Monitoring Software-Solar Assistant, JK-BMS, ESPHome and Home Assistant

[DanF]

Hey all!

I thought I would share my Home Assistant dashboard that I'm using on a cheap Samsung A7 pad. I am using it for smart home applications, but also monitoring my:

- Mains power and Sub-Panel (As a deduct reading) using ESPhome and 2 sets of CT clamps.
- 2 LV6548's, and Victron smart shunt using Solar Assistant.
- Finally after all this time!... an easy way to monitor my JK-BMS 2amp balancer using ESPhome (Bluetooth Version install) that I found here.

The JK-BMS monitoring was the last piece of the puzzle and I have screwed around for many many hours to only be disappointed until now.
You can see in the picture showing my power wall I am monitoring the Voltage of the pack, the Average cell voltage, the delta cell Voltage, and if the pack is balancing or not.
You can monitor each individual cell if you want as well, but I don't see a need to do that. If I see that the delta cell voltage is going out of whack I can hit the basement and inspect things closer if I need too. I could also bring up the app to check cell voltages but it's much nicer to glance at a screen!

Enjoy!
Dan

 

[Quattrohead]

That is super nice, love it.

 

[Texican]

very cool Dan
tell us more about your CT clamps and ESPhome
I am using the emporia vue system on all my circuits and I am getting that data into home assistant but they only provide data by the minute not by the second. I know there is a hack available to make the emporia have only local data, but it is pretty involved

 

[DanF]

very cool Dan
tell us more about your CT clamps and ESPhome
I am using the emporia vue system on all my circuits and I am getting that data into home assistant but they only provide data by the minute not by the second. I know there is a hack available to make the emporia have only local data, but it is pretty involved

Your probably talking about Digiblur's YT channel.
If so, you know he has some valuable information. That's where I got my info on the 6 circuit ESP32 power monitoring info from. It DOES have a learning curve to tune them in.. (Meter or other means to measure amperage) while you calibrate the CT's.

Here's the vid for that:

Dan

 

[wattmatters]

Nice work. How is the pad powered? Is the display always on?

Not sure if I'll go that route.

I tend to monitor stuff on my laptop or phone, and I set up a dashboard my wife uses on her phone which has the stuff she needs (light controls, fan controls, aircon control, weather forecast overall energy flow diagram, map showing where I am).

I do like the Energy dashboard, here's my November chart:

 

[DanF]

Ah... I thought about that as well. I bought a Moes smart outlet with USB so that I could turn the socket off and on with a schedule. This way the battery doesn't stay at 100 percent charged all the time. Your dashboard looks great! (Tablet battery is monitored at the bottom)

Dan

 

[DanF]

Ah... I thought about that as well. I bought a Moes smart outlet with USB so that I could turn the socket off and on with a schedule. This way the battery doesn't stay at 100 percent charged all the time. Your dashboard looks great! (Tablet battery is monitored at the bottom)

Dan

Dashboard is able to go to sleep when you want. I got off topic there after I read your question.. Haha

 

[Texican]

you guys are using the HA energy dashboard/cards. I cant use that because I have 3 systems plus the emporia vue circuit data, and 1 system has no comms
I had to make my own dashboard, actually 2. the first is the 3 systems monitor and then another dashboard for all individual circuits
actually looks a lot like dans

I will check out the YT video, thanks Dan

I am using a full time 32" tv for the display

 

[DanF]

Hey all!

I thought I would share my Home Assistant dashboard that I'm using on a cheap Samsung A7 pad. I am using it for smart home applications, but also monitoring my:

- Mains power and Sub-Panel (As a deduct reading) using ESPhome and 2 sets of CT clamps.
- 2 LV6548's, and Victron smart shunt using Solar Assistant.
- Finally after all this time!... an easy way to monitor my JK-BMS 2amp balancer using ESPhome (Bluetooth Version install) that I found here.

The JK-BMS monitoring was the last piece of the puzzle and I have screwed around for many many hours to only be disappointed until now.
You can see in the picture showing my power wall I am monitoring the Voltage of the pack, the Average cell voltage, the delta cell Voltage, and if the pack is balancing or not.
You can monitor each individual cell if you want as well, but I don't see a need to do that. If I see that the delta cell voltage is going out of whack I can hit the basement and inspect things closer if I need too. I could also bring up the app to check cell voltages but it's much nicer to glance at a screen!

Enjoy!
Dan

This ESP32 is monitoring the JK-BMS as is in the picture. (I'll mount it later) through bluetooth. Love ESP technology!

 

[wattmatters]

you guys are using the HA energy dashboard

The built in Energy dashboard allows you to have multiple sources of data. Mine is combining my grid-tied and off-grid system data.

 

[Texican]

The built in Energy dashboard allows you to have multiple sources of data. Mine is combining my grid-tied and off-grid system data.

I think my issue is that the entities that you use must all be classified as an "energy" entity and most of mine are not.
I know you can change this, I think in the config.yaml file but a bit of a pain for sure

 

[Quattrohead]

I am very slowly learning how to do all this, this is where I've got to so far. Note the solar system and emporia tabs that contain a load more information.

 

[Texican]

I am very slowly learning how to do all this, this is where I've got to so far. Note the solar system and emporia tabs that contain a load more information.

what happens when you click the emporia tab ?

 

[Quattrohead]

what happens when you click the emporia tab ?

This is emporia integration. It connects to their cloud service so does not update frequently but it's a start. I know you can modify the units to operate locally but that's for another day.

 

[Texican]

Thanks
most of my emporia entities in HA do not show up to use on the energy dashboard because the system has not designated them "energy" sensors
I am trying to figure out how to change them so I can use the energy dashboard

 

[Quattrohead]

All my active circuits were listed but I had to create a dashboard and pull all of them in manually.
I am not using the built in energy thingy....yet.

 

[Texican]

All my active circuits were listed but I had to create a dashboard and pull all of them in manually.
I am not using the built in energy thingy....yet.

OK so we are in the same place. sure wish the emporia would let us access the 1 second data thru HA, not just the 1 minute, 1 day data

 

[wattmatters]

I know you can change this, I think in the config.yaml file but a bit of a pain for sure

Yes, you can create an energy sensor entity from a power sensor entity with some yaml code.

Here's an example, which creates an energy sensor (example "your_energy_sensor") from a power sensor (example "your_power_sensor"):

sensor:
  - platform: integration
    source: sensor.your_power_sensor
    name: your_energy_sensor
    #    unit: kWh
    unit_time: h
    unit_prefix: k
    round: 2
    method: left

In effect it creates a new sensor, an energy sensor, from the pre-existing power sensor.

The "platform: integration" is the means by which HA does this. Integration is this instance is a mathematical term, meaning it is doing a time based summation of the power values to arrive at a cumulative energy value.

In effect it is creating an energy accumulation meter, which is what the Energy Dashboard is looking for.

For it to take effect HA needs to be restarted.

The above energy sensor would then be compatible with the HA Energy dashboard.

Of course depending on what the power sensor is, it may need some yaml code of its own (e.g. to get a grid export or import power value from a sensor that reports both positive and negative power flows). But if the sensor is only ever reporting a non-negative value, then this is all that is required.

NOTE: If ever making some code changes to the config.yaml (any code changes) file, ALWAYS do a check before restarting HA:




And look for the green light to proceed with a Restart:




If you do not get that all clear message then DO NOT RESTART HA.

Undo whatever code changes you made and see if you can identify the error.

 

[Texican]

I have tried this and it keep getting some errors
the current name of one of my sensors is gridtie_totalsolar
and Im trying to make the new energy sensor name energy_gridtie_totalsolar
I really dont care what we call the new one, just dont want it to interfere with the old one I am now using

any ideas what I got wrong?


sensor:
- platform: integration
source: sensor.gridtie_totalsolar:
name: energy_gridtie_totalsolar
# unit: kWh
unit_time: h
unit_prefix: k
round: 2
method: left

 

[wattmatters]

any ideas what I got wrong?

With yaml, small things matter with syntax.

The spacing needs to be exactly as I showed. Those double spaces matter.

Also, check the "-" character.

In the past when I have cut and paste other's code and it didn't work I discovered that when pasted the dash character wasn't the correct one. When I retyped over it with my keyboard it worked.