Good Morning,
So the battery I'm using is 2 banks of 16 CALB CA180F lithium cells.
They are a 3.2 VDC cell and they don't have a BMS so I ended up finding
Overkill Solar that makes a BMS product for Tesla batteries and I have 2 of
those, 1 protecting each bank. The customer is possibly going to replace
the inverter with new so we may just ride it out until they do, but I'll
keep in mind the Victron Ekrano idea in case they don't. Thank you for all
the input.
On Fri, Sep 11, 2026 at 4:09 PM Mac Lewis <[email protected]> wrote:
> Id recommend taking the generator start duties away from the sunny Island
> if you don't have a BMS that can communicate.
>
> Id recommend using a Victron Ekrano (or whichever gx device) coupled with
> a smart shunt to measure current flow and calculate state of charge. This
> can calculate soc nicely and start your generator. It can also be accessed
> remotely.
>
> As far as I know, there is no setting that can allow the soc on the Sunny
> Island to be accurate with lithium.
>
> Good luck
>
>
>
>
> Mac Lewis
>
> *"Yo solo sé que no sé nada." -Sócrates*
>
> On Fri, Sep 11, 2026, 4:38 PM Jerry Shafer <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>> Wrenches,
>> I've done a few SI to Li set ups, One must do is to eliminate the BTS
>> with resistor to get 75⁰F
>> Funtimes
>>
>> On Fri, Sep 11, 2026, 10:15 AM Lou Russo <[email protected]>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> What brand of batteries are you using?
>>>
>>> There is no way to get an accurate SOC on an SI paired with lithium
>>> batteries without closed-loop comms nor is there a means to adjust voltage
>>> setpoints for generator start.
>>>
>>> Every decision the SI makes is based on SOC.
>>>
>>> As far as I can tell, when selecting the battery type
>>> when commissioning the SI, it loads pre-determined setting (none of which
>>> are documented) that SMA has decided on and they can not be changed. So if
>>> you select FLA or VRLA and use lithium it will never work quite right.
>>>
>>> The only lithium batteries I have every used with a SI is Discover
>>> Energy lithium batteries and their Lynk 2. So my experience is limited in
>>> this regard but the combo works well for me.
>>> Lead-acid batteries also work great.
>>>
>>> The SI is a unique beast. Programming it is very different from other
>>> inverters from that time period.
>>>
>>> Lou Russo
>>> Owner
>>> [email protected]
>>> Office - 808 345 6762 <(808)%20345-6762>
>>> Direct Line - 808 731 1907 <(808)%20731-1907>
>>> Spree Solar Systems LLC
>>> CT-34322
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Fri, Sep 11, 2026 at 4:04 AM Jim Gowdy <
>>> [email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Good Morning,
>>>> I've integrated some lithium battery cells to a single Sunny
>>>> Island inverter (model SI4548-US-10) and I'm having an issue with the Sunny
>>>> Island's SOC. My batteries will be at pretty much full charge and the
>>>> inverter will show something like 50% SOC and it's causing me problems of
>>>> starting the generator prematurely and one time it shut the system down. I
>>>> am still looking through the manual, but I was wondering if there is a way
>>>> to calibrate the state of charge or use battery voltage for my setpoints.
>>>> I'm timid to call their tech support because these batteries are not on
>>>> their approved list. Any input would be appreciated.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Jim with Gowdy Electric
>>>> Cambria, Ca 93428
>>>> business 805 927 2630 <(805)%20927-2630>
>>>> cell 805 975 5279 <(805)%20975-5279>
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--
Jim with Gowdy Electric
Cambria, Ca 93428
business 805 927 2630
cell 805 975 5279
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