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Summary of Contents for Apex Digital SGS
- Page 1 APEX SGS Solar Hot Water Controller Technical Manual Document Number: SGSP100 20 February 2025 | 2.0...
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Page 2: Table Of Contents
APEX SGS - Solar Hot Water Controller - Technical Manual APEX SGS - Solar Hot Water Controller - Technical Manual Table of Contents 1. Introduction 7. Mobile Applications & Wi-Fi Connectivity Contents Of The Box Device Documentation App Introduction About This Manual Connectivity Installer’s Remote Monitoring... -
Page 3: Introduction
• Unaffected by load-shedding and grid outages. The Apex SGS is the heart of a water heating system – intelligently heating water in a standard electric hot water cylinder from the sun’s energy. The SGS controls and manages the system, providing historical and up to the minute information on status and performance via its web app. -
Page 4: Technical Specifications
APEX SGS - Solar Hot Water Controller - Technical Manual 2. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Description Specification AC INPUT Voltage 230V AC Frequency 50 Hz Current Connection 3 x 4mm2 Screw Terminals Installation Pre-requisites AC MCB and local Isolation point (not supplied) - Page 5 APEX SGS - Solar Hot Water Controller - Technical Manual COMMUNICATIONS Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n Remote Updates (Firmware Over the Air) Ability to update firmware remotely MECHANICAL SPECIFICATIONS Dimensions (Length X Breadth X Depth) 210mm x 225mm x 84mm Cooling Natural Convection...
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Page 6: Safety Instructions
Immediately after receiving the package, make sure that the packaging and the device have no signs of damage. If the packaging shows any sign of damage or impact, damage of the SGS should be suspected and it should not be installed. -
Page 7: Installation Location
Before taking any action, make sure that the system has been correctly disconnected by deactivating the circuit breakers and or isolators that power it. To clean the SGS, wipe the exterior surface with a damp (not wet) soft, non-abrasive cloth. Pay attention to the cooling slots and any dust build-up thereon which may affect the ability of the SGS to dissipate heat generated. -
Page 8: Local Requirements
The Apex SGS should only be used for this purpose. Apex is not liable for any damages caused by inappropriate installation, use or maintenance of the system. To ensure safe use, the Apex SGS must only be used in compliance with the instructions in this manual. Legal and safety regulations must also be adhered to, to ensure correct use. -
Page 9: Device Description
This is the interface to which the hot water cylinder’s element connects and is marked “L” and “N“ on the main PCB. This is the electrical interface to the PV (Solar) supply. The SGS accepts a single string of PV modules with a Vmp between 168 and 230VDC with a maximum Isc of 15A and is connected with “MC4”... -
Page 10: Identification
• Is within reach of the 10m temperature probe’s maximum length Do not mount the SGS directly below the hot water cylinder where it may be splashed by a leak or in the case of maintenance work. The SGS may not be mounted horizontally or at an oblique angle. It must be mounted with the terminal chamber at the bottom of the font cover (ie: correctly rotated) The SGS may not be installed within the ceiling or roof cavity. -
Page 11: Electrical Installation
Depending on whether this is a new or existing hot water controller installation, follower either the steps labelled “Existing installations” or “New installations” below. Note that the SGS can be used offgrid, without an AC supply. In this case, ignore instructions relating to the AC supply below, leaving the AC Supply terminals open. -
Page 12: Existing Installations
Connect a supply from a suitably sized dedicated circuit breaker in the distribution board with a suitable cross section cable to the SGS. This cable is the power supply to the SGS and is terminated at the “L”, “N” and earth (AC INPUT) terminals on the PC board. - Page 13 DC PV Supply: The DC supply shall be isolatable locally at the SGS for both safety and convenience. This can be done either with a suitably rated double-pole DC circuit breaker or isolator, with a rating of at least 250V and 16A DC.
- Page 14 From there, the probe wire can be fed to the SGS, avoiding other cables as far as possible to minimise electrical noise being induced.
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Page 15: Powering Up The Sgs
5.4 POWERING UP THE SGS Begin with the hot water cylinder switched on at its local isolator. Since the SGS can be run on either power supply, its power-up sequence is not critical. However, powering up DC first allows its presence to be verified. -
Page 16: Operation
The SGS will try to reach the pre-configured temperature set point using the power sources available to it. In general, the PV interface is prioritised, and the SGS will first use that. If it is not able to heat the water with the PV source, it will then use the grid source (if available). -
Page 17: Fault Finding
6.5 FAULT FINDING If the SGS does not work correctly or displays a fault is present with the Status LED, it is necessary to correct an abnormal occurrence. All error status messages are available in the User App. Once an error is corrected, reset the fault by turning off / on both PV and AC together. -
Page 18: Local User Interface
If the probe is damaged, the Apex SGS will enter an error state which can be identified by the red “Temp Error” LED just right of the probe’s PCB connector. - Page 19 Web App to work. In the side bar of the local web page, navigate to “Network Connection”. From there, click on Scan networks to view the networks visible to the SGS. Select the chosen Wi-Fi network and type in its password and click save.
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Page 20: Installer's Remote Monitoring
The site needs be enrolled by a qualified installer. An Installer needs to have an account registered here https://fleet.apexsolar.tech/accounts/ signup to be created on the Apex SGS’s server once they have been accredited, with a username and password. 7.3.1 CREATING A SITE:... - Page 21 APEX SGS - Solar Hot Water Controller - Technical Manual Follow the prompts to complete the site information. You can also add this Site to one of your “Fleets” – for example, you might have a Fleet called “SGSs in Western Cape”...
- Page 22 APEX SGS - Solar Hot Water Controller - Technical Manual Enter your tariff and consumption information. 7.3.2 ENROLLING A DEVICE: Once the site information has been entered, click in the “Save Site” button and move to the next page to add your device to that site.
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Page 23: User's Remote Monitoring
APEX SGS - Solar Hot Water Controller - Technical Manual 7.4 SITE LIST You will now see your newly create site in your site list, similar to the list below: You can search for sites, filter by various criteria and see at a glance which devices are online, which or are offline and easily edit the site information from the list. - Page 24 APEX SGS - Solar Hot Water Controller - Technical Manual Energy Graphs: At a glance, you can see a representation your site’s energy consumption, grid purchase and Solar generation with the Energy Graph tool. It can be on a Day, Week or Month basis – simply select your preference.
- Page 25 APEX SGS - Solar Hot Water Controller - Technical Manual 1) Edit / update the device information 2) Change its settings (More detail in Section 8) 3) Open its local page (as per section 7.1). ApexOS includes powerful VPN functionality which allows us to manage and build networks of devices. This functionality gives you remote access to the device’s local page from anywhere in the world.
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Page 26: Notifications Tab
APEX SGS - Solar Hot Water Controller - Technical Manual 7.5.3 NOTIFICATIONS TAB The notifications tab contains all the notifications that the devices on this site have generated. Notifications can be searched or filtered. 7.5.4 GRAPH TAB All the telemetry that is sent from the device can be graphed. For instance, you might like to graph the power or hot water temperature –... - Page 27 APEX SGS - Solar Hot Water Controller - Technical Manual Now configure which datapoints you want to graph for that device by clicking the 3 dots next to its serial number and selecting “setpoints”: Once you’ve selected what you require, select Apply filters.
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Page 28: Users Tab
Now select Device Settings. You can now interact with your device: Boost: The Apex SGS will heat the water to the Boost setpoint in the shortest possible time, which will use AC power. Tap again to deactivate Boost. Off Grid Mode: This disables the use of grid power for heating your water, even if it is available. - Page 29 PV energy you can, but perhaps you still do not achieve your desired temperature. The SGS will intelligently decide to use grid power at the last possible time in order to have it hot in time for your critical time.
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Page 30: Ordering Information
Apex SGS Temperature probe, 30m WARRANTY The Apex SGS is warranted to be free from defects for a period of 2 years from purchase, subject to Apex’s Warranty terms and conditions, a copy of which is available at: www.ApexSolar.Tech SUPPORT You can contact our support centre for technical assistance with this product or the associated services.
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