What is Xanbus?
As the leader in advanced power electronics, Xantrex is focused on developing and adapting new technologies to improve the function and reliability of our products.  Xanbus™ is our new network communications protocol and represents the first implementation of network technology in inverters . Xanbus is the key component in our vision of Network Managed Power: the ability to improve power management by using intelligent devices that share information across a common network.

First introduced to the Marine and Recreational Vehicle markets, Xanbus is being integrated into new products everywhere networking will add value for our customers: at home, at work and on the move.

Xanbus is based on Canbus, a protocol that has been in use in the automotive industry for over 12 years. Xanbus allows electrically powered devices to communicate their status, report faults and be configured, controlled and diagnosed dynamically.

How Xanbus Works
Xanbus is a protocol for exchanging information between multiple devices. Only pre-defined messages are sent along the data bus. These messages contain specific information such as the message sender, the type of information being sent and any specific data such as voltage levels or battery temperature. All messages sent by a device on Xanbus are available to all other devices on the network. Each device reads enough of each message to determine if it is of interest or not.

This Flash animation shows a simple Xanbus network and highlights what takes place in order to correct a low battery condition. The inverter/charger constantly monitors battery voltage levels and reports this information to Xanbus. The System Control Panel (SCP) detects this information and presents it to the user. When the voltage drops below a user-selectable level, the inverter/charger sends a low battery message over Xanbus. The SCP interprets this message and reports a low battery voltage condition on the screen in the form of a warning. Simultaneously, the Automatic Generator Start (AGS) receives the low battery voltage message and automatically turns on the generator. The AGS reports to Xanbus that the generator is running and the SCP maintains this information for presentation if the user scrolls through to the AGS screen, where the status of the generator is shown. Once the generator is running, the power it produces is used by the inverter/charger to charge the battery bank.