Introduction, Contact info & Useful Links

Introduction

This integration guide will help set up the charge/discharge parameters of Fortress Power batteries as they relate to SMA inverters.

Tech-Support Contact Information

• Phone:  (877) 497-6937 ext. 2

Useful Links

• Warranty Submittal:  https://www.fortresspower.com/warranty/

• Support Tickets:  https://www.fortresspower.com/support/

Unpack Batteries and Check Voltage

1. Unpack the batteries and turn each battery on by itself. 

2. Note the voltage of each battery and serial number. The serial numbers are useful during warranty submittal.  

3. The batteries must be within  +/-0.5V of each other before commissioning. Groups of 4 batteries or more may require a narrower voltage range to commission properly. 

4. Turn off the batteries and install them in parallel.

Notes

If the battery voltages are significantly different, one technique is to finish battery installation and only turn on the lowest voltage battery using the pushbutton. Charge the battery, and when the charging voltage is ~0.2V above the resting voltage of the next lowest battery, turn it on too. Proceed until all batteries are turned on and at the same voltage level. If the batteries are below 51V, keep charging amperages below 10A per battery.

If the batteries are slightly more than +/-0.5V from each other, turning on the highest voltage batteries only will reduce their voltages, and turning on the lowest voltage batteries only will lower the highest voltage. Likewise, turning on the lowest voltage batteries as a group will raise the lowest voltage. Then, all the batteries can be turned on within a 0.5/V difference. 

Use of the Fortress firmware update tool can help speed up commissioning times. Fortress installers should request a firmware update tool by filling out a support ticket at https://support.fortresspower.com

Wiring Diagram

Sunny Island(s):

Plug the batteries into the COM Synch In port.
Put the SMA canbus terminator into the COM Sync Out port on the last inverter in the communication chain.

eFlex 5.4kWh LFP

Cable modifications are not needed to establish a communication between the Fortress Power eFlex 5.4 and    SMA 6048-US units. Refer to the diagram below (Diagram 1) for further wiring instructions.

Diagram 1: eFlex 5.4kWh Wiring Diagram

eVault Max 18.5kWh LFP

Cable modifications are needed to establish a communication between the Fortress Power eVault 18.5 and    SMA 6048-US units. Refer to the diagram below (Diagram 2) for further wiring instructions. The modifications of the communication cables are to be made using a keystone or other methods of pin assignment.

Diagram 2: eVault MAX Battery-Inverter Communication Wiring Diagram

eFlex - Change Protocol ID for SMA

Setting up closed loop with SMA and eFlex requires running CANtool software.  This is installed on a windows laptop to set the protocol ID. To obtain a CAN tool, contact tech support of Fortress Power.  

eFlex-SMA CAN Bus protocol is set using the CAN tool to a unique setting of 2, using the following steps:

1. Turn on all Batteries and connect the Fortress Power provided CAN tool.

2. With all batteries showing on the software, select 'UPS WIFI' on Battery 01. 

3. Change UPS CAN setting from 1 to 2 and then click "Set".

Once the steps are completed, a success message will appear.

The protocol ID will change for all batteries connected to the CAN tool at once, so there is no need to repeat for each unit. 

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The eVault has a touch screen. The bottom corners of the eVault are touch interactive.  

Battery ID, bottom left                                                            Protocol ID, bottom right

Note: Power cycle the first battery in the battery-battery communication circuit after adjusting any of these settings on any battery in the circuit.
Battery ID 
Number each battery 1,2,3,4,5....  until the end of the battery circuit.
Except, if only installing one eVault MAX, number the battery "0".

Protocol ID for eVault Max

1 = Fortress Power Envy Modbus

2 = Solark CAN

3 = Reserved

4 - Victron CAN

5 = Schneider Modbus

Inverter Settings

The settings that are to be used to program the SMA inverter are provided in the table below (Table 1). For detailed information on how to commission the SMA inverter and  navigate through its settings menu, follow the URL link, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0cYWfk8wXQ, which takes one to the SMA's 

tutorial video for SMA 6048-US.

Note: Please make sure to update Sunny Island Firmware to version 7.3.04 or better

SMA Settings for Closed Loop Operation
All unspecified settings will remain at factory values
Password for SMAe inverter is the Sum of AH in the Password Menu
Ex. 105 Ah Total = 1 + 0 + 5 = 6