question

over-and-under-victron avatar image
over-and-under-victron asked

For us non-Victron inverter users....

Is there any way to get a Hall sensor or the like to talk to the Cerbo? Be rad to have a sensor on my AC in and AC out for my Xantrex inverter and display it on the remote console.

remote console
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4 Answers
Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) avatar image
Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) answered ·

Hi,

There are some work arounds to this, but none are a fully working substitute for using a Victron inverter.

Here is an extract from the energy meter manual:

Energy Meters are intended to supplement a Victron Inverter/Charger in the system. Energy Meters are currently limited in their potential applications. Each Energy Meter is only intended to provide a specific piece of additional information - total loads on AC input and grid import/export, or AC PV inverter and AC generator production without network communications.

However, it is perfectly possible to initially use just a GX device together with an Energy Meter to determine and record the consumption, for example of houses/buildings, heating systems with heat pumps, ventilating and air conditioning or production facilities. Afterwards, the collected data can be evaluated and a decision can be made about the dimensioning of the required Victron inverter/charger(s), the solar system and the type, size and number of batteries.

With GX device firmware version 2.80 and later, they can also be used for other purposes e.g. to measure specific, arbitrary AC loads or circuits for example. But this should not be considered a replacement to having a Victron Inverter/Charger. Attempting to use other brand battery inverters and trying to substitute their lack of data connectivity to the GX device by using Energy Meters will not work as expected.

https://www.victronenergy.com/media/pg/Energy_Meter_EM24_RS485/en/faq.html

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nickdb avatar image
nickdb answered ·

Easy solution, just buy a Victron. Problem solved.

3 comments
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over-and-under-victron avatar image over-and-under-victron commented ·

Meh.


My Xantrex XC2000 is absolutely fantastic, is an actual 2000W inverter....not 2000VA, doesn't as aggressively thermally derate as the Victron, takes up less space than the, and I use this term loosely...."Compact" Victron, and was hundreds cheaper three years ago...but highlighting all of that wasn't the point of my post but since you mentioned it....

All of that said - if it was to fail I would first try to get it repaired and if unable to repair it I would replace it with a Victron.

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nickdb avatar image nickdb ♦♦ over-and-under-victron commented ·

So to clarify, since you brought it up, it is Victron's fault for producing a detailed spec sheet with all this data on it (a whole page), using the industry norm for rating the device's ability and then forcing you not to read nor understand it?

Will have to get that fixed in the next firmware version :)

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over-and-under-victron avatar image over-and-under-victron nickdb ♦♦ commented ·
Instead of that make a fancy Blue Box that can capture grid data and inverter output :) I'll buy it :)
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Bill avatar image
Bill answered ·

I agree with "have Victron make a blue box to sell" that will let us keep using our existing inverter/chargers. My Magnum MS2812 just keeps working. I cannot justify a reason to spend $1200 to replace a very good Inverter that probably has a lot of years left in it just to have two fields in my CerboGX filled in. When my Magnum dies, I will replace with a Victron, hopefully they still make the Compact version as even that will be difficult to squeeze into my Inverter compartment.

I don't know about you, but I am tired of the folks looking to up their post stats with BS responses like "Easy solution, just buy a Victron. Problem solved. "

Pretty lame answer! -Bill

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Alexandra avatar image
Alexandra answered ·

Asking for Victron monitoring on a non victron system. Lol.

That being said, I have on a rando brando one (also will be replaced when or if it dies and cannot be repaired). The monitoring is the BMV for the battery, since at the end of the day the battery is my biggest concern.

For AC in don't care as it is offgrid. But loads can be calculated from battery watts out at night. During the day it is a bit trickier, but an energy meter can be used for loads if you really want to know (and grid).

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over-and-under-victron avatar image over-and-under-victron commented ·

"Asking for Victron monitoring on a non victron system. Lol."

The only reason I even decided to post this is because of how open Victron is. For example - they don't block folks from loading the Venus GX software onto Raspberry Pi devices - so many things are open source.

Easy integration of tank sensors, temp sensors, Ruuvi devices, testing and recommending usb BT dongles to make the BT better on the Cerbo, etc.


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Alexandra avatar image Alexandra ♦ over-and-under-victron commented ·

Totally get that. Like i said I have Victron on non victron systems. There is a saying, for every system there is a victron product.

There are some guys in modification section on the forum who spend time playing with system integration like that.

But unless you can do that then integrating a non victron inverter will be far down the priority list for the said name brand.

Do Xantrex have and monitoring or comms ports?

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over-and-under-victron avatar image over-and-under-victron Alexandra ♦ commented ·

The model I have doesn't but it does have a BT app that lets me see grid and inverter data. I have the XC2000 Freedom.


There is a newer version (Freedom Pro) that , "RV-C, NMEA 2000, or J-1939 communication protocols. ".... not sure what you could do with that.

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Alexandra avatar image Alexandra ♦ over-and-under-victron commented ·

There is an NMEA integration on the GXs.

https://www.victronenergy.com/live/ve.can:nmea-2000:start

A cable exists for it, but I think it is more geared to integrate it into MFD and transmit data over that not so much to receive and display it.

No idea there never used it. And not that that helps you right now with your older unit.

Other device integration is usually done through mod bus.

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Stefanie (Victron Energy Staff) avatar image Stefanie (Victron Energy Staff) ♦♦ Alexandra ♦ commented ·
It's NMEA 2000 out, not in.
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