CCA + TAP + TS4-A-O configuration without barcodes
My installer installed TS4-A-O optimizers for each of the 24 PV panels supplied. The project did not include CCA + TAP. Later I learnt TS4-A-O modules can be controlled by CCA + TAP. So I purchased this kit separately, but I have not yet installed it.
Since the PV modules + TS4-A-O where fitted without knowledge of a monitoring system, nobody took note of the barcodes. It would be impossible now to get all the barcodes without lifting all the PV panels from the roof, one by one.
TIGO support told me that it is possible to configure the system without knowing the barcodes, however the manual says that barcodes must be entered into the system before turning on the CCA for commissioning.
Has anyone installed a CCA+TAP without knowing the TS4 modules barcodes upfront and could guide me through the process?
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Hello Mauro,
Thank you for contributing to the Tigo Community.
Since your question is very specific to your issue, I have started a ticket with the Tigo Support Team. An agent will be in contact soon. In the meantime, please prepare a system map and try to confirm as many of the serial numbers (and locations), as possible. If the rooftop is extreme or you want to avoid lifting Modules, there is an easy method to capturing Serial Numbers:- Take a cell phone to site
- Place phone on a selfie-stick
- Pass the stick under PV-Module(s)
- Take a pic with the camera app on the phone
Using this method, you will not have to lift the panel and may be able to get some (or all) of the outer units on the array.
Once a portion of the system is confirmed, a Discovery can be launched for just those units. Then, the Tigo Support Team can run an additional scan for rogue serial numbers that are attempting to communicate with the system. These rogue serials can be added to the System Layout (online).
Important Note: The true mapping locations for the recovered units, will not be correct! This will cause confusion for future site visits and when dealing with other issues (shading events, string outages, module failures, etc). The only way to confirm the location of each unit, is to lift all the panels and find the physical placement of each serial number.0 -
Thank you for your kind reply I tried already with the 2 most accessible panels. Unfortunately my phone takes a blurred photo each time because the distance between the panel and the roof tiles is only 15cm at most (the down wave of the tile) and the phone is too close to the TS4 module attached to the PV panel’s frame.
Can the CCA +TAP discover all TS4’s without the barcodes? I was thinking that once acquired I could map the system by using a cardboard fixed on a fishing rod to shade the PV panels one by one for identification.
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Hello Mauro,
It usually requires at least a couple of Serial Numbers. However, the Support Team may be able to help you with that.
I have created a ticket for you. Our Engineers will be in touch, soon. In the meantime, if you can lift any of those modules or get an angled mirror on a stick, it would greatly help their efforts in defining the system, quickly.0 -
Hi. Was there a solution to this? I am in the same boat and would be nice to have them auto detected without needing to provide bar codes as I don't have them at all. And getting on my roof if not an option
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Nothing that the end user can do. Tigo support did it for me from remote, but later I went to read all the barcodes anyway because there is more value in knowing their position too, so that I case of issues or power drops you can pinpoint the panel.
Contact Tigo and ask them to do it for you.
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Thats good. Ill contact them.
Re: positioning. My plan was to tie a cardboard on a pole and block individual panels to see which panel gives out. Will see how that goes.
Thanks Mauro
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That was my plan too... easier said than done in practice.
Please beware that once they are connected to a mesh, the modules will shutdown the panel if they get disconnected from the TAP mesh and this happens quite often. So if you are not in the US where they have mostly wooden houses and roofs (in Italy we have stone or reinforced concrete houses, houses built since 1950 have reinforced concrete roofs too), I recommend to ask Tigo to disable that software "feature" and use only the manual shutdown (you can connect a disaster shutdown switch to the CCA). The problem with the mesh network is that once a module has lost connection to the TAP, it will not reconnect for the rest of the day. It needs a power cycle to reconnect (so you have to wait for the module to shutdown overnight when there is no sun).
The mesh can be temperamental especially if your panels are distributed over different pitched sections of a roof like in my case (I have 24 panels over 3 sections). Tigo worked on my TS4 and TAP for quite a long time to optimize the mesh. Initially I had very frequent disconnections. Now only occasionally, but when it happens, the module remains offline until the next day. With the safety shutdown feature disabled, the panel continues to produce power even if the TS4 is offline.
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Hello Rashed Sarwar,
Thank you for your reply!
I can see that you have opened a ticket with Tigo Support! Our highly knowledgeable engineers will work towards finding a solution for you. Once the issue has been corrected, please reply with the solution so that others may read about it.
In the meantime, see this article:
Help! I forgot to scan the optimizer serial numbers, before installing them on the roof.0 -
"With the safety shutdown feature disabled, the panel continues to produce power even if the TS4 is offline"
Thanks for the heads up. So if the cca loses power or link goes down for any purpose, it turns the optimizers off? Whilst I understand the need for this system, I am confused as to why there is no option to disable the TS4 from going offline, I.e. so that CCA only works as a data logger, nothing more. Or more appropriately, allow the TAP to connect back to the TS4s and allow it to resume normal operations.
Seems like an ill thought-out feature.
Will do, Curtis
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If the CCA loses power the TS4 shuts down its panel production. This is by Tigo design because in case of a fire, the fire brigade will cut power to the premises and they expect the solar array to shutdown. The side effect is that when a TS4 cannot connect to the base, it shuts down production automatically. And unfortunately, since the mesh network is subject to interference, occasionally a TS4 is disconnected until the next day. Tigo haven't yet found a fix that allows a TS4 to reconnect without a power cycle.
This feature is enabled by default and it cannot be disabled by the end user. You have to ask Tigo to do it for you. Clearly only if you want to give up the safety feature. Remember there is also a manual switch option to instruct the CCA to shutdown production.
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Hello Rashed Sarwar,
Mauro Mozzarelli is correct. The RSD (rapid shutdown) was designed by Tigo to secure the system for first responders. This feature is mandatory in the USA, but may not be for your territory. The Support Team can help you with disabling this feature.
TS4s that do not reconnect (after RSD has been disengaged) should not be an issue if there aren't any sources of local interference. The Support Team can help to identify or correct this, by checking for RSSI (radio signal strength indication) and reviewing your system design. Sometimes, it's as easy as moving the TAP to a better location.
In the meantime, information regarding the manual switch option (that Mauro has mentioned), can be found here:
PV-Off - Installing a Manual Latching Push Button Safety Switch0 -
Hi
The support team added my TS4s and disabled rapid shutdown. Some TS4s does indeed drop out randomly. When they are connected, signal strengths are really good for all panels, but every now and then some of them drops out. As I am using them for monitoring specific case of string voltage oddities in my setup, I am not too bothered. But had this meant that the units would have gone offline for the rest of the day, I would have taken it out of the setup altogether.Thanks for the link, Curtis.
Although my TS4s did not shutdown as i disabled RSD, but if Mauro's observation is correct that one has to wait for the next day to connect to them, i am afraid something has gone amiss when designing the feature. I can understand the case for having the feature, and I think this requirement should be adopted everywhere, but once the RSD button has been disengaged, or power restored or link restored, the TS4 should come back online again. Or at the very least, installer/user should be able to turn the TS4s on theough the App, without contacting tigo. That is my observation as an control engineer
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Hello Rashed Sarwar,
Thank you for your reply.
The TS4s should reconnect as soon as RSD or PV Safe has been disengaged. There should not be any issue with communication, unless there are:- Sources of heavy local interference
- Drop roofs, dormers, air conditioning units, or other obstacles
- Excessive shading (causing closed diodes or underpowered units)
- TAP is mounted incorrectly (like inside the attic, or far away from units)
The Support Team can help to identify or correct this, by checking for RSSI (radio signal strength indication) and reviewing your system design. I have opened up a new ticket, requesting a review of your signal strength. A knowledgeable Engineer will be in contact soon. In the meantime, we thank you for your patience.
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