Near Real Time Sol-Ark 12K Monitoring

[Nobodybusiness]

Thanks everyone for this thread! Got my Sol-Ark 8k working with SolarAssistant, been so nice to just check my phone to see how my system is doing rather than running to garage every hour. Plus I was able to easily hookup the MQTT message broker to my HomeAssistant for other automation purposes (like when I have excess power generation I have it turn on a heater that warms my garage and my water heater).

I D/L SA and have it running on a PI 4.
Setup URL.
Plugged in the USB to 485 cable.

Go to inverter settings and selected Solark but it will not connect? It sees the usb to 485 adapter
But just keep getting “No response. Retrying “
If I click settings next to that I get internal Server error??

Any ideas?

 

[robby]

I D/L SA and have it running on a PI 4.
Setup URL.
Plugged in the USB to 485 cable.

Go to inverter settings and selected Solark but it will not connect? It sees the usb to 485 adapter
But just keep getting “No response. Retrying “
If I click settings next to that I get internal Server error??

Any ideas?

Is the cable plugged into the Battery Canbus port?
Are you using pins 6,7,8 on the port?
You have to have the Lithium battery set to 00

 

[timselectric]

Yes
They asked for those rights, from Deye.
Possibly, some money was also involved.
But, since Sol-Ark was already selling the majority in those markets. It wasn't hard to convince Deye to agree to it.
Probably a smart business move for both parties.

Clarification:
Deye didn't give Sol-Ark the rights to those markets.
They just gave them the approval to be the sole distributor of the split-phase model. (Which is the model widely used in those markets) a better comparison would be the GM truck (Deye). You can buy a Chevy (Sol-Ark) , from one dealership. Or a GMC (SunSink) , from another dealership. They are both GM (Deye) trucks. They just come with slightly different options and cosmetics.
Sol-Ark, SunSink, LionEnergy, and several others. Are just distributors (resellers), of the Deye inverters.

 

[Nobodybusiness]

Is the cable plugged into the Battery Canbus port?
Are you using pins 6,7,8 on the port?
You have to have the Lithium battery set to 00

Yes Canbus batteries port.
Not idea what pins it’s using.
It’s a cable form SA so I would assume the right one.
Set lithium to 00 on the inverter?
It’s set to Lithium 0. Don’t see a 00

 

[robby]

Yes Canbus batteries port.
Not idea what pins it’s using.
It’s a cable form SA so I would assume the right one.
Set lithium to 00 on the inverter?
It’s set to Lithium 0. Don’t see a 00

Sounds like you have everything right. Shoot them an email and see what they say about the problem.

 

[Nobodybusiness]

Yes Modbus port.
Not idea what pins it’s using.
It’s a cable form SA so I would assume the right one.
Set lithium to 00 on the inverter?

Sounds like you have everything right. Shoot them an email and see what they say about the problem.

Yea I did. They kinda ghosted me..

 

[robby]

Yea I did. They kinda ghosted me..

He typically takes 2-3 days to reply to emails.

 

[Super Fly]

Works perfectly with a Deye, no reason it would not with nothing else but a rebadged Deye.

Only issue is the rs485 / USB converter chip (FTDI) seems to require quite some power from the PI. At least on my PI 3B I had to change the power supply from a 2.5A to a 3A.

You can buy the rs485 / USB cable from Solar Assistant (expensive shipping out of SA) or buy an equivalent locally. It's nothing more than a 10usd standard Cisco console cable.

Here for example :

https://www.amazon.com/Console-Adapter-Compatible-NETGEAR-Switches/dp/B09J7X77HL/ref=mp_s_a_1_10?crid=3KPIHD1HMZSWL&keywords=cisco+console+cable&qid=1650178283&sprefix=cisco+%2Caps%2C447&sr=8-10

I am not too sure about nothing more than a standard cisco cabe. I have DEYE 8KW and I bought the below cables and have not been able to get them work with Solar Assistant. I have tried the 2 console cables below.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075V1RGQK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082VZTB57/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They connect but does not read any data. CRC errors. So I had to resort to.
This one here. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0759HSLP1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

[Zivva]

Sorry to read, maybe I got lucky with the console cables I tried.

Another option which involves using an RS485 / USB converter & making your own cable :

Sol-Ark and Solar-Assistant DIY cable...

Hi Guys, I'm trying to "make" a cable to connect my 12k Outdoor Sol-Ark, to my Solar-Assistant in a Raspberry Pi 4. This is my Sol-Ark Model: And this is my USB to TTL RS485 Serial Converter: I'm trying the RJ45 Pin 6 to the Ground port of the converter, Pin 7 to A and Pin 8 to B, but...

diysolarforum.com

 

[Nobodybusiness]

I am not too sure about nothing more than a standard cisco cabe. I have DEYE 8KW and I bought the below cables and have not been able to get them work with Solar Assistant. I have tried the 2 console cables below.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075V1RGQK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082VZTB57/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They connect but does not read any data. CRC errors. So I had to resort to.
This one here. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0759HSLP1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Hey Thanks for that!! I will try it!!

 

[Nobodybusiness]

I am not too sure about nothing more than a standard cisco cabe. I have DEYE 8KW and I bought the below cables and have not been able to get them work with Solar Assistant. I have tried the 2 console cables below.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075V1RGQK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082VZTB57/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They connect but does not read any data. CRC errors. So I had to resort to.
This one here. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0759HSLP1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Thank You that last cable worked great.
Now I have real time monitoring.

 

[Tamooj]

So... I have a pair of 12k sol-ark inverters (master/slave) and I use an eGauge to collect data and monitor my whole system. They are a lot pricier than a Raspberry Pi for sure, but it gives us a lot of other features. For data collection, I just made a MODBus rs-485 cable and used the registers posted above. It's a bit weird for me because my HomeGrid battery BMS also talks to the Sol-Ark using the same physical connector. I was initially bummed because I thought "I can have the BMS talk to the sol-ark, or my local monitoring" until I figured out that the connector on the sol-ark uses different pins for the MODbus and CANbus, and those pins talk to two different UARTS on the Sol-Ark. So I made a Y cable where the MODbus and CANbus data lines go to different places. BTW I asked the support team at Sol-Ark if this would work, and they asked their engineers, who scratched their heads and said "Huh. Yeah, it should work... lets us know how it goes". Anyway - it does work, and I'll happily share my configuration and photos with anyone who is curious. Now if only those MODbus registers were writable, or the API open.

 

[Balthazar-B]

Might be a little early for this question, but has anyone successfully tested monitoring approaches described in this thread with the recently-shipped Sol-Ark 15K inverter? Would be good to know if they can be applied equally well.

 

[Lt.Dan]

Might be a little early for this question, but has anyone successfully tested monitoring approaches described in this thread with the recently-shipped Sol-Ark 15K inverter? Would be good to know if they can be applied equally well.

I am curious as well as I have a 15k coming and plan on using the Solar Assistant.

 

[Survey Dog 22]

Hello All, although I have been lurking here on other boards for a while, this is my first post...

I installed a sol-ark 12K with 10kw of "cheap" li-ion batterys (the BMS's dont't talk) and 6KW of panels on my garage earlier this summer. It is wired to a sub-panel 200 feet from my meter, but I ran a CAT6 down so I can zero it. We have pretty much cut our bill in half.

The real reason for the post is real time monitoring. I have a long history with RS232, TCP, UDP connections and programming, although it is dated with VB5 and a smattering of JS. After being surprised by the overhead required of using a PI to strip data off the sol-ark, I started playing around.

I found earlier posts discussing modpoll.exe and basic modbus protocol, and the sol-ark register spreadsheet. Using the dongle db9 port, I was able to get the sol-ark to give me current data. So I captured the rs-232 communications with a tap, and shortly had VB5 pulling data.

For the moment, all I want are registers 172 (grid watts), 178 (load watts), 186, 187 (PV watts), 190 (Battery watts).

I plugged a WA232e TCP-rs232 converter into the dongle port, and connect to it with winsock in VB5, so I can work from the comfort of my kitchen.

I am able to pull data at 3-4 hz, and the router and sol-ark seem un-affected by it.

My usage chart is attached. Black is grid watts, green is PV output which is also charging the red battery. Red below the line is charging, red above is discharge. Actual values scroll across the bottom.

The usage increase is from the clothes washer, dryer and water heater, all electric being turned on. Little spikes are sump pump and well pump, etc. The chart spans about 45 minutes.

I now see that my panels only appear to be putting out about 3kw instead of 6, but that is for a later post.

I have plans to use a timer to slow the polling down to 2 or 3 seconds, and then archive the data. It would also be nice to port it to JS, so I can run it in a browser.

The program is crude, but if more skilled people want to play with and improve it, I am willing to share after I get a little more done on it.

 

[robby]

Hello All, although I have been lurking here on other boards for a while, this is my first post...

I installed a sol-ark 12K with 10kw of "cheap" li-ion batterys (the BMS's dont't talk) and 6KW of panels on my garage earlier this summer. It is wired to a sub-panel 200 feet from my meter, but I ran a CAT6 down so I can zero it. We have pretty much cut our bill in half.

The real reason for the post is real time monitoring. I have a long history with RS232, TCP, UDP connections and programming, although it is dated with VB5 and a smattering of JS. After being surprised by the overhead required of using a PI to strip data off the sol-ark, I started playing around.

I found earlier posts discussing modpoll.exe and basic modbus protocol, and the sol-ark register spreadsheet. Using the dongle db9 port, I was able to get the sol-ark to give me current data. So I captured the rs-232 communications with a tap, and shortly had VB5 pulling data.

For the moment, all I want are registers 172 (grid watts), 178 (load watts), 186, 187 (PV watts), 190 (Battery watts).

I plugged a WA232e TCP-rs232 converter into the dongle port, and connect to it with winsock in VB5, so I can work from the comfort of my kitchen.

I am able to pull data at 3-4 hz, and the router and sol-ark seem un-affected by it.

My usage chart is attached. Black is grid watts, green is PV output which is also charging the red battery. Red below the line is charging, red above is discharge. Actual values scroll across the bottom.

The usage increase is from the clothes washer, dryer and water heater, all electric being turned on. Little spikes are sump pump and well pump, etc. The chart spans about 45 minutes.

I now see that my panels only appear to be putting out about 3kw instead of 6, but that is for a later post.

I have plans to use a timer to slow the polling down to 2 or 3 seconds, and then archive the data. It would also be nice to port it to JS, so I can run it in a browser.

The program is crude, but if more skilled people want to play with and improve it, I am willing to share after I get a little more done on it.

Sounds Interesting. I still dable a bit in VB6 for some legacy programs that I wrote that are still being used by companies. Let me know how it's going.

 

[MudMan54]

So... I have a pair of 12k sol-ark inverters (master/slave) and I use an eGauge to collect data and monitor my whole system. They are a lot pricier than a Raspberry Pi for sure, but it gives us a lot of other features. For data collection, I just made a MODBus rs-485 cable and used the registers posted above. It's a bit weird for me because my HomeGrid battery BMS also talks to the Sol-Ark using the same physical connector. I was initially bummed because I thought "I can have the BMS talk to the sol-ark, or my local monitoring" until I figured out that the connector on the sol-ark uses different pins for the MODbus and CANbus, and those pins talk to two different UARTS on the Sol-Ark. So I made a Y cable where the MODbus and CANbus data lines go to different places. BTW I asked the support team at Sol-Ark if this would work, and they asked their engineers, who scratched their heads and said "Huh. Yeah, it should work... lets us know how it goes". Anyway - it does work, and I'll happily share my configuration and photos with anyone who is curious. Now if only those MODbus registers were writable, or the API open.

Can you provide the MODBus rs-485 cable and registers you used? Thanks Don

 

[jasonhc73]

Thanks everyone for this thread! Got my Sol-Ark 8k working with SolarAssistant, been so nice to just check my phone to see how my system is doing rather than running to garage every hour. Plus I was able to easily hookup the MQTT message broker to my HomeAssistant for other automation purposes (like when I have excess power generation I have it turn on a heater that warms my garage and my water heater).

Which RS485/USB cable are you using?

 

[RichardRSB]

So... I have a pair of 12k sol-ark inverters (master/slave) and I use an eGauge to collect data and monitor my whole system. They are a lot pricier than a Raspberry Pi for sure, but it gives us a lot of other features. For data collection, I just made a MODBus rs-485 cable and used the registers posted above. It's a bit weird for me because my HomeGrid battery BMS also talks to the Sol-Ark using the same physical connector. I was initially bummed because I thought "I can have the BMS talk to the sol-ark, or my local monitoring" until I figured out that the connector on the sol-ark uses different pins for the MODbus and CANbus, and those pins talk to two different UARTS on the Sol-Ark. So I made a Y cable where the MODbus and CANbus data lines go to different places. BTW I asked the support team at Sol-Ark if this would work, and they asked their engineers, who scratched their heads and said "Huh. Yeah, it should work... lets us know how it goes". Anyway - it does work, and I'll happily share my configuration and photos with anyone who is curious. Now if only those MODbus registers were writable, or the API open.

Hi,

I was stumbling on you post using an eGauge communicating with the Sol-Ark. I have a Deye and eGauge, and lokking for a way to communicate using a modbusRTU to modbusTCP converter. I am puzzaled how to configure. Would you care to send me your eGauge address, so i can look into your settings? Thanks.