[RE-wrenches] Trace Meter TM500 questions

Mon May 11 10:31:41 EDT 2020

Hi Steve, 

You have always been so helpful over the decades to my
business. 

I realize this is not for you but Allan. I am sure someone will
give specifics on getting this to work. I would only add that most all of
these Soc battery monitors used in lead acid have been nothing but a source
of problems. Even if they get the calibration at commissioning, they rarely
get the recalibration they need to be useful. They are battery killers and
I stopped using them. 

I teach the user on how to read voltage, note the
load, and make a judgement on "when" to recharge. It is not that hard.

Dave Angelini Offgrid Solar
"we go where powerlines
don't"
http://members.sti.net/offgridsolar/ [1]
e-mail offgridsolar at sti.net
[2]
text 209 813 0060

On Sun, 10 May 2020 17:48:11 -0700, Steve Higgins 
wrote:  Hope this helps Allan   
   Steve Higgins ⋅ Technical Services
Manager  t +1.902.597.4020 m +1.206.790.5840 f +1.902.597.8447 e
steve at surrette.com [4] 

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  On Sun, May 10, 2020 at 5:25 PM Sindelar
Solar  wrote:   

Esteemed Wrenches, graybeard (used here as a
gender-neutral term) contingent: 

I am putting together a low-cost off
grid upgrade package for my nearest neighbor out here, who has lived with a
most basic system with little upgrade since the 80s. She needs a sinewave
inverter to run a modern washing machine. I'm using good older equipment
left over from other upgrades: an early narrow FX E-Panel, Outback VFX3524,
ProStar 30, circuit breakers (!), etc.  

I have a 'Trace Meter Battery
Monitoring System' that I'd like to include for her. It's basically a
TriMetric variant that Trace purchased the rights to modify and private
label from Ralph at Bogart Engineering about 15-20 years ago. I can easily
find the installation and operations manual online. But unlike the
TriMetric, Trace removed the terminal screw strip on the monitor PCB,
replacing it with two RJ6 connectors and a plug-in phone cable. A matching
connector was included with the meter that mounted to the kelvin terminals
on the 500A/50mv shunt. 

I have a (believed to be) working monitor and a
bunch of 6-pole RJ6 cables (they were also used to parallel DRs for
120/240, and maybe other tasks as well) but not the matching shunt board.
Does anyone know, or can tell me how to determine, which RJ6 terminals are
which? The TM2020 on which this meter was based had 4: G1, G2, SIG and +.
Also, the monitor also has a second RJ6 terminal for serving as an on/off
switch for (probably) the DR. Do you know which terminals are used for this
remote switch function, and whether it could also serve as an on/off switch
on the inverter by connecting to the remote switch terminals on the VFX
(this works with a standard on/off switch in place of the Mate, so it
oughtta also work with this switch function, no?). 

Thank you for any
assistance you may provide. 

Allan -- 

ALLAN SINDELAR

allan at sindelarsolar.com [13]
 NABCEP Certified PV Installation
Professional
 New Mexico EE98J Journeyman Electrician
 Founder (Retired),
Positive Energy, Inc.
 505 780-2738 CELL 

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