to my question ha ha : will the smart solar 450/100 easily communicate with the eg4 battery while the 6000 xp is connected? Thanks Scott
haha, no worries.
So in this case the Victron Charge controller would just charge the batteries based on voltage that you program in. Because they're different systems, there wouldn't be any communication. It would still work fine for charging your batteries though. You would just program the charge controller for whatever you charge your batteries up to and then let it go.
I've got my 450/100 running on the exact same battery bank that my 6000XP is running off of and there's been no issues.
Thank you Adam damn ,i'm tempted to just spend a small amount more and get another 6000 xp and get an inverter ect. out of it augh what to do ... to many options lol
@@justanotherdillhole7824 I know exactly what you’re taking about. The one thing I would mention is that I’ve heard that the 6000xp is designed to last for approx 5 years. I heard that mentioned on the diy solar forum. Since it hasn’t been around that long, I guess time will tell.
What torque did you use for the PV connections to the MPPT RS? It's not specified in the manual I don't think...
With any plastic connectors I tend to use “till it feels snug”. After a few days of use I’ll then recheck. Plastic cracks to easily.
I saw a forum thread about torque for the 450/100, was that you?
@@AdamDeLay07 yeah that was me...with the cracked chincy plastic terminal that didn't stand up to the 2.4Nm torque specified in the manual that came with our MPPT...
@@gf3803 oh man, sorry to hear that.
I just binge watched all your Victron install vids, awesome, loved when your son flipped the transfer switch and the cover fell at the same time. I can totally relate. So I'm also looking to upgrade to Victron starting with this CC. My question is, is there someway to make it talk with Solar Assistant, to track, store info, change parameters remotely? I'm big fan of SA and that's something I would miss by upgrading.
Appreciate that! I still remember that moment and how I nearly jumped out of my skin! Stuff like that seems to happen to me any time I have a breaker panel open...
So at this moment, the only Victron gear to my knowledge that Solar Assistant supports is the Smart Shunt.
Honestly, the VRM can really do just as much as Solar Assistant, and then some. I'm still a huge fan of Solar Assistant and if I ever had an inverter that didn't support the VRM, it would have to support Solar Assistant.
It's been on my list for a while now to do a walkthrough of the VRM it's just gotten pushed back with a lot of different projects.
Hi Adam, Currently I have a system with one EG4 3000 Watt single phase inverter and 15kw EG4 LL Ver2 batteries. One of my plans is to upgrade it gradually. I consider buying only one MPlus- II 5000VA inverter and integrate it into my existing system by keeping my current EG4 inverter as a charge controller. Do think this this would work? Signature Solar claims that EG4 V2 batteries can be compatible with Victron Cerbo Gx - they have a video. But Victron website does not include EG4 batteries as compatible. If I set the EG4 battery setting to Victron protocol, my EG4 inverter may throw a fault. So I think if I get Cerbo GX I may have to get Victron MPPT charge controller and dicth the EG4 inverter. Sometimes I think I should just replace my system with two of MP- II inverters, new MPPT change controller, Cerbo GX. I have not seen what kind of batteries you have and how you interface them with Victron Cerbo Gx. Did you have any issues making Victron Cerbo Gx to communicate with your batteris? Nick
So you could use your 3k inverter as your charge controller, you would just have to set it in USE mode and charge based on voltage. That inverter wouldn't communicate with the batteries, just the Cerbo. You can only have the one device set up to be controlled by your batteries. The other thing you wouldn't have is any data regarding to your PV coming in.
I would imagine it's probably easier for the battery manufacturers/distributors to keep up with the list of inverters they support than it is for the inverter manufacturers to keep up with all the batteries that work with their hardware.
I have 2 DIY batteries. I don't have any communication set up between the system and my batteries, it's all based on voltage. My system is what's referred to as "open loop communication".
Hi Adam. I have the same victron system you have. Im curious on how youre grounding your system. Do you have any videos on how your system is grounded?
I don’t have any specific video on it. It’s kinda intermixed in my build videos. Are you talking about the inverters or the solar panels?
I have the same question. Where is the grounding going to from your box to ???
Hey Adam if I'm not mistaken you know my grandfather Ricky Foster. I am Brian, i just got through all your videos from the beginning. Love all the stuff I learned I want to start my own solar setup but right now, that's just in planning stages. I have to get my house installed first. But I would love to ask you some questions on what you think for ideas I like the idea of going victron as the main brand, but I will need to work my self into that big of a set up in the beginning.
Hey Brian! Your grandfather mentioned that you were looking into things. If you wana shoot me an email we can communicate offline. Would be happy to help out. adam@going-off-grid.com
Hi, I really know with your experience with this system and the challenges o f you make to this system. Do you strongly recommend, thanks for your feedback.
The Victron system has been night and day to the EG4 6500 system I had in the past. I would recommend it but ultimately it depends on what your specific needs are.
Did you have a chance to perform a load test on the whole system yet?
Unfortunately not yet. Been really busy the last couple weeks and we've had a lot of crummy weather so my batteries haven't been able to get charged up. I'm hoping to do so within the next week though. I see sunshine in the forecast!
We live by Saint Joseph Michigan about 5 miles inland from the lake, so I know what you mean about crummy weather. Part of the reason I am taking so long deciding on the Victron like you have or the EG4 18K like Gavin has, is the Michigan weather and getting this one right.@@AdamDeLay07
Yeah, it's a tough decision. The 18kPV looks like a nice piece of equipment.
Rookie question. Why would one use this over something like the 250/100 which handles a lot more amps? Just curious. Can someone school me?
It has a higher string voltage so you can series more panels together (which would lower your total amperage and let you use smaller gauge wire). It's also 2 (or 4) trackers built into a single unit. Pretty sure there's more "advanced" features built into the 450 series but those 2 things are the big ones that come to mind off the top of my head.
@@AdamDeLay07 got it, thank you. But doesn’t the 250/100 also allow higher amps than the 450 model? Or is this a matter of easy and stringing a lot of panels in series to make sure you have higher voltage and lower amp?
@@tlteal The 250/100 has the same amp rating (amps that can go into the battery) as the 450/100 but with a higher voltage, you can get more panels in series on the 450. You can save a lot of cost in wiring if you can have a higher string voltage because the gauge can be smaller.
You could do two 250/100s but you wouldn't be able to have as many panels in series because 250v would be your absolute max (including taking the temperature coefficient into account).
@@AdamDeLay07 thank you! Can I get away with 10gauge wire (that’s what I currently have) which is also fused (20a) with that much voltage?
@@tlteal The wire should have a voltage rating. Most of it is probably 600v so you should be fine, but double check the jacket of the wire. Just make sure you're not exceeding the max current rating of the gauge wire you have and you should be fine.
5/16 =8 mm being a duch built product its metric run 8 mm drill through lug
That’s a beefy unit…I like it… I decided I like it better without that conduit look.. but either way is cool…
How Pv watt per tracker at the same time
4000W per tracker
@@AdamDeLay07 I taught the mppt can only handle 7,200w total
@@mustaphabdl09 7200w is the max array that can be connected to any tracker.
@@AdamDeLay07 ok,can it take 14,400watt at once then?
@@mustaphabdl09 no, I believe it’s telling you how much you can over-panel your system. You can charge up to 4kw on each tracker, but if your in an area with a lot of cloudy days, you could over-panel up to 7.2kw on each tracker to ensure you can get the max pv potential each day.
It’s actually very nice they list this information. A lot of charge controllers have the potential for over paneling but not many manufacturers actually tell you how much extra you can add to it.
Hi
First of all, I like your videos on Victron in general and I value the information you give on the system, I am learning a lot thank you for that.
But I don’t like the fact you keep saying it is difficult to get the ring lugs on battery connections. You are saying the terminal is M8 (that is correct) on Lynx and MPPT RS. You are putting on a 5/16 lug, so yes you need to struggle. 5/16 is to my knowledge less than 8,0mm so putting wrong size lug on, you will need to wiggle it down the thread it can’t go straight down, that is not possible. So please get right size lugs, 8mm is not 5/16, please.
Thanks for the comment. I was using the provided cables that came with the kit.
buy once cry once !!