Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE

[Dan Fink]

RE Viasat -- there are only 2 residential (ie somewhat affordable)
satellite internet options out there currentlyHughesnet and
Viasat/Exede/WildBlue.

My experience has been that the more expensive "small business" type plans
from them are only slightly more reliable than the cheapest plans. Running
a "server" is strictly prohibited by both companies, and certain network
protocols get flagged that way by the provider. I'm 99% sure that's the
only reason Midnite's remote monitor system won't work over satellite.

Elon Musk's Starlink will be a serious game changer for us remote rural
folks and our off-grid customers. I cheer every time I see a new "train" of
his satellites going over my house!

Dan Fink
Owner, Buckville Energy Consulting
NABCEP Certified PV System Inspector
IREC Certified Instructor™ for:
~ PV Installation Professional
~ Small Wind Installer
NABCEP Registered Continuing Education Providers
d anbo...@gmail.com
970-672-4342




On Fri, Oct 16, 2020 at 9:25 AM Kirk Herander, VSE 
wrote:

> A company called ViaSat. Northern NH site. Customer tells me it goes down
> a lot with normal internet use anyway.
>
> *Kirk Herander / **kirkh@vermont.solar *
>
> *Owner|Principal, VT Solar, LLC*
>
> *Celebrating our 29th Anniversary 1991-2020*
>
> *www.vermont.solar*
> 
>
> dba Vermont Solar Engineering
>
> 802.863.1202
>
>
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Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE

[Kirk Herander, VSE]

A company called ViaSat. Northern NH site. Customer tells me it goes down a lot 
with normal internet use anyway.


Kirk Herander / kirkh@vermont.solar [mailto:kirkh@vermont.solar]
Owner|Principal, VT Solar, LLC
Celebrating our 29th Anniversary 1991-2020
www.vermont.solar 
[https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=www.vermontsolarnow.comdata=02%7C01%7C%7C9f0330d75a244870112408d685311841%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435%7C1%7C0%7C636842843233477645sdata=0NjyuKeQbEK6245SNnk8X4XnP9Q%2B%2BqtvcALkdDghvk4%3Dreserved=0]
dba Vermont Solar Engineering
802.863.1202

On 10/14/2020 1:09:21 PM, Howie Michaelson  wrote:
Kirk, was that Hughes net that wouldn't recognize the mate?
Howie

Howie Michaelson
Sun Catcher
NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer™
Solar Electric & Heat Pumps Systems Sales & Service
802-272-0004

On Wed, Oct 14, 2020, 12:23 PM Kirk Herander, VSE  wrote:

I have a site with satellite internet. it's router would not recognize the Mate 
3s or an eguage monitor. I used a Verizon data sim card / jetpack with a 
repeater to create a Lan connection and all is fine for 9 months now.


Kirk Herander / kirkh@vermont.solar [mailto:kirkh@vermont.solar]
Owner|Principal, VT Solar, LLC
Celebrating our 29th Anniversary 1991-2020
www.vermont.solar 
[https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=www.vermontsolarnow.comdata=02%7C01%7C%7C9f0330d75a244870112408d685311841%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435%7C1%7C0%7C636842843233477645sdata=0NjyuKeQbEK6245SNnk8X4XnP9Q%2B%2BqtvcALkdDghvk4%3Dreserved=0]
dba Vermont Solar Engineering
802.863.1202

On 10/12/2020 8:51:19 PM, Howie Michaelson mailto:howie.michael...@gmail.com]> wrote:
Thanks guys. I really appreciate the info. That does a lot to clear up my 
misgivings with attempting this! 

My only hesitancy at this point is switching to the Mate3. When it first came 
out, I put it into an off grid upgrade, but ended up hating it - I found it 
more complicated and less intuitive than the original Mate (which says a lot 
considering the lack of intuitive design of that). So it seemed harder to 
explain to my clients. (Maybe I just hate change).

Dan, do you know why satellite won't work for the optics internet connections? 
Many of my remote sites only have satellite internet access.

Thanks again,
Howie

Howie Michaelson
Sun Catcher
NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer™
Solar Electric & Heat Pumps Systems Sales & Service
802-272-0004

On Mon, Oct 12, 2020, 7:56 PM Dan Fink mailto:danbo...@gmail.com]> wrote:

Howie; I'm pretty satisfied with the current condition of the OpticsRE world. 
Most of the past problems have been ironed out, and I've had good email tech 
support from Outback (!). 

You'll need a Mate 3S, an Outback Hub, and a Flexnet DC with shunts for each 
channel you want to measure. If all your equipment is Outback, you only need 
the Net shunt on the FLexnet DC, otherwise, more shunts. As Jerry mentioned, 
the Mate 3S will automatically get it's IP address from the router and connect 
online, you just type its MAC address into the OpticsRE portal and it starts 
communicating.

The critical thing is the internet connection -- it must be rock solid or 
you'll have no end of woes. Satellite internet (Hughes, Exced) will NOT work 
with it (nor with Midnite's monitoring system BTW). Wired LAN (Cat 5) has 
worked the best for me, but do NOT exceed (or even approach, in my experience) 
the 50 foot limit. If you use a wifi adaptor on the Mate 3S instead of wired, 
make sure you have an *excellent* wifi signal in the room with the Mate 3S.  
I've never tried a cell adaptor, as where I work cell service is weak and 
spotty if it even exists, but I assume a very strong cell connection would be 
needed. In one situation with no cell service, long wire run for ethernet and 
bad interior wifi (concrete/stucco/adobe style walls) but good  local coax 
modem internet, I just ran fiber optic cable with a fiber to ethernet adaptor 
on each end (Mate 3S and cable modem) outdoors in conduit, about $150 in 
equipment, and that cable could be half mile long but seem like 3 feet to the 
Mate 3S. 


As for the Midnite controller, just put one shunt for the Flexnet DC on the 
output of the Midnite CC, and you'll at least be able to read amperage and work 
the watt/hour meter. The Flexnet DC gives you a shunt channel for net on the 
main DC negative, plus 3 more shunt channels to measure whatever you want -- 
wind turbine, other brand CCs, etc.

The configurable email alerts and automated daily data dumps are super handy 
for systems that are hours drive away. I also learned to set the Mate 3S to 
automatically reboot every 24 hoursthis (oddly) cleared up many problems I 
had in the past with the Mate 3S dropping offline randomly. 

Dan Fink
Owner, Buckville Energy Consulting
NABCEP Certified PV System Inspector
IREC Certified Instructor™ for: 
~ PV Installation Professional
~ Small Wind Installer
NABCEP Registered Continuing Education Providers

d 

Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE

[Howie Michaelson]

Kirk, was that Hughes net that wouldn't recognize the mate?
Howie
Howie Michaelson
Sun Catcher
NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer™
Solar Electric & Heat Pumps Systems Sales & Service
802-272-0004

On Wed, Oct 14, 2020, 12:23 PM Kirk Herander, VSE 
wrote:

> I have a site with satellite internet. it's router would not recognize the
> Mate 3s or an eguage monitor. I used a Verizon data sim card / jetpack with
> a repeater to create a Lan connection and all is fine for 9 months now.
>
> *Kirk Herander / **kirkh@vermont.solar *
>
> *Owner|Principal, VT Solar, LLC*
>
> *Celebrating our 29th Anniversary 1991-2020*
>
> *www.vermont.solar*
> 
>
> dba Vermont Solar Engineering
>
> 802.863.1202
>
> On 10/12/2020 8:51:19 PM, Howie Michaelson 
> wrote:
> Thanks guys. I really appreciate the info. That does a lot to clear up my
> misgivings with attempting this!
>
> My only hesitancy at this point is switching to the Mate3. When it first
> came out, I put it into an off grid upgrade, but ended up hating it - I
> found it more complicated and less intuitive than the original Mate (which
> says a lot considering the lack of intuitive design of that). So it seemed
> harder to explain to my clients. (Maybe I just hate change).
>
> Dan, do you know why satellite won't work for the optics internet
> connections? Many of my remote sites only have satellite internet access.
>
> Thanks again,
> Howie
> Howie Michaelson
> Sun Catcher
> NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer™
> Solar Electric & Heat Pumps Systems Sales & Service
> 802-272-0004
>
> On Mon, Oct 12, 2020, 7:56 PM Dan Fink  wrote:
>
>> Howie; I'm pretty satisfied with the current condition of the OpticsRE
>> world. Most of the past problems have been ironed out, and I've had good
>> email tech support from Outback (!).
>>
>> You'll need a Mate 3S, an Outback Hub, and a Flexnet DC with shunts for
>> each channel you want to measure. If all your equipment is Outback, you
>> only need the Net shunt on the FLexnet DC, otherwise, more shunts. As Jerry
>> mentioned, the Mate 3S will automatically get it's IP address from the
>> router and connect online, you just type its MAC address into the OpticsRE
>> portal and it starts communicating.
>>
>> The critical thing is the internet connection -- it must be rock solid or
>> you'll have no end of woes. Satellite internet (Hughes, Exced) will NOT
>> work with it (nor with Midnite's monitoring system BTW). Wired LAN (Cat 5)
>> has worked the best for me, but do NOT exceed (or even approach, in my
>> experience) the 50 foot limit. If you use a wifi adaptor on the Mate 3S
>> instead of wired, make sure you have an *excellent* wifi signal in the room
>> with the Mate 3S.  I've never tried a cell adaptor, as where I work cell
>> service is weak and spotty if it even exists, but I assume a very strong
>> cell connection would be needed. In one situation with no cell service,
>> long wire run for ethernet and bad interior wifi (concrete/stucco/adobe
>> style walls) but good  local coax modem internet, I just ran fiber optic
>> cable with a fiber to ethernet adaptor on each end (Mate 3S and cable
>> modem) outdoors in conduit, about $150 in equipment, and that cable could
>> be half mile long but seem like 3 feet to the Mate 3S.
>>
>> As for the Midnite controller, just put one shunt for the Flexnet DC on
>> the output of the Midnite CC, and you'll at least be able to read amperage
>> and work the watt/hour meter. The Flexnet DC gives you a shunt channel for
>> net on the main DC negative, plus 3 more shunt channels to measure whatever
>> you want -- wind turbine, other brand CCs, etc.
>>
>> The configurable email alerts and automated daily data dumps are super
>> handy for systems that are hours drive away. I also learned to set the Mate
>> 3S to automatically reboot every 24 hoursthis (oddly) cleared up many
>> problems I had in the past with the Mate 3S dropping offline randomly.
>>
>> Dan Fink
>> Owner, Buckville Energy Consulting
>> NABCEP Certified PV System Inspector
>> IREC Certified Instructor™ for:
>> ~ PV Installation Professional
>> ~ Small Wind Installer
>> NABCEP Registered Continuing Education Providers
>> d anbo...@gmail.com
>> 970-672-4342
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Oct 12, 2020 at 5:05 PM Howie Michaelson <
>> howie.michael...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Hey FOlks,
>>> While Outback had been my goto offgrid system, over the last many years
>>> I have gravitated to the Conext and Sol-Ark systems.  However, I have many
>>> legacy Outback VFX systems out there and some could really use remote
>>> communication.  Unfortunately, I have stayed far away from Optics RE, as I
>>> haven't been thrilled with the reports of issues the system had. However,
>>> it seems it is the best option for 

Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE

[Kirk Herander, VSE]

I have a site with satellite internet. it's router would not recognize the Mate 
3s or an eguage monitor. I used a Verizon data sim card / jetpack with a 
repeater to create a Lan connection and all is fine for 9 months now.


Kirk Herander / kirkh@vermont.solar [mailto:kirkh@vermont.solar]
Owner|Principal, VT Solar, LLC
Celebrating our 29th Anniversary 1991-2020
www.vermont.solar 
[https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=www.vermontsolarnow.comdata=02%7C01%7C%7C9f0330d75a244870112408d685311841%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435%7C1%7C0%7C636842843233477645sdata=0NjyuKeQbEK6245SNnk8X4XnP9Q%2B%2BqtvcALkdDghvk4%3Dreserved=0]
dba Vermont Solar Engineering
802.863.1202

On 10/12/2020 8:51:19 PM, Howie Michaelson  wrote:
Thanks guys. I really appreciate the info. That does a lot to clear up my 
misgivings with attempting this! 

My only hesitancy at this point is switching to the Mate3. When it first came 
out, I put it into an off grid upgrade, but ended up hating it - I found it 
more complicated and less intuitive than the original Mate (which says a lot 
considering the lack of intuitive design of that). So it seemed harder to 
explain to my clients. (Maybe I just hate change).

Dan, do you know why satellite won't work for the optics internet connections? 
Many of my remote sites only have satellite internet access.

Thanks again,
Howie

Howie Michaelson
Sun Catcher
NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer™
Solar Electric & Heat Pumps Systems Sales & Service
802-272-0004

On Mon, Oct 12, 2020, 7:56 PM Dan Fink mailto:danbo...@gmail.com]> wrote:

Howie; I'm pretty satisfied with the current condition of the OpticsRE world. 
Most of the past problems have been ironed out, and I've had good email tech 
support from Outback (!). 

You'll need a Mate 3S, an Outback Hub, and a Flexnet DC with shunts for each 
channel you want to measure. If all your equipment is Outback, you only need 
the Net shunt on the FLexnet DC, otherwise, more shunts. As Jerry mentioned, 
the Mate 3S will automatically get it's IP address from the router and connect 
online, you just type its MAC address into the OpticsRE portal and it starts 
communicating.

The critical thing is the internet connection -- it must be rock solid or 
you'll have no end of woes. Satellite internet (Hughes, Exced) will NOT work 
with it (nor with Midnite's monitoring system BTW). Wired LAN (Cat 5) has 
worked the best for me, but do NOT exceed (or even approach, in my experience) 
the 50 foot limit. If you use a wifi adaptor on the Mate 3S instead of wired, 
make sure you have an *excellent* wifi signal in the room with the Mate 3S.  
I've never tried a cell adaptor, as where I work cell service is weak and 
spotty if it even exists, but I assume a very strong cell connection would be 
needed. In one situation with no cell service, long wire run for ethernet and 
bad interior wifi (concrete/stucco/adobe style walls) but good  local coax 
modem internet, I just ran fiber optic cable with a fiber to ethernet adaptor 
on each end (Mate 3S and cable modem) outdoors in conduit, about $150 in 
equipment, and that cable could be half mile long but seem like 3 feet to the 
Mate 3S. 


As for the Midnite controller, just put one shunt for the Flexnet DC on the 
output of the Midnite CC, and you'll at least be able to read amperage and work 
the watt/hour meter. The Flexnet DC gives you a shunt channel for net on the 
main DC negative, plus 3 more shunt channels to measure whatever you want -- 
wind turbine, other brand CCs, etc.

The configurable email alerts and automated daily data dumps are super handy 
for systems that are hours drive away. I also learned to set the Mate 3S to 
automatically reboot every 24 hoursthis (oddly) cleared up many problems I 
had in the past with the Mate 3S dropping offline randomly. 

Dan Fink
Owner, Buckville Energy Consulting
NABCEP Certified PV System Inspector
IREC Certified Instructor™ for: 
~ PV Installation Professional
~ Small Wind Installer
NABCEP Registered Continuing Education Providers

d [mailto:dan.f...@greendustrialtraining.com]anbo...@gmail.com 
[mailto:anbo...@gmail.com]
970-672-4342

 


On Mon, Oct 12, 2020 at 5:05 PM Howie Michaelson mailto:howie.michael...@gmail.com]> wrote:

Hey FOlks,
While Outback had been my goto offgrid system, over the last many years I have 
gravitated to the Conext and Sol-Ark systems.  However, I have many legacy 
Outback VFX systems out there and some could really use remote communication.  
Unfortunately, I have stayed far away from Optics RE, as I haven't been 
thrilled with the reports of issues the system had. However, it seems it is the 
best option for remote oversight, so I am trying to figure out what is required 
and what it is capable of.
I've read through the initial documentation and as best I can gather, I need a 
Mate 3s and an internet connection - is that all?  I assume having a FlexnetDC 
in the system is critical as well.  I'm also wondering if there is a 

Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE

[John Blittersdorf]

Dan & Howie,
As Dan said, there was quite a long period getting out the kinks out of
Optics but now I'm not having any problems.  I'm monitoring 19 systems for
my customers and most problems recently have been getting a good internet
connection.  I finally got one on Huges Net working and all problems were
the wifi extender.  I put in a new one and it's working fine now.  I use
Exede (Viasat) at my house and it works fine hard wired to the
modem/router.  Had problems here with wifi extenders. The Optics is really
useful now trying to tweak systems with LiFePO batteries.  Those delicate
voltage settings sometimes require a few small adjustments to balance
between minimizing generator run time and keeping the battery from shutting
down.  The only problem lately with the Outback/Lithium combination is not
being able to set the low battery cutout high enough on the MATE 3 to get
the inverter to shut down before the battery does.   I've had a few system
shutdowns where I have had to go to the site and reboot the battery.  Many
of my customers are second homes and sometimes rented out so monitoring the
system is useful.  I have had a few situations where I have had to talk the
renters through manually starting a generator or rebooting a battery,
saving me a 3 hour round trip service call.

John Blittersdorf
NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer™
CV Wind Service (and solar)
200 West Road
N Chittenden, VT 05763



On Mon, Oct 12, 2020 at 11:01 PM Dan Fink  wrote:

> Mac;  Interesting to hear that you've had success via satellite internet.
> Which flavor was it, Hughes, Excede or both? It was 3-4 years ago that I
> tried and failed with it at 2 different sites (one was my own
> residence).there have been a few firmware updates since then, so I
> might just give it a try again.
> Satellite, powerline ethernet extenders, and LAN cable over 50 feet are on
> the official Outback "not recommended" list. Their networking document is
> located here:
>
> http://www.outbackpower.com/downloads/documents/appnotes/optics_conn_app_note.pdf
>
> Howie; I've found that a Klein Scout Pro 3 LAN cable tester is a handy and
> inexpensive tool for diagnosing bad or damaged-while-pulling LAN cables.
> And a cheap RJ-## LAN cable termination kit so you can make custom length
> cables for Outback and Midnite systems, instead of finding someplace to
> hide all the inevitable ugly extra cable length with the factory-supplied
> LAN cables.
>
> As for the Midnite remote monitor system, I've tried and failed on
> satellite, their application notes say it won't work, but I'd love to try
> it again if anyone else out there has had luck with Midnite over satellite.
>
> Dan Fink
> Owner, Buckville Energy Consulting
> NABCEP Certified PV System Inspector
> IREC Certified Instructor™ for:
> ~ PV Installation Professional
> ~ Small Wind Installer
> NABCEP Registered Continuing Education Providers
> d anbo...@gmail.com
> 970-672-4342
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Oct 12, 2020 at 7:22 PM Mac Lewis  wrote:
>
>> Hi Howie and Wrenches,
>>
>> We have quite a few OpticsRE sites functioning fine on satellite
>> internet so I don't think that there is any defined limitation there.  I
>> like to use a Hub 10.3 with systems that you intend to have on Optics.
>> Optics not perfect but its better than other off-grid monitoring and gives
>> decent control to the administrator.  Hoping to see something made for
>> mobile devices soon.
>>
>> I find online monitoring to be super useful as a solar integrator and
>> worth the effort to install properly.  Hardwire is preferred way to do
>> this, but I have had good success using a TP Link Wireless Nanorouter in
>> client-mode (serving only the internet device hardwired in).  The nice
>> thing about client mode is that the Mate won't get booted off of the
>> network by other devices connecting to the network through the TP Link.
>>
>> There may be some anomalies with integrating older equipment but I'm not
>> sure on that.
>>
>> Good Luck
>>
>>
>> ___
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Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE

[William Miller]

Howie:



I find the OtpicsRE system to be very helpful.  If there is any chance to
hook up a system, I do it.  Here are some features I like, in no particular
order:



·The dashboard is well thought out.

·You can view Event logs and download them as CSV files.

·I remote start the generator and EQ on systems I maintain a few
hours before I visit the site so I don’t have to wait around for the entire
EQ cycle to complete.

·If you hover over the bars on the graph you get kWh consumption
and production.  This is great to school clients when they are profligate
with energy usage.

·I invite my clients to participate in their own systems and some
navigate it well, some not so well.

·There are a lot of alerts to choose from, too many in fact.  I
created a spreadsheet with all of the possible alerts and use it to keep
track of which ones I want for each client.  A sample copy is attached.



I recall there were some growing pains as the system was developed and some
things I had to get used to.  Funny though I can’t remember most of the
early problems.  I do remember these:



·I have seen systems reconfigure themselves when connected to
Optics.  Don’t know if Optics caused the problem or it was unrelated.  The
worst case was several FX inverters configure themselves to all be Masters
at the same time.

·If you sign up for all alerts you will occasionally see a flurry
of messages that configuration changes were made when you know they were
not. I turn off this alert.



I have used satellite internet with no problems



I have extended Wi-Fi with Ubiquiti M2 Loco Nanostations with pretty good
reliability.



Hope this helps.



William

Miller Solar

17395 Oak Road, Atascadero, CA 93422

805-438-5600

www.millersolar.com

CA Lic. 773985





*From:* RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] *On
Behalf Of *Howie Michaelson
*Sent:* Monday, October 12, 2020 4:05 PM
*To:* RE-wrenches
*Subject:* [RE-wrenches] Optics RE



Hey FOlks,

While Outback had been my goto offgrid system, over the last many years I
have gravitated to the Conext and Sol-Ark systems.  However, I have many
legacy Outback VFX systems out there and some could really use remote
communication.  Unfortunately, I have stayed far away from Optics RE, as I
haven't been thrilled with the reports of issues the system had. However,
it seems it is the best option for remote oversight, so I am trying to
figure out what is required and what it is capable of.

I've read through the initial documentation and as best I can gather, I
need a Mate 3s and an internet connection - is that all?  I assume having a
FlexnetDC in the system is critical as well.  I'm also wondering if there
is a way to monitor basic production data from a Midnite Classic through
the Optics system. And is the Optics RE system fairly solid since I'm not
thrilled about putting in systems that need too much fussing or attention
to keep operating once they are set up properly. Finally, are there any
other comparable monitoring equipment that would work for monitoring such
systems?

Thanks,

Howie


*Howie MichaelsonSun Catcher*


*NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer™*
*Solar Electric Systems Sales & Service**802-272-0004*


Optics Alerts and Notifications.xlsx
Description: MS-Excel 2007 spreadsheet
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Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE

[Dan Fink]

Mac;  Interesting to hear that you've had success via satellite internet.
Which flavor was it, Hughes, Excede or both? It was 3-4 years ago that I
tried and failed with it at 2 different sites (one was my own
residence).there have been a few firmware updates since then, so I
might just give it a try again.
Satellite, powerline ethernet extenders, and LAN cable over 50 feet are on
the official Outback "not recommended" list. Their networking document is
located here:
http://www.outbackpower.com/downloads/documents/appnotes/optics_conn_app_note.pdf

Howie; I've found that a Klein Scout Pro 3 LAN cable tester is a handy and
inexpensive tool for diagnosing bad or damaged-while-pulling LAN cables.
And a cheap RJ-## LAN cable termination kit so you can make custom length
cables for Outback and Midnite systems, instead of finding someplace to
hide all the inevitable ugly extra cable length with the factory-supplied
LAN cables.

As for the Midnite remote monitor system, I've tried and failed on
satellite, their application notes say it won't work, but I'd love to try
it again if anyone else out there has had luck with Midnite over satellite.

Dan Fink
Owner, Buckville Energy Consulting
NABCEP Certified PV System Inspector
IREC Certified Instructor™ for:
~ PV Installation Professional
~ Small Wind Installer
NABCEP Registered Continuing Education Providers
d anbo...@gmail.com
970-672-4342




On Mon, Oct 12, 2020 at 7:22 PM Mac Lewis  wrote:

> Hi Howie and Wrenches,
>
> We have quite a few OpticsRE sites functioning fine on satellite
> internet so I don't think that there is any defined limitation there.  I
> like to use a Hub 10.3 with systems that you intend to have on Optics.
> Optics not perfect but its better than other off-grid monitoring and gives
> decent control to the administrator.  Hoping to see something made for
> mobile devices soon.
>
> I find online monitoring to be super useful as a solar integrator and
> worth the effort to install properly.  Hardwire is preferred way to do
> this, but I have had good success using a TP Link Wireless Nanorouter in
> client-mode (serving only the internet device hardwired in).  The nice
> thing about client mode is that the Mate won't get booted off of the
> network by other devices connecting to the network through the TP Link.
>
> There may be some anomalies with integrating older equipment but I'm not
> sure on that.
>
> Good Luck
>
>
>
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Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE

[Mac Lewis]

Hi Howie and Wrenches,

We have quite a few OpticsRE sites functioning fine on satellite
internet so I don't think that there is any defined limitation there.  I
like to use a Hub 10.3 with systems that you intend to have on Optics.
Optics not perfect but its better than other off-grid monitoring and gives
decent control to the administrator.  Hoping to see something made for
mobile devices soon.

I find online monitoring to be super useful as a solar integrator and worth
the effort to install properly.  Hardwire is preferred way to do this, but
I have had good success using a TP Link Wireless Nanorouter in client-mode
(serving only the internet device hardwired in).  The nice thing about
client mode is that the Mate won't get booted off of the network by other
devices connecting to the network through the TP Link.

There may be some anomalies with integrating older equipment but I'm not
sure on that.

Good Luck

On Mon, Oct 12, 2020 at 6:51 PM Howie Michaelson 
wrote:

> Thanks guys. I really appreciate the info. That does a lot to clear up my
> misgivings with attempting this!
>
> My only hesitancy at this point is switching to the Mate3. When it first
> came out, I put it into an off grid upgrade, but ended up hating it - I
> found it more complicated and less intuitive than the original Mate (which
> says a lot considering the lack of intuitive design of that). So it seemed
> harder to explain to my clients. (Maybe I just hate change).
>
> Dan, do you know why satellite won't work for the optics internet
> connections? Many of my remote sites only have satellite internet access.
>
> Thanks again,
> Howie
> Howie Michaelson
> Sun Catcher
> NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer™
> Solar Electric & Heat Pumps Systems Sales & Service
> 802-272-0004
>
> On Mon, Oct 12, 2020, 7:56 PM Dan Fink  wrote:
>
>> Howie; I'm pretty satisfied with the current condition of the OpticsRE
>> world. Most of the past problems have been ironed out, and I've had good
>> email tech support from Outback (!).
>>
>> You'll need a Mate 3S, an Outback Hub, and a Flexnet DC with shunts for
>> each channel you want to measure. If all your equipment is Outback, you
>> only need the Net shunt on the FLexnet DC, otherwise, more shunts. As Jerry
>> mentioned, the Mate 3S will automatically get it's IP address from the
>> router and connect online, you just type its MAC address into the OpticsRE
>> portal and it starts communicating.
>>
>> The critical thing is the internet connection -- it must be rock solid or
>> you'll have no end of woes. Satellite internet (Hughes, Exced) will NOT
>> work with it (nor with Midnite's monitoring system BTW). Wired LAN (Cat 5)
>> has worked the best for me, but do NOT exceed (or even approach, in my
>> experience) the 50 foot limit. If you use a wifi adaptor on the Mate 3S
>> instead of wired, make sure you have an *excellent* wifi signal in the room
>> with the Mate 3S.  I've never tried a cell adaptor, as where I work cell
>> service is weak and spotty if it even exists, but I assume a very strong
>> cell connection would be needed. In one situation with no cell service,
>> long wire run for ethernet and bad interior wifi (concrete/stucco/adobe
>> style walls) but good  local coax modem internet, I just ran fiber optic
>> cable with a fiber to ethernet adaptor on each end (Mate 3S and cable
>> modem) outdoors in conduit, about $150 in equipment, and that cable could
>> be half mile long but seem like 3 feet to the Mate 3S.
>>
>> As for the Midnite controller, just put one shunt for the Flexnet DC on
>> the output of the Midnite CC, and you'll at least be able to read amperage
>> and work the watt/hour meter. The Flexnet DC gives you a shunt channel for
>> net on the main DC negative, plus 3 more shunt channels to measure whatever
>> you want -- wind turbine, other brand CCs, etc.
>>
>> The configurable email alerts and automated daily data dumps are super
>> handy for systems that are hours drive away. I also learned to set the Mate
>> 3S to automatically reboot every 24 hoursthis (oddly) cleared up many
>> problems I had in the past with the Mate 3S dropping offline randomly.
>>
>> Dan Fink
>> Owner, Buckville Energy Consulting
>> NABCEP Certified PV System Inspector
>> IREC Certified Instructor™ for:
>> ~ PV Installation Professional
>> ~ Small Wind Installer
>> NABCEP Registered Continuing Education Providers
>> d anbo...@gmail.com
>> 970-672-4342
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Oct 12, 2020 at 5:05 PM Howie Michaelson <
>> howie.michael...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Hey FOlks,
>>> While Outback had been my goto offgrid system, over the last many years
>>> I have gravitated to the Conext and Sol-Ark systems.  However, I have many
>>> legacy Outback VFX systems out there and some could really use remote
>>> communication.  Unfortunately, I have stayed far away from Optics RE, as I
>>> haven't been thrilled with the reports of issues the system had. However,
>>> it seems it is the best option for remote 

Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE

[Howie Michaelson]

Thanks guys. I really appreciate the info. That does a lot to clear up my
misgivings with attempting this!

My only hesitancy at this point is switching to the Mate3. When it first
came out, I put it into an off grid upgrade, but ended up hating it - I
found it more complicated and less intuitive than the original Mate (which
says a lot considering the lack of intuitive design of that). So it seemed
harder to explain to my clients. (Maybe I just hate change).

Dan, do you know why satellite won't work for the optics internet
connections? Many of my remote sites only have satellite internet access.

Thanks again,
Howie
Howie Michaelson
Sun Catcher
NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer™
Solar Electric & Heat Pumps Systems Sales & Service
802-272-0004

On Mon, Oct 12, 2020, 7:56 PM Dan Fink  wrote:

> Howie; I'm pretty satisfied with the current condition of the OpticsRE
> world. Most of the past problems have been ironed out, and I've had good
> email tech support from Outback (!).
>
> You'll need a Mate 3S, an Outback Hub, and a Flexnet DC with shunts for
> each channel you want to measure. If all your equipment is Outback, you
> only need the Net shunt on the FLexnet DC, otherwise, more shunts. As Jerry
> mentioned, the Mate 3S will automatically get it's IP address from the
> router and connect online, you just type its MAC address into the OpticsRE
> portal and it starts communicating.
>
> The critical thing is the internet connection -- it must be rock solid or
> you'll have no end of woes. Satellite internet (Hughes, Exced) will NOT
> work with it (nor with Midnite's monitoring system BTW). Wired LAN (Cat 5)
> has worked the best for me, but do NOT exceed (or even approach, in my
> experience) the 50 foot limit. If you use a wifi adaptor on the Mate 3S
> instead of wired, make sure you have an *excellent* wifi signal in the room
> with the Mate 3S.  I've never tried a cell adaptor, as where I work cell
> service is weak and spotty if it even exists, but I assume a very strong
> cell connection would be needed. In one situation with no cell service,
> long wire run for ethernet and bad interior wifi (concrete/stucco/adobe
> style walls) but good  local coax modem internet, I just ran fiber optic
> cable with a fiber to ethernet adaptor on each end (Mate 3S and cable
> modem) outdoors in conduit, about $150 in equipment, and that cable could
> be half mile long but seem like 3 feet to the Mate 3S.
>
> As for the Midnite controller, just put one shunt for the Flexnet DC on
> the output of the Midnite CC, and you'll at least be able to read amperage
> and work the watt/hour meter. The Flexnet DC gives you a shunt channel for
> net on the main DC negative, plus 3 more shunt channels to measure whatever
> you want -- wind turbine, other brand CCs, etc.
>
> The configurable email alerts and automated daily data dumps are super
> handy for systems that are hours drive away. I also learned to set the Mate
> 3S to automatically reboot every 24 hoursthis (oddly) cleared up many
> problems I had in the past with the Mate 3S dropping offline randomly.
>
> Dan Fink
> Owner, Buckville Energy Consulting
> NABCEP Certified PV System Inspector
> IREC Certified Instructor™ for:
> ~ PV Installation Professional
> ~ Small Wind Installer
> NABCEP Registered Continuing Education Providers
> d anbo...@gmail.com
> 970-672-4342
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Oct 12, 2020 at 5:05 PM Howie Michaelson <
> howie.michael...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hey FOlks,
>> While Outback had been my goto offgrid system, over the last many years I
>> have gravitated to the Conext and Sol-Ark systems.  However, I have many
>> legacy Outback VFX systems out there and some could really use remote
>> communication.  Unfortunately, I have stayed far away from Optics RE, as I
>> haven't been thrilled with the reports of issues the system had. However,
>> it seems it is the best option for remote oversight, so I am trying to
>> figure out what is required and what it is capable of.
>> I've read through the initial documentation and as best I can gather, I
>> need a Mate 3s and an internet connection - is that all?  I assume having a
>> FlexnetDC in the system is critical as well.  I'm also wondering if there
>> is a way to monitor basic production data from a Midnite Classic through
>> the Optics system. And is the Optics RE system fairly solid since I'm not
>> thrilled about putting in systems that need too much fussing or attention
>> to keep operating once they are set up properly. Finally, are there any
>> other comparable monitoring equipment that would work for monitoring such
>> systems?
>> Thanks,
>> Howie
>>
>> *Howie Michaelson**Sun Catcher*
>>
> ___
> List sponsored by Redwood Alliance
>
> List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org
>
> Change listserver email address & settings:
> http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
>
> There are two list archives for searching. When one 

Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE

[Dan Fink]

Howie; I'm pretty satisfied with the current condition of the OpticsRE
world. Most of the past problems have been ironed out, and I've had good
email tech support from Outback (!).

You'll need a Mate 3S, an Outback Hub, and a Flexnet DC with shunts for
each channel you want to measure. If all your equipment is Outback, you
only need the Net shunt on the FLexnet DC, otherwise, more shunts. As Jerry
mentioned, the Mate 3S will automatically get it's IP address from the
router and connect online, you just type its MAC address into the OpticsRE
portal and it starts communicating.

The critical thing is the internet connection -- it must be rock solid or
you'll have no end of woes. Satellite internet (Hughes, Exced) will NOT
work with it (nor with Midnite's monitoring system BTW). Wired LAN (Cat 5)
has worked the best for me, but do NOT exceed (or even approach, in my
experience) the 50 foot limit. If you use a wifi adaptor on the Mate 3S
instead of wired, make sure you have an *excellent* wifi signal in the room
with the Mate 3S.  I've never tried a cell adaptor, as where I work cell
service is weak and spotty if it even exists, but I assume a very strong
cell connection would be needed. In one situation with no cell service,
long wire run for ethernet and bad interior wifi (concrete/stucco/adobe
style walls) but good  local coax modem internet, I just ran fiber optic
cable with a fiber to ethernet adaptor on each end (Mate 3S and cable
modem) outdoors in conduit, about $150 in equipment, and that cable could
be half mile long but seem like 3 feet to the Mate 3S.

As for the Midnite controller, just put one shunt for the Flexnet DC on the
output of the Midnite CC, and you'll at least be able to read amperage and
work the watt/hour meter. The Flexnet DC gives you a shunt channel for net
on the main DC negative, plus 3 more shunt channels to measure whatever you
want -- wind turbine, other brand CCs, etc.

The configurable email alerts and automated daily data dumps are super
handy for systems that are hours drive away. I also learned to set the Mate
3S to automatically reboot every 24 hoursthis (oddly) cleared up many
problems I had in the past with the Mate 3S dropping offline randomly.

Dan Fink
Owner, Buckville Energy Consulting
NABCEP Certified PV System Inspector
IREC Certified Instructor™ for:
~ PV Installation Professional
~ Small Wind Installer
NABCEP Registered Continuing Education Providers
d anbo...@gmail.com
970-672-4342




On Mon, Oct 12, 2020 at 5:05 PM Howie Michaelson 
wrote:

> Hey FOlks,
> While Outback had been my goto offgrid system, over the last many years I
> have gravitated to the Conext and Sol-Ark systems.  However, I have many
> legacy Outback VFX systems out there and some could really use remote
> communication.  Unfortunately, I have stayed far away from Optics RE, as I
> haven't been thrilled with the reports of issues the system had. However,
> it seems it is the best option for remote oversight, so I am trying to
> figure out what is required and what it is capable of.
> I've read through the initial documentation and as best I can gather, I
> need a Mate 3s and an internet connection - is that all?  I assume having a
> FlexnetDC in the system is critical as well.  I'm also wondering if there
> is a way to monitor basic production data from a Midnite Classic through
> the Optics system. And is the Optics RE system fairly solid since I'm not
> thrilled about putting in systems that need too much fussing or attention
> to keep operating once they are set up properly. Finally, are there any
> other comparable monitoring equipment that would work for monitoring such
> systems?
> Thanks,
> Howie
>
> *Howie Michaelson**Sun Catcher*
>
___
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Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE

[Jerry Shafer]

Wrenches
You will need the mate celular or some hard line comm. Make sure you have
all current firmware in all the devices.
Once you set up the mate at the home screen push the port button and get
the Mac address, next set up your site on opticsRE and your done, keep all
on one log in site and easy peasy. Software is a must dont skip it.
Jerry
NABCEP PV Inspector

On Mon, Oct 12, 2020, 4:05 PM Howie Michaelson 
wrote:

> Hey FOlks,
> While Outback had been my goto offgrid system, over the last many years I
> have gravitated to the Conext and Sol-Ark systems.  However, I have many
> legacy Outback VFX systems out there and some could really use remote
> communication.  Unfortunately, I have stayed far away from Optics RE, as I
> haven't been thrilled with the reports of issues the system had. However,
> it seems it is the best option for remote oversight, so I am trying to
> figure out what is required and what it is capable of.
> I've read through the initial documentation and as best I can gather, I
> need a Mate 3s and an internet connection - is that all?  I assume having a
> FlexnetDC in the system is critical as well.  I'm also wondering if there
> is a way to monitor basic production data from a Midnite Classic through
> the Optics system. And is the Optics RE system fairly solid since I'm not
> thrilled about putting in systems that need too much fussing or attention
> to keep operating once they are set up properly. Finally, are there any
> other comparable monitoring equipment that would work for monitoring such
> systems?
> Thanks,
> Howie
>
> *Howie Michaelson**Sun Catcher*
>
> *NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer™*
>
> *Solar Electric Systems Sales & Service802-272-0004*
> ___
> List sponsored by Redwood Alliance
>
> List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org
>
> Change listserver email address & settings:
> http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
>
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[RE-wrenches] Optics RE

[Howie Michaelson]

Hey FOlks,
While Outback had been my goto offgrid system, over the last many years I
have gravitated to the Conext and Sol-Ark systems.  However, I have many
legacy Outback VFX systems out there and some could really use remote
communication.  Unfortunately, I have stayed far away from Optics RE, as I
haven't been thrilled with the reports of issues the system had. However,
it seems it is the best option for remote oversight, so I am trying to
figure out what is required and what it is capable of.
I've read through the initial documentation and as best I can gather, I
need a Mate 3s and an internet connection - is that all?  I assume having a
FlexnetDC in the system is critical as well.  I'm also wondering if there
is a way to monitor basic production data from a Midnite Classic through
the Optics system. And is the Optics RE system fairly solid since I'm not
thrilled about putting in systems that need too much fussing or attention
to keep operating once they are set up properly. Finally, are there any
other comparable monitoring equipment that would work for monitoring such
systems?
Thanks,
Howie

*Howie Michaelson**Sun Catcher*

*NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer™*

*Solar Electric Systems Sales & Service802-272-0004*
___
List sponsored by Redwood Alliance

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Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics-RE

[Andrew]

I did it last week and it seems to be only logged in OpticsRE not that Mate3 
itself.

 

Don’t know if the picture shows up but on the optics RE event history it will 
show the online user(depicted as jadesteel) and the on-site(mate3 user) on the 
event history.

 



 

 

Andrew Perkins

Greenwired

P: 707-923-2001

F: 707-923-2077

1150 #1 Evergreen Rd

Redway, CA 95560

www.greenwired.com

Description: signature

 

 

 

From: RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf 
Of William Miller
Sent: Sunday, March 03, 2019 1:01 PM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics-RE

 

Jay:

 

I do not believe programming changes are logged anywhere in Optics or locally.  
However you can program Optics to notify you if a programming change occurs.  
You can see that changes were made but not what those changes are.  See below 
for an excerpt of an email alert I received on one of our systems.  

 

I might add that none of these changes are real.  These are all phantom 
changes-- which is an ongoing bug with the Optics System.  These notifications 
will also inform you if actual changes are made, but again not what was 
changed.  This bug makes it hard to trust these notifications.  If you are 
worried about unauthorized persons making changes, your best practice is to set 
an installer password and limit access.

 


Event Description 

Timestamp 


Configuration changes are made remotely via OPTICS 

02/21/2019 07:31 


Configuration changes are made locally via MATE3/AXS Port 

02/21/2019 07:32 


Configuration changes are made remotely via OPTICS 

02/21/2019 07:33 


Configuration changes are made remotely via OPTICS 

02/21/2019 07:33 


Configuration changes are made locally via MATE3/AXS Port 

02/21/2019 07:33 

 

Kienan:

 

You can save and restore configurations while on site.  You may know this and I 
may be misunderstanding your question—the function is pretty visible on the 
Mate3 or 3s.  You save the configuration files to SD card and you can copy them 
from the card to a computer for record keeping or later analysis.  Frequently 
saving this file is how you create a log of programming changes.  There is a 
way you can parse the settings into a spreadsheet.  Unfortunately I do not 
believe saving configuration files can be automated or done remotely.

 

I hope this information helps.

 

William Miller

 

PS:  I have records of an Outback FX system changing its own settings, even 
changing stacking autonomously (shutting down the system).  This is another 
reason I have a love/hate relationship with Outback.

 

Wm

 

 

 

 

-Original Message-
From: RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf 
Of Kienan Maxfield
Sent: Sunday, March 3, 2019 7:36 AM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics-RE

 

No, but it would be a great idea. Another feature that would be nice would be 
an option to export/import complete configurations. 

 

-Kienan

 

> On Mar 2, 2019, at 10:04 PM, Jay  wrote:

> 

> Hi all,

> 

> Does optics RE have a history of changes made to setpoints/settings?

> 

> I’m pretty sure not, but wanted to check,

> 

> Thx

> 

> Jay

> 

> PS. And if not might be a good thing to add?

> ___

> List sponsored by Redwood Alliance

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Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics-RE

[Kienan Maxfield]

William,

Thanks. Yes, that's my normal practice. I am quite familiar with that process. 
I am a big outback user. I just meant that it would be cool if they were to add 
that same functionality to Optics, rather than having to be on site. If you 
could export the configuration on optics, then you could easily compare it to 
the old configuration, and make a log of programming changes. I have found 
myself making adjustments periodically on Optics as many of my sites are 2 to 4 
hours away (each way).

Thanks,
Kienan
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Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics-RE

[William Miller]

Jay:



I do not believe programming changes are logged anywhere in Optics or
locally.  However you can program Optics to notify you if a programming
change occurs.  You can see that changes were made but not what those
changes are.  See below for an excerpt of an email alert I received on one
of our systems.



I might add that none of these changes are real.  These are all phantom
changes-- which is an ongoing bug with the Optics System.  These
notifications will also inform you if actual changes are made, but again
not what was changed.  This bug makes it hard to trust these
notifications.  If you are worried about unauthorized persons making
changes, your best practice is to set an installer password and limit
access.



*Event Description *

*Timestamp *

Configuration changes are made remotely via OPTICS

02/21/2019 07:31

Configuration changes are made locally via MATE3/AXS Port

02/21/2019 07:32

Configuration changes are made remotely via OPTICS

02/21/2019 07:33

Configuration changes are made remotely via OPTICS

02/21/2019 07:33

Configuration changes are made locally via MATE3/AXS Port

02/21/2019 07:33



Kienan:



You can save and restore configurations while on site.  You may know this
and I may be misunderstanding your question—the function is pretty visible
on the Mate3 or 3s.  You save the configuration files to SD card and you
can copy them from the card to a computer for record keeping or later
analysis.  Frequently saving this file is how you create a log of
programming changes.  There is a way you can parse the settings into a
spreadsheet.  Unfortunately I do not believe saving configuration files can
be automated or done remotely.



I hope this information helps.



William Miller



PS:  I have records of an Outback FX system changing its own settings, even
changing stacking autonomously (shutting down the system).  This is another
reason I have a love/hate relationship with Outback.



Wm









-Original Message-
From: RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On
Behalf Of Kienan Maxfield
Sent: Sunday, March 3, 2019 7:36 AM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics-RE



No, but it would be a great idea. Another feature that would be nice would
be an option to export/import complete configurations.



-Kienan



> On Mar 2, 2019, at 10:04 PM, Jay  wrote:

>

> Hi all,

>

> Does optics RE have a history of changes made to setpoints/settings?

>

> I’m pretty sure not, but wanted to check,

>

> Thx

>

> Jay

>

> PS. And if not might be a good thing to add?

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Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics-RE

[Kienan Maxfield]

No, but it would be a great idea. Another feature that would be nice would be 
an option to export/import complete configurations. 

-Kienan

> On Mar 2, 2019, at 10:04 PM, Jay  wrote:
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> Does optics RE have a history of changes made to setpoints/settings?
> 
> I’m pretty sure not, but wanted to check,
> 
> Thx
> 
> Jay
> 
> PS. And if not might be a good thing to add?
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[RE-wrenches] Optics-RE

[Jay]

Hi all,

Does optics RE have a history of changes made to setpoints/settings?

I’m pretty sure not, but wanted to check,

Thx

Jay

PS. And if not might be a good thing to add?
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Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics Re update

[Chris Mason]

I would put the router on a UPS.


On Mon, Jul 18, 2016 at 8:21 PM, William Miller 
wrote:

> Friends:
>
>
>
> For those of you using or contemplating using Optics RE, here is an update:
>
>
>
> As many of you know, the Optics RE has been unreliable in maintaining
> connectivity.  There are “approved” connection methods which stipulate no
> wifi, must be hard-wired with certain data transfer rate.  Even with an
> approved system our Optics connectivity has been very unreliable.  So much
> so that we installed a set of relays on our Control-by-web system to reboot
> the Mate 3s.
>
>
>
> I spoke with Outback about this at Intersolar.   There is a new firmware
> revision that is purported to resolve this (.001).  We installed this last
> Friday at one of our sites.  Today we found a lot of data gaps.  Contacting
> tech support I learned that there was a server maintenance performed
> today.  I also learned that there are frequent server maintenance sessions
> occurring in an attempt to fix these problems.
>
>
>
> If you do not have the new firmware, you may consider installing it.  If
> you see gaps in your data, you can guess as to why.
>
>
>
> William
>
>
>
> PS:  We have found that if there are manual generator stops the power
> quality is greatly reduced as compared to Mate initiated generator stops.
> This is because if the Mate initiates the stop it transfers the power prior
> to the generator slowing down.  This power quality problem can cause
> problems with modems and routers.  We found that certain 12 volt routers
> and 30 volt modems work just fine on 24 volts DC and are infinitely more
> reliable.
>
>
>
> Wm
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> [image: Gradient Cap_mini]
> Lic 773985
> millersolar.com 
> 805-438-5600
>
>
>
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-- 
Chris Mason
NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer™
Solar Design Engineer
Generac Generators Industrial technician

www.cometsolar.com 
264.235.5670
869.662.5670
Skype: netconcepts
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[RE-wrenches] Optics Re update

[William Miller]

Friends:



For those of you using or contemplating using Optics RE, here is an update:



As many of you know, the Optics RE has been unreliable in maintaining
connectivity.  There are “approved” connection methods which stipulate no
wifi, must be hard-wired with certain data transfer rate.  Even with an
approved system our Optics connectivity has been very unreliable.  So much
so that we installed a set of relays on our Control-by-web system to reboot
the Mate 3s.



I spoke with Outback about this at Intersolar.   There is a new firmware
revision that is purported to resolve this (.001).  We installed this last
Friday at one of our sites.  Today we found a lot of data gaps.  Contacting
tech support I learned that there was a server maintenance performed
today.  I also learned that there are frequent server maintenance sessions
occurring in an attempt to fix these problems.



If you do not have the new firmware, you may consider installing it.  If
you see gaps in your data, you can guess as to why.



William



PS:  We have found that if there are manual generator stops the power
quality is greatly reduced as compared to Mate initiated generator stops.
This is because if the Mate initiates the stop it transfers the power prior
to the generator slowing down.  This power quality problem can cause
problems with modems and routers.  We found that certain 12 volt routers
and 30 volt modems work just fine on 24 volts DC and are infinitely more
reliable.



Wm







[image: Gradient Cap_mini]
Lic 773985
millersolar.com 
805-438-5600
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Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE reliability / conext combox & portal

[Kevin Pegg]

Hello Wrenches,

Deep appreciation for saving me much time and hassle in beta testing products 
that are released to market prematurely.

Happy to report that the Conext Combox and the Conext Insight portal from 
Schneider is working very well for me it is a robust remote control, monitoring 
datalogging solution. Connectivity on sites is varied from satellite, cell 
modem, and dsl and the system is solid. No issues with it not coming back 
online. Connections drop regularly and all comes back when the connection is 
back.

Kevin

From: RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf 
Of Gary Rochlin
Sent: May-16-16 3:25 PM
To: 'RE-wrenches' <re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org>
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE reliability

Yes, by manually disconnecting the power but as mentioned not with the auto 
reboot with Rev. 15.


From: RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf 
Of William Miller
Sent: Monday, May 16, 2016 3:06 PM
To: 'RE-wrenches' 
<re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org<mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org>>
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE reliability

Gary:

Are you able to reliably re-establish connectivity by rebooting the Mate3?

I was informed today that the power to the Mate3 is on the Orange/White pair.  
I have the ability to control a relay remotely that could open a relay on these 
leads.  If this will reestablish communications, then this might be a solution. 
 (The device has a ping function wherein you can program it to ping an IP 
address and perform a prescribed action if the ping fails after a programmable 
number of attempts over a programmable time period.)

Thanks,

William


From: RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf 
Of Gary Rochlin
Sent: Monday, May 16, 2016 2:37 PM
To: 'RE-wrenches' 
<re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org<mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org>>
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE reliability

We have been having problems with the Mate 3 Optics RE since we installed it at 
the beginning of 2014.  Ours is a battery backup system for a grid tied 
install.  We just got off the phone with Outback this morning after upgrading 
to Rev. 15 two months ago and we are still having the going offline issue.  
Currently we have only been able to keep the monitoring running for about half 
a month and then it needs to be manually rebooted even with the 4-hour reboot 
function activated.  This morning we went out to the site to replace the 
original Mate 3 and tech support told us we would lose all historic data on the 
site - We had to pull off again.  The only saving grace is the solar system is 
still working as planned providing power to the back-up system we just can’t 
see the metrics and this is the last thing we expected from Outback when we 
made the choice to utilize the Radian system instead of the SMA sunny Island.  
From what I can tell Outback released their new system without sufficiently 
beta testing the monitoring and we are all paying for it.

Gary Rochlin


From: RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf 
Of Chris Mason
Sent: Monday, May 16, 2016 1:15 PM
To: RE-wrenches 
<re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org<mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org>>
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE reliability


We have reported to Outback that the Mate3 OpticsRE will stop reporting if the 
internet goes down for a while. In the Caribbean, we have some outages and the 
M3 does not handle them well. I think there is an option to reboot the M3 
daily,  I would try that. You can be pretty sure it is not a cable failure.
On May 16, 2016 4:07 PM, "William Miller" 
<will...@millersolar.com<mailto:will...@millersolar.com>> wrote:
Friends:

We just installed our first Optics RE systems.  They are both at the same 
location connected to a satellite data system.  In the three weeks these two 
systems have been on line, they have become disconnected several times.  The 
latest time both Mates disconnected but we were able to reconnect one by 
remotely rebooting the router.

I have invested a lot of money, time and reputation on these systems.  I am 
hoping reliability improves.  I am on a long hold with Outback right now in an 
attempt to trouble shoot. I am guessing the resolution will be a two hour drive 
each way to unplug and plug the Cat5 cable in.

Ten minutes later:  I received helpful information from Outback tech support, 
as usual. I will be swapping Mates to see if the trouble moves, etc.  I will 
also be setting the auto reboot function.

Can anyone else suggest how to resolve these issues?

What experience have the remainder of you had with the Optics RE system?  Is it 
reliable for you?

Thanks in advance,

William Miller






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Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE reliability

[Gary Rochlin]

Yes, by manually disconnecting the power but as mentioned not with the auto 
reboot with Rev. 15.  

 

 

From: RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf 
Of William Miller
Sent: Monday, May 16, 2016 3:06 PM
To: 'RE-wrenches' <re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org>
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE reliability

 

Gary:

 

Are you able to reliably re-establish connectivity by rebooting the Mate3?  

 

I was informed today that the power to the Mate3 is on the Orange/White pair.  
I have the ability to control a relay remotely that could open a relay on these 
leads.  If this will reestablish communications, then this might be a solution. 
 (The device has a ping function wherein you can program it to ping an IP 
address and perform a prescribed action if the ping fails after a programmable 
number of attempts over a programmable time period.)

 

Thanks,

 

William

 

 

From: RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf 
Of Gary Rochlin
Sent: Monday, May 16, 2016 2:37 PM
To: 'RE-wrenches' <re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org 
<mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org> >
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE reliability

 

We have been having problems with the Mate 3 Optics RE since we installed it at 
the beginning of 2014.  Ours is a battery backup system for a grid tied 
install.  We just got off the phone with Outback this morning after upgrading 
to Rev. 15 two months ago and we are still having the going offline issue.  
Currently we have only been able to keep the monitoring running for about half 
a month and then it needs to be manually rebooted even with the 4-hour reboot 
function activated.  This morning we went out to the site to replace the 
original Mate 3 and tech support told us we would lose all historic data on the 
site - We had to pull off again.  The only saving grace is the solar system is 
still working as planned providing power to the back-up system we just can’t 
see the metrics and this is the last thing we expected from Outback when we 
made the choice to utilize the Radian system instead of the SMA sunny Island.  
From what I can tell Outback released their new system without sufficiently 
beta testing the monitoring and we are all paying for it.  

 

Gary Rochlin

 

 

From: RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf 
Of Chris Mason
Sent: Monday, May 16, 2016 1:15 PM
To: RE-wrenches <re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org 
<mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org> >
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE reliability

 

We have reported to Outback that the Mate3 OpticsRE will stop reporting if the 
internet goes down for a while. In the Caribbean, we have some outages and the 
M3 does not handle them well. I think there is an option to reboot the M3 
daily,  I would try that. You can be pretty sure it is not a cable failure. 

On May 16, 2016 4:07 PM, "William Miller" <will...@millersolar.com 
<mailto:will...@millersolar.com> > wrote:

Friends:

 

We just installed our first Optics RE systems.  They are both at the same 
location connected to a satellite data system.  In the three weeks these two 
systems have been on line, they have become disconnected several times.  The 
latest time both Mates disconnected but we were able to reconnect one by 
remotely rebooting the router.

 

I have invested a lot of money, time and reputation on these systems.  I am 
hoping reliability improves.  I am on a long hold with Outback right now in an 
attempt to trouble shoot. I am guessing the resolution will be a two hour drive 
each way to unplug and plug the Cat5 cable in.

 

Ten minutes later:  I received helpful information from Outback tech support, 
as usual. I will be swapping Mates to see if the trouble moves, etc.  I will 
also be setting the auto reboot function.  

 

Can anyone else suggest how to resolve these issues?

 

What experience have the remainder of you had with the Optics RE system?  Is it 
reliable for you?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

William Miller

 

 

 

 

 


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List-Arc

Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE reliability

[William Miller]

Gary:

 

Are you able to reliably re-establish connectivity by rebooting the Mate3?  

 

I was informed today that the power to the Mate3 is on the Orange/White pair.  
I have the ability to control a relay remotely that could open a relay on these 
leads.  If this will reestablish communications, then this might be a solution. 
 (The device has a ping function wherein you can program it to ping an IP 
address and perform a prescribed action if the ping fails after a programmable 
number of attempts over a programmable time period.)

 

Thanks,

 

William

 

 

From: RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf 
Of Gary Rochlin
Sent: Monday, May 16, 2016 2:37 PM
To: 'RE-wrenches' <re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org>
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE reliability

 

We have been having problems with the Mate 3 Optics RE since we installed it at 
the beginning of 2014.  Ours is a battery backup system for a grid tied 
install.  We just got off the phone with Outback this morning after upgrading 
to Rev. 15 two months ago and we are still having the going offline issue.  
Currently we have only been able to keep the monitoring running for about half 
a month and then it needs to be manually rebooted even with the 4-hour reboot 
function activated.  This morning we went out to the site to replace the 
original Mate 3 and tech support told us we would lose all historic data on the 
site - We had to pull off again.  The only saving grace is the solar system is 
still working as planned providing power to the back-up system we just can’t 
see the metrics and this is the last thing we expected from Outback when we 
made the choice to utilize the Radian system instead of the SMA sunny Island.  
From what I can tell Outback released their new system without sufficiently 
beta testing the monitoring and we are all paying for it.  

 

Gary Rochlin

 

 

From: RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf 
Of Chris Mason
Sent: Monday, May 16, 2016 1:15 PM
To: RE-wrenches <re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org 
<mailto:re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org> >
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE reliability

 

We have reported to Outback that the Mate3 OpticsRE will stop reporting if the 
internet goes down for a while. In the Caribbean, we have some outages and the 
M3 does not handle them well. I think there is an option to reboot the M3 
daily,  I would try that. You can be pretty sure it is not a cable failure. 

On May 16, 2016 4:07 PM, "William Miller" <will...@millersolar.com 
<mailto:will...@millersolar.com> > wrote:

Friends:

 

We just installed our first Optics RE systems.  They are both at the same 
location connected to a satellite data system.  In the three weeks these two 
systems have been on line, they have become disconnected several times.  The 
latest time both Mates disconnected but we were able to reconnect one by 
remotely rebooting the router.

 

I have invested a lot of money, time and reputation on these systems.  I am 
hoping reliability improves.  I am on a long hold with Outback right now in an 
attempt to trouble shoot. I am guessing the resolution will be a two hour drive 
each way to unplug and plug the Cat5 cable in.

 

Ten minutes later:  I received helpful information from Outback tech support, 
as usual. I will be swapping Mates to see if the trouble moves, etc.  I will 
also be setting the auto reboot function.  

 

Can anyone else suggest how to resolve these issues?

 

What experience have the remainder of you had with the Optics RE system?  Is it 
reliable for you?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

William Miller

 

 

 

 

 


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Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE reliability

[Gary Rochlin]

We have been having problems with the Mate 3 Optics RE since we installed it at 
the beginning of 2014.  Ours is a battery backup system for a grid tied 
install.  We just got off the phone with Outback this morning after upgrading 
to Rev. 15 two months ago and we are still having the going offline issue.  
Currently we have only been able to keep the monitoring running for about half 
a month and then it needs to be manually rebooted even with the 4-hour reboot 
function activated.  This morning we went out to the site to replace the 
original Mate 3 and tech support told us we would lose all historic data on the 
site - We had to pull off again.  The only saving grace is the solar system is 
still working as planned providing power to the back-up system we just can’t 
see the metrics and this is the last thing we expected from Outback when we 
made the choice to utilize the Radian system instead of the SMA sunny Island.  
From what I can tell Outback released their new system without sufficiently 
beta testing the monitoring and we are all paying for it.  

 

Gary Rochlin

 

 

From: RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf 
Of Chris Mason
Sent: Monday, May 16, 2016 1:15 PM
To: RE-wrenches <re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org>
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE reliability

 

We have reported to Outback that the Mate3 OpticsRE will stop reporting if the 
internet goes down for a while. In the Caribbean, we have some outages and the 
M3 does not handle them well. I think there is an option to reboot the M3 
daily,  I would try that. You can be pretty sure it is not a cable failure. 

On May 16, 2016 4:07 PM, "William Miller" <will...@millersolar.com 
<mailto:will...@millersolar.com> > wrote:

Friends:

 

We just installed our first Optics RE systems.  They are both at the same 
location connected to a satellite data system.  In the three weeks these two 
systems have been on line, they have become disconnected several times.  The 
latest time both Mates disconnected but we were able to reconnect one by 
remotely rebooting the router.

 

I have invested a lot of money, time and reputation on these systems.  I am 
hoping reliability improves.  I am on a long hold with Outback right now in an 
attempt to trouble shoot. I am guessing the resolution will be a two hour drive 
each way to unplug and plug the Cat5 cable in.

 

Ten minutes later:  I received helpful information from Outback tech support, 
as usual. I will be swapping Mates to see if the trouble moves, etc.  I will 
also be setting the auto reboot function.  

 

Can anyone else suggest how to resolve these issues?

 

What experience have the remainder of you had with the Optics RE system?  Is it 
reliable for you?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

William Miller

 

 

 

 

 


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Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE reliability

[Chris Mason]

We have reported to Outback that the Mate3 OpticsRE will stop reporting if
the internet goes down for a while. In the Caribbean, we have some outages
and the M3 does not handle them well. I think there is an option to reboot
the M3 daily,  I would try that. You can be pretty sure it is not a cable
failure.
On May 16, 2016 4:07 PM, "William Miller"  wrote:

> Friends:
>
>
>
> We just installed our first Optics RE systems.  They are both at the same
> location connected to a satellite data system.  In the three weeks these
> two systems have been on line, they have become disconnected several
> times.  The latest time both Mates disconnected but we were able to
> reconnect one by remotely rebooting the router.
>
>
>
> I have invested a lot of money, time and reputation on these systems.  I
> am hoping reliability improves.  I am on a long hold with Outback right now
> in an attempt to trouble shoot. I am guessing the resolution will be a two
> hour drive each way to unplug and plug the Cat5 cable in.
>
>
>
> Ten minutes later:  I received helpful information from Outback tech
> support, as usual. I will be swapping Mates to see if the trouble moves,
> etc.  I will also be setting the auto reboot function.
>
>
>
> Can anyone else suggest how to resolve these issues?
>
>
>
> What experience have the remainder of you had with the Optics RE system?
> Is it reliable for you?
>
>
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
>
>
> William Miller
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ___
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>
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>
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>
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Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE reliability

[Matt Partymiller]

Our Optics systems spend more time offline than online.  Outback
continually provides good technical support but they are unable to
permanently resolve this connection issue.

Luckily we only have a couple Optics systems but we have been dealing with
this same issue for around a year.  In most instances, upgrading firmware
resolves the issue.  They seem to update that every other week.  Sometimes
upgrading firmware can cause the issue as happened to me Friday.

I have been avoiding selling Optics systems.  Connectivity issues are
still our major issue with almost all monitoring platforms but while
others are starting to get it right, Outback is still having difficulty.

Matt


On Mon, May 16, 2016 3:57 pm, William Miller wrote:
> Friends:
>
>
>
>
> We just installed our first Optics RE systems.  They are both at the same
>  location connected to a satellite data system.  In the three weeks these
> two systems have been on line, they have become disconnected several
> times.  The latest time both Mates disconnected but we were able to
> reconnect one by remotely rebooting the router.
>
>
>
> I have invested a lot of money, time and reputation on these systems.  I
> am hoping reliability improves.  I am on a long hold with Outback right
> now in an attempt to trouble shoot. I am guessing the resolution will be a
> two hour drive each way to unplug and plug the Cat5 cable in.
>
>
>
> Ten minutes later:  I received helpful information from Outback tech
> support, as usual. I will be swapping Mates to see if the trouble moves,
> etc.  I will also be setting the auto reboot function.
>
>
>
> Can anyone else suggest how to resolve these issues?
>
>
>
>
> What experience have the remainder of you had with the Optics RE system?
> Is
> it reliable for you?
>
>
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
>
>
>
> William Miller
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ___
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>
>
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>
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Matthew Partymiller
Solar Energy Solutions LLC
(877) 312-7456
m...@solar-energy-solutions.com


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Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE reliability

[Chris Mason]

Our other significant experience has been that the Mate3 will stop drawing
graphs after a few days,  but I don't have the latest firmware add I am
traveling and have not had time.
On May 16, 2016 4:07 PM, "William Miller"  wrote:

> Friends:
>
>
>
> We just installed our first Optics RE systems.  They are both at the same
> location connected to a satellite data system.  In the three weeks these
> two systems have been on line, they have become disconnected several
> times.  The latest time both Mates disconnected but we were able to
> reconnect one by remotely rebooting the router.
>
>
>
> I have invested a lot of money, time and reputation on these systems.  I
> am hoping reliability improves.  I am on a long hold with Outback right now
> in an attempt to trouble shoot. I am guessing the resolution will be a two
> hour drive each way to unplug and plug the Cat5 cable in.
>
>
>
> Ten minutes later:  I received helpful information from Outback tech
> support, as usual. I will be swapping Mates to see if the trouble moves,
> etc.  I will also be setting the auto reboot function.
>
>
>
> Can anyone else suggest how to resolve these issues?
>
>
>
> What experience have the remainder of you had with the Optics RE system?
> Is it reliable for you?
>
>
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
>
>
> William Miller
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ___
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>
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>
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[RE-wrenches] Optics RE reliability

[William Miller]

Friends:

 

We just installed our first Optics RE systems.  They are both at the same
location connected to a satellite data system.  In the three weeks these two
systems have been on line, they have become disconnected several times.  The
latest time both Mates disconnected but we were able to reconnect one by
remotely rebooting the router.

 

I have invested a lot of money, time and reputation on these systems.  I am
hoping reliability improves.  I am on a long hold with Outback right now in
an attempt to trouble shoot. I am guessing the resolution will be a two hour
drive each way to unplug and plug the Cat5 cable in.

 

Ten minutes later:  I received helpful information from Outback tech
support, as usual. I will be swapping Mates to see if the trouble moves,
etc.  I will also be setting the auto reboot function.  

 

Can anyone else suggest how to resolve these issues?

 

What experience have the remainder of you had with the Optics RE system?  Is
it reliable for you?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

William Miller

 

 

 

 

 

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Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE with two hubs.

[Lones Tuss]

The Flex net DC can be used with up to three shunts.
It will give individual shunt information as well as overall total of the three.
The actual labels do not matter other than easy identification.
But if you do want to label them it is done in the Configuration Wizard
I would recommend installing the FNDC on the Mate3/Hub combination used with 
the inverters.
It is nice to have SOC, Dc Voltage and Battery Temperature viewed with the 
inverters.

Do I really need the PV shunt?

Yes for the FNDC to be accurate all paths into and out of the batteries must go 
through a shunt.

I can’t seem to find the screen where you label the charge controllers.

The Mate3 with the charge controllers will label them as Port 1-10.
You can assign a name to a shunt you cannot assign a name to a charge 
controller.

Each Mate has its own Mac address put both Mates under the same site name.

Just to clarify OutBack usually uses a 500 amp 50mv shunt.
500/ .05 = 10,000 to 1 ratio
It is possible to use a 1000A 100mv shunt
The 10,000 to 1 ratio is the same.
This can help with larger systems.
I apologize for the piece meal response.
There are several questions here that had to be dealt with individually.
I hope this helps.
Take Care


Lones Tuss
Applications Engineer
OutBack Power Technologies
17825 59th Ave NE, Suite B, Arlington, WA 98223
360.618.4383 Office | 425.213.8794 Cell
www.outbackpower.com<http://www.outbackpower.com/>

From: RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-boun...@lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf 
Of Jay
Sent: Tuesday, May 03, 2016 9:22 AM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE with two hubs.

Nope doesn't care.
You could have 1 shunt or 3.
You just get to monitor the 3 shunts.
The m3 display uses comm from the cc

Jay

Sent from my iPhone

On May 3, 2016, at 8:44 AM, William Miller 
<will...@millersolar.com<mailto:will...@millersolar.com>> wrote:
Jay:

Thanks for the reply. I meant label the shunts. Doesn't the FNDC need to 
differentiate between PV charge and inverter charge?

William

On May 3, 2016, at 7:18 AM, Jay 
<jay.pe...@gmail.com<mailto:jay.pe...@gmail.com>> wrote:
Hi William,

Yes you need the shunt for PV the FNDC to read correctly

I'm not sure exactly what you mean about labeling the cc?
The FNDC doesn't care what each shunt does. Cc, inverter DC loads etc, if 
that's what you mean


Jay
Peltz power.




On May 3, 2016, at 12:10 AM, William Miller 
<will...@millersolar.com<mailto:will...@millersolar.com>> wrote:
Friends:

I am setting up an Optics RE system with a system that has 8 FX inverters and 3 
charge controllers.  I installed two Mate3s and a Flexnet-DC.  I need two 
shunts for the Inverters because 4 are connected in one DC1000 and 4 in the 
other.  I installed a third shunt for the PV.

The inverter Mate3 and Flexnet connects into one 10 port hub and the PV Mate3 
connects into another hub with the charge controllers.

Do I really need the PV shunt?  How is the Flexnet processing charge current if 
it does not know there are charge controllers?

I can’t seem to find the screen where you label the charge controllers.  I am 
used to setting these up with Radians.  Am I missing something?

Any help is appreciates. Because when I posed this question to Outback and got 
the audible equivalent to a blank stare:


Thanks in advance,

William Miller



Lic 773985
millersolar.com<http://www.millersolar.com/>
805-438-5600

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Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE with two hubs.

[Jay]

Nope doesn't care. 
You could have 1 shunt or 3. 
You just get to monitor the 3 shunts. 
The m3 display uses comm from the cc

Jay

Sent from my iPhone

> On May 3, 2016, at 8:44 AM, William Miller  wrote:
> 
> Jay:
> 
> Thanks for the reply. I meant label the shunts. Doesn't the FNDC need to 
> differentiate between PV charge and inverter charge?
> 
> William
> 
>> On May 3, 2016, at 7:18 AM, Jay  wrote:
>> 
>> Hi William,
>> 
>> Yes you need the shunt for PV the FNDC to read correctly 
>> 
>> I'm not sure exactly what you mean about labeling the cc?
>> The FNDC doesn't care what each shunt does. Cc, inverter DC loads etc, if 
>> that's what you mean
>> 
>> 
>> Jay
>> Peltz power. 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On May 3, 2016, at 12:10 AM, William Miller  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Friends:
>>>  
>>> I am setting up an Optics RE system with a system that has 8 FX inverters 
>>> and 3 charge controllers.  I installed two Mate3s and a Flexnet-DC.  I need 
>>> two shunts for the Inverters because 4 are connected in one DC1000 and 4 in 
>>> the other.  I installed a third shunt for the PV.
>>>  
>>> The inverter Mate3 and Flexnet connects into one 10 port hub and the PV 
>>> Mate3 connects into another hub with the charge controllers.
>>>  
>>> Do I really need the PV shunt?  How is the Flexnet processing charge 
>>> current if it does not know there are charge controllers?
>>>  
>>> I can’t seem to find the screen where you label the charge controllers.  I 
>>> am used to setting these up with Radians.  Am I missing something?
>>>  
>>> Any help is appreciates. Because when I posed this question to Outback and 
>>> got the audible equivalent to a blank stare:
>>>  
>>>  
>>> Thanks in advance,
>>>  
>>> William Miller
>>>  
>>>  
>>> 
>>> Lic 773985
>>> millersolar.com
>>> 805-438-5600
>>>  
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Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE with two hubs.

[William Miller]

Jay:

Thanks for the reply. I meant label the shunts. Doesn't the FNDC need to 
differentiate between PV charge and inverter charge?

William

> On May 3, 2016, at 7:18 AM, Jay  wrote:
> 
> Hi William,
> 
> Yes you need the shunt for PV the FNDC to read correctly 
> 
> I'm not sure exactly what you mean about labeling the cc?
> The FNDC doesn't care what each shunt does. Cc, inverter DC loads etc, if 
> that's what you mean
> 
> 
> Jay
> Peltz power. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> On May 3, 2016, at 12:10 AM, William Miller  wrote:
>> 
>> Friends:
>>  
>> I am setting up an Optics RE system with a system that has 8 FX inverters 
>> and 3 charge controllers.  I installed two Mate3s and a Flexnet-DC.  I need 
>> two shunts for the Inverters because 4 are connected in one DC1000 and 4 in 
>> the other.  I installed a third shunt for the PV.
>>  
>> The inverter Mate3 and Flexnet connects into one 10 port hub and the PV 
>> Mate3 connects into another hub with the charge controllers.
>>  
>> Do I really need the PV shunt?  How is the Flexnet processing charge current 
>> if it does not know there are charge controllers?
>>  
>> I can’t seem to find the screen where you label the charge controllers.  I 
>> am used to setting these up with Radians.  Am I missing something?
>>  
>> Any help is appreciates. Because when I posed this question to Outback and 
>> got the audible equivalent to a blank stare:
>>  
>>  
>> Thanks in advance,
>>  
>> William Miller
>>  
>>  
>> 
>> Lic 773985
>> millersolar.com
>> 805-438-5600
>>  
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Re: [RE-wrenches] Optics RE with two hubs.

[Jay]

Hi William,

Yes you need the shunt for PV the FNDC to read correctly 

I'm not sure exactly what you mean about labeling the cc?
The FNDC doesn't care what each shunt does. Cc, inverter DC loads etc, if 
that's what you mean


Jay
Peltz power. 




> On May 3, 2016, at 12:10 AM, William Miller  wrote:
> 
> Friends:
>  
> I am setting up an Optics RE system with a system that has 8 FX inverters and 
> 3 charge controllers.  I installed two Mate3s and a Flexnet-DC.  I need two 
> shunts for the Inverters because 4 are connected in one DC1000 and 4 in the 
> other.  I installed a third shunt for the PV.
>  
> The inverter Mate3 and Flexnet connects into one 10 port hub and the PV Mate3 
> connects into another hub with the charge controllers.
>  
> Do I really need the PV shunt?  How is the Flexnet processing charge current 
> if it does not know there are charge controllers?
>  
> I can’t seem to find the screen where you label the charge controllers.  I am 
> used to setting these up with Radians.  Am I missing something?
>  
> Any help is appreciates. Because when I posed this question to Outback and 
> got the audible equivalent to a blank stare:
>  
>  
> Thanks in advance,
>  
> William Miller
>  
>  
> 
> Lic 773985
> millersolar.com
> 805-438-5600
>  
> ___
> List sponsored by Redwood Alliance
> 
> List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org
> 
> Change listserver email address & settings:
> http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
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> 
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[RE-wrenches] Optics RE with two hubs.

[William Miller]

Friends:



I am setting up an Optics RE system with a system that has 8 FX inverters
and 3 charge controllers.  I installed two Mate3s and a Flexnet-DC.  I need
two shunts for the Inverters because 4 are connected in one DC1000 and 4 in
the other.  I installed a third shunt for the PV.



The inverter Mate3 and Flexnet connects into one 10 port hub and the PV
Mate3 connects into another hub with the charge controllers.



Do I really need the PV shunt?  How is the Flexnet processing charge
current if it does not know there are charge controllers?



I can’t seem to find the screen where you label the charge controllers.  I
am used to setting these up with Radians.  Am I missing something?



Any help is appreciates. Because when I posed this question to Outback and
got the audible equivalent to a blank stare:





Thanks in advance,



William Miller





[image: Gradient Cap_mini]
Lic 773985
millersolar.com 
805-438-5600
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