It is the same hardware as the dongle we provide with the unit and plugs
directly into the Sol Ark Wi-fi port just like it would in a normal project,
however the difference is that we customized the software to auto-update the
inverter without the need for internet. This dongle is only compatible the
Sol-Ark unit. We are currently sending them with the most up to date software
for the units, but will be able to modify the software on the dongle so that it
can be used for different versions of the Sol-Ark. The cost of the hardware is
$100. We are wanting to add different options especially for those that are
truly off grid.
Thank you and have a blessed day,
Dustin Douglas
Sol Ark Engineering Support
(972) 575-8875 x 108
http://www.sol-ark.com/
---- On Fri, 13 Nov 2020 10:05:37 -0600 jay <[email protected]> wrote ----
HI Dustin,
Can you elaborate on the custom dongle for the non internet people. As its
custom it sounds like its not a standard USB or SD or MSD?
How much does it cost and can it be updated from a computer and then taken to
the job site?
Many if not most of my clients have no to limited internet and many that do,
don’t want internet connection for their equipment.
thanks
Jay
Peltz Power
On Nov 13, 2020, at 8:57 AM, Dustin Douglas <mailto:[email protected]> wrote:
The Time of Use feature can support this request. I do understand that
programming can be somewhat confusing in completely covering what you are
wanting the generator can do. However, if you are wanting the generator to turn
on only when the batteries are low and getting through the night then we can
set the Time of Use to only turn on with specific hours and also charge up to
specific SOC. We implemented this setting so that there is the ability to
control how much fuel is used and not run the gen for long periods of time. The
Time of Use settings are very customizable, if you would like to give our
support team a call and we can help customize it to best fit your scenario.
As for updating the system itself, we offer different avenues of doing so. The
first is the Wi-fi dongle that is connected to the inverter and to the
customers home network. We also offer different aftermarket versions for
customers with specific needs or if they don't have internet altogether. There
is a ethernet version for those that don't want the over the air (OTA)
connection to there wireless network or possibly if there router itself is a
little to far away from where the unit is located. Simply running a ethernet
cable to this specific dongle will connect them for monitoring and also allow
for updates. The final version is for those true off grid installs where they
are not worried about monitoring but do need to get the system updated. We have
developed a custom design dongle that once inserted into the unit will perform
the update on the inverter locally. Plug it in and wait for the final part of
the software to finish and now your system will have the current version of
software. You can then remove it and adjust the settings for the new features
that were added.
Thank you and have a blessed day,
Dustin Douglas
Sol Ark Engineering Support
(972) 575-8875 x 108
http://www.sol-ark.com/
---- On Fri, 13 Nov 2020 08:46:31 -0600 Jay <mailto:[email protected]> wrote
----
I’m wondering how the firmware is updated? USB or other? I’ve looked on the
website but I couldn’t find any instructions.
Thx
Jay
On Nov 12, 2020, at 7:58 PM, Jeff Clearwater
<mailto:[email protected]> wrote:
Thanks Dustin for keeping
us up to date on Sol-Arks feature progress.
While you are upgrading your firmware: :)
So an essential feature for off-grid with a generator is to be able to
program various SOC levels for generator start AND shuf-off after
charge. 90% is way too high for many sunny climes and other
configurations. Often batteries need a boost in the wee morning hours -
when they drop below the preferred recharge point but that's only
perhaps a few hours before the sun comes up - So say you want to start a
gen to charge a Lead-acid battery at 50% or an LFP batter at 20% SOC
but you only want to bring it through to the next often or possibly
sunny morning. So you set it to run from 50% to 65% (or from 20%-40%
for LFP) - knowing that the morning sun will take it the rest of the
way. 90% would waste a ton of fuel in this scenario not too mention
unwanted noise and wear and tear on the genny. Depending on the clients
use profile, the climate, and relative size of the array and battery
and gen, these figures could vary anywhere from 20% to 100%. So it's
essential us off-grid installers have that flexibility.
Also I know that your TOU settings might cover this (though not in all
modes I believe) but another nice feature is to have 2 or 3 time periods
with different start and stop settings (Sunny Island does this
nicely). So if the minimum SOC is reached in the evening you might as
well bring it up to a higher SOC for gen shut down as it needs to get
through the entire night whereas if that minimum SOC start trigger is
met after 3 AM it needs to only bring it to a lower SOC as described
above.
I'm loving the Sol-Ark product so far but it is obvious the
software is a work in progress - the architecture and thought behind it
is an excellent foundation - thanks for your work and openness for
input to make it even better.
Best,
Jeff
~~~~~~~~~~~
Jeff Clearwater
Village Power Design
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-clearwater-0622a312/
http://www.villagepowerdesign.com/
cell - 413-559-9763
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
mailto:[email protected]
November
12, 2020 at 11:46 AM
Hi All,
First and foremost
thank you for sharing your experiences the the Sol-Ark system. We try
very hard to have different capabilities and add new features that make
it flexible for the customer. The two-wire start is a feature however
that we want to be seamless. In the instance where the customer is
seeing the system shutdown once the generator shuts off has been
addressed and fixed with a software update. With this update we are able
to handle larger generators that tend to drift from 60hz. Please give
our support team a call so that we can update the customer accordingly.
We are also looking at adding more features including the ability
exercise the generator in the near feature.
Thank
you and have a blessed day,
Dustin
Douglas
Sol Ark Engineering Support
(972) 575-8875 x 108
http://www.sol-ark.com/
---- On Thu, 12 Nov 2020 08:08:51 -0600 Jay mailto:[email protected] wrote
----
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November
12, 2020 at 9:08 AM
Hi Bill
In the
past I’ve had similar issues with generators/inverters. Usually a relay
on the output power wires that opens( disconnects) when the stop signal
is sent works as the frequency doesn’t slowly go down, it drops to 0
instantly.
I don’t know if it will fix your issue.
Seems like solark needs to greatly
improve their firmware.
Jay
Peltz power.
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November
11, 2020 at 10:03 PM
Hi folks--We've also been disappointed with the
Sol-Ark two-wire generator start. The unit starts at the charge set
point, but the inverter will shut down for about a minute every time the
generator stops running. After the minute wait, the inverter restarts
and everything is fine. But it is aggravating for the homeowners to be
left wondering in the dark.
Sol-Ark says that when the generator
shuts off, the frequency drops out of the Sol-Ark range and causes the
inverter shut down.
They
suggested we find a way to increase the generator speed to avoid the
frequency drop at shutdown. This seems like a lame suggestion, since the
generator has no idea of when the batteries will be satisfied--it only
responds to the on/off signal from the Sol-Ark. I would think that the
unit could be programmed to ignore the frequency drop when it sends the
shut off signal to the generator. The system has an an Ecogen
15kW.
Not having an exercise function is also a
miss. As mentioned below, the time of use can be used, but one has to
go out and play with the programming to check the generator.
regards, bill
Bill
Hennessy
Berks Solar, LLC
371 Centennial Rd
Mertztown, PA
19539
o 610 682 4300
c 484 560 4666
NABCEP certified
installer
PA contractor #44411
http://www.berkssolar.com/
On Wednesday, November 11, 2020, 8:20:57 PM EST,
Chris Sparadeo mailto:[email protected] wrote:
Thanks for the suggestion, Jay.
Yes,
the Sol-Ark has a very basic and limited AGS for 2 wire compatible gen
sets. Gen start can be programmed with voltage or SOC, however gen stop
is not a function that can not be readily programmed. Instead, the
Sol-Ark is programmed to charge the battery bank to 90% of the rated Ah
capacity of the battery bank before turning off the generator. You can
ultimately adjust this gen stop parameter to be based on a specific SOC
or voltage, but I believe that doing so requires a call into tech
support. The tech I spoke with updated a setting (having to do with
a TOU parameter I believe) that was not accessible via the system
interface. AGS from Schnieder, Outback and even Magnum are less clunky,
but I am hoping that Sol-Ark will eventually come out with new
programming to remediate these minor but nevertheless, important issues
-Chris
On Wed, Nov 11,
2020 at 3:58 PM Jay <mailto:[email protected]> wrote:
--
Chris
Sparadeo
C_802-369-4458
H_802-728-3059
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