SOK Owner / Operator Manual: Chapter 4 – MPP Solar Communication

When communication has been established, the MPP Solar Inverter can re-configure its charging voltage, current, and battery discharge cut-off voltage according to the battery’s parameters. If parameters are outside of a safe range, the inverter can start or stop in order to protect the batteries.

Cables

To establish communication with an MPP Solar device, a special cable must be used. This cable can either be purchased already made or can be created by following the pinout table below. Pre-Purchased cables must be checked upon receipt to ensure they are labeled as “For use with MPP Solar”, otherwise an incorrect cable can lead to difficulty communicating.The following table depicts the pinouts used on the MPP Solar Inverter, as well as the RS485A port of the SK48v100. When hand-making cables, we highly recommend confirming the pin configurations, as mistakes can lead to very difficult-to-troubleshoot problems.

MPP Solar / SK48v100 Pinout Table
Function MPP Solar SK48v100
GND Pin 8 Pin 6
RS485A Pin 5 Pin 7
RS485B Pin 3 Pin 8

If you wish to use your own cable, do so with caution; the following pinout table creates a cable that is unidirectional, so only the end labeled “SK48v100” must be plugged into the battery, and the end labeled “MPP Solar”’ must be plugged into the inverter. If this is reversed, then communication cannot be established.

Connector #1 (MPP Solar) Connector #2 (SK48v100)
Pin 1 Pin 1
Pin 2 Pin 2
Pin 3 Pin 3
Pin 4 Pin 4
Pin 5 Pin 5
Pin 6 Pin 6
Pin 7 Pin 7
Pin 8 Pin 8

Note: The connector on the MPP Solar side has all wires noted so that it’s easier to align the wires within connector. Connections to the unused pins is NOT required, however makes insertion of the wires in the connector far easier. Do not connect these unused wires to any of the pins on the SK48v100.

Connection port & Procedure

Power off the entire system, including turning off the BMS. We recommend keeping any AC inputs to the MPP Solar inverter OFF during this procedure. After the cable(s) have been installed, power up the system making sure to follow the proper start-up procedure.

The communication cable plug marked “SK48V100” plugs into the “RS485A” port of the master battery. Verify the DIP switches of the master battery are set to address #1, ON-OFF-OFF-OFF as described previously and slave batteries are set to unique address as designated here.

The remaining end of the cable marked “MPP Solar” plugs into the “LI-ION” port of the MPP Solar unit.

Ensure all batteries are in the “BMS-OFF” state prior to installing the cable(s. After the cable(s) have been installed, power up the system making sure to follow the proper start-up procedure.

MPP Solar Menu Settings

Disclaimer: The following menu options described were determined based on the MPP Solar LVX 6048, LV 6048 and LV 6548. Different models may have slightly different menu options. If you notice a discrepancy, please contact us so that we can provide an addendum to this section.

  1. Press & hold the “⏎” key for approximately 3 seconds to enter the main menu.
  2. Using the up and down arrows, navigate to setting (#14 LVX 6048) (#5 LV 6548). Press the “⏎” key to change the setting. Using the up and down arrows, adjust the setting parameter until “PYL” is shown. Press the “⏎” key one more to save the setting.
  3. For systems using only 1 battery, navigate to setting 11 (Maximum charge current) and set this parameter to 100A. This is the maximum charge current one single battery allows. For multi-battery systems, this setting can be set no greater than 100*(number of batteries).
  4. Press the ESC button to exit the menu and save settings.
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