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basz avatar image
basz asked

Can I connect 2 non-Victron inverters to Venus OS?

Hi, I have a setup with 2 Axpert inverters of 4kW each connected in parallel to 12 PV panels, the grid, 2 Blue Nova batteries and the load. I want to install a Venus OS monitoring system on raspberry Pi. Blue Nova has confirmed that I can put the batteries in parallel and connect just one of them to collect information from both. Can I do the same with the Axperts, or should I connect both of them with the Venus system separately with their own RS485/USB cable? If so, how will Venus deal with the different inputs? Many thanks.

Venus OS
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I have moved this discussion to the modifications space.

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5 Answers
wkirby avatar image
wkirby answered Ā·

I am not sure how you would connect the Blue Nova batteries to a Raspberry Pi because it does not have a VE.Can or any Canbus port. You'd need an official CCGX or VenusGX which do have VE.Can ports on them.

The Axpert inverters are another story again. I'm pretty sure they are not supported by the Venus OS natively. It's probably possible for you to modify the Venus OS to include support for them.
If they are supported, then theoretically, you should only need one RS485 / USB dongle because if you can assign different ID's to each inverter then they should be able to communicate on the same RS485 bus.

Please don't quote me on Axpert equipment because I am not an expert and it might be hard to find someone around here who is. If you want to ask about adding support for the Axpert stuff then ask over in the "Modifications" section.

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mihair avatar image mihair commented Ā·

I am using this for more than 1 year without any glitch:

http://www.industrialberry.com/canberry-v-2-1-isolated/

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basz avatar image basz commented Ā·

I contacted Blue Nova, who confirmed that I can connect the 2 batteries together with Can bus, program them to be in parallel and then connect one of the batteries with USB to the raspberry pi USB (USB to USB cable, using Uart protocol). Would this work on Venus do you think?

If I can't connect the Axperts i will go for the option of installing 3 ET112's - hence my reaction to the other thread ;-)

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Rob Duthie avatar image Rob Duthie basz commented Ā·

Hi

Yes you can add other inverters and use the ET112 to monitor them on the raspi Victron interface.


Regards
Rob D

NZ

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m-beach avatar image m-beach Rob Duthie commented Ā·

Hi Rob,

is there any documentation on this? I'd love to have my non victron inverter monitored by My venus Gx for my off grid RV solar setup.

thanks

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Rob Duthie avatar image Rob Duthie m-beach commented Ā·

Hi

It will measure voltage , current flow from memory but needs to be setup as a PV inverter is setting etc.

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basz avatar image basz Rob Duthie commented Ā·

Thanks for your reply @Rob Duthie. In the end I went for a Victron CCGX monitor and a ET340 (3 phase meter which can also be used to measure two loads on a single phase setu.

Because the MPPT on first one (repaired for R2k) and then the second inverter stopped working I then opted to use a Victron 150/70 MPPT and use the Axperts only as inverters. That also allows me to see the PV output on the CCGX (the MPPT supplies that info).

So all in all I can now see:

- PV production (from Victron MPPT)

- battery information (from Blue Nova BMS which I got to connect to CCGX)

- Eskom input (from ET340 L1)

- Inverter output (from ET340 L2)

Still not perfect because the CCGX is a bit confused about Eskom input and inverter output (it sometimes adds this together, while the inverter is only passing it through), but this is as good as it will get until I ditch the Axperts and go for a Victron inverter. That will happen when I have the funds or when the Axperts die, whichever happens first.

Any tips or questions welcome! Cheers

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mvader (Victron Energy) avatar image
mvader (Victron Energy) answered Ā·

Hi, to confirm: Axperts, nor any other non-Victron brand, is supported by Venus OS. It works only with Victron.

In Dutch, as one of my colleagues would say it: ā€œdat zou wel lekker worden als je gratis heel Venus OS krijgt om t vervolgens met een Axpert te gebruiken.ā€


;o)



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basz avatar image basz commented Ā·

as I would say in Dutch "da's nou jammer ..."

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basz avatar image basz commented Ā·

If I use ET112's instead (I would need 3 of them) and connect them to Venus OS on a raspberry Pi, together with the batteries, would i still be able to use VRM?

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Anil Ghatikar avatar image
Anil Ghatikar answered Ā·

If you are using Axpert and Bluenova battries I highly recommend you have a look at ICC Solar .

https://centurionsolar.co.za/


It has a nicely built image for Pi , Stores data locally and on Cloud using EMONCMS database and has support for multiple AXPERT configurations and battries ( including BLue NOVA ) along with possibility of load control using GPIO pins .


Pm me if need need any more info



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fantail avatar image
fantail answered Ā·

You can monitor any battery type on the GX - just need to add the right software and use a USB to RS232/RS485 adapter if needed to estabilish a link. ( CAN on RasPi 3 is fakey and unstable at 500 mb/s when any volume of data appears, frames get lost. )

I am using a GX to collect data from different brands of batteries and merging this data together and passing it across to the GX via dbus values.

It is multi stack and and multi brand capable; also allows mimicking of CAN protocols for other battery types to fool chinese inverter hardware.

While also allowing it to run along side victron equipment.

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fantail avatar image
fantail answered Ā·

additional information -- with RasPi you have various adapters USB to CAN or hardware hats available for CAN options. most of the ports need are included on the GX family.

most inverters these day will accept a CAN bus signal. The problem is writing software to format the CAN frames required to control the inverter/s

This can be done simply with C++ code complied on a RASPI. and then transferred to GX

as with batteries the process is basically the same.


My current software allows brand X battery data to be collected and merged and the results can be sent to a GX or another inverter if the CAN bus or RS485 protcol is known.

Most of the protcols I have seen so far are very simular -- and it is not hard to reverse engineer them if you have access to a working system using the device you want to get the protocol of.

I use the GX as my primary tool when collecting protcols.


The fact that Victron do not support this off the shelve is not that important.


I at first made my software work by integrating the code to include embedded WEB interface changes so that all values and controls could be changed on the colourGX screen or by remote screen.

But the victron updates damaged these changes. So given that I could not get access to some of the Victron code . I then separated my code from victrons and allowed it to run indendantly on the GX with seperate remote access for control and monitoring . I am currently exploring a separate web interface option that will also run on the GX family


I have a number of systems monitoring 30kwh of storage - 10 separate 48 V batteries feeding into victron inverters and charges. The system has individual control of each battery if needed.

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