KIPP ZONEN DustIQ PV Soiling Monitoring Instruction Manual

Requirements

• Allen key 6 mm
  
• USB to RS-485 converter
  
• Spanner 13 mm
  

Cable connection

Wire	Function	Connect with
Yellow	Modbus® RS-485	Data +
Grey	Modbus® RS-485	Data –
White	Power 12 to 30 VDC
Black	Power ground
Blue	Modbus® common / Ground	Ground*
Shield	Housing	Ground*
* Connect to ground if DustIQ is not grounded

Default

• Modbus® baud rate 19200
• Data bits 8
• Parity even
• Stop bits 1
• Address 1
• Factory dust profile Common desert dust

Push-Pull: Connect the supplied cable to the socket labelled ‘Host’

Positions and options

Dimensions

TARE INSTRUCTIONS

Needed before tare

1. Connected, working clean DustIQ with software version 2.15 or higher
2. DustIQ must be operative for minimal 3 minutes
3. Modbus registers 20-40 must be read and logged for soiling ratio’s, transmission losses, status flags, dust slopes etc. (see manual section 4.2)
4. A person on-site and a remote person reading DustIQ data and the manual .
5. If moving from the back of the DustIQ to the front takes more than 20 seconds, then consider adding a third person, just to push the button

Time needed is 15 minutes

No clouds

Clear, sunny

Between 2 hours before and after solar noon

Clean, demineralised water and a sponge

Clean, dry cloth

DustIQ LED light interpretation
Regular operation, 5 seconds of blue led light with a 60 second interval

Feedback during the Tare or field calibration are given by the 2 sensors and the calibration button. There are 2 cases:

1. Slow blinking is 1x per second, confirmation and DustIQ awaiting next input
2. Fast blinking is 10x per second, this is the error signal for further information see error code in register 27

Both signals last 30 seconds in total, before normal operation restarts.

On-Site 

Validate installation	During the procedure: Do not cast a shadow on the DustIQ Do not cover the sensors The DustIQ is mounted properly as per instructions. Power cable is connected to the DustIQ. DustIQ is cleaned.	No action needed
Wait	Wait 3 full minutes for the DustIQ to stabilize	No action needed
Push button 3 times	Push the Calibration button on the underside of the DustIQ 3 times in rapid succession. Do NOT block the sunlight on the DustIQ	No action needed
Wait	Sensors and button light up continuously for 1 minute.	No action needed
Check sensors or button	Slow blinking = OK and finished. Inform person 2 of successful completion.	Confirm successful calibration in register 27 (manual section 4.2.2.)
	Fast blinking = error. Inform person 2 .	If unsuccessful read error code in register 27 for possible reasons and solutions.

BEFORE CALIBRATION

Needed before calibration

1. Connected, working, soiled DustIQ (3% transmission loss) with software version 2.15 or higher
2. DustIQ must be operative for minimal 3 minutes
3. Modbus registers 20-40 must be read and logged for soiling ratio’s, transmission losses, status flags, dust slopes etc. (see manual section 4.2)
4. A person on-site and a remote person reading DustIQ data and the manual .
5. If moving from the back of the DustIQ to the front takes more than 20 seconds, than consider adding a third person, just to push the button.
6. A clear sunny sky
   • Time needed is 15 minutes
   • No clouds
   • Clear, sunny day
   • Between 2 hours before and after solar noon
   • Clean, demineralised water and a sponge
   • Clean, dry cloth

The sky must be free of clouds and airplane contrails for at least 10 minutes.

	On-Site During the procedure:  Do not cast a shadow on the DustIQ Do not cover the sensors	Remote office Remote office
Contact Remote Office	Contact Remote Office	Check register 26 for enough soiling and sun and inform on-site person 1. (the expected value is 3), for further details check the cheat sheet
Local Check	Check for clear sky and no clouds. Inform person of start of calibration when OK. Do not cast a shadow on the DustIQ during the calibration process!	No action needed.
Push calibration button for 3 seconds		No action needed.
Check sensors or button flash	Slow blinking = proceed with next step Fast blinking = stop and inform person	During calibration 0 will be presented in register 27. If an error occurs register 27 is updated with a specific code. (manual section 4.2.2)
Push button again (for 3 sec.)	Do NOT block the sunlight on the DustIQ!	No action needed
Wait	Sensors and button light up continuously for 1 minute Do not cast a shadow on the DustIQ Do not touch the DustIQ	No action needed. Wait for update from on-site person .
Check sensors or button	Slow blinking = OK and finished Inform person of successful completion	Confirm successful calibration in register 27 (manual section 4.2.2). and optionally read and use new dust slopes. (manual section 4.1).
	Fast blinking = error Inform person	If unsuccessful read error code in register 27 for possible reasons and solutions.

REMOTE OFFICE cheat sheet

Value	Meaning	Remarks
0	There is not enough sun light and not enough soiling on the sensors	On-site check for clear sky and local time is between 2 hours before and after local solar noon. Check if there is >3% transmission loss in registers 21 and 25.
1	Enough sunlight	There is > 500 W/m² solar irradiation on the DustIQ. But not (yet) enough soiling so wait for more soiling
2	Enough soiling on both sensors	There is >3% transmission loss in registers 21 and 25. But not enough sunlight (yet).
3	Enough sunlight and soiling on both sensors. Calibration possible	Contact people on-site to check readiness, time window and sky conditions and if OK they can start the 2 minute waiting time followed by pushing the button and cleaning.
4	Unstable soiled measurements	Before calibration the DustIQ, must have had 2 minutes of stable sunlight 4 and the two sensors must have had 2 minutes of stable soiling.

Register 27 after tare

Value	Meaning	Remarks
3000	Tare successful	Tare procedure is completed.
3006		Attempted to start tare procedure without waiting the required 2minutes to allow for stabilization
3010	Hardware error	Signal is to low possible hardware failure.

Register 27 after calibration

Value	Meaning	Remarks
1	Successful calibration	The dust slopes in registers 36 and 38 have changed. Refer to chapter 4.1 to see how older data or data from other DustIQs on the same PV plant can be updated with the new calibration values. Valid values for register 36 and 38 are from 30 (extreme white soiling) to 300 (very dark soiling)
1000	Attempted to start without enough sun	Calibration was halted. Nothing has been changed. Register 26 should be checked before pushing the button.
1001	Attempted to start without enough soiling	Calibration was halted. Nothing has been changed. Register 26 should be checked before pushing the button. 1002
1002	Attempted to start with unstable sunlight on PV cell	Clouds or a person has blocked the sunlight. the sunlight in the 2 minutes before pushing the button.
1003	Attempted to start with unstable dust measurement	On-site personnel touched the glass area of sensor 1 or 2 during the 2 minutes before pushing the button.
1004	Button pushed but too short. This prevents accidental start	Push the button 3-5 seconds for the calibration to start.
1005	Time out. The button hasn’t been pushed a second time within 2 minutes from first push.	Could be by accident. Not pushing the button a second time is also a safe escape from the calibration procedure.
1006	Field calibration started withing 3 minutes of start-up (without waiting)
2010	Sensor 1 showed too little soiling change.	Sensor 1 not properly cleaned or dried
2020	Sensor 2 showed too little soiling change.	Sensor 2 not properly cleaned or dried.
2030	PV cell showed unreliable little change.	PV cell not properly cleaned or dried. Or PV cell much cleaner than the sensors by e.g. accidental cleaning. OR Clouds or a person has blocked the sunlight.
2040	Clean measurement unstable	Disturbance during clean measurement.
2050	Dustslope out of range	Dustslope is higher than expected but procedure was correct.
2060	Dustslope factor out of range	Dustslope is higher than expected but procedure was correct.

Documents / Resources

KIPP ZONEN DustIQ PV Soiling Monitoring [pdf] Instruction Manual DustIQ PV Soiling Monitoring, DustIQ, PV Soiling Monitoring, Soiling Monitoring, Monitoring

References

• User Manual