Availibity of switch systems in venus os

Q&A and troubleshooting New UI
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1

Good evening,
I am currently refitting my boat and will be using a complete Victron system, including a Cerbo GX with GX Touch. In the latest update of venus os, I saw that it is now possible to control third-party switches via the screen currently only with the Energy Solutions Smart Switch, but more systems are expected to be supported in the future. I already came across a video on YouTube from Safiery showcasing their Star Power system. However, the currently available Smart Switch or the Safiery system doesn’t fully meet my needs.

Does anyone know which systems are currently in development and expected to be available soon? It looks like a great system to use, and I don’t mind waiting a bit before doing the final installation. I’d just hate to redo everything in a year because better options have become available by then.

Thanks in advance for the input! Would love to hear if anyone has experience with this or knows what other systems might be coming soon.

2

What are your needs?

From Victron there is the IO-Extender:

3

I would like to control my 12V DC onboard electrical system via the touchscreen of the Cerbo GX — for things like navigation lights, fridge, water pump, etc.

With a 12V system, you quickly reach the maximum nominal current of 5A per channel that the Smart Switch supports.

Ideally, I would like to use a system similar to this one:

This is a module that also communicates via CAN bus and offers a wide range of features, such as internal fuses, PWM control, and programmability.

Also a tip for Victron: it would be great if you developed something like this yourselves a module that integrates seamlessly with your existing product line.

4

If you’re open to a bit of development in node red, you can use virtual switches to control just about anything using the available interfaces on the Cerbo. I use an inexpensive 8 channel relay/input module from Waveshare using modbus TCP for DC control and Shelly relays over WiFi for some AC load shed & monitoring in my RV.

5

Hi Paul,

That sounds promising, can you tell me how you communicated with the relay board ? Or is there a topic that discusses this?

Programming shouldn’t be a big issue for me.

6

I used the node-red-contrib-modbus palette to read and write to the device. I send the input & relay info to MQTT on the Cerbo. Waveshare advertised the device worked natively on MQTT, but I don’t think they understand the concept.

7

Thanks for your help! I’ve ordered an waveshare module and going to try some stuf :smiley:

8

Let me know, I can share some flows. Modbus TCP is what I use, its a bit different that conventional modbus.