Can the LUX protocol be installed on this EG4 inverter?  Remember, I am a beginner here!!

Posted by: @cvpalmer7

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Question:  For every Inverter model there is a battery compatibility list in the operators manual!  Does this mean you are stuck buying these batteries only?  There are lots of much cheaper batteries out there (100s) that still use CAN/RS485 Protocol.  Maybe it is that only the listed batteries have Codes listed, which means, they have been tested with the inverter in question and passed a long duration performance test "in house" (in the lab).

The PylonTech( Pylon ) protocol is well supported so while the list shows lots of battery manufacturer names, check to see if the battery/BMS you are looking at supports the Pylon communications protocol.

FWIW, I'm using BasenGreen DIY 48V 16.2kWh batteries with the default 'pylon' protocol setting on the batteries and the EG4 18KPV inverter.

Hey @dougl I found this useful, thank you.

So I have the newer Basen Green V2 battery boxes with 315Ah cells and I used the battery communication cable supplied with my EG4 18kPV hybrid inverter connected to the CAN buss port on the battery and set to Pylon in the BMS menu. The inverter is set to "2" as battery type, of "02 Lithium" in the menu system directly at the inverter.

@timmann I have v2 of the Basengreen DIY battery too.  FYI, the cells are 314Ah so you calculate total capacity/storage by multiplying by 51.2V so we have 16.077kWh.

The Lux option(6) on the inverter is the same the Pylon option, #6.

See: https://www.santansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/EG4-6000XP-Battery-Compatibility-List.pdf

You do want to make sure you are connecting the CAN/Batt interface on the inverter with the CAN interface on the battery.  Most of the other connectors on the battery are RS-485 and that is what you would use the PC software with. Using the supplied USB to RS-485 cable.

@dougl Good to know on the Lux option. I had circled it to try at some point but I got to the option 2 first in the list and it worked well enough. I will compare to see it there are any differences. Thanks for the tip on Ah rating, however I purchased my cells from a different supplier (which are rated at 315, according to them). I have not done a capacity test but I'd expect them to preform well.

In my research before buying anything for this project, I did come by this formula to calculate the kWh rating. Handy to know.

I did try the RS-485A port but could not get it to work. Admittedly, I did not try every possible option with this. I am currently satisfied with the current mode of operation.

I have downloaded every document and reference I can find on the batteries and inverter. It's a small library of docs. Good thing I like details  

@timmann sorry, I forgot that #2 was Pylon specific and that is the one you want since Basengreen doesn't add anything extra to their Pylon protocol like Lux/EG4 does.

I've switched to something I made called YAMBMS( Yet another multi-BMS Merging Solution ) which ends up being a middle-man between my 3 batteries and the EG4 inverter.

When using the PC software you will want to use the B and C ports and the battery ID has to be set to 1 or higher on the DIP switches and then the software needs to have that number selected.  I have 3 batteries were my YAMBMS device is ID 0, so by stack of batteries go from ID1 to ID3 and I connect my PC interface into the C port on the lowest battery.

I bought my batteries, EVE 314Ah, from Basengreen. They tested at higher capacity but EVE rates them as 314Ah. There's lots of data for sure so good idea keeping and collecting docs. Some are hard to find.  If you come across anything on the Basengreen Active Balance board please share. There's no interface to see what's going on and others have had to replace it for a 4a active balancer to get effective balancing happening.

@dougl I will keep my eyes open for some documentation on the "active equalizer". It's not in my library yet either.

I purchased 6 of these along with a pallet of 31 pieces of the 550 watt Aptos bifacial solar panels, and the EG4 18kPV hybrid inverter. So far, I am very happy with the setup, even though I am yet to change out the 3760 watt PV array I currently have to the new ones. The best part of it is, I can do all the work myself, which I am very thankful for.

@timmann thanks and wow, sweet setup. I've only got 3 16kWh DIY batteries, an EG4 18kPV and 16 400W panels. But gives us enough to go without using any grid power and charge 4 EVs too.

@dougl The reason I went for this size system is because we have a farming business, have fairly high electric bills, are mortgage free, and want to eliminate another bill. Sadly, we are not allowed to drill a well here because when this land was subdivided into 5 acre parcels, the local PUD company was given (maybe sold, I don't know) the go-ahead to supply water to each parcel. We are on a "Group A" water system (basically city water) and so we have a monthly water bill. Other than a few things we don't grow or can't easily make ourselves, our bills are minimal.

Anyway, that's the background.

After talking with the power company earlier this year, and getting very frustrated with their lack of willingness to help figure out why the bill was so high, I purchased an energy meter that tests 16 sub-circuits plus the main terminals so as to understand our usage better. It was from this average that I drew up a plan and started researching. We have a walk-in cooler, 3 refrigerators, two freezers, a fairly new mini-split heat pump system, and up to 6 heated tables for veggie starts. Two of the heated tables are used also through the summer for micro-greens for year-round production. The tables use heating cables and so are a bit spendy to operate.

Long story short, I was planning on the basis of 60-70 units of electricity usage a day with the possibility of having to run a generator sometimes during the winter (but hopefully not). I have two 20x96 foot greenhouses that we grow in all year. The second one I just finished up building April of last year after spending the summer before digging out rock and bringing in good dirt.

I guess you could say I'm not afraid of work. I'm that guy that can't sit still too long. Gotta do something and something useful.

@timmann that's a big load to cover so I can see the need for lots of panels and batteries. Hopefully that 18kPV is enough for all that output. I rebuilt my system myself, sized it and all but I'd been though the process 20 years ago when we setup our original 3kW grid-tie system. Shame you can't put in a well and given your water usage an air based extractor won't even be close.

The world needs more like you Tim!

@dougl I forgot to mention, we are in Washington State and on the upper of the 46th parallel.

For the panel layout, I had the bright idea of setting the upper row of 15 panels (laying sideways) at the 46 degree angle I currently have the old panels set to, and then the lower 15 panels at a 31 degree angle so as to maximize summer and winter without having to mess with tilting. They will all be mounted on top of and off the side of a 40 foot cargo container (high-cube). Should be a fun project to install those. It's going to look real nice once done.

Crushed gravel under the lower set of panels next to the container and the container painted white already, should help the bifacial gain a bit.

I have also noticed that late in the early morning and later evening, the upper set of panels will catch some sun on the backside of them. Nice little bonus.

I oversized the PV array due to the latitude we are at. Bigger seems better in every case I have seen. On that, I considered ordering another 6 batteries at some point along with more panels and maybe another inverter too. That might be a year or two down the road though.

@timmann great minds think alike!  I put mine up in 2 strings with the front the low pitch(SoCA) roof and the back rack a small 7 panel set angled at 40deg to catch the winter rays better. Had it set up last Nov and it worked well. You being that far north it will really help and if there's any snow it'll fall off better too. Although I've seen people state they needed to put a couple of feet or more distance between the bottom edge of the panels and the ground to keep the snow from shading the lower side of the panels.

@dougl On that clearance on the front edge, they should be about 5-6 foot before the ground, in my estimation.

SoCA, yeah, you'd get more sun that us for sure.