So here’s my experience with the use of Zigbee modules to connect an ET112 energy meter to an Easysolar GX 2 (which I believe hides a Multiplus 2 underneath, packaged altogether with other modules).
As said earlier, the distance between my main board and the Easysolar module is around 30m and since the house has been renovated recently I didn’t feel like drilling holes everywhere to fit a very long cable (be it an USB or modified RJ45). So I chose the Zigbee solution and bought the “official” Victron products:
- a Zigbee to USB converter (ref DRF2658C), built by DTK
- a Zigbee to RS485 converter (ref DRF2659C), built by DTK
These are said to be preconfigured and easy to install as a 2-module network, one as a coordinator (the USB DRF2658C) and the other as a router (the RS485 DRF2659C).
Please note:
- Zigbee modules should be able to pair automatically out of the box. Theoretically, a Zigbee coordinator should share its configuration to routers, which in turn should adapt their own to the coordinator.
- It’s not worth checking for an energy meter in your Easysolar/Multiplus configuration before the Zigbee modules are paired properly.
- If you bought Zigbee modules from AliExpress, directly from DTK, or everything that would mean “unofficial” Victron hardware, then jump to section “HELP!! I’m still stuck”, as there is a good chance that they are not configured to immediately talk to each other.
The easy way
Out of the box (with unmodified configuration), the first thing one should try with these modules is to follow very thoroughly the starting procedure, which is:
- stop your Easysolar/Multiplus module,
- plug the USB Zigbee module (DRF2658C) to your Easysolar/Multiplus,
- start your Easysolar/Multiplus module
The activity LED from this Zigbee module should be solid blue.
Then only:
- plug the RS485 data cable to the second Zigbee module (DRF2659C)
- plug the power cable to this module
At this point, the 2 modules should try to communicate and establish a 2-module network. If properly configured, the pairing sequence is really fast (around 1 second, not more). If the pairing is ok, then
- the activity LED from the RS485 module should stop flashing rapidly (it should flash slowly)
- the TX/RX LED should flash rapidly, proving some data is being sent from the router to the coordinator
The optional extra step
If this is not what’s happening for you (the activity LED from the RS485 module is still flashing rapidly, looking for a coordinator), then before fiddling with the Zigbee module configurations, then do the following:
- on the RS485 Zigbee module (DRF2659C), try pressing the “Reset/Function” 3 times
- the paring should happen almost immediately
- if the activity LED is still flashing rapidly (by groups of around 10 flashes), then the pairing is not working, and you should proceed to the next section.
“HELP!! I’m still stuck”
If you are still reading then unfortunately the pairing of your Zigbee modules still does not work. But there is hope, because this is exactly the situation I was in. What we are going to do is reconfigure the Zigbee modules “by hand” using the tools provided by DTK. Don’t worry, it’s not this complex.
Zigbee to USB (DRF2658C) configuration
-
First, download and install the DTK tools from the Chinese DTK website (you’re going to need a translator)
-
Connect your Zigbee USB module to your computer and start the DTK app named “Zigbee Module” (use “start as administrator” if the tool is in Chinese with no option to switch to English)
-
Connect and read the configuration from the module
-
Make sure it’s configured as a coordinator
-
Take a screenshot or note the module configuration
-
Click on “Disconnect” and unplug the module
Zigbee to RS485 (DRF2659C) configuration
-
You first need a way to connect the module to your computer, and this is done through an RS485-to-USB cable. I bought the one from Victron (ref ASS030572018) as I was led to think (by a lot of reading on several forums) that other solutions (dongles or cables) might not communicate properly.
-
Take the 2-wire power plug out
-
Take a picture of how the RS485 cables are currently wired to the module.
-
Unscrew the 3 cables from the RS485 green plug connected to the module.
-
Connect the 3 wires from your new RS485-to-USB cable to this green plug (see picture for the wiring)
-
Connect the USB end to your computer (the RS485 end should be in your module) and start the DTK app named “Zigbee Module”
-
Connect and read the configuration from the module
-
Make sure it’s configured as a router
-
Match the following configuration items to the ones from the coordinator: PAN ID, channel, Baud Rate, Data Bits, Stop Bits, Parity Bit and Encryption Setting (refer to your screenshot or notes)
-
Write the configuration to the Zigbee module
-
Click on “Disconnect” and unplug the module from your computer
-
Remove the 3 wires from the green plug, and wire the latter back to the original situation (use your picture).
Your Zigbee modules now sport the same configuration and should be able to pair instantly once properly connected (following the starting process from the section “The easy way” thoroughly).
Checking everything works
There is a way to check your Zigbee pair is actually communicating as it should:
-
swing out the DTK tools again, but choose the “Zigbee Topology” app this time. This app is made to map your Zigbee network and should hence display all of your networks and modules.
-
connect the Zigbee to USB (DRF2658C) coordinator module to your computer.
-
in the app, go to the “map” tab and click “connect”, then “read”
-
after the progress bar is complete, it should show 2 modules (the screenshot above is generic and shows many more)
- one red often named 000, this is your coordinator
- one blue, this is your router
Again, if you cannot see your modules on this map, then they are not paired and any attempt to add an energy meter to the Easysolar/Multiplus configuration will fail.
The final result
Once paired, and connected to your Easysolar/Multiplus, you should be able to see an energy meter in the list in the Easysolar / Multiplus console. I’m not going into much more details for this step as it has been covered a million times and it’s not the main purpose for this post. If you have configured your installation as an ESS, don’t forget to go in the ESS configuration and change the meter to “external”.
