Solar: the good, the bad, the cutting edge and the bare bones

I have a scaffold set up behind the array. I stand on it lift the panel slightly and slide it sideways. I reset it on the lower row and install spacer blocks between the rows until I tighten up the clamps. If I had a bigger crew I’d do a lift of some sort but this works well for a one man show like me.

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ahh I didn’t see the scaffold. that makes more sense. :slight_smile:

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We’ve got a similar Magnum inverter, but 24 volts. I’ve found limited information about Magnum’s serial communications. Have you done anything along those lines?

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This will probably push you in the right direction, they are saying they use a standard RS485 serial protocol.

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When I said I had found limited information, well, you’ve found it, too :slightly_smiling_face:

The link to the escaped Magnum document seems to be about all there is. I could build something with an Arduino, and play Trap the Data Stream, but I’d like a less strenuous method, if there is one. I’m thinking it might be faster and easier to just let the Arduino monitor and run the system, and just send instructions to the inverter. I like the Magnum hardware, but I like the Victron open source philosophy.

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I just skimmed the thread looking for the protocol doc, but this thread is newer and they are saying basically not much has changed.

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f278/continuation-of-battery-charging-and-the-1-5-9-update-602735-2.html

Magnum-Networking-Communications-Protocol-(2009-10-15).pdf (62.0 KB)

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I have just received this toy :nerd_face:

Bifacial monocrystalline TopCon 182mm 8W

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How are you going to use it? It looks like it is just a cell, then you have to make a panel out of it, or at least add connectors and waterproofing.

It is a great find. I didn’t realize they were that cheap. a package of 100 is like 115 dollars on aliexpress.

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At beginning, it will be a toy. I am just curious to see how things are working. I spotted the sale at Aliexpress for 40 pcs package. So I ordered two.

Definitely, it’s not worth to build own panels at scale. One may find panels with such cells at price around $150-200. So you can’t beat it in area of quality, safety and performance. But you may create your own smaler solutions focused on special purpose.

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That is kind of why I asked. It would be worth if you wanted a custom solution. say a 1 cell high panel to sit on top of an existing fence or even replace boards for a board fence. For .13c/watt or whatever it worked out to, even only using one side isn’t a crime.

You probably already know this but not all clear plastics are suitable covering acrylic, polycarbonate, or PET, which are transparent and UV-resistant are the best.

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I have installed Magnum’s “mag web” monitoring kit but it is expensive… Usually clients either go with outback (mostly obsolete now) or Schneiders or Solark all of which offer their own built in monitoring. There are independent monitoring platforms as well but I don’t really get into them.

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