Industrial HMI

Australian Energy Research Laboratories (AERL) was founded in 1985 by Stuart Watkinson to commercialise the Power Optimizer, which he developed while studying at the University of Queensland. It became the AERL MAXIMIZER™, a universal maximum power point tracker (MPPT).

Today AERL designs, integrates and supports power conversion, lithium energy storage, monitoring and earth-fault detection products for commercial, industrial and off-grid energy systems, including oil and gas, mining and telecommunications sites.

Trademark

AERL and the AERL logo are trademarks owned by AERL Holdings Pty Ltd and used by AERL Pty Ltd under licence. These trademarks may be registered in Australia and other countries. Solinteg, Deep Sea Electronics and other third-party names are trademarks of their respective owners; they are used here only to identify compatible equipment.

Effective Date

November 2026 (11/2026)

Notice of Copyright

AERL Industrial HMI (HMI-10) User Manual © 2026 AERL Pty Ltd. All rights reserved.

Disclaimer

UNLESS SPECIFICALLY AGREED TO IN WRITING, AERL PTY LTD:

(a) MAKES NO WARRANTY AS TO THE ACCURACY, SUFFICIENCY OR SUITABILITY OF ANY TECHNICAL OR OTHER INFORMATION PROVIDED IN ITS MANUALS OR OTHER DOCUMENTATION.

(b) ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR LOSS OR DAMAGE, WHETHER DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL, WHICH MIGHT ARISE OUT OF THE USE OF SUCH INFORMATION.

THE USE OF ANY SUCH INFORMATION WILL BE ENTIRELY AT THE USER'S RISK.

Contact Information

Australian Energy Research Laboratories, 1/75 Bluestone Circuit, Seventeen Mile Rocks QLD 4073, Australia

aerl.com.au · [email protected] · [email protected] · 1800 950 865

This manual contains important safety information and installation and operating instructions for the AERL Industrial HMI (HMI-10). It uses the following symbols for important operating information and potentially dangerous conditions.

Important

Indicates information that must be followed to ensure proper installation or operation of the HMI-10.

Caution

Indicates a critical procedure for the safe installation or operation of the HMI-10 or the equipment it controls.

1.1About This Manual

This manual covers installing the HMI-10, connecting it to the site's inverter and generator controller, and using its screens. Read all of its instructions and cautions before you start.

Only qualified electricians and technicians may install and commission the HMI-10. Site operators may use the Dashboard; the control and setup screens are protected by a PIN.

Do not disassemble or attempt to repair the HMI-10 unless you are a qualified technician and have authority in writing from AERL to do so.

AERL will not be held responsible in any way for the mishandling of this product or for installation of the product in a manner that does not follow the instructions in this manual or as advised by AERL.

1.2Safety Notes

Caution

• The HMI-10's control screens start and stop real equipment. Before you send a command, make sure it is safe to do so: the screen states the consequence of each command and asks you to confirm it.
• Package control and its Emergency stop button are not a safety function. The site's hardwired emergency stop circuit remains the safety stop.
• Isolate the DC supply before you connect or disconnect the power input.
• Connect a 24 Vdc supply only through an in-line 12 V regulator (contact AERL).

Important

• Change the default PIN (0000) at commissioning (Setup > Security).
• The front of the HMI-10 is rated IP65. When it is rear-mounted behind a window in a switchboard door, the window and the door seal keep water out; the rest of the unit is not sealed.

The AERL Industrial HMI (HMI-10) is a 10.1″ sunlight-readable touch panel with the AERL Nexus software built in. It gives operators a local view of the site's inverter and generator, and gives authorised staff local control of both.

The HMI-10 is the local control point of the system. It reads the inverter and the generator controller over Modbus (Ethernet, with RS-485 as an option), shows their values on its screens, sends start, stop and mode commands, and serves the same data to the site's SCADA system over Modbus TCP.

2.1What the HMI-10 Works With

The HMI-10 is the only Modbus client of the inverter and the generator controller. Do not connect another Modbus master to them.

2.2Screens at a Glance

3.1Display and Touch

3.2Power

3.3Computing and Interfaces

3.4Mechanical and Environment

All installations must comply with national and local electrical standards and codes of practice.

4.1Location

Important

• Mount the HMI-10 where operators can see and reach the screen, out of direct rain. The front is rated IP65; the rear is not sealed.
• Keep the unit within its operating temperature range, −20 to 70 °C. In a switchboard, allow for the heat of the equipment around it.
• Route cables downwards away from the unit, so that water on a cable cannot run back into it.

4.2Mounting

The HMI-10 mounts one of two ways:

• Panel mount, through a cut-out in a panel or door.
• Rear mount, behind a window in the switchboard door, on the four M4 threaded holes in the back of the unit (VESA 75 × 75 mm pattern).

For a rear mount, seal the window in the door so that the front of the HMI-10 stays dry. Contact AERL for the panel cut-out dimensions.

4.3Power

1. Isolate the DC supply.
2. Connect a 12 Vdc supply to the HMI-10's DC input, positive and negative as marked on the unit. From a 24 Vdc supply, fit the in-line 12 V regulator (contact AERL) between the supply and the HMI-10.
3. Restore the supply. The HMI-10 starts on its own: see Starting Up in the Getting Started chapter.

Caution

Check the polarity and the voltage at the HMI-10's input before you connect it. Applying more than the rated input voltage, or reversed polarity, may damage the unit and is not covered by the warranty.

4.4Network and Equipment Connections

The HMI-10 has two Ethernet ports, LAN 1 and LAN 2. One port is enough: the inverter, the generator controller and the SCADA system can all be on one switch connected to LAN 1. LAN 2 is optional.

1. Connect LAN 1 to the site switch with a Cat5e or Cat6 patch lead.
2. Connect the inverter and the generator controller to the same switch, and give each a fixed IP address on the site network.
3. If the site uses RS-485 instead of, or as well as, Ethernet, wire the device to an RS-485 channel on the HMI-10's expansion IO header: channel 0 (A0, B0) or channel 1 (A1, B1). Terminate the RS-485 line at both ends as the device manufacturer says.
4. Set the links in Setup on the HMI-10 (Setup > Inverter and Setup > Generator; see the Setup chapter).

Important

Use shielded twisted-pair cable for RS-485 and keep data cables away from power cables.

5.1Starting Up

When power is applied, the HMI-10 starts its software and then shows the Dashboard. Start-up can take up to about two minutes. The HMI-10 does not need an internet connection to start or to show the site's equipment.

5.2The Screen Header

Every screen has the same header:

• The AERL logo and the title Nexus.
• The screen buttons Dashboard, Generator, Package and Setup.
• Three status chips, Gateway, Inverter and Generator, with a coloured dot: green when that part is working, amber when its data is old (stale) and red when it has no connection.
• The time, in 24-hour format.

5.3Touch and the Keypad

The HMI-10 is used by touch only; there is no keyboard or mouse. Numbers, addresses and PINs are entered on an on-screen numeric keypad. Touch a field to open the keypad, enter the value and touch OK, or Cancel to leave the value as it was.

5.4PIN and Locking

The Dashboard is open to everyone. The Generator, Package and Setup screens ask for the PIN ("Enter PIN for Generator control", "Enter PIN for Package control", "Enter PIN for Setup").

• The PIN is 4 to 8 digits. The default PIN is 0000: change it at commissioning (Setup > Security).
• After five wrong PINs, PIN entry is locked for 60 seconds.
• A protected screen locks again after 2 minutes without a touch. Touch Lock (Generator, Package) or Lock setup (Setup) to lock it straight away.
• If the screen shows "Session expired. Enter PIN again.", enter the PIN again.

The Dashboard shows the live state of the inverter and the generator. It needs no PIN.

6.1Inverter Card

• The inverter's working status, next to the card title (for example On-grid).
• Solar PV: total PV power and each PV input (PV1, PV2).
• Battery: state of charge with a bar, battery voltage, current and power, and Charging, Discharging or Idle.
• Load: load power and the generator input power.
• A phase table: the Backup bus and Gen input voltage and power on L1, L2 and L3, and their frequency.
• Gen input V, Gen input Hz and Inverter temp.
• The inverter's active faults, or "No inverter faults".

6.2Generator Card

• Output (kW), Mode (for example Auto) and Engine (for example Stopped or Running).
• Voltage and current on L1, L2 and L3.
• Frequency, Engine speed, Engine run time, Fuel, Oil pressure, Coolant and the generator's starter Battery voltage.
• The quiet hours line, when quiet hours are set (see the Setup chapter).
• The generator's active alarms, or "No generator alarms".

6.3Connection Pills

Each card has two pills in its top corner. The comms pill shows the state of the link to the device, for example Comms OK or Comms no reply. The data pill shows whether the values are Live or Stale, or that the link is down or disabled. When a device is running on its RS-485 fallback link, the card says so.

6.4Alarms and Faults

Alarms and faults are listed at the foot of each card, the most serious first: a solid red bar for a shutdown or an electrical trip, a yellow outline for a warning. When there are more than fit, the list says how many are active ("3 active, swipe to see all"): swipe the list to see the rest.

6.5Stale and Missing Values

When the HMI-10 has not had a good reading from a device for longer than its stale limit, that device's values are shown greyed as "--", with the time of the last good reading ("Last read 62 s ago"). The screen keeps trying and shows live values again as soon as the device answers.

The Generator screen controls the generator through its controller. It needs the PIN.

7.1Commands

Every command opens a confirmation that states its consequence, for example "Make sure the area around the generator is clear." before a start, or "Only reset after the cause has been checked." before an alarm reset. Touch the confirm button to send it.

The inverter starts the generator through a hardwired signal. Manual and Stop keep it from starting until Auto is selected again.

7.2When a Button Is Greyed Out

A command that cannot be sent is greyed, with the reason under it: for example "Already in Auto mode.", "Select Manual mode first; Start only works in Manual.", or "There are no active alarms to reset." Control is also unavailable while the generator's data is stale or disconnected, while generator panel control is switched off in Setup, or while the generator controller's control PIN is missing or has been rejected.

7.3Status Panel

The panel beside the buttons shows the generator's Mode, Engine state, Control PIN state, Active alarms, Telemetry start, Output, Speed, Fuel and Link, and the result of the last command as the HMI-10 follows it (for example cranking, running up, running, or failed to start).

7.4Quiet Hours

If a start is requested during quiet hours, the screen says "Quiet hours are active" and offers Start anyway or Do not start.

The Package screen starts and stops the inverter package. It needs the PIN, and package control must be switched on in Setup > SCADA server.

Caution

Package control is not a safety function. The hardwired emergency stop circuit remains the safety stop.

The panel beside the buttons shows the inverter's Working status, Communication, Data age and whether Package control is Enabled, and the last command: its Counter, Command, Result (Accepted, Rejected by inverter, or No reply from inverter) and Source (SCADA, or This touchscreen).

A command that has no reply may or may not have been applied: check the inverter's working status before you send it again. The HMI-10 never repeats a command by itself.

Setup holds the HMI-10's settings. It needs the PIN. The menu on the left opens Inverter, Generator, SCADA server, Network, Quiet hours and Security.

9.1Making a Change

Changes you make form a draft ("Unsaved change"). Touch Apply to see the list of changes and confirm them, or Revert to discard them. The screen then shows "Settings applied", or "Not applied" if the change was not kept.

9.2Inverter and Generator

The generator page also has:

• Generator controller PIN: the controller's own control PIN, entered once and never shown. The controller locks out after three wrong PINs (for 1 minute, doubling each time up to 64 minutes), so the HMI-10 never retries a rejected PIN: enter the correct one.
• Panel control: allow Auto, Manual, Stop and Start from this screen. When it is off, the Generator screen shows the values but its buttons are greyed.

9.3SCADA Server

The HMI-10 serves the inverter, generator and HMI-10 status to the site SCADA system as a Modbus TCP server.

• Package control: off by default. It is needed for both SCADA and this touchscreen to start or stop the inverter.
• SCADA writers: the IP addresses allowed to send package commands (at most 16).
• Bind address, Port (usually 502) and Allowed clients: who may read the data. An empty list allows local-network clients only.
• Served units: unit 1 (inverter), unit 10 (generator controller) and unit 100 (HMI-10 status and the package control result), each with a stale limit. With no reply from a device for longer than its stale limit, SCADA reads of that unit return a Modbus exception.

Contact AERL for the SCADA register map.

9.4Network

Set the address of each port, LAN 1 or LAN 2: DHCP (the default) or Static with an IP address, netmask, gateway and up to two DNS servers. The gateway is needed for remote support.

A network change is on trial: after you apply it, the HMI-10 checks the new setting and undoes it by itself after 2 minutes unless you touch Keep. Touch Undo to go back straight away. This keeps a wrong address from cutting the HMI-10 off its network.

9.5Quiet Hours

During a quiet-hours window the inverter's generator start level is lowered, so the generator starts only below the generator start floor. This makes a start less likely. It does not forbid one: the inverter still starts the generator at the floor, and a run already going is not stopped.

• Quiet hours: Off, Dry run (logs what it would do and changes nothing) or On.
• Windows: in 24-hour local time at the site. A window may cross midnight. At most 4, each at most 16 hours.
• Generator start floor: 10 to 90%. The battery level below which the generator may still start.
• Time zone: set this at commissioning. A fixed offset has no daylight saving.

9.6Security

Change the Setup PIN here: enter the current PIN, then the new PIN twice. Until the default PIN is changed, the page shows "The default PIN is still in use. Change it now." The About line shows the software version (for example "Nexus software 0.2.0"): quote it when you contact AERL.

The HMI-10 shows a banner across the top of the screen when something is wrong. It keeps trying in the background and recovers by itself when the cause is fixed.

If your situation is not covered here, contact AERL support on 1800 950 865 or at [email protected]. Have the HMI-10's serial number, the software version (Setup > Security) and a photo of the screen ready.

The HMI-10 has a 2-year warranty. It starts 30 days after AERL dispatches the HMI-10, or on the day it first connects to AERL Cloud if that is sooner.

Register your HMI-10 at aerl.com.au/warranty-registration. Registration does not change the 2-year warranty.

Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure.

The full terms and the claim procedure are in the AERL Industrial HMI (HMI-10) Warranty Statement, at aerl.com.au.

11.1Change Log