Energy Meter ET112 Not seen by Cerbo GX

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question

duncangardiner asked Aug 13, '23

Energy Meter ET112 Not seen by Cerbo GX

Hi I am working my way through a fresh system install. I have a CebroGX with V3 firmware and I am trying to install and configure a ET112 Energy Meter.

The Meter is installed in my consumer unit (by my electrician) with a LAN cable that is about 6m long (the distance to my solar utility room the CebroGX resides).

I have connected the ET112 as per the Victron wiring diagram to ports 4,5, and 6 on the ET112 then to a USB converter I purchased from my Victron Supplier to Orange, Yellow and Black.

When I attach the USB converter to the middle USB port on the CebroGX I get a short RX/TX light flash then nothing.

ET112 software I spotted another port where a user downloaded the software from the Manufacture of the ET112 device itself. so I did the same.

That see the ET112 no issues at all, so I know the cable connections and the device itself are fine.

The Address of 30 is a change I made to see if the ET112 was set to a default address of 1 that may have been clashing with other Victron devices. But still no go.

Anyone have any ideas why the CebroGX is refusing to see the ET112 that is clearly working?

Kind regards

Duncan

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Energy Meter

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matt1309 answered · Aug 13, 2023 at 04:23 PM

Hi @Duncan.Gardiner

Bit of a long shot but try tweaking the baud rate in Carlos software.

Guessing you don't have any other devices on the rs485 connection. If you do you may also need to tweak the id of one of the devices to stop conflicts.

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duncangardiner commented · Aug 13, 2023 at 05:39 PM

Hi @matt1309

I only have this one device on the rs485 USB connection. The Batteries I have use however are on the CebroGXs BMS-CAN which I understand is also a rs485 protocol, hence I wanted to move the ET122 ID away from 1, as this is an id my master battery's is set to. And now I have those communicating, so I would rather not mess with their Ids.

Further the Home Assistant Victron Yamal I grabbed from another HA user had the Energy Meter set with an ID of 30, so I thought I would assign that to mine as well. I figured if it worked for that guy, surely mine would work to.

Re the Buad rate? what do you recommend, just choosing a random number or is there a specific range of values Victron CebroGXs look for?

Kind regards

Duncan

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matt1309 duncangardiner commented · Aug 13, 2023 at 06:07 PM

Mines set to 9600, think that's the default though isn't it?

Do you get any lights flashing when connected to gx device like you see with Carlos software.

Also guessing firmwares are all up to date?

When you connect to Carlos software are you using the same adapter? If not I was going to say try swapping A and B wires around but if you're using same adapter to access Carlos software then that wouldn't explain it.

Then maybe this thread although I didn't have the issue mentioned here

https://community.victronenergy.com/questions/153482/energy-meter-et112-zigbee-ccgx.html

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duncangardiner matt1309 commented · Aug 13, 2023 at 06:15 PM

Hi @matt1309

I am using the same USB converter. I just pull it out of the CebroGX ports and plug it straight into my laptop.

Excuse the doge wiring. just testing at this point. Once its all up and running this will get soldered and heat-shrink-ed.

I am happy to try swapping the B+ and A+ wires around if that has worked for others?

Ill take a look at that link you sent. Have read a few so far, and nothing others have tried is working for me right now.

Kind regards

Duncan

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matt1309 duncangardiner commented · Aug 13, 2023 at 06:19 PM

What's the chipset of the usb to rs485 adapter. I think the victron one is ftdi and I've heard users say ch340 doesn't work.

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duncangardiner answered · Aug 13, 2023 at 07:19 PM

Hi @matt1309

Your a legend!

That post you sent me worked. Not all the SSH stuff at the top, but the last reply where radmin-1 uses the MProg SW Eprom tool. Apparently my issue is a preconfigured cable description, either the manufacture or Victron set, which is not aligned with the internal name of the USB converter I got sold. I just had to change the text in section "Product Description" from "USB-RS485-WE" to "FT232R USB UART" of the ET112's Eprom using the MProg SW by FTDI.

Then of course I had to change the Baud rate back to 9600 and the Address ID back to 1 using the 'Carlo Gazzai' tool, and once I plugged the usb converter back into the CebroGX, all the lights started flashing and the Et112 popped up in my devices list as a grid meter!

What a faff. with out this forum. I'd be buggered, you guys and girls rock!

Take care Duncan

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rgear13 commented · Aug 15, 2023 at 05:29 AM

Would you be so kind to tell me where I can get Mprog?

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rr-engineering rgear13 commented · Mar 12 at 11:25 AM

This solution (changing product description string) worked for me too on a generic FTDI adaptor brought from ebay. I couldn't find mprog either but FT_prog from the FTDI utilities page did the job.

https://ftdichip.com/utilities/

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Answer 1 · 2023-08-13T18:34:48Z

michelg answered · Aug 13, 2023 at 06:34 PM

Hi Ducangardiner, have a look at my picture, almost same configuration and it works nicely. It seems the wires you are using are not the correct ones. By the way, take also a look at the path the cable is following, as I had some issues with parasites interfering with it...

https://community.victronenergy.com/questions/70286/energy-meter-et112-cerbo-gx.html

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duncangardiner commented · Aug 13, 2023 at 07:01 PM

Hi @MichelG

I am using the same wires as in your photo Yellow, Orange and Black from the USB converter. I just lengthen that cable with a LAN cable which does not have the Yellow or Black coloured wires. So I use the Orange/White and Brown. Orange/white to the Yellow of the USB cable. Brown to the Black. This is as per the Victron how to wire an extension led to the ET112 usb cable.

As mentioned the ET112 and USB connector including the LAN cable extension, work fine when plugged directly into my laptop and I address the ET112 with either the manufactures software 'Carlo Gavazzi UCS Universal Configuration tool' and most recently a Eprom configuration tool 'MProg' by FTDI.

But the CebroGX. just does not want to see the ET112.

Its kicking my ass a bit.

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michelg duncangardiner commented · Aug 13, 2023 at 07:24 PM

Any chance to connect directly the USB wire to the ET112, without extending it ? If it works fine, this means the problem is related to interferences as I had at the beginning. Try to move the wire and find another path.

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Answer 2 · 2023-08-13T19:17:12Z

fellside answered · Aug 13, 2023 at 07:17 PM

You are plugged into one of the two lefthand usb ports? Righthand is power only.

Do you get flashing led's to show there is some communication going on?

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duncangardiner commented · Aug 14, 2023 at 08:46 AM

Hi @Fellside yes I am using the middle USB port of the Cebro GX. The use was not the cable. it turned out to be an EPROM setting in the Et122 itself. changing a Product description of a cable seemed to resolved the connection issues. See above.

Thanks for your input

Take Care Duncan

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