question

trucheliriff avatar image
trucheliriff asked

VE.Direct cable uses 2 wires for data, can I connect the other two wires to a different device?

The VE.Direct cable using 2 wires to send data to the Cerbo can I connect the other two wires to a different device?

My problem is that I have a 40-foot RV with a SmartSolar Charger, MultiPlus-II, and SmartShunt all the way in the back, and the Cerbo-S GX is all the way in the front. It’s very hard to run any new cables. I’m using an old 4 wire telephone cable from the previous inverter and I added VE.Direct connectors to it, and it works fine.

Here’s a typical pinout for a VE.Direct cable:


1. VCC (power)

2. GND (ground)

3. TX (transmit data)

4. RX (receive data)


So, while the cable has four wires, only two are actively used for sending and receiving information. The other two are used for providing power and grounding, so if the SmartSolar Charger, MultiPlus-II, and SmartShunt they all getting power from the battery, technically don't need power from VE.Direct cable right?

cerbo gxVE.Direct
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2 Answers
Alex Pescaru avatar image
Alex Pescaru answered ·

Hi @trucheliriff

The signals on the TX and RX have the GND as reference.

Do you mean the front and back of the RV?

If yes, then the GND is all around the RV the same and it might work only RX and TX, making sure the MultiPlus's GND in the back is correctly and firmly connected to the RV's chassis and the same for the Cerbo in front, its GND to firmly connected to the RV's chassis.

Alex

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trucheliriff avatar image
trucheliriff answered ·

Hi Alex

Yes front and back of the RV

Thank you so much for your help

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