Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel
Related Manuals for SwitchDoc Labs SolarMAX2
Summary of Contents for SwitchDoc Labs SolarMAX2
- Page 1 SolarMAX2 Assembly and Testing Guide September 2021 Version 1.51 For powering solar systems such as systems based on the Raspberry Pi, Arduino and ESP32/ESP8266 and the SwitchDoc Labs System Version 1.1 September 2021...
-
Page 2: Table Of Contents
Errata ..........................What is SolarMAX2? ...................... SolarMAX2 Specifications ....................What is in the SolarMAX2 Kit? ..................What Else is Required for the SolarMAX2 Kit? .............. SolarMAX2 Part Identification ..................Step by Step Assembly ....................Wiring the SolarMAX2 ....................Solar Panel Wiring ......................... -
Page 3: Errata
Errata Page 1 Version 1.1 September 2021... -
Page 4: What Is Solarmax2
What is SolarMAX2? SolarMAX2 is a SwitchDoc Labs designed system to charge Lead Acid batteries from 18V Solar panels in order to provide more power to small computer systems. SolarMAX2 is designed to collect and return data about the solar panel system to the powered (or other) computer via a 433MHz link. SolarMAX2 collects and transmits the following data every 30 seconds: •... -
Page 5: Solarmax2 Specifications
SolarMAX2 uses a 433MHz module which can transmit up to 100 meters or further with larger antennas and uses very little power. This is a perfect system for powering SkyWeather2, Raspberry Pi and other small computer systems. SolarMAX2 Specifications Table 1-1... -
Page 6: What Is In The Solarmax2 Kit
• 30cm (or 50cm) Grove Cable • Grove Connector to Female Pin Headers - 1 Cable What Else is Required for the SolarMAX2 Kit? 12 V Lead Acid battery - We recommend >= 20000mAh - https://amzn.to/2qGCVd8 (This battery fits PERFECTLY in the Bud Enclosure below) M2 Nylon Hex Thread Assortment - https://shop.switchdoc.com/products/140pcs-box-m2-nylon-hex-... - Page 7 Solar Panel Crimping tools for MC4 (optional) - https://amzn.to/2U6IN9J Tools Soldering Iron Straight blade Small Screwdriver Crosspoint Small Screwdriver Super Glue Silicon Caulking Wire cutter Wire stripper Pliers Drill Drill Bits for: 1” holes 2/3” holes Page 5 Version 1.1 September 2021...
-
Page 8: Solarmax2 Part Identification
SolarMAX2 Part Identification • Part A - MC4 Minus Male (and Pin) • Part B -MC4 Plus Female (and Pin) • Part C -High Current INA3221 with Large Screw Terminals • Part D -Solar Charger for 12V Lead Acid Batteries •... - Page 9 Page 7 Version 1.1 September 2021...
- Page 10 Part C - High Current INA3221 with Large Screw Terminals Part F - USB Plug with Terminals (Note + and - marking in plastic)! Page 8 Version 1.1 September 2021...
- Page 11 Part J - USB Type A to USB Micro Cable Part A and Part B - MC4 Minus and Plus Plugs and Pins Page 9 Version 1.1 September 2021...
- Page 12 Part G - 433MHz Transmitter and Antenna Part J - 20cm Grove Cable Page 10 Version 1.1 September 2021...
-
Page 13: Step By Step Assembly
Part K - 30cm (or 50cm) Grove Cable Part L - Grove Connector to Female Pin Header Cable Step by Step Assembly Step 1) Drill two 2/3” holes in the upper left side of the lower part of the Bud Box. (See Part A and Part B location on pictures above) Page 11 Version 1.1 September 2021... - Page 14 Step 2) Drill 3 1” holes in the front of the lower part of the box. Separate the holes by at least 2 inches, center to center. (Two vent holes and one hole for the Part F- USB Weatherproof Plug. Step 3) Insert Part E - USB Weatherproof Plug into the BUD Box, with the cap on the outside in the rightmost 1”...
- Page 15 Step 4) Place the large heat sink on the back of Part D, the Solar Controller. Place the smaller heat sink on the top of Part D, the Solar Controller. If the heat sinks don’t want to stay on, us a small amount of superglue under the heat sinks.
- Page 16 Step 5) Set the slide switch on the Solar Charger (Part D) to MPPT for the most efficient charging. Then set the Battery Gauge slide switch to Off also on the Solar Charger (Part D). Step 6) Attach Nylon Headers (with screws or nuts) to all the boards. Note that the Solar Charger has screws and headers included in the package with the heatsink.
- Page 17 Step 10) Using the super glue, attach all the boards to the locations shown in the two two part identification pictures above. Let dry. The plug in the USB PowerCentral board (Part E) into the Solar Charger Board (Part D). Note you won’t have the battery in the box yet. But it’s OK if you do. Just don’t short out the terminals on the battery! Step 11) Label all parts - optional - but you will be happy you did.
- Page 18 Now we move on to the wiring of the SolarMAX2. Page 16 Version 1.1 September 2021...
-
Page 19: Wiring The Solarmax2
Wiring the SolarMAX2 As you wire this unit, remember you are dealing with lots of current and voltages. Triple check your wiring! Wiring things backwards or incorrectly can result in destruction of the electronics and possible over heating. BE CAREFUL! Solar Panel Wiring Step 1) Take the male Part A - MC4 Minus Male (and Pin) and two 33cm lengths of black wire. - Page 20 Step 2) Place the other end of the black wire into the “-“ terminal of the Solar Charger SOLAR IN terminal. Page 18 Version 1.1 September 2021...
- Page 21 Step 4) Complete the rest of the wiring for SolarMAX2 according to the table below: SolarMAX2 Wiring List Step # Device From Device To Instructions 12V Lead Acid + terminal Part C - INA3221 IN1+ DON’T CONNECT Battery TO BATTERY.
-
Page 22: Grove Wiring Table
Grove Wiring Table Note - again, make sure you are connecting things to the right places. It all matters. Optional: We find the plastic clips on the Grove cable plugs annoying and often cut them off with wire clippers. Select the proper grove cables and connect them as shown in the table. Table 1 Grove Wiring Table From... - Page 23 Page 21 Version 1.1 September 2021...
- Page 24 This completes the Grove Wiring for SolarMAX2. Page 22 Version 1.1 September 2021...
-
Page 25: 433Mhz Transmitter Installation
433MHz Transmitter Installation Step 1) Plug in the 433MHz Transmitter (Part G) into the MiniProPlus (Part H) three pin female header market TX Tran. Make sure it is oriented as shown in the picture. Make sure the pins are slightly bent out as in the second picture. This makes sure that the pins are connected in the header. -
Page 26: Fully Wired Solarmax2 For Reference
Fully Wired SolarMAX2 for Reference Page 24 Version 1.1 September 2021... -
Page 27: Lead Acid Battery Tab Wiring
Lead Acid Battery Tab Wiring This is the last of our wiring for SolarMAX2. Step 1) CHECK YOUR WIRING for BATIN on the Solar Controller Board (Part D). Specifically, steps W1, W2 and W7 in the wiring chart above! CHECK IT AGAIN. If you get this wrong, you will destroy your controller. - Page 28 Step 4) Take the Yellow Cold Press Crimp spade connector and place the wires from the 12V BATIN “-“ Screw Connector on the Solar Controller Board (Part D) into the spade connector and crimp the connector to hold the wires in place (and make connection with the spade). Page 26 Version 1.1 September 2021...
-
Page 29: Connect Your 12 V Lead Acid Battery
Connect your 12 V Lead Acid Battery Step 1) If you have selected the recommended 12 V Lead Acid battery ( https://amzn.to/2qGCVd8 ), then place it into the Bud Box as shown. Positive terminal up. Use Velcro to hold the heavy battery in place. It fits snugly into place. - Page 30 NOTE: The Solar Charger Board (Part D) has protection for reversing the 12V battery and the solar panels. If you reverse them, the appropriate LED will light up an there will be no damage. But, nothing will work either. :) Reverse connection LED indicator: when the battery is reverse connected at the BAT IN or SOLAR IN, the corresponding orange LED REV BAT or REV SOLAR turns ON, informing the user a reverse connection error.
-
Page 31: Testing Your Solarmax2 System
Testing Your SolarMAX2 System If you are using a SkyWeather2 system, SkyWeather comes with support for SolarMAX2. If you don’t have a SkyWeather system, jump down to “Testing your SolarMAX2 with a Raspberry Pi”. If you see the yellow light on the Mini Pro LP board (Part D) flicker about every 30 seconds then you are transmitting data. -
Page 32: Testing With A Raspberry Pi (Without Skyweathe2R)
Tuned to 433.920MHz. Allocating 15 zero-copy buffers {"time" : "2021-09-18 14:29:08", "model" : "SwitchDoc Labs SolarMAX", "len" : 44, "messageid" : 448956, "deviceid" : 1, "protocolversion" : 1, "softwareversion" : 14, "weathersenseprotocol" : 10, "loadvoltage" : 5.160, "internaltemperature" : 12.348, "internalhumidity" : 87.061, "batteryvoltage"... -
Page 33: What Is In The Solarmax2 Data Packet
Connected with result code 0 processing SolarMAX Data This is the raw data: {"time" : "2021-09-18 14:33:19", "model" : "SwitchDoc Labs SolarMAX", "len" : 44, "messageid" : 448970, "deviceid" : 1, "protocolversion" : 1, "softwareversion" : 14, "weathersenseprotocol" : 10, "loadvoltage" : 5.168, "internaltemperature" : 12.378, "internalhumidity"... -
Page 34: Power Management And Pi Protection In Solarmax2
Number of bytes in the packet • messageid: Reset to 0 on bootup • deviceid: 1 – If you have more than one SolarMAX2, you can change this ID by recompiling the software for the MiniProPlus • protocolversion: Current protocol of the SolarMAX2 •... - Page 35 • First Time On Timer - Delays a turn on of the USB Power (to the Pi) when SolarMAX2 has determined that it is time to turn on the USB Power. Doesn't occur on power on to the SolarMAX2 computer, but only after the Hysteresis function has determined that it is time to turn on the USB Power •...
-
Page 36: Watchdog Timer Enable
WatchDog Timer Enable The last thing to do before installing your SolarMAX2 system is to make sure the WatchDog Timer has been enabled on the MiniProPlus Board (Part H). Locate the Watchdog Timer Enable (upper left in the picture below) switch and turn it towards the left of the MiniProPlus board. Now it is enabled. If your SolarMAX2 MiniProPlus hangs, then it will be rebooted by the WatchDog Timer after 60 seconds. - Page 37 Take a TypeA USB to TypeA USB Cable and plug in your computer system. SolarMAX2 provides 5V through the USB cable. If you need a USB Micro, or USB C cable you will need to get the appropriate converters to go from USB Type A to your device.
-
Page 38: The Science And Education Goals Behind Solarmax2
Learn about the new technology called the Internet of Things Support As with all SwitchDoc Labs products, technical support is given through the forums on Forum.switchdoc.com If you have issues that can be solved by our fabulous customer service department, please go to www.switchdoc.com... -
Page 39: Disclaimer
Disclaimer SwitchDoc Labs, LLC takes no responsibility for any physical injuries and possession loss caused by those reasons which are not related to product quality, such as operating without following the operating manual and cautions, natural disasters or force majeure.
Need help?
Do you have a question about the SolarMAX2 and is the answer not in the manual?
Questions and answers