Integration of two Curtis SE controllers to the VECan bus for Ekrano GX

DIY
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Hi Folks.

I am having trouble finding any information on how to specifically connect the ekrano GX to my Curtis controllers. Any information or links to Victron documentation would be greatly appreciated.

There is plenty of info on every other Can bus connection however I am stumped with this scenario.

It is a new feature of the firmware for a catamaran boat and it’s an exciting concept and will solve a few things for me as monitoring 2 Curtis controllers has been problematic in the past for my boat.

Thanks in advance

Morgan

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These motor controllers should be connected to one of the can bus ports.
Both controllers will need to be connected to the same port, so different ID’s will need to be programmed into the controllers - unless they self allocate an id.
I’m also waiting for more developments in this line, but have been looking at motor controllers for a few years now.
Are you expecting to get any regeneration from these units?

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Hi Mike

Thanks for your response. Your advice is valuable to me and I will start with allocating an ID regardless of what features the screen may have.

The controllers are in an electric catamaran (no sails) and regeneration is not a thing on my boat. Even in a 4 or 5 knot current at anchor the props don’t turn even without magnetic load.

Thanks again and I will forge forward with bits of info as I receive them.

Regards

Morgan

4

Hello again Mike

I found this eventually which is getting me closer to the mark.

GitHub - victronenergy/dbus-canopen-motordrive: Venus OS driver for Sevcon Gen4 AC, Curtis F series and Curtis E/SE series controllers: enables motordrive data reporting · GitHub

It gives most of an explanation however there is still a bit of connecting the dots with respect to the requirements of the Curtis. More detail is given about the Sevcon for example.

This is exciting stuff

Thanks again

Regards

Morgan

5

Hi Morgan, Mike,

Great that you’re looking at integrating your Curtis controller(s) with your GX device.

Indeed the documentation is not yet fully redacted and the manuals will be updated soon.
Most of the relevant information can already be found in the link you shared Morgan: GitHub - victronenergy/dbus-canopen-motordrive: Venus OS driver for Sevcon Gen4 AC, Curtis F series and Curtis E/SE series controllers: enables motordrive data reporting · GitHub

First thing to do is to identify whether you have a Curtis F or E/SE series controller.

The second step will be to prepare a modified cable to connect the Curtis controller to the GX device VE.Can port.
The pinout differs between the different Curtis controllers, the details can be found on the github link above.

Next you can follow the steps in the “How to configure the Victron GX product” section.

In your case, connecting multiple controllers, one of the requirement is that they must each have a different node ID.
I would recommend first connecting to a single controller, scanning the bus following the guide mentioned above and writing down the node ID detected (it will be visible in the UI).
Then repeat that process with just the second controller connected. If the node ID detected after the scan is the same as your first controller then you will have to reprogram one of them to use a different node ID.

Please report back if you are having any issues with the process.
I will update this thread once the manuals have been updated.