Sunny Beam Manual Sunny Beam Wireless PV System Monitor User Manual U.S. Version 1.
Sunny Beam Manual ii
Sunny Beam Manual Copyright © 2005 SMA America, Inc. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photographic, magnetic or otherwise, without the prior written permission of SMA America, Inc.
Sunny Beam Manual IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS *SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS* This manual contains important instructions for the Sunny Beam that must be followed during the installation, operating and maintenance of the Sunny Beam. The Sunny Beam is designed and tested according to international safety requirements, but as with all electrical and electronic equipment, certain precautions must be observed when installing and/or operating the Sunny Beam.
Sunny Beam Manual Warranty All Sunny Beam units sold in the USA have a one-year warranty, as indicated on the warranty card included in the shipping container. For warranty coverage, or if you have questions about the Sunny Beam warranty, contact SMA America at the address, telephone number, or Web site listed on page iii (to send E-mail, see the Contact section of the SMA America Web site: www.sma-america.com).
Sunny Beam Manual NOTE: The Sunny Beam relies upon clear radio reception to transfer data. The radio reception is subject to the influences of the unit’s surroundings such as, other wireless devices, terrain and the construction materials of the building in which the device is used. For best results, try to locate the Sunny Beam where it will have a relatively clear path to the inverter.
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Compatibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Unpacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sunny Beam Manual Introduction Introduction The Sunny Beam allows wireless real-time data monitoring and storage for up to four SMA Sunny Boy inverters.
Unpacking Sunny Beam Manual Compatibility The following SMA inverters a compatible for use with the Sunny Beam: • • • • • • SB700U SB1100U SB1800U SB2500U SB3800U SB6000U Unpacking When unpacking the Sunny Beam, make sure that all of the components are present. Save the shipping container in the event that it ever becomes necessary to return your Sunny Beam to SMA America. WARNING: The installation of the Sunny Beam requires access to the inside of the inverter to be monitored.
Sunny Beam Manual Installation and Setup Installation and Setup WARNING: The installation of the Sunny Beam requires access to the inside of the inverter(s) to be monitored. Lethal voltages are present inside the inverters when they are operating and the installation of the communication card should only be performed by qualified personnel. WARNING: Refer to the Installation Guide for the specific inverter for instructions on powering down and opening the inverter.
Installation and Setup Sunny Beam Manual Mounting the Radio Piggy-Back Board After verifying the group setting, the Radio Piggy-Back may be mounted by gently pressing it onto the pins as shown in the illustration below. NOTE: Be sure to support the inverter circuit board from underneath when mounting the Piggy-Back. Excessive flexing of the circuit board may damage it. Press the Piggy-Back in place until it is fully seated against the connectors on the circuit board. %.3 %.
Sunny Beam Manual Installation and Setup 3-! 372 322 68 XX 3-! 372 "&2 68 XX Figure 1-4 Resistor Location in SWR Type Inverters Mounting the Antenna The antenna provided for use on the inverter comes with a PG type connector for mounting to the underside of the inverter. The antenna will typically mount in the conduit hole provided for communications cables. The PG connector is a PG13.5 type. A PG16 type adapter has also been provided.
Installation and Setup Sunny Beam Manual Figure 1-5 Antenna Assembly Options 6
Sunny Beam Manual Installation and Setup NOTE: To operate effectively, the PG connector for the antenna must be grounded. It is important that the metal of the PG connector make good contact with the metal case of the inverter. Make sure that the teeth of the locknut face the metal and that the locknut is tightened sufficiently to allow good metal to metal contact. • Thread the locknut onto the pressure screw and tighten.
Installation and Setup Sunny Beam Manual %.3 %.3 3 3 3 3 3 3 6 6 Figure 1-7 Connecting Coax to Radio Piggy-Back Repeat this process for the remaining inverters if applicable. Once the installation of the Radio Piggy-Backs is complete, restore power to the inverters.
Sunny Beam Manual Commissioning Wall Mounting the Sunny Beam The Sunny Beam is design to work as a desktop unit. However, in some applications, it may be desirable to mount the Sunny Beam to a wall. A wall-mount bracket has been provided for this purpose. Mount the wall bracket securely to the wall using appropriate hardware for the wall material. Set the top of the Sunny Beam onto the tab at the top of the wall bracket. Bring the Sunny Beam down towards the bottom of the wall mount.
Commissioning Sunny Beam Manual Sunny Beam External Antenna Position The external antenna on the Sunny Beam has a built-in hinge. Bend the antenna at the hinge and position it so that it is straight up. This will be the most effective position for most installations. NOTE: Do not rotate (other than where hinged), loosen or remove the external antenna from the Sunny Beam. Operating the Sunny Beam without the antenna will damage the Sunny Beam and void the warranty.
Sunny Beam Manual Commissioning Setup Set Date and Time When the Sunny Beam is first powered up it will begin with setting the date and time. NOTE: This is a good opportunity to become familiar with the operation of the knob. Notice how the selected item changes as the knob rotates. Once the correct value is displayed, press the knob to select it. To set, follow these instructions: • Rotate the knob so that DAY is highlighted.
Commissioning Sunny Beam Manual Sunny Boy Detection Once the date and time are set the Sunny Beam will automatically begin to search for active inverters. While the Sunny Beam is searching, the radio frequency, or “group” number is displayed along with the number of inverters found. NOTE: The Sunny Beam should be kept a minimum of 10 feet away from the Sunny Boy during the detection process to avoid overloading the receivers.
Sunny Beam Manual Commissioning Excluding Inverters Once the Sunny Beam has finished searching for inverters, it will display the inverters found and show their type and serial numbers. This screen provides an opportunity to exclude certain inverters. For example, if the Sunny Beam can detect inverters that are not part of the plant or if it detects inverters that will not be monitored at this time, the undesired inverters would be excluded during this step.
Operation Sunny Beam Manual Operation Power Supply The Sunny Beam operates off of the pair of AA batteries inside the unit. These batteries are recharged by the solar cell on the back of the Sunny Beam, or via the USB port with a powered USB hub or special USB wall-charger. Power Level Indication The power level of the internal batteries is displayed on the home screen in the form of a small battery cell icon. At 3.30 V the icon indicates “full” and at 2.50 V the icon indicates “empty”.
Sunny Beam Manual Operation The Home Screen can also display the following information in graph format: • • • • Daily total plant power output Daily single inverter power output Daily total energy yields for the last 31 days or of the current month Internal battery voltage level Default View The Sunny Beam comes set from the factory to display the daily yield and total yield of the entire plant in the text area. The total plant power for the day is displayed in the graph area.
Operation Sunny Beam Manual L8 .P 1 8 1 8 1 8 U 1 8 Figure 1-11 Home Screen Display Details Auto Scaling The graph will automatically scale the x and y axis throughout the day depending on power output. For example, as the power output increases during the morning, the Sunny Beam rescales the graph automatically so that the peak always remains displayed.
Sunny Beam Manual Operation Monthly Data The total power output for each of the inverters is stored for viewing in the Daily Energy Yield screen. By rotating the knob, the total for each inverter as well as the total for the plant can be viewed. L8I .P %"*-: &/&3(: :*&-% .
Operation Sunny Beam Manual Percentage of P-Limit The power output is displayed as a percentage, calculated from the current output power of the inverter divided by the maximum output power. The individual inverters are selectable by rotating the knob. L8 .P 1 1 1 U 1 Figure 1-13 Percentage of P-Limit of All Inverters L8 .
Sunny Beam Manual Operation Device Type The Device Types of the connected inverters are displayed in this screen. When an inverter’s device type number is displayed, its power values are displayed in the black bar beneath the graph. L8 .P U %&7*$& 83 .
Operation Sunny Beam Manual Serial Number The serial numbers of the connected inverters will be displayed along with their corresponding power values. This is helpful in determining the actual inverter being monitored. L8 .
Sunny Beam Manual Operation Earnings The earnings are displayed in the desired currency. The setting of the currency and the remuneration is explained in detail in the Coefficients of Balance section of this manual. L8 .
Operation Sunny Beam Manual CO2 Saved In this screen the amount of CO2 saved by the operation of the plant is displayed in kilograms. The formula for this is based upon selections made in the Coefficients of Balance setup. L8 .
Sunny Beam Manual Operation Setup Options Main Menu To access the different setup options for the Sunny Beam, begin by going to the Main Menu. This menu is reached by pressing the knob once while in any of the home level screens. This section describes the functions of each of the Main Menu items. 4 VOOZ # FBN . " */ . & / 6 -"/(6"(& 5*.
Operation Sunny Beam Manual Contrast The Contrast menu allows the contrast of the screen to be adjusted for best visibility. There are separate settings for the upper screen and the lower screen. Adjust for the best view in the surrounding light conditions.
Sunny Beam Manual Operation Data View The Data View menu is used to select which items are to be displayed. The check mark indicates that the item will be shown on the home screen. Use the knob to select and set the options to be displayed and then select Exit to return to the main menu. 4 VOOZ # FBN % "5" 7 *& 8 1&3$&/5"(& 50 1 -*.
Operation Sunny Beam Manual View Options The View Options menu allows the interval at which the data is updated to be adjusted. Data Change Freq.: Sets the interval at which the data on the screen is updated. This can be set from 5 to 30 seconds. Data Request Freq.: Sets the interval at which data is requested from the Sunny Boy inverter. This can be set from 10 seconds to 60 minutes.
Sunny Beam Manual Operation Setup Menu The Setup menu allows for further customizing of the Sunny Beam. 4 VOOZ # FBN 4 & 56 1 1-"/5 4&37*$& &/&3(: .&5&3 "%+645.&/5 $0&''*$*&/54 0' #"-"/$& 3&4&5 4VOOZ #FBN &9*5 Figure 1-23 Setup Menu Items Plant The plant menu allows changes to be made in the number of inverters being monitored and the radio frequency being used.
Operation Sunny Beam Manual be set to Group 1. The second set of 4 would be set to Group 2. Then, by changing the Group number in the Sunny Beam between 1 and 2, each set of 4 inverters could be monitored separately. NOTE: Only one group of inverters is monitored at a time. For example, if the Sunny Beam is set to Group 1, then only those inverters (up to 4) set for Group 1 are monitored. No data is being retrieved or stored for any other group until the Sunny Beam is set for that Group number.
Sunny Beam Manual Operation Diagnostics The Diagnostics screen provides information on the communication performance of the Sunny Beam and can be very helpful in troublshooting communication issues. When this screen is entered, the Sunny Beam begins transmitting requests for data to the Sunny Boy(s). The Sunny Beam records the successes and failures of these communication requests as described below.
Operation Sunny Beam Manual The Percentages: Displays the success rate of the communication. Ideally this number would remain at 100% indicating that all requests for data were completed. If this number was 50%, it would mean that half of the time the Sunny Beam is unable to complete a request for data with the Sunny Boy. If the number is 0%, it means that the Sunny Beam is unable to communicate with any of the inverters and needs to be moved closer.
Sunny Beam Manual Operation Energy Meter Adjustment The energy meter for each of the Sunny Boys can be adjusted in the Sunny Beam if required. For example, this would allow an inverter used in a previous system to start out at zero, or conversely, restore the values if the inverter was off-line for any reason. & / & 3 ( : . & 5& 3 " % +6 4 5. & / 54 83 )9 4/ 83 .
Operation Sunny Beam Manual Coefficients of Balance This menu allows the price per kilowatt hour and the type of currency to be selected. This also determines the formula for the Earnings display. The kilograms of CO2 saved per kilowatt hour can also be set. The factory default for kg CO2 / kWh is a factor of 1.70.
Sunny Beam Manual Operation Using the USB Port The Sunny Beam has a built in USB port on the side of the unit. This port may be used to charge the internal batteries or communicate with a PC using Sunny Data Control. When the USB is active, a USB symbol will appear on the display. Figure 1-28 USB Port and Symbol on Display Sunny Data Control Setup The Sunny Beam comes with a CD-ROM which includes a copy of the Sunny Data Control (SDC) software as well as the driver for the Sunny Beam.
Operation Sunny Beam Manual -AIN #ONTROL "AR #URRENT 0LANT 4REE $EVICE /VERVIEW 3CREENS 4ABS Figure 1-29 Guide to SDC Overview Screen 34
Sunny Beam Manual Operation Detecting the Sunny Beam Once SDC is launched, The next step is to select the proper port for SDC to communicate through. To set up the port, click on Settings in the main control bar and then under “Connection By” select Sunny Beam (USB) as shown below. Click OK to exit. Figure 1-30 Sunny Data Control Settings Window The next step is to detect the Sunny Beam and the inverters. To do this, click on Detect in the upper control bar.
Operation Sunny Beam Manual Data Channels The next step is to set up the Sunny Beam data channels to be viewed. This is done by clicking on the Data tab at the bottom on the main window in SDC. Then, in the left window called Current Plant Tree, open the Sunny Beam. Then open the Measuring channels. Drag each of the memory channels to be monitored into the main SDC window. Refer to the following Figure.
Sunny Beam Manual Operation The Data button will download: • Pac at 10 minute intervals • Total CO2 offset for the day • Total Energy for the day Pressing the Energy button will display the Energy total for the last month/31 days. NOTE: The daily data collected by the Sunny Beam is only stored in the Sunny Beam until the beginning of the next day.
Operation Sunny Beam Manual Window Setup Once the devices are displayed, the channel information for each device can be customized. It is easier to read the display in SDC if the number of boxes shown is limited to the number of devices. To do this, click on Settings in the upper control bar. Under Arrangement, set the number of rows and columns needed. Refer to the following figure.
Sunny Beam Manual Operation When the proper selections have been made, click OK to exit.
Operation Sunny Beam Manual Once the windows are setup, the individual channels can be customized by right-clicking in the window of the device to be modified and selecting Channel Selection. In the Channel selection window, individual parameters can be added or removed providing a customized view for each device if desired. See the following figure.
Sunny Beam Manual Troubleshooting Troubleshooting General Performance Generally speaking, the majority of performance issues with the Sunny Beam will be communication related, e.g. too far from the Sunny Boy, interference from another appliance, etc. These issues can be easily overcome by experimenting with the placement and orientation of the Sunny Beam and its antenna.
Troubleshooting DIP switch Sunny Beam Manual Group (decimal) Group (decimal) 0 8 1 (default) 9 2 10 3 11 4 12 5 13 6 14 7 15 Figure 1-36 DIP Switch Settings 42
Sunny Beam Manual Troubleshooting Sunny Beam Antenna Orientation Better performance can sometimes be achieved by reorienting the antenna on the Sunny Beam. Because the antenna is strongest to the sides as opposed to the ends, it can improve performance to have the side of the antenna facing the direction of the Sunny Boy. For example, if the Sunny Boy was located directly above the Sunny Beam, (e.g. on the roof), or directly below the Sunny Beam, (e.g.
Troubleshooting Sunny Beam Manual Inverter Detection All Inverters are not Detected If after running the detection routine, one or more of the inverters are not detected, try the following: • Check that the Sunny Beam is set for the correct Group (channel) • Check the DIP switch on the communication board in the Sunny Boy to make sure it is set for the correct Group (channel) • Move the Sunny Beam so that it is closer to the Sunny Boys • Make sure that the Sunny Beam is approximately 10 feet from the Sunn
Sunny Beam Manual Specifications Specifications Parameter Value Power Supply Integrated solar cell, internal batteries, external power supply Internal Batteries (2) 1.5VDC Accucell AC 1800 Rechargable Alkalines Sunny Beam Operating Temperature 0° to 40°C Sunny Beam Enclosure Indoor use only Sunny Beam Supply Voltage 3 VDC Radio Piggy-Back Operating Temperature -25° to 85°C Radio Piggy Back Supply Voltage 5 VDC Frequency 917 MHz USB 1.
Specifications 46 Sunny Beam Manual
