ALWAYS ABOUT WEATHER PVmet™ 500 Series User’s Guide 10/11/2018 All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in any form except by written permission of the publisher. All rights of translation are reserved. PVmet™ is a trademark of RainWise, Inc. | www.rainwi

INSTALLING THE WEATHER STATION 4 Siting Requirements and Considerations 4 Relative humidity and Temperature SENSOR 5 Solar Irradiance SENSORS 6 Back of module temperature sensors 7 Relative Humidity and Temperature 14 Back of Module Temperature Sensor 14 Supported SunSpec models 17 Modbus Address (Register 200) 20

Irradiance Sensitivity Settings (Registers 202,203,204) Baud Rate (Register 205) 21 Wind Sensor Selection (Register 206) 21 Rainfall Accumulator (Register 215) 22 Ambient Air Temperature Sensor 23 Solar Irradiance input 24 Full device settings register map 27 Bottom Mast Dimensions 28

Thank you for purchasing the PVmet-500weather station. The PVmet-500is a precision, modular, and compact weather station that uses Modbus communication over RS-485 that is SunSpec compliant. The PVmet-500was primarily designed for use in the photovoltaic market for monitoring the following parameters: • Back of module temperature (x 3) • Wind speed • Wind direction • Barometric pressure • Relative Humidity • Ambient temperature The PVmet 500's easy installation and simple operation make it a preferred choice for the solar irradiance market. The weather station is typically mounted out of normal...

RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND TEMPERATURE SENSOR The relative humidity and ambient air temperature (RHT) are measured with a digital integrated circuit. The RHT sensor is protected within white slopped plastic solar reflecting shields. Figure 2: RHT sensor solar shield housing The RHT sensor is susceptible to radiated heat, so it must be located away from heat producing equipment and must be kept away from surfaces that can radiate heat after being exposed to sunlight for extended periods of time. The recommended distance to a large surface (i.e. the ground, cement mounting pad or rooftop) is 1.25m to...

ANEMOMETER An anemometer can be attached to the top of the PVmet-500Series in place of the supplied top cap as seen in Figure 4. Figure 4: PVmet-500Series with a Miniaervane and ultrasonic anemometers Installation instructions are included with each anemometer. The anemometer is typically located 10m above the ground. Buildings, trees, and other obstructions can cause turbulent air which may impact the accuracy of the wind speed/direction measurements. To reduce added inaccuracies the anemometer must be located greater than 10x the height away from any obstructions as shown in Figure 5. Figure...

P.O.A. sensors can be mounted to the solar array or separately. If the solar panels are mounted on a tracking system, then the P.O.A. sensor must also be mounted on the tracking system. If the solar panels are not on a tracking system, then the angle of the panels can be measured and the P.O.A. sensor set to the same angle but will have to be readjusted if the panels alignment is changed seasonally. For diffuse or ground reflected sensors follow the instructions that come with the sensor. Each solar irradiance sensor will come with directions for proper mounting and they should be followed carefully....

MOUNTING MAST The bottom mast is mounted first using bolts or U-bolts which can be provided separately. Typical installation is using U-bolts to attach the bottom mast to horizontal sections of Unistrut® close to the inverter monitoring equipment as shown in Figure 6. Figure 6: Possible mounting solutions Care must be taken to not overtighten the U-bolts or bolts which could damage the PVC mast. The dimensions for the bottom mast are shown in Figure 17. Figure 7: Mast dimensions in inches [millimeters] The bottom mast should be mounted as vertical as possible in both X and Y axis. Verified with...

the small N located on the ultrasonic anemometer. Both the screw for the topmast and the screw for the entire top unit must be tightened to finalize the installation. ELECTRICAL Electrical connections should be verified before applying power to the unit to prevent the possibility of causing permanent damage. The PVmet-500is designed to be electrically robust if properly installed following the instructions in this manual. The enclosure has a built-in latch on the right side of the unit. To open, push in on the latch and pull the cover open. This latch securely keeps the enclosure closed, if additional...

POWER REQUIREMENTS The power circuit is electrically isolated providing excellent protection from ground loop faults. The PVmet-500 requires a 10-30VDC, 1.5W power supply. Large wattage supplies can be used. Reverse input and overcurrent protection are provided on board. Figure 99 shows proper termination of the power connections with a single point ground. The supply is fully isolated. The 0V and Earth ground inputs are not connected internally. Earth ground must be connected to the PVmet-500. Figure 9: Power connections with a single point ground If the incoming power wiring is shielded, the...

Additional connections are provided as jumpers for connecting more RS-485 devices. The two A and B terminal pairs are internally connected. The A(-) and B(+) connections are differential providing excellent noise immunity and the third connection is the common input which gives a reference for the other lines. A shield should also be used to shunt away the noise and because the RS-485 circuit is completely isolated the shield can be used for the common connection as well. A typical installation is shown in Figure 11. Figure 11: Typical installation where the shield and ground are used together...

MINIAERVANE The typical PVmet-500 installation will come with the Miniaervane anemometer which provides the wind speed from 0 to 67m/s as well as the wind vector in 16 cardinal directions. The Miniaervane uses RJ45 connectors on the main board and on the bottom of the sensor as shown in Figure 12. Figure 12: Miniaervane connections To install the Miniaervane remove the loosen the cap screw and remove the cap. Also, remove and discard the red cable support plug in the top of the mast. Connect the RJ-45 connector to the sensor and slide the Miniaervane onto the mast making sure the slot on the...