Trimetric 2030 battery monitor

[JRRNeiklot]

I'm in the process of installing my solar setup. I have everything installed except the solar panels. I am having issues with my Trimetric 2030 battery monitor. After charging to 95%, according to my battery charger, it's showing 14.5 volts, both at the charger and the Trimetric, but the amps are showing negative .3, which is the draw of phantom loads, I assume. It shows the same -.3 when I'm not charging. It should be showing the amount of amps incoming, correct? I discharged the batteries to 12.3 volts today - my battery charger was showing 62%, but the Trimetric shows the battery perentage at 98%. Can anyone help me straighten this out?

Thanks.

[BFL13]

"Sounds very nice. And if I switched to a 24V system, my existing 700W of hi-V panels would prolly work well with a couple SC2030s and a Trimetric."

Doesn't the controller need the batts to be the same voltage as the panels, per PWM, no buck converter? You can do 24/24 or 12/12, but not 24/12.

You are allowed to have 24/24 in the rig if you can get 12v out of it all for running the 12v rig. (various options for that)

[brulaz]

Searching_Ut wrote:
I too really like the Trimetric and SC2030 solar charger combo, and have my finish voltage and overcharge setup virtually identical to Grizzzmans. My solar componentry changed a couple times last year, as I tried a couple different borrowed MPPT controllers, and both series and parallel variations on the panels. I also grew the system from 400 to 600 Watts. I definitely prefer the SC2030 controller overall, with the panels of course in Parallel. It does a better job of charging the batts than anything else I tried. As mentioned, it doesn't work with the high voltage panels, but being I prefer parallel panels scattered across as much of the roof as possible, it seems to be the best compromise for the mixed shade we encounter in many of the areas we like camping in.

I have 4 additional 100 watt panels in the garage, and all the other items I need to upgrade my solar to 1000 watts total when the weather improves, 10 panels in two banks of 500 watts. The trimetric can control 2 SC2030s with a simple jumper harness connected between the controllers. Ralph at Bogart engineering helped me get me set up for the upgrade.

Sounds very nice. And if I switched to a 24V system, my existing 700W of hi-V panels would prolly work well with a couple SC2030s and a Trimetric.

EDIT: actually with a 24V system, think I'd just need one SC2030 to handle the 700W (24x30=720).

[BFL13]

I have the 2025, and as mentioned I think its instructions for "full" are sort of insane. So I never used them. I ASSumed the 2030 was the same for that, and the solar controller would just tie in with that so I ASSumed the whole combo would be insane too.

It seems from what is being said, there is more to the whole 2030 combo, and I was wrong about it. Good.

Why is the 2025 "full" insane IMO?

1. It says to set P1 (the voltage for "full") to 1 or 2 % LESS than the Vabs of the charger being used.

This is so the Tri will indicate Full, "just before the charging system decides the batteries are charged and stops charging your batteries."

Insanity? The charger (some/many of them) will reach Vabs well before that, and hold its voltage at that Vabs for the absorption stage which could take hours. Meanwhile the Tri has rolled over back at the start of the Absorption stage? Not quite, because amps are not down yet.

However, he might be referring to the old shunt type solar controller which would stop charging at its high set point until Batv got down to the low set point. Or perhaps an Iota or PowerMax converter which have a lower "Vabs" than the voltage they get the battery to at the end of their Bulk.

2. It says to take 2% of your AH capacity as the P2 amps for "full" I know with my batts, they are somewhere near 98% SOC at that point. Not full!

So when the battery voltage goes above P1 and the amps go below P2 for a time so it is not just bouncing around, the AH counter resets itself to zero and the Tri says you are at 100%

The real control item there is the amps, which have to be low enough, so who cares what the voltage is doing above or below charger Vabs?

IMO just bizarre. So I trust the 2030 instructions are more sensible than that from what has been posted above by owners.

Meanwhile I will stick with my own system for saying when to MANUALLY reset the AH counter, when I decide the batts are full.

I get great value from my Trimetic using it as a voltmeter, ammeter, and AH counter. But the whole "full" thing is just goofy so I don't even have it turned on, having never entered anything for P1, P2, and P3.

[Searching_Ut]

I too really like the Trimetric and SC2030 solar charger combo, and have my finish voltage and overcharge setup virtually identical to Grizzzmans. My solar componentry changed a couple times last year, as I tried a couple different borrowed MPPT controllers, and both series and parallel variations on the panels. I also grew the system from 400 to 600 Watts. I definitely prefer the SC2030 controller overall, with the panels of course in Parallel. It does a better job of charging the batts than anything else I tried. As mentioned, it doesn't work with the high voltage panels, but being I prefer parallel panels scattered across as much of the roof as possible, it seems to be the best compromise for the mixed shade we encounter in many of the areas we like camping in.

I have 4 additional 100 watt panels in the garage, and all the other items I need to upgrade my solar to 1000 watts total when the weather improves, 10 panels in two banks of 500 watts. The trimetric can control 2 SC2030s with a simple jumper harness connected between the controllers. Ralph at Bogart engineering helped me get me set up for the upgrade.

[brulaz]

grizzzman wrote:

...
Additionally when my system hits its amps setpoint the amps are maintained and the voltage is allowed to rise to 15.3 volts. A "finish" charge if you will.
...

3 stage charging with a "finish" stage?
Is this your solar charger?

I'm envious. My Rogue (and PD charger) only does 2 stage.
But at least the Rogue allows me to set the amps cut-off for absorb stage as well as the time.

EDIT: just read up on the Bogart SC-2030. Very nice! To bad they don't have a MPPT unit for high voltage panels.

[BFL13]

grizzzman, that does look better the way you do it.

My system relies on taking SG, which doesn't work very well with AGMs.

[grizzzman]

BFL13 wrote:
My trouble with all that is I do not accept that the battery is truly full while it is still accepting amps such as 1 or 2 % of rated AH.

I know some battery blurbs use that notion and the Trimetric is just following that notion.

If you let the battery rest for a time after that, giving time for "SG Lag" to catch up, the hydrometer shows SG is not back up to "baseline." You can need an overcharge to get the SG all the way up, which shows that the battery was not fully charged.

On solar I have often seen the batteries finally reach baseline SG but the Trimetric is showing 10 or so AH "over" what was drawn down. That is despite the Tri's allowance for heat loss. You can adjust that allowance so it comes out even. The usual idea is you need to replace about 115% of what you took out.

IMO, relying on the Tri's notion of "full" is going to mean undercharging the batteries and some sulfation building up over time.

It may not work for others, but I prefer to decide when the batteries are truly at 100% myself, and only then to re-set the Trimetric AH counter.

This can mean operating for many days before solar conditions are good enough to get the batteries that high while you are camping and using the batteries. You have to limit usage and run the 12v stuff on "extra " solar while the batteries get that last bit of recharge, so the batteries do not have a draw cancelling the recharging amps, which is the case when there is no extra solar.

BFL13 there are different levels if using the TM 2030 and the SC 2030 together. As an example not only the voltage and amps have to hit setpoints but it also has to "return" 114 percent of what was used on the last discharge cycle. Additionally when my system hits its amps setpoint the amps are maintained and the voltage is allowed to rise to 15.3 volts. A "finish" charge if you will. I believe that the size of the system makes all the difference as to getting to 100 percent on a daily basis.

[BFL13]

My trouble with all that is I do not accept that the battery is truly full while it is still accepting amps such as 1 or 2 % of rated AH.

I know some battery blurbs use that notion and the Trimetric is just following that notion.

If you let the battery rest for a time after that, giving time for "SG Lag" to catch up, the hydrometer shows SG is not back up to "baseline." You can need an overcharge to get the SG all the way up, which shows that the battery was not fully charged.

On solar I have often seen the batteries finally reach baseline SG but the Trimetric is showing 10 or so AH "over" what was drawn down. That is despite the Tri's allowance for heat loss. You can adjust that allowance so it comes out even. The usual idea is you need to replace about 115% of what you took out.

IMO, relying on the Tri's notion of "full" is going to mean undercharging the batteries and some sulfation building up over time.

It may not work for others, but I prefer to decide when the batteries are truly at 100% myself, and only then to re-set the Trimetric AH counter.

This can mean operating for many days before solar conditions are good enough to get the batteries that high while you are camping and using the batteries. You have to limit usage and run the 12v stuff on "extra " solar while the batteries get that last bit of recharge, so the batteries do not have a draw cancelling the recharging amps, which is the case when there is no extra solar.

[Searching_Ut]

Your trimetric is a really good meter once you set it up right. When coupled with the SC2030 it can't be beat for charging your batteries.

As far as getting it to read 100 percent, the easiest way to program it is to simply enter the code for the manufacture of the battery you're using and the charge voltage, current limit profiles. To be fully charged, the default setting on the Trimetric looks for voltage to reach the manufacture defined voltage level for at least a little over 2.5 minutes or so, while at the same time the current flow has dropped below the level set for it to indicate full charge. If you have these values programed in wrong you might not ever hit 100 percent. Depending on the converter/charger you're using, the battery might not ever hit 100 percent either. I know my Progressive Dynamics 9280 doesn't work well with Interstate batteries due to the voltages it's programed to charge at.

[hedge]

I think I'm glad I went with the Victron, it's just worked from day one. I also love that I can check it wirelessly with my phone app instead of having to go to the display.

[BFL13]

I don't use the % SOC on my Trimetric, but I gather you must enter an estimated AH size of your battery bank so it has a baseline for "100%"

You need to get the batteries all the way full by SG using equalizing voltages or anything that works, and then re-set the AH count to zero to kick off the whole process.

Otherwise you are forever off on the AH count vs the un-loaded voltage wrt SOC observation. (like now)

Don't forget to disable the auto AH re-set (see manual) if you are on solar or you will get an un-wanted AH re-set every evening when it starts to get dark.

[JRRNeiklot]

After hooking the charger up properly, everything seems to be working properly except state of charge. I'm at 12.5 volts and still showing 96%.

[Joel_T]

To see what your panels are putting out get to "SOL" mode on your trimetric. Then turn on enough loads on your batteries so the battery voltage gets below 13 volts. Then your panels will be pumping max amps which you can observe on the SOL display.

[CA_Traveler]

Charger and solar off, turn a light etc. on/off and note it's draw. Handy to have a table of battery loads.

The monitor reflects the battery amps only and not charger/solar amps. For example with the charger off assume solar shows 20A and with 5A house loads the 2030 will show 15A to a discharged battery.

[CA_Traveler]

I had to tweek the settings a little for it to register 100% SOC with a fully charged battery. I have the 2025 RV model but essentially the same monitor.