Hi guys
Whats the difference?
I have a potential string of 2 parallel strings of 4 x series 400W panels that i need a MPPT for.
I currently have a BlueSolar 150/35 that i’m happy with for my one string, so happy with the blue solar range.
G
Somewhat counter-intuitively, the BlueSolar does not have built-in Bluetooth, whereas the SmartSolar does.
You need Bluetooth connectivity to configure them via VictronConnect, so if you don’t already have a VE.Direct to Bluetooth dongle it is better to buy the SmartSolar, because the BlueSolar + Bluetooth dongle generally costs more than the equivalent SmartSolar model.
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I have a venusGX into which the current Bluesolar is plugged through which all configuration was done ?
As I primarily work on a Mac VenusConnect is a problem for me, other than me borrowing a friends windows laptop again. hm which last timeI remember also did not have bluetooth anyhow.
My mac does but well it’s a mac and Venusconnect does not run on it either.
G
VRM is browser based, so you should be able to access your Venus GX just fine.
There is a Victron Connect app for Mac as well, or there used to be anyway, I’m all Windows these days so not sure if it still exists, but 2 or 3 years ago it definitely did.
Just get the SmartSolar with bluetooth, it makes things so much easier if you can even access it directly from your phone.
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fair enough.
now to just confirm the availability of the 8 x 400w panels. will be configured into 2 strings of 4, in parallel.
plan is to go for the 250/100 smart solar… if someone can confirm my thinking.
G
I have the 250/100 and the 250/85 - very happy. Went bigger for the greater headroom and expansion if needed.
To be honest you really only need the Bluesolar (I don’t need Bluetooth with the GX). You can save money here.
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The only real advantage according to me is the ability to access the MPPT and update your software through your phone. This is easy enough to do through VRM though as pointed out.
When I got my 3rd MPPT (the first 2 being Smart Solars) I just settled for the Blue Solar version and these days update all three of them through VRM.
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For the sake of the safety of your batteries, you need to set safe charge voltages in the MPPT configuration. You cannot do that via VRM or Venus OS. You need to use VictronConnect, which means you need a Bluetooth connection.*
Under normal circumstances the GX device will override the voltage settings of the MPPT, but if communication is lost the MPPT will fall back to its own settings. If those are too high the battery could be damaged.
Update: As pointed out to me below, you can access the MPPT settings using the Windows version of VictronConnect, so you can do the configuration without Bluetooth.
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Hi Pierre,
Not necessarily?
Here is Victron Connect on my pc. I can make changes to all 3 MPPT’s (Blue and Smart) No Bluetooth connection needed as far as I am aware.
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can someone send me the link of the Victron Connect for Apple MAC M1 chip.
I hear all the conversations, but in 6 years of running the system we’ve never needed this… so…
G
Sorry, you’re right. I wasn’t aware that you could access the device settings from the Windows app. I’ve always been using the cellphone version which connects using Bluetooth.
… but thing, dumb me,
I have a windows machine in the house, onto which i can just install it if needed.
G
The most obvious difference is Bluetooth, as others have said.
Under the skin there are other differences. The BlueSolar uses an older FreeScale processor. The SmartSolar uses a newer ARM-based processor (with an extra UART for that Bluetooth stuff). The SmartSolar also has some thing implemented in hardware, which the smaller models do in software. For example, on the BlueSolar, an overcurrent event (can happen if there are sudden changes in insolation) is handled in software (pretty much by shutting down and starting over), while on the SmartSolar it is handled in hardware.
SmartSolar is more expensive too, of course.
For the average person, other than the Bluetooth, there is no difference.
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Very interesting Captain, I always thought it was just the bluetooth.
I often wondered why Victron don’t simply discontinue the BlueSolar line to simplify the range.
Costs.
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In time it will probably happen.
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