Solis-RAI-3K-48ES-5G and Acrel ACR10R meter (yet another thread....)

[kevinheb]

Hi everyone,

So there are already some threads on this forum about this matter, but having followed all of them several times, I still don't have a solution.

I have a Solis-RAI-3K-48ES-5G AC Coupled inverter that was purchased without the energy meter or the RJ45 cable. I purchased the ACREL ACR10R 80A unit separately from the ACREL store on Aliexpress.

Following threads on this post, I have made my own cable using a spare ethernet cable, using 2 wires from the cable (the green cable and the green/white cable) in positions 3 and 6 of the RJ45 connector.

The meter is connected to the mains and the attached CT connector is positioned around the live cable, and the meter correctly displays the energy usage of the house. The meter has 4 LEDs, the top "RUN" LED is constantly green, the 2nd "COM" LED is off, and the 2 bottom LEDs flash red.

The inverter does not seem to detect the meter when the 2 pin connector in the METER port is attached, and when looking at the inverter settings, it lists the "Meter Voltage" as NULL.

I have made an additional cable, I have tried inserting the 2 RJ45 wires into the opposite pin of the METER port, I have checked that the inverter is setup to expect a "1ph meter".

I have attempted to go into the ACR10R menu system, but it is very confusing, and has menu headings of SYS, In, Bus, IO and UER

I would be so grateful for any help from someone with some knowledge about this issue



with thanks

 

[kevinheb]

The Acrel meter manual says that

"For the communication connection, we recommend to use the three-core shielding wire .The core wires are
connected to A,B,COM2 respectively and the shielding layer is connected to the ground. COM2 is forbidden to have
ground connection. When laying the wires, the communication line shall be kept away from the strong current cable or
other strong electric field.",

and yet the Solis meter connector only has 2 pins?

 

[SeaGal]

Welcome!

Did you set the correct slave address?

See also here and my post #3...

P

Thread 'Solis S5: Various issues'

Dec 21, 2022

Hello everyone!

This is in France. The house has three phase power for the heat pump.

I installed a Solis S5 hybrid inverter (S5-EH1P-6K-L) with two Pylontech US5000 and of course solar panels. It's a single phase inverter, I don't need three phase backup. My main reason for choosing this one is it works with 48V batteries, I didn't want HV batteries?

So far everything works fine except RS485 communication with the smartmeter, which is why I'm asking for help...



The meter is Eastron SDM630 Modbus V2, which is listed as compatible in Solis manual...



It is...

• peufeu
• Replies: 69
• Forum: Residential Solar

• 

 

[kevinheb]

Hi Seagal, many thanks for your post. My inverter Solis-RAI-3K-48ES-5G, appears to have much fewer options than the inverter in the post that you've attached. My inverter just has the choice of a 1ph meter or a 3ph meter.

The meter has the following options for communication settings, I believe the baud and mode settings are correct. I have tried addresses from 001 through to 006 but had no luck in successfully communicating with the inverter

Address 001 (1-247)
Baud 9600 (4800、9600、19200、38400)
Mode none (None/2bit/odd/even)

 

[SeaGal]

9600 no parity is correct.

Are you getting a MET comm error on the Solis?

 

[SeaGal]

Further thought... are you using the RJ45 connection on the Acrel as well. The hardwired pins (21 & 22) didn't work for me.

See also my posting here...

Post in thread 'Solis RS 485 core size'

Aug 4, 2023

What he ^^^^ said. Also see my posting...
https://diysolarforum.com/threads/rs485-or-cat5e-ethernet-cable.66704/post-839040

FYI, IIRC it's the green + green-white pair that the Acrel and Solis use - see
https://diysolarforum.com/threads/a...o-solis-ac-coupled-inverter.52531/post-715295

Also note to use the RJ45 connection on the Acrel. For some reason the individually marked RS485 pins on the Acrel didn't work for me.

And here's a link to another of my postings on this subject for completeness if someone reads this thread in the future... that...

• SeaGal

• 

 

[kevinheb]

9600 no parity is correct.

Are you getting a MET comm error on the Solis?

No, I'm not getting a MET comm error on the Solis, I don't get any error message, but the Acrel Meter "COM" LED is off and when I go into the Solis menu to look at "Meter Info", it states that the Meter Voltage is NULL. More importantly, when the inverter is on, it discharges at 3kW regardless of any load.

 

[kevinheb]

Further thought... are you using the RJ45 connection on the Acrel as well. The hardwired pins (21 & 22) didn't work for me.

See also my posting here...

Post in thread 'Solis RS 485 core size'

Aug 4, 2023

What he ^^^^ said. Also see my posting...
https://diysolarforum.com/threads/rs485-or-cat5e-ethernet-cable.66704/post-839040

FYI, IIRC it's the green + green-white pair that the Acrel and Solis use - see
https://diysolarforum.com/threads/a...o-solis-ac-coupled-inverter.52531/post-715295

Also note to use the RJ45 connection on the Acrel. For some reason the individually marked RS485 pins on the Acrel didn't work for me.

And here's a link to another of my postings on this subject for completeness if someone reads this thread in the future... that...

• SeaGal

• 

Yes, I am using the RJ45 socket on the meter rather than the pins, thanks

 

[kevinheb]

I am racking my brain trying to think of any other reasons why it might not be working. I'm concerned that perhaps the plug isn't making contact with the socket properly, as the pins do look a little narrow?

 

[SeaGal]

I will have a think. The RAI is different to the regular hybrid inverters IIRC as I think it also has a CT connection to monitor production from another inverter too. Can you post some images of your screens including the main screen - like the first one in the link above - and the info screen and meter config pages?

 

[kevinheb]

Yes sure, I will do, many thanks for your help on this.

I have come across another post that confirms that the Acrel meter address to use with the RAI is 001

A

Thread 'Solis RAI-3K-48ES-5G inverter setup - finally working-ish'

Dec 29, 2023

Hi

Thought I would share my experience getting a Solis storage inverter working. I read a lot of posts here of people having issues with Solis inverters and thought I would share this in case it helps anyone.
My setup
Solis RAI-3K-48ES-5G inverter (obviously)
48v 100ah battery with PaceBMS

10 x 405w Ja Solar panels
InfiniSolar V 6kw inverter (for the panels)

Acrel ACR10 3phase energy monitor (single phase, mains electricity)

The big 2 problems have been getting the PaceBMS to talk to the Solis inverter, honestly I gave up and it's set up as a lead acid battery, the charge from grid is...

• andynotts
• Replies: 9
• Forum: Hybrid and Grid-tie Inverters

• 

 

[kevinheb]

I'm not sure that there is too much to show. There is only a basic LCD screen on the RAI, that cycles through the Gris Status, Battery Status, Storage mode, etc, there is no mention of meter status.

For the meter setup there are 5 options I believe, 1ph meter, 3ph meter Eastron 1ph meter, Eastron 3ph meter and none.

There is an option to view the communication status on the inverter, that shows a stream of data, but it's unclear what data this is actually showing, and this data stream continues even with the meter unplugged.

 

[kevinheb]

The system is not installed yet and is still only being tested, the BMS was switched off hence the NO-battery status.

The Acrel meter has the RUN led switch, and the 2 bottom LEDs flashing, but the COM LED is always off.

 

[SeaGal]

the COM LED is always off.

The COM LED should flash once a second when the Solis requests data from it.

Do you have the ability to sniff the data being sent from Solis to Meter?

 

[kevinheb]

The COM LED should flash once a second when the Solis requests data from it.

Do you have the ability to sniff the data being sent from Solis to Meter?

No, I don't currently know how to sniff the data, but if there is a reasonably straight forward way to do it then I can. The COM LED has never lit up or flashed.

I have ordered another Acrel meter in case the problem lies with the meter.

I have also checked that there is no cable fault. Sticking a multimeter into the METER sockets gave a voltage of 3.2V, and with the bare connector plugged in, there was still a measurement of 3.2V, so my earlier concern that the socket wasn't making proper contact with the connector is false. I have also checked continuity within the cable, and there is continuity between the connector pins at one end of the cable and the RJ45 pins (pins 3 & 6) at the other end.

I have tried each of the meter options within the inverter menu, 1ph meter, 3ph meter Eastron 1ph meter, Eastron 3ph meter but this doesn't make a difference.

 

[AshleyL]

No, I don't currently know how to sniff the data, but if there is a reasonably straight forward way to do it then I can. The COM LED has never lit up or flashed.

I have ordered another Acrel meter in case the problem lies with the meter.

I have also checked that there is no cable fault. Sticking a multimeter into the METER sockets gave a voltage of 3.2V, and with the bare connector plugged in, there was still a measurement of 3.2V, so my earlier concern that the socket wasn't making proper contact with the connector is false. I have also checked continuity within the cable, and there is continuity between the connector pins at one end of the cable and the RJ45 pins (pins 3 & 6) at the other end.

I have tried each of the meter options within the inverter menu, 1ph meter, 3ph meter Eastron 1ph meter, Eastron 3ph meter but this doesn't make a difference.

Acrel Meter DTSD1352

Step 1: On meter working interface, press’ SET ‘key( first from the left ) to enter Setting interface Step 2: In Settings interface, press ‘Enter’ key Use in the password on the password input interface: UI/▲ key (second from the left) ...

solis-service.solisinverters.com

Adjust the CT ratio of an Acrel DTSD 1352 meter

The default value normally set on a Acrel DTSD 1352 meter is 30, as the CTs delivered with this meter are Acrel AKH-.66 K24 - 150A:5A If you choose to use different CT clamps, you can change on meter's display by following the below EXACT steps...

solis-service.solisinverters.com

Acrel DTSD1352 3ph Meter CT Ratio

Set Solis Meter CT Ratio It may be necessary to check the CT ratio that has been set on the Solis 3phase Meter DTSD1352 that is supplied with 3x 150A CT’s. This is especially relevant if the expected values displayed on the meter do not look...

solis-service.solisinverters.com

Any luck with above guide?

 

[kevinheb]

My meter is the Acrel ACR-10R which has quite a different interface to the guides, but the connection mode is set to single-phase, in the "bus" menu, the default address is 005 which I have changed to 001

 

[SeaGal]

What strikes me as odd is that you are not getting a MET-Comm error message. That suggests to me that the Solis is not configured to use the meter correctly. If it were, but there was a failure (due to wiring, incorrect slave address or faulty Acrel) then I would expect the Solis to trigger a MET-Comm failure message within about 5s of it not getting a response from the Acrel.

To sniff the data you'd need an RS485 interface device and some software - not trivial.

 

[kommando]

You need to read the Acrel registers and make sure they are the same registers the Solis expects to read and in the right format.

You will need PC, USB RS485 adaptor.

Software

GitHub - SciFiDryer/ModbusMechanic: Cross platform GUI MODBUS TCP/RTU simulator & gateway. Interprets data types including ascii float and int.

Cross platform GUI MODBUS TCP/RTU simulator & gateway. Interprets data types including ascii float and int. - SciFiDryer/ModbusMechanic

github.com

Which runs under Java so you need to install Java too.

Connect the USB RS485 to the Acrel and the PC, fire up Modbus Mechanic.

Then fire up the register scanner and set it to read the serial port assigned to the USB adaptor serial port.

 

[SeaGal]

Not sure whether the RAI sends the same requests as my RHI and EH1P Solis inverters do... I suspect it will because the Acrel meter sounds the same model as mine.

In which case, adding from what @kommando just said, I would expect that your Solis will send the following request to the Acrel.

['01','03','00','00','00','41','85','fa']
and it does that once a second.

That data consists of...
'01' = slave address
'03' = read registers request
'00', '00' = address of first register
'00','41' = request for the slave to return 65 registers
'85','fa = check sum of above request.

see also my posting here...

Post in thread 'Eastron SDM230 Modbus - use RS485 output for invertor and monitoring?'

Jul 10, 2024

I'll add my 2p to the other two Solis Modbus'ers input above

is it possible to passively ready the data as it goes by?

Yes. I have done exactly what you are looking to do. I extended the code from @peufeu's Grugbus project (that implements a MITM solution) to additionally passively sniff existing Acrel to Solis data.

You will need a galvanically isolated RS485 interface which has the option to disconnect the usual 120 Ohm termination resistor which is required each end of an RS485 connection. You can then just make a passive connection to the existing line.

As...

• SeaGal

• 

 

[kevinheb]

I have a PL2303 USB to serial port converter that might possibly work?

I have also had another thought, the unit was purchased second hand and the settings may have been altered, I believe that the unit was used as a set of 3, I have been trying to work out a way of restoring the factory settings, but there doesn't seem to be a way.

I did find this video,

but unfortunately my inverter doesn't have "restore settings" in the menu.

What strikes me as odd is that you are not getting a MET-Comm error message. That suggests to me that the Solis is not configured to use the meter correctly. If it were, but there was a failure (due to wiring, incorrect slave address or faulty Acrel) then I would expect the Solis to trigger a MET-Comm failure message within about 5s of it not getting a response from the Acrel.

To sniff the data you'd need an RS485 interface device and some software - not trivial.

 

[kevinheb]

What strikes me as odd is that you are not getting a MET-Comm error message. That suggests to me that the Solis is not configured to use the meter correctly. If it were, but there was a failure (due to wiring, incorrect slave address or faulty Acrel) then I would expect the Solis to trigger a MET-Comm failure message within about 5s of it not getting a response from the Acrel.

To sniff the data you'd need an RS485 interface device and some software - not trivial.

I'm not certain, but from looking at the list of Solis error codes

Complete list of Alarm/Display Messages

If you wish to download this article as a PDF, please scroll to the bottom of the page or click HERE. Share this article: Share via Email Solis Display Messages In this article, we will provide a comprehensive expla...

solis-service.solisinverters.com

I believe that the "Met-Comm" error is for the Solis energy storage inverters rather than the grid tied inverters.

 

[kommando]

I have a PL2303 USB to serial port converter that might possibly work?

No, that is for RS232 not RS485.

 

[SeaGal]

I believe that the "Met-Comm" error is for the Solis energy storage inverters rather than the grid tied inverters.

it's both. yours is the energy storage one.

 

[kevinheb]

I've ordered a USB RS485 converter from ebay