Like one of the first things we should be making sure is right off the get go...murphy's law perhaps.The exact same baud rate issue bit me a couple of days ago while testing a custom PCB that will replace the 3 esp32s I'm using for monitoring two inverters and one battery rack with just one esp32s3.
I'm glad you got it working.
Announcing wombatt -- monitoring batteries and inverters
- Thread starter solarhombre
- Start date
Dude you do some cool stuff, bro. You better not share pics this time, because I will respond with a ton of questions.
Quick note, I've been experiencing some signal chain drop during the day for hours then the signal chain will resume and be fine until the next day. My guess is these isolators can't handle the temp. Specs say 50C max (122F). Location is roughly under the inverters in front of them, perhaps exhaust is heating them up. Day temps are hot now (~100F). Will try some fans or diff location and try to monitor the supposed Atom lite esp temp sensor which someone on github mentioned is not reliable, better to use ESP-S2, C3, or S3 for reliable temp sensors.
OK, I tried really hard to hold my self back but I can't do it...did you have any luck with the esp32s3?
EDIT: On a positive note, wombatt has been working very well. Thank you for your work on that. Currently working in Home Assistant to pool the data together for better monitoring. Still have yet to dive into the battery monitoring.
OK, I tried really hard to hold my self back but I can't do it...did you have any luck with the esp32s3?
EDIT: On a positive note, wombatt has been working very well. Thank you for your work on that. Currently working in Home Assistant to pool the data together for better monitoring. Still have yet to dive into the battery monitoring.
solarhombre
New Member
I have a small USB powered fan (it was $12 a few months ago!) pointing more or less at the base of the inverters and a split AC takes care of the rest. These hot days, I keep the temperature around 82F there.
I'm done with the code to use the 3 UARTs and all is working fine. I just need to figure out how to finish creating a box for it (about 3"x2"):
In the wombatt/extras/homeassistant folder, there's the YAML file for the dashboards I use, in case that's useful.
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wpns
Solar Joules are catch and release
3D printing will do that, DM me and I’ll whip something up next week. I’m a little late to the party but this looks like just the thing to use with my EG4 18Kpv/PowerPro setup, what would I need to do to find the correct incantations to make this work?I have a small USB powered fan (it was $12 a few months ago!) pointing more or less at the base of the inverters and a split AC takes care of the rest. These hot days, I keep the temperature around 82F there.
I'm done with the code to use the 3 UARTs and all is working fine. I just need to figure out how to finish creating a box for it (about 3"x2"):
View attachment 226573
In the wombatt/extras/homeassistant folder, there's the YAML file for the dashboards I use, in case that's useful.
If that's a custom PCB you built I'm out of my league. Awesome work. Thanks for the reminder on the YAML, I forgot you mentioned that before.I have a small USB powered fan (it was $12 a few months ago!) pointing more or less at the base of the inverters and a split AC takes care of the rest. These hot days, I keep the temperature around 82F there.
I'm done with the code to use the 3 UARTs and all is working fine. I just need to figure out how to finish creating a box for it (about 3"x2"):
View attachment 226573
In the wombatt/extras/homeassistant folder, there's the YAML file for the dashboards I use, in case that's useful.
I have multiple fans that automatically turn on when the inverter temps get to certain levels, then off when they lower...I ended up doing this:
I realized after I replied, that even with an esp32-s3, I still have a problem with the isolator. Currently, I'm trying to figure if the isolator is really necessary. In an eevblog post I made someone mentioned this: "Sometimes an isolator isn't necessary, as the RS232 signals are high enough to use antiparallel diodes for ground loop decoupling." I'm currently trying to figure out what that means and how to determine if I can get rid of the isolators. If so, then my signal chain drop problem might me solved.
solarhombre
New Member
I'll DM you what I have so far in FreeCAD. Thanks!
This custom board has 2xRS232 isolated ports powered from the RX/RTS/DTS pins (the EG 6500EX has power on the RTS pin) and 1xRS485 port. All have TVS/ESD protection, but the RS485 does not have a separate ground. The ESP32s3 has 3 UARTs, but things like Esphome and Tasmota already use one for console logging so I wrote something that supports the 3 UARTs and opens up 3 TCP ports to bridge TCP<->UART. Wombatt connects to those ports, pulls the data and sends it to homeassistant via MQTT.
I don't know what connectivity the EG4 18Kpv and PowerPro offers, but if you only need [1xRS485 + 1xRS232] or [2xRS232] you could run Tasmota or Esphome on it without the need for custom, under development, software.
To be clear, I already have a setup that includes 3xESP32 each connected to a port and decided to create this PCB for fun. It's a lot easier to have a small cheap PC with USB adapters. like the one @jfharper mentioned, and you get the same result.
Still getting temperature related signal drops during a number of hours during the hottest parts of the day. Thinking about trying a different isolator that is powered (have two of these isolators, one is working with a Pi running SA connected to one inverter (have 4 inverters)).
The first reviewer mentions what pins to power. In a post above you mentioned the inverter has the DSR pin active (pin 6), so that side should be fine because it works with the Pi setup, even though the reviewer said pin 4 or pin 7 needs to be powered. In another post above you mentioned "The isolator gets power from TX, RTS and/or DTR, I think." RTS being pin 7 and DTR being pin 4 confirming what the reviewer mentioned.
With all that said, I was thinking of running 5v off the Atom lite connector thing under the usb power connector to pin 4 thereby powering the DCE side or atom lite side of the isolator. The reviewer said the power source should be common to the equipment. I'm assuming I have this correct, but I wanted to run it past someone who knew more about this than I do just to double check I don't damage something...do you (@solarhombre ) think this all sounds safe for the inverter?
The first reviewer mentions what pins to power. In a post above you mentioned the inverter has the DSR pin active (pin 6), so that side should be fine because it works with the Pi setup, even though the reviewer said pin 4 or pin 7 needs to be powered. In another post above you mentioned "The isolator gets power from TX, RTS and/or DTR, I think." RTS being pin 7 and DTR being pin 4 confirming what the reviewer mentioned.
With all that said, I was thinking of running 5v off the Atom lite connector thing under the usb power connector to pin 4 thereby powering the DCE side or atom lite side of the isolator. The reviewer said the power source should be common to the equipment. I'm assuming I have this correct, but I wanted to run it past someone who knew more about this than I do just to double check I don't damage something...do you (@solarhombre ) think this all sounds safe for the inverter?
wpns
Solar Joules are catch and release
Now for the feature creep: Ethernet and PoE...
Of course, a nearby lightning strike disabled the PoE on the main switch in my Boathouse the other night, but fortunately a reboot solved it.
Of course, a nearby lightning strike disabled the PoE on the main switch in my Boathouse the other night, but fortunately a reboot solved it.
solarhombre
New Member
It would be very tempting, but I don't use PoE except for two Unifi devices that have a nearby outlet. Olimex has something that one could use as a base (https://www.olimex.com/Products/IoT/ESP32/ESP32-POE-ISO/open-source-hardware - https://github.com/OLIMEX/ESP32-POE-ISO)
Ouch! Not looking forward to a lightning strike nearby, but I grounded my main switch and have one of those surge protectors that take 2 breaker spaces in an electrical panel.
