Sunny Beam Problem Total and graph Missing!

[redjay22]

My Sunny Beam froze on the morning of the 11th Jan. I left it for 20 minutes but it did not update or switch off so i pulled the batteries out and then put them back.

I then got a generation reading but no graph or day totals and the total was stuck on the previous days figure. All the day totals are there bar the last 2 days and the graph for yesterday is flatlining!

I had hoped it would sort itself out this morning but again only the generation is showing. This is accurate as it tallys with sunnyexplorer.

I am planning on a factory reset tonight but i am not sure if this will wipe everything back to zero or if it will get all the info back from the Inverter.

Has anybody had any similar issues or know what a factory reset will result in?

Thanks
Jay

[Hydroteam]

Hi Redjay,

I had the same problem at the end of December - system installation was 10th November and I think Sunnybeam comms does have its issues.

I have found the battery to run down quite a few times and the same symptoms as you describe happened once. I reset the unit and all returned to normal but had "lost" the data for the couple of days I left the monitor hoping it would sort it self out. I had to use Sunny Explorer to get the missing days data direct from the inverter. (Edit - it had lost all daily data from before the reset but the generation total was not lost - this is presumably updated direct from the inverter and not taken from the sunnybeam files?)

I am now overseas for a while and my good wife is looking after the monitoring, although the sunnybeam is now permanently connected to a computer via the USB cable to keep it fully charged up and with continual readouts....

[redjay22]

Thanks for your reply. It wasn't a low battery that caused the issue so finger scrossed it won't happen again.

Are you saying that all data is lost but you can use Sunnny Explorer to download the data from the inverter into the Sunny Beam?

[Hydroteam]

Hi again,

Yes, with me also, it also wasn't a low battery, not sure what triggered the problem. But battery does seem to get low/run out often, although this doesnt seem to lose data already held in the sunnybeam.

No, I am not aware of any way of transferring lost data from inverter to sunnybeam - i downloaded the "lost" days data to my laptop.

On another note, a few days after installation, I had a "funny" with timing, if i remember rightly, it was after the battery ran down the first time - the sunnybeam options were set to daylight saving off and the inverter was set to daylight saving on so something went awry and the timing was one hour out. All sorted now as both inverter and sunnybeam are set to the same - maybe something else to look out for.

[redjay22]

Thanks for that info.

I have noticed that it can be a little temperamental at times.

As the warranty is only a year i hope it keeps going longer!

[iantowil]

I've had similar issues with my sunnybeam freezing up once or twice. Is there an easy way to get it to update with the latest data - mine froze on the 13th and doesn't want to seem to update after taking the batteries out and reconnecting.

[iantowil]

Quick update: got it reconnected and pulled in the last few days of missing data, but what a load of pullava. Had to re-boot inverter then connect with the laptop through bluetooth and then re-boot sunnybeam - interestingly, when it worked you could see it pulling in the data for the last few days, then job done.

If anyone has an easy fix, be grateful if they could share.

[asorton]

Did you try a reset, in the settings menu.

The OP was going to try this but did not report back, can only asume it worked.

[Antman]

I am sure it's a Bluetooth comms problem.

I noticed mine had frozen yesterday at about 10am. Because my inverter is outside in the garage and the BT is relatively short-range (for what I need) the signal is not max and is variable where I have the SB located. It is also not in a position to receive sunlight from a window. Despite this the battery gauge still shows 2/3 after 24 hrs.

So I have one of those 13A plug sized USB 5V PSUs that comes on in the evenings/weekends via a timer that also switches power to my modem/router (no point in running it 24hrs a day if I'm at work!). The USB cable is permanently attached to the SB but obviously only pwers up when the timer cuts in but keeps the SB cells topped-up.
Interestingly I have noticed before that the signal strength increases to max whenever the USB PSU powers up. So it's nothing to do with having a length of USB cable attached acting as an aerial as that is connectd all the time. It is only when the external 5V gets applied.

So yesterday I pressed the over-ride button on the timer (to bring it on early) and the SB immediatley downloaded the missing data and the display graph and current kWh returned.

I have noticed with the laptop and Sunny Explorer that it is very temperamental with signal strength. I suspect if you don't have max signal then it is always liable to cause problems. Why they did not implement WiFi I don't know. An external aerial would have been a good improvement since the inverter casing screens some of the signal. Bluetooth is a !%$*  (substitute the favourite four letters of your choice) comms choice best suited to items that are within a few feet of each other.

There ain't no way I am paying £170 for the SMA Bluetooth extender and £400+ for the Web-box is just crazy.

Antman

[iantowil]

No, didn't try a reset as it warned I'd lose all the data and I was afraid I wouldn't get it back - one of my favourite things about the Sunnybeam is it has logged since day 1 of my system so would be gutted if I couldn't get back this back.

Thanks for the advice Antman. I can do similar so will try it. It did look short of battery so that may well be the answer for me too. I did check the battery voltage and it was down around 2.6volts - gave them 30mins in a charger and it went upto 2.8volts, but the rechargeables are typically a lower voltage than standard batteries. Will give it a try anyway, cheers.

[GavinA]

IME this problem is usually caused by the date being set wrong when the batteries are put back in, so the sunny beam can't synch with the inverter. Check the date and time, and this will resolve the situation most of the time.

[ovonrein]

The data is originally stored on the inverter.  The SunnyBeam too has some memory, but after it is lost, it will very quickly rebuild its database once it hooks up to the inverter.  As Gavin writes, you need to make a positive connection.  If all else fails, there is Settings / PV Plant / New plant search.  If it doesn't show in there, your SunnyBeam is out of range.

[iantowil]

Yes, was connected but didn't sync up for some reason and had manually set the time as part of the sunnybeam reboot procedure. Anyway, thanks for the help gents, much appreciated

By the way, how much data does the inverter store - intrigued by how far it is going to be able to go back in the next few years.

[paul149]

Found this quote from another forum.

"I spoke to SMA Australia a few weeks ago and the 4000TL will store about 53 days of data before starting to overwrite, whereas the SBeam will store about 90 days."

But could also be vice-versa ie 4000TL = 90 days and the SBeam is 53 Days.....

Anyone verify this???

[iantowil]

Sunnybeam is definitely more - mine hasn't started overwriting yet (514kb) and started logging the middle of last July. Can't remember how much memory the Sunnybeam has but I'm sure it's not alot by todays standards - it's just the csv files are only 2-3kb.