Hi there,
I've installed "venus-swu-einstein-20210416100626-v2.70~5-large-18.swu" image firmware to be able to use node-red.
All seems to be good. I can read different values with nodes like "ESS control" but impossible to change values !
Any ideas .....
2 Answers
I’m only semi-computer literate - everything is trial and error and cut and paste and hours of google research… If the details include what software should be used and exactly what to type then I can usually muddle my way through. But when it comes to ‘just add a few lines of code in the xxx” I’m completely lost.
I have managed to burn an image to a sd card and install Venus Pi v2.60 large image on to a raspberryPi 3.
I have 1 Victron mppt 75/15 connected successfully to it vie ve-direct usb cable.
I have successfully got node-red running (and can even see it all via VRM Portal - including node-red which is amazing).
I’m still at beginnings of how node red works but can see its potential.
So far so good
But I’d really like to add more than 1 relay so I can control multiple external devices (like pumps, irrigation valves etc) and also control them through node red.
I’ve read the comments and half guides for adding extra relays - but they are incomplete or presume you know how to do certain un-explained steps. So I'm completely lost.
So - anyone have a step by step guide to add relays ? (and I’m on a Mac so Mac instructions would be great!)
Thanks in advance for all the amazing guides so far - and for the missing bits I hope someone will write soon…
4 Answers
I realize this is a couple of related questions, but here goes:
Is that any way to read the timezone offset that the user sets in the Venus GUI into NodeRed? I am trying to make decisions based on local time, which since I am a sailboat, that changes and changing it when it is hard coded into NodeRed is a bit awkward... I do have access to the GPS position that is on the CANbus, and could calculate a "solar time" based on latitude, but that seems clunky...
The vaguely related question: Is there any way to access the user set value for the "Quiet Hours" used by the generator autorun function?
Even further afield from the original question: Are the other parameters set by the user and used by the generator autorun function accessible to NodeRed?
I haven't found any of these on the published Modbus register listings.
0 Answers
What am I trying to achieve?
Charge the battery, or discharge the battery based on external input (via MQTT, but ultimately based on variable electricity tariff status)
I am up and running in Node-Red on the Venus GX 'large' image and am able to set the Multiplus to the following modes;
[image]
However if I set the multiplus to 'charger only' it obviously won't charge if I'm not in a scheduled charge slot.
If I set up a scheduled charge slot to be active at all times, then I can charge / not charge on demand by setting the 'Disable Charge' flag to either 0 or 1.
[image]
However when in the 'don't charge' state, it also won't discharge the battery as I'm in a scheduled charging slot.
I've tried setting the AC power setpoint instead of charging within a scheduled charging time, but it doesn't seem to do anything if I try the following;
[image]
Can anyone offer any recommendations on how I can switch between charging or discharging to meet my requirement?
1 Answer
Could anyone please give me a bit of support in gettig started with Venus GX interfacing via Node-Red?
I've got Node-Red installed on a Raspberry Pi & am looking to switch on / off my Multiplus II based on certain input conditons.
I've loaded in the Victron nodes to Node-Red but am stuck on step 4 of the Installation Instructions;
https://github.com/victronenergy/node-red-contrib-victron#Installation-and-Usage
enable d-bus over tcp in your Venus device if you want to use dbus over TCP, otherwise skip this step. Edit /etc/dbus-1/system.conf
and add the following directly above <policy context="default">
:
<listen>tcp:host=0.0.0.0,port=78</listen>
<auth>ANONYMOUS</auth>
<allow_anonymous/>
How do I actually go about doing this? How to I connect to the Venus GX in a way that allows me to edit the files?
Any advice of next steps would be greatly appreciated too, as the instructions are not clear for me.
Many thanks in advance
1 Answer
Hello,
I have installed the recent VenusGX v2.42 FW build with integrated Node-RED from https://github.com/victronenergy/venus/issues/378.
I am trying to communicate with an external device via Modbus TCP (a My PV AC Thor - which is a modulated AC heater power control unit) and control it via logic developed within Node-RED.
I have successfully installed the additional contrib node 'node-red-contrib-modbustcp' https://flows.nodered.org/node/node-red-contrib-modbustcp and am able to communicate with the unit.
However I'm unable to setup a flow to BOTH write to the unit (with a power request) at regular intervals AND read from any registers (such as temperature) at regular intervals.
For example;
Write only - connects/works fine
[image]
Write & Read - no connection
[image]
[image]
Write & Read after a few minutes - write connects/works but read doesn't
[image]
Read only (write node deleted) - connects/works fine
[image]
I do know that a Modbus TCP read and write event can't occur exactly simultaneously (and it doesn't need to), but I'm not sure how to sequence the read/write requests or what I can change to get this working with the Modbus TCP node-set that I'm currently using...
My next step was to attempt installing a different / mode advanced Modbus contrib node 'node-red-contrib-modbus' https://flows.nodered.org/node/node-red-contrib-modbus (I have seen examples of write and read nodes successfully coexisting with this node-set) but unfortunately I get a bunch of installation errors - see below;
[image]
I have also tried to install https://flows.nodered.org/node/node-red-contrib-modbus manually via Putty using the npm install command (including the suggested variations) but still get the similar errors.
[image]
My programming/Linux skills are very limited, so troubleshooting this myself is a bit beyond me.
If anyone is able to offer some advice on how I can possibly get write and read communication working with the current Modbus node-set I'm using (https://flows.nodered.org/node/node-red-contrib-modbustcp) or how to get the more advanced Modbus node-set (https://flows.nodered.org/node/node-red-contrib-modbus) successfully installed on the VenusGX it would be greatly appreciated.
PS. I do know that my other option is to run node-red externally to the VenusGX unit (such as on a RPi), but I want to leave this as a last option for now.
Thanks in advance, Mark.
1 Answer