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TriStar MPPT 600V Operator’s Manual
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Networking and Communication
5.0 Networking and Communication
5.1 Introduction
The TriStar MPPT 600V provides several communication options. The TriStar MPPT 600V uses
a proprietary protocol for the MeterBus
TM
network and the non-proprietary open standard MOD-
BUS
TM
and MODBUS TCP/IP
TM
protocols for RS-232, EIA-485, and Ethernet networks. Addi-
tionally, HTTP, SMTP, and SNMP are supported for web page, email, and network message sup-
port. Morningstar’s MSView
TM
PC software provides system monitoring and logging capabilities
via RS-232, EIA-485, and Ethernet. MSView
TM
PC software is available for free on our website at:
http://morningstarcorp.com/support
Further, hardware and third party software that supports the MODBUS
TM
protocol can also be
used to communicate with a TriStar MPPT 600V.
Multiple communication ports can be used simultaneously. For example, a TriStar MPPT 600V
may be connected to a MeterBus
TM
network for on-site system metering, connected to the inter-
net for remote monitoring, and connected to an EIA-485 network to bridge data from other con-
trollers in the system to an internet connection. Note that the RS-232 and EIA-485 connections
share hardware and therefore cannot be used simultaneously.
Table 5-1 below provides a summary of supported features for each communication interface.
MeterBus
RS-232
EIA-485
Ethernet
Display system/network data on a TriStar meter
●
Connect a TSMPPT to a Relay Driver or other MS Accessory
●
Collect data from multiple TSMPPT HV controllers on a network
●
●
●
View and log data with MSView
TM
PC Software
●
●
●
View logged data stored in the TriStar MPPT 600V internal memory
●
●
●
●
Update TriStar MPPT 600V firmware
●
Program custom settings
●
●
●
View data in a web browser
●
Email notification
●
Text Message Alerts
●
SNMP Alerts
●
Table 5-1. Communication summary
5.2 Morningstar MeterBus
TM
Morningstar’s proprietary MeterBus
TM
protocol allows communication between compatible Morn-
ingstar products. Use a MeterBus
TM
network to:
• display select net system data for multiple TriStar / TriStar MPPT 600V 600V/
TriStar MPPT 600V systems**
• communicate with a TriStar Meter 2 -600V, a TriStar Meter 2 or TriStar Remote Meter 2
• communicate with a Relay Driver or other compatible Morningstar accessories (see sec-
tion 2.5 for more details)
**A Morningstar MeterBus Hub (HUB-1) and a TriStar Meter 2 (TS-M-2), TriStar Remote Meter 2 (TS-RM-2) or a TriStar Meter 2
600V (TS-M-2-600V) are required (not included).
A MeterBus Hub (model: HUB-1) is required for MeterBus networks containing multiple
TriStar MPPT 600V controllers. The ports on the hub are electrically isolated to prevent dam-
age in the event of broken grounds or voltage differences between controllers. Figure 5-1 below
shows an example MeterBus
TM
network with two (2) TriStar MPPT 600V controllers and a TriStar
Remote Meter 2 (TS-RM-2).
MeterBus
TM
Network Hub
TriStar
Remote Meter
TriStar-MPPT-HV
Controllers
Figure 5-1. An example MeterBus network.
Up to five (5) controllers can be networked together with a single hub. Multiple hubs can be
daisy-chained together to allow networks of up to (15) controllers and (2) meters.
Refer to the HUB-1 and TriStar Meter manuals for more information about Morningstar Meter-
Bus
TM
networking.
