Schneider SW SCP not finding devices

[Kevin Atlasta]

Hey guys, I am Co-owner, Colorado journeyman electrician and lead installation technician for our company in Grand Junction, Colorado. Atlasta Solar Center. I have been work for our company for over 10 years now and have not had this issue before with Schneider products. In the past they have been very good, simple systems to install. However between November and December 2018 they transitioned from having actual phone support to only a web form. They don't respond in a timely matter whatsoever and when they do, they are not giving any useful data to solve any problems. They did point me to registration for installers to get a phone number but again, slow to respond and its been a week and no phone number.

The problem I am having, we replaced an offgrid system that was stolen with a Schneider SW 4024 with AGS and no matter how I try and hook up the SCP it doesn't want to find any devices or show any electrical data of any kind. The job site is an hour away with no cell service so not easy to troubleshoot. When I first encountered this issue in Nov. of 2018 when I was able to actually get a person on the phone, they replaced the inverter saying the issue was in the inverter itself. It took them over a month to get us a replacement, finally got out there with it to replace and still same issue. And also no phone support now. When I first plugged it in to test, it had initially found devices, I unplugged to put everything back together and then nothing once all was together again. I tried straight into the inverter, through the AGS like it is supposed to as well as having the terminators in the empty ports. Tried different CAT5 cables to no avail. As well as a different new SCP.

I take the SCPs back to our shop where we have an older Xantrex XW 6048 Hybrid system and plug them into our system through the AGS and they operate perfectly. I try plugging them straight into the inverter and I get the same issue I have out at the job site with no devices found and no electrical data.

I have updated the firmware on the SCP and still doesn't want to find any devices or show electrical data when plugged straight into the inverter like Schneider had suggested before. Has anyone else had this issue at all? My next trip out there would be taking our Combox from the shop out there with me to update firmware on the AGS and SW 4024. Any other hints would help a ton. Thank you!

Kevin Love
Atlasta Solar Center
Co-owner
Colorado Journeyman Electrician

[Mike90250]

Are you using the data termination plugs at BOTH ends of the Xanbus chain ? And as I recall, there is a minimum length of cable, no shorter than 6 feet between units, using a neat 18" cable leads to data errors

[Kevin Atlasta]

I am using the terminators on both ends, also using the supplied cables that came with the SCP.

[Mike90250]

Then I'd power the entire system down, including any ethernet routers (you are using the xanbus ports, not the ethernet port - plugging a xanbus cable with it's 24V on it, into a ethernet port will fry the ethernet port and maybe more) and let the system set cold and dead for 10 minutes, and then power up the inverter - wait a minute for it to completely boot, and then connect the SCP, see if it sees the inverter, and then break the chain, and wire the AGS in.

Does your shop have any combox or gateways or spare SCP's to swap in ? How do you upgrade client firmware ? Are you sure the AGS is good and not killing the xanbus ?

[Kevin Atlasta]

We actually haven't had any issues with firmware in the past so we haven't needed to take the combox out of our shop to do so. I did do extended power cycles when I was there last and definitely plugging into the xanbus ports. No networking at the job site. I did swap in a new SCP to try last time I was there as well but same thing was happening with no devices or electrical data. My next trip out there I will be taking our combox with me with the newest updated firmware to make sure all are up to date. Thanks for your feedback.

[Mike90250]

i can see a condition where a new combox won't see an old FW in an old inverter, you might have to update both