Wiring in the ABB Breaker 24V "critical" trip on Batrium

Dr. Dickie

Dr. Dickie

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Okay, I have seen Lithiumsolar's video on this (lithiumsolar, your video is up in a dozen Russian sites); however, his Watchmon 4 with expansion is different than mine. Mine does not have pins 11 and 12 for relays like he used. I have gone through the Batrium FAQ on this, but I still do not get a clear answer as to which pins I use to wire the positive wire for the trip. My watchmon with expansion has these pins:
ImageImageImage

These last set of pins (called O1 O2 +O3 and +O4 are the pins which seem to be related to (what appear to be) relays on the board. My expansion board is a Expansion v2 48V.
Looks like it should be this (using R21 and R2). However, I can't find that on my board:
1627222168773.png
And in looking at the expansion page in the software:
Expansion Page.png
I do not get the correlation.
Any Batrium experts can help me with which pins in run the positive wire to, so I can set for a critical fault on event?
Thanks
 
Last edited:
That's a newer one than mine so can't help, did mine years ago - I'll have a look through old videos see if I documented the process
 
hbpowerwall said:
That's a newer one than mine so can't help, did mine years ago - I'll have a look through old videos see if I documented the process
Click to expand...
Thanks Pete. I saw one video you did when you put in the shunt, but you were using the Batrium powersupply for that one, so whole different hook up.
 
There's 2 parts to your question.

1) You want to wire to a NO relay that will 'close' (allow current to flow) when an event occurs. I use relay #1 on the expansion board for this.
Here's my (more recent) WM4 with shunt-trip wired to relay #1. This is the same as the drawing "4. Wiring Expansion2, Relay1 or Relay2" diagram you have above - probably from this page? https://support.batrium.com/article/349-wiring-a-circuit-breaker-remote-trip
1627226179300.png

2) How to use the relay. On the Hardware -> Expansion page you select "Relay 1" dropdown if you used relay #1 on the expansion board - and then select the 'event' where you want to close - e.g. allow current to flow to the shunt-trip. I'm using "Critical Fault" as my event.
If you use relay #2 - then do the Relay 2 dropdown and so on.

1627226233146.png

You can safely verify the relay is correct/working thru a continuity meter. Just hook it to relay 1 (or other) pins, set the Expansion page to an event, and then induce the event thru settings. For example, set the max voltage lower than current voltage and a "Critical Event" should fire the relay.
 
OffGridInTheCity said:
There's 2 parts to your question.

1) You want to wire to a NO relay that will 'close' (allow current to flow) when an event occurs. I use relay #1 on the expansion board for this.
Here's my (more recent) WM4 with shunt-trip wired to relay #1. This is the same as the drawing "4. Wiring Expansion2, Relay1 or Relay2" diagram you have above - probably from this page? https://support.batrium.com/article/349-wiring-a-circuit-breaker-remote-trip
View attachment 25695

2) How to use the relay. On the Hardware -> Expansion page you select "Relay 1" dropdown if you used relay #1 on the expansion board - and then select the 'event' where you want to close - e.g. allow current to flow to the shunt-trip. I'm using "Critical Fault" as my event.
If you use relay #2 - then do the Relay 2 dropdown and so on.

View attachment 25696

You can safely verify the relay is correct/working thru a continuity meter. Just hook it to relay 1 (or other) pins, set the Expansion page to an event, and then induce the event thru settings. For example, set the max voltage lower than current voltage and a "Critical Event" should fire the relay.
Click to expand...
Thanks! So those two pins (labeled O1 on my board), are the pins for relay one.
That was exactly what I was looking for.
 
The relay labels are covered by the holder, you can just see the top of the text underneath the "O +/-"

If you take off the end caps, you can slide the board out and read the labels.
 
400bird said:
The relay labels are covered by the holder, you can just see the top of the text underneath the "O +/-"

If you take off the end caps, you can slide the board out and read the labels.
Click to expand...
HA, really. Thanks I will try that.
 
Okay, big up-date.
I wired up the breaker trip (using half the 48V battery as DIY Tech and repair suggested--big thanks). I used the pins on O1 as OffGridintheCity said--Thanks to you). I checked, and when in critical fault, sure enough the relay on the BMS closed. Perfect. So I finished the connections, and with the system up, I induced a critical fault. And there was a loud bang as the ABB breaker tripped (moved to the yellow), and nothing happened. As I said in my video (I am doing a Youtube diary of my progress for, as I say, to let everyone have the benefit of my ignorance). The BMS stayed working, the inverted still worked, the solar charge converter kept chugging along.
As I said in the video, what happened? The system worked perfectly, that's what happened.
As Lithiumsolar said in his video (big thanks number 3), the solar charge controller was supplying the system with what it needed.
That's great, UNTIL a cloud goes by and the voltage drops to below what the inverter wants, then bad things.
So, as lithium solar did, I am going to take the negative leg of the PV into the solar charge controller and route it through the central leg of the ABB so that when I gets a critical fault, everything shuts down as it should.
So, yet again, a big thanks to all who helped me lessen my ignorance, you guys are all great.
This weekend I run the 3 conductor and ground wire, so I go split phase (as I should have done in the beginning) and get the last bit of my house on the solar system.
Again, THANKS. I may not be learned, but I am learning!
 
Cool and a good summary of all vital parts! Yes its important to have the Solar chargers on its own leg disconnected so that they dont power the inverter :)
 
@Dr. Dickie - Congratulations! Its just sooo much fun to get things working and make power. Its just fun every day.

@Dr. Dickie + @daromer
Yes sirs - the 1st time I put in my shunt-trip and turned it off... I spent at least a minute or 2 trying to figure out where the power was coming from with the battery off. Duh....

Panels -> charge controllers -> buss-bars -> inverter will keep running without a battery if there's enough power :)
 
Been there done that to :p believe it or not i have made my fair share of duh´s hahaha
 
daromer said:
Been there done that to :p believe it or not i have made my fair share of duh´s hahaha
Click to expand...
If you don't make mistakes, you aren't learning.
The most powerful statement in science is not, "Eureka!," but, "Hmm, that's interesting."
 
One more up-date.
I have been switching over my high voltage wire from shed to house from single phase to split phase so that I can add a couple more circuits. As such I decided go and wire up the PV negative through the ABB breaker.
Since I had everything shut down, I when ahead and ran the PV through the breaker. Once I got the new 3 conductor and a ground wire run, I was putting the system back on line. Everything was turned on, then I noticed that I hadn't turned on the batrium (I have it on a 3 amp breaker). When I flipped the switch to turn on the BMS, bam, the ABB tripped. Odd I thought--remember this is the most powerful thought in science.
Since when the ABB tripped, that shut off power to the BMS. So, when I flipped the ABB back on, two seconds later, bam it tripped again.
I figured out that when the BMS gets turned on, for a few seconds it closes the relays.
I figured I would put a switch in so that I can turn on the ABB shunt trip, after the BMS has been powered up and gets past the delay when the replay is clsoe (I left it at 5 seconds).
I had been asking Batrium about which pins to use, but could not ask the questions clearly enough. Maxine at Batrium has been very helpful, when I told her I found my answer here, she came and looked at this thread.
She, without me asking or telling her what I found, send me this email:
"

The logic for the 2 functions are different for a reason:​

1. "Critical Fault (when not ok)" is on whenever the BattOk is off include just after start-up as this is used to drive a display output to run a LED display when the Contactor is OFF (not circuit breaker).
2. "Critical Pulse Off (CB trip)" only occurs after the BattOk (On) critical event trips and needs to switch off (with a pulse for 2 seconds).

If you pick the wrong one (option #1) the circuit breaker will trip every time the system starts or restarts as there is a short delay when the system powers up before the critical BattOk has confirmed everything is OK.
Whilst there is a pause for the expansion logic of about 1 second before it starts running, depending on time set for the Critical Fault restart.
Some people have adjust their parameters that the restart takes 1 - 2 minutes before restart a contactor so will clear see a issue, other have a very sort window so might not notice but complain that it trips."

So, if you want to wire up an shunt trip breaker, change relay setting in the expansion section not to "critical fault" but to "Critical Pulse Off."
 
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