FIMER VSN300 Solar Inverter WiFi Logger Card Installation Guide

June 6, 2024
FIMER

Solar Inverter
VSN300 WIFI LOGGER CARD
Quick Installation Guide

In addition to what is explained in this quick installation guide, the safety and installation information provided in the product manual must be read and followed. The technical documentation for the product is available at the website.
The device must be used in the manner described in the manual. If this is not the case the safety devices guaranteed by the inverter might be ineffective.

Product Identification – Labels and Symbols

“Before installing the VSN300 Wifi Logger Card it is strongly recommended to previously read both the present Quick Installation Guide (QIG) and the product manual (available on FIMER official web site www.fimer.com).
The present QIG refers to VSN300 Wifi Logger Card in FW version 1.8.x on.

The VSN300 WIFI LOGGER CARD printed circuit board will be marked with the following information, identifying the product:

  • Manufacturer Mark/Trade Mark
  • CE (European Union) Marking
  • RCM (Australia) Marking
  • FCC ID
    The FCC ID is FCC ID: X6W-3N16E, when the VSN300 WIFI LOGGER CARD is assembled with a Wi-Fi radio module supplied by Epcos The FCC ID, is FCC ID: X6W-3N16M when the VSN300 WIFI LOGGER CARD is assembled with a Wi-Fi radio module supplied by Murata A dedicated label including the FCC ID must be placed in a visible position on the exterior of the Inverter host equipment
    Contains FCC ID: X6W-3N16E
    Contains FCC ID: X6W-3N16M

FCC (Federal Communications Commission) WARNING

  1. This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
    (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation

  2. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in any particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the device off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
    • Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
    • Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
    • Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
    • Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

  3. RF Exposure. This device complies with Part 2.1091 of the FCC Rules for an uncontrolled environment. This equipment should be installed and operated with a minimum distance of 20cm between the antenna and the user.
    Refer to the specific section describing procedures how to integrate and use this device into the host fixed mount inverter.
    Changes or modifications made to this equipment not expressly approved by the Manufacturer may void the FCC authorization to operate this equipment.
    The identification label contained on the VSN300 WIFI LOGGER CARD box has information regarding the device and manufacturer.

In some cases on the equipment, dangerous or hazardous zones are indicated with signs, labels, symbols or icons.
In the manual and/or in some cases on the equipment, the danger or hazard zones are indicated with signs, labels, symbols or icons.

| Always refer to instruction manual| | Dangerous voltage
---|---|---|---
| Hot surfaces| | Temperature range
| General warning – Important safety information| | Obligation to use protective clothing and/or personal protective equipment
| Protection rating of equipment| | The discharge time of the stored energy

Operating diagram

The VSN300 WIFI LOGGER CARD allows for connection of the inverter to a local LAN Wi-Fi network via a wireless connection. The VSN300 WIFI LOGGER CARD features an integrated web server that enables establishment of a direct connection to a PC, smartphone or tablet, allowing for board configurations and local monitoring of the inverter.
When the inverter is connected to the WLAN network with Internet access, the VSN300 WIFI LOGGER CARD allows for transfer of data to the Aurora Vision® Plant Management Platform for remote monitoring purposes over an Internet browser or Mobile App (Plant Viewer for Mobile)

ATTENTION ­ In order to assure the correct operation of the card do not install other monitoring devices in addition to the VSN300 WIFI LOGGER

Main components

The principal components of the VSN 300 WIFI LOGGER CARD are shown in the figure and described in the following table:
Description of symbols and display fields.

A. Antenna connection cable
B. Antenna (RF Technology Corp. Model EA-79 F RP SMA)
C. Connection terminals
D. Power LED| E. Status LED 2
F. Status LED 1
G. Coaxial connector
H. Mechanical mounting bracket
---|---

Enviroment and obstacles evaluation

The communication among VSN300 WIFI LOGGER CARD and router is based on WiFi signal that could be limited by obstacles and distance.
ATTENTION -­ The device must be kept away from large metal objects and electrical devices with strong magnetic field to ensure a good communication quality.
The radio signal level between WIFI LOGGER CARD and router can be increased in different ways:

  1. Change the direction of the antenna.
  2. Find a new location for the router taking care about the signal decrease due to materials through which the radio signal has to pass: Before mounting the system it is important to consider the possible scenarios (see below) and evaluate the right position for Wi-Fi router.
    The distances indicated in the below examples are between WIFI LOGGER CARD and the router.

List of supplied components

The package contains all the components required to correctly install and connect the VSN300 WIFI LOGGER CARD:

Main components| |

Quantity

---|---|---
| Locking screw|

1

| Plastic lock nut|

1

| Adapter kit (gasket and adapter)|

1+1

| Antenna connection cable|

1

| WIFI antenna|

1

| Cable Tie|

1

| FCC ID label|

1

| Identification label|

1

| Standoff for installation on inverters equipped with arc fault device|

1

| Technical documentation|

Assembly Instruction

Preliminary Operation
ATTENTION ­
The inside of the inverter may be accessed only after the inverter has been disconnected from the grid and from the photovoltaic generator.

ATTENTION ­ The VSN300 WIFI LOGGER CARD must be installed only by trained professional installers

  • Turn off the inverter by physically disconnecting the AC and DC voltages, as well as any voltage connected to the multifunction relay. B

WARNING ­ Wait for the amount of minutes according to the indication on the inverter’s label in order to allow discharging any stored energy in the inverter and use safety clothing and/or personal protective equipment

  • Open the inverter front cover.

Antenna installation
The antenna must be installed outside the inverter in place of a service cable gland (size M20)

  • Remove one of the M20 service cable glands of the inverter (using a 25mm wrench).
  • Pass the antenna connection cable into the inverter by passing it through the M20 cable gland opening, the gasket, the plastic lock nut and the adapter (If used).
  • Attach the antenna bulk head connector to the inverter using the supplied plastic lock nut (torque 5N-m). For some inverter models (UNO-2.0/2.5I-OUTD and TRIO-5.8/7.5/8.5-TL-OUTD) it will be necessary to use the adapter kit due to the greater thickness of the inverter enclosure. In this case, proceed as follows:
  • Install the gasket on the adapter
  • Attach the adapter to the inverter using the plastic lock nut (torque 5N-m).
  • Pass the antenna connection cable into the inverter by passing it through the M20 cable gland opening, the adapter, the gasket and the nut.
  • Attach the antenna bulk head connector to the adapter (torque 5N-m).
  • Screw the antenna on the support

ATTENTION ­
Use only antenna type RF Technology Corp. Model EA-79 F RP SMA, or a similar type having equal or lesser gain

VSN300 WIFI LOGGER CARD Installation

  • Connect the antenna cable to the coaxial mating connector present on the card.

ATTENTION ­
During this step, pay special attention to aligning the terminal of the antenna cable with the mating connector. Do not apply pressure on the terminal if it is not aligned with the mating connector.

  • Install the card by inserting the connection terminals in the dedicated connector on the inverter board. The connection on the inverter board can be composed of one (A) or two (B) different connectors depending on the inverter model.

ATTENTION ­ During this step, confirm that all the terminals are correctly aligned. Any terminal misalignment may result in damage to the card and/or to the inverter.

  • Tighten the locking screw to attach the card to the inverter (this screw secures the mounting bracket to the anchor point on the inverter) and tie the antenna connection cable to the hole on the mounting bracket using the cable tie:
    Special note for installation on inverter equipped with arc fault device: In these type of inverter is necessary to install a standoff (supplied with the
    equipment) under the mechanical mounting bracket.

  • At the end of installation phase, apply the following labels:

  • FCC Label. This label is supplied with the VSN300 WIFI LOGGER CARD and must be appiled near the Regulatory label of the inverter. The FCC label contains the FCC ID of the VSN300 WIFI LOGGER CARD.

  • Identification label. This label is necessary to remember all the identification data of VSN300 WIFI LOGGER CARD and it should be applied in the dedicated area (see paragraph 10).

Status LED behavior

The VSN300 WIFI LOGGER CARD is equipped with 3 status LEDs that can behaves as follows:

LED LED Behavior Description
(D) Blinking Card powered
(E) (F) Flashing green and yellow, together Initializing Data Partition
(E) (F) Alternating green and yellow, flashing Start-up phase
(E) Solid green Attached to WLAN
(F) Solid yellow Provisioning Access Point Enabled
(E) (F) Both green and yellow flash together 3 times Inverter Serial Number

Acquired

Commissioning

Provisioning of the VSN300 WIFI LOGGER CARD via Web Browser
ATTENTION ­ The first configuration of the VSN300 can also be performed using a smartphone or a tablet running the Mobile App Plant Viewer for Mobile. The provisioning or local monitoring is only going to work during daylight hours when the inverter has DC power.

  1. Turn on the inverter by physically connecting the AC and DC voltages. The VSN300 WIFI LOGGER CARD will automatically power up and after 60 seconds, acts as an access point, detectable by a tablet, smartphone or PC.

  2. Activate the Wi-Fi connection on the tablet/smartphone/PC and connect it to the WLAN network established by the WIFI LOGGER CARD, ABB
    SSSSSS-PPPP-WWYY, where:
    SSSSSS = Inverter serial number
    PPPP = Inverter part number
    WW=Week of production of the inverter
    YY=Year of production of the inverter

  3. Type the default IP address 192.168.117.1 in an internet browser

  4. Insert all the information required by the configuration wizard:
    4a. Select the language
    4b. Verify that the time zone of the installation site is correct or insert if it is missing.

4c. The VSN300 is able to operate in two different modes of operation:
• “AP mode” (access point): in this mode is enabled local monitoring only. The card behaves like an “access point” generating a wireless network to which the user can connect to monitor its inverter / PV plant locally, through the Plant Viewer Mobile App for Mobile or through direct access to the Web User Interface (WUI) built-in card;
• “Station Mode”: this mode is used to send data to the cloud platform, Aurora Vision, allowing remote access. Select the “Home” WLAN network and connect the VSN300 and insert the password to enable this mode. In this operation mode two different methods of assigning an IP address can be selected: DHCP or static. “Station Mode” operation mode combined with DHCP IP address assigning method are strongly recommended in most installations.
4d. When the VSN300 WIFI LOGGER CARD is connected to the “Home” network, the IP address assigned to the VSN300 will be displayed by the wizard. Take note of this IP address, as it will be used in the commissioning procedure below.

ATTENTION ­- ATTENTION: be advised that the IP address just assigned to VSN300 is foundamental to continue the installation wizard. Please take note of it before continuing.
ATTENTION ­- The device used to perform the commissioning of the VSN300 must be connected to the “Home” WLAN network before continuing the configuration process described in the next steps.

Identification label

This label is necessary to remember all the identification data of VSN300 WIFI LOGGER CARD and it should be applied in the dedicated area shown below.
**ATTENTION** ­ Save these instructions! The information on the above label will be used by Technical Service in case of problems.

Characteristics and technical data

VSN300 WIFI LOGGER CARD

Communication

Inverter interface| Hyperlink (CAN@1 Mbps + RS485@115 kBaud) / Legacy (Serial link TTL @ 19.2 KBaud)
User interface| Wi-Fi Certified™ IEEE 802.11 b/g/n (2,4 GHz)
Communication Protocols
LAN/WAN protocols| HTTPS, DHCP, NTP, SSL, SSH, XML, Modbus TCP (Sunspec)
Monitoring
Web user interface (WUI)| Integrated
Local monitoring| Wirelessly allowed via any Wi-Fi ® device connecting the integrated WUI or running Plant Viewer forMobile
Remote monitoring| Plant Portfolio Manager ® / Plant Viewer™ / Plant Viewer for mobile
Data Logging Specifications
Data sampling rate| High frequency data sampling (less than 1 minute average)
Local data storage| Log data for 30 days based on 15-minute intervals
Upgradeability| Remotely via Aurora Vision® Plant Management Platform / locally via integrated Web User Interface
(1)
Advanced functionalities
Remote O&M operations| Inverter’s parameter setting (2) / inverter’s firmware upgrade (2)
Smart grid functionalities| Grid control power-management enabled(2)
Power Supply
DC power consumption| ~ 2W
Environmental Parameters
Ambient temperature range| [-20; +85]°C
Environmental protection| IP 20
Relative humidity| <85% Non-condensing
Mechanical Parameters (per unit)
Dimensions (H x W x D)|  97mm x 46mm x 16mm (3.81’ x 1.81’ x 0.63’)
Weight| 0.06 lbs (26g)
Mounting system| Inverter’s expansion slot
Compliance
Marking| CE / RCM / Wi-Fi Certified™
Emissions| 47 CFR FCC Part 15 Subpart C, EN 55022 Conducted and radiated emission
Immunity| EN55024

  1. Available from FW version FW 1.8.x
  2. Check for availability
    Remark. Features not specifically listed in the present datasheet are not included in the product

For more information please contact your local FIMER representative or visit: fimer.com

FIMER_VSN300_WIFI LOGGER CARD-Quick installation Guide-EN-RevD

We reserve the right to make technical changes or modify the contents of this document without prior notice. With regard to purchase orders, the agreed particulars shall prevail. FIMER does not accept any responsibility whatsoever for potential errors or possible lack of information in this document.

We reserve all rights in this document and in the subject matter and illustrations contained therein. Any reproduction, disclosure to third parties or utilization of its contents ­ in whole or in parts ­ is forbidden without prior written consent of FIMER.

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