Inspired by Wildebus

alwaysared

alwaysared

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After posting on here about the Victron Colour Controller Wildebus said it was possible to use a Raspberry Pi with two VE Direct to USB cables (for my BMV712 and M100/30 MPPT controller) and a MK3 VE Direct USB cable for my 12/3000/120-16 inverter/charger so this inspired me to try it out. So I purchased a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, a case and a 16gb Sandisk Micro SD card from Amazon for £44.18. I then followed a link on here to our sister site motorhomebuilder.com which in turn had a link and a picture explaining how to make your own VE Direct cables, so I bought a couple of USB to UART cables which cost me £6.99 and a pack of five four pin JST leads for £2.49, unfortunately for me they had different colour cables to the ones in the picture but I found out which pins were which on the MPPT and BMV. I followed the picture but it didn't work then I realised that the picture had a fundamental flaw! It shows the TxD on the USB going to the TxD on the JST plug and RxD on the USB going to the RxD on the JST, but it's obvious that this is the wrong way round! The RxD on the USB goes to the TxD on the JST and the TxD on the USB goes to the RxD on the JST, once I had switched them round it work okay and I already had the cable for my inverter/charger. So everything works as expected, I will probably keep looking on ebay for a Venus GX but until then the Pi is doing a decent job and the total cost was less than £60.00 which includes a 12v to 5v 3a step down to power the Pi. So a big thank you to Wildebus for the inspiration
Screenshot (fridge was on 240v to put some load on the inverter):
victron_portal.png

Next up is build a NAS for my music,movies and files :)

Regards,
Del
 
Looking good!

alwaysared said:
I then followed a link on here to our sister site motorhomebuilder.com which in turn had a link and a picture explaining how to make your own VE Direct cables,
Click to expand...

Bollox, I wish I had known about that before I bought them lol.

You should add to the other thread about this pinout being wrong.
 
alwaysared said:
After posting on here about the Victron Colour Controller Wildebus said it was possible to use a Raspberry Pi with two VE Direct to USB cables (for my BMV712 and M100/30 MPPT controller) and a MK3 VE Direct USB cable for my 12/3000/120-16 inverter/charger so this inspired me to try it out. So I purchased a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, a case and a 16gb Sandisk Micro SD card from Amazon for £44.18. I then followed a link on here to our sister site motorhomebuilder.com which in turn had a link and a picture explaining how to make your own VE Direct cables, so I bought a couple of USB to UART cables which cost me £6.99 and a pack of five four pin JST leads for £2.49, unfortunately for me they had different colour cables to the ones in the picture but I found out which pins were which on the MPPT and BMV. I followed the picture but it didn't work then I realised that the picture had a fundamental flaw! It shows the TxD on the USB going to the TxD on the JST plug and RxD on the USB going to the RxD on the JST, but it's obvious that this is the wrong way round! The RxD on the USB goes to the TxD on the JST and the TxD on the USB goes to the RxD on the JST, once I had switched them round it work okay and I already had the cable for my inverter/charger. So everything works as expected, I will probably keep looking on ebay for a Venus GX but until then the Pi is doing a decent job and the total cost was less than £60.00 which includes a 12v to 5v 3a step down to power the Pi. So a big thank you to Wildebus for the inspiration
Screenshot (fridge was on 240v to put some load on the inverter):
View attachment 81514
Next up is build a NAS for my music,movies and files :)

Regards,
Del
Click to expand...
glad to been of help :D and nice job with the DIY Cables! I have never got round to trying to make my own, but YOUR success has now INSPIRED ME to give it a go (y)
 
alwaysared said:
After posting on here about the Victron Colour Controller Wildebus said it was possible to use a Raspberry Pi with two VE Direct to USB cables (for my BMV712 and M100/30 MPPT controller) and a MK3 VE Direct USB cable for my 12/3000/120-16 inverter/charger so this inspired me to try it out. So I purchased a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, a case and a 16gb Sandisk Micro SD card from Amazon for £44.18. I then followed a link on here to our sister site motorhomebuilder.com which in turn had a link and a picture explaining how to make your own VE Direct cables, so I bought a couple of USB to UART cables which cost me £6.99 and a pack of five four pin JST leads for £2.49, unfortunately for me they had different colour cables to the ones in the picture but I found out which pins were which on the MPPT and BMV. I followed the picture but it didn't work then I realised that the picture had a fundamental flaw! It shows the TxD on the USB going to the TxD on the JST plug and RxD on the USB going to the RxD on the JST, but it's obvious that this is the wrong way round! The RxD on the USB goes to the TxD on the JST and the TxD on the USB goes to the RxD on the JST, once I had switched them round it work okay and I already had the cable for my inverter/charger. So everything works as expected, I will probably keep looking on ebay for a Venus GX but until then the Pi is doing a decent job and the total cost was less than £60.00 which includes a 12v to 5v 3a step down to power the Pi. So a big thank you to Wildebus for the inspiration
Screenshot (fridge was on 240v to put some load on the inverter):
View attachment 81514
Next up is build a NAS for my music,movies and files :)

Regards,
Del
Click to expand...

I have not got a clue what you are talking about, but it sounds like you know what wildebus is talking about, and that impresses the S—t out of me. Well done, sounds like you had lots of fun.
 
wildebus said:
glad to been of help :D and nice job with the DIY Cables! I have never got round to trying to make my own, but YOUR success has now INSPIRED ME to give it a go (y)
Click to expand...

This is the picture I got off the internet for the MPPT Pin Outs, it's obviously the same for all of the Victron stuff using a VE Direct to USB cable.

Victron cable MPPT unit pinout.jpg


The USB is as follows:
  • Red: +5V
  • Green: Tx
  • White : Rx
  • Black: GND
But you probably already know these.

Regards,
Del
 
st3v3 said:
You should add to the other thread about this pinout being wrong.
Click to expand...

Good idea, I've just done that, the connections on the picture are actually correct, the guy has just wrote the JST ones the wrong way round :cry: which of course wouldn't matter if you're lucky enough to get a JST plug with the same colours as his one (y)

Regards,
Del
 
Surprising what you can get these little boards to do. I have an Audrino Uno connected to the fans that try and keep the fridge cool. It also has a temp sensor input. Checks the temp and switches fans on to half speed. It then waits 5 minutes and checks again. Stops the fan keep switching on and off. Above 40 degrees the fans run at full power. Three fans certainly get the temp down and half speed means you can hardly hear them.
 
QFour said:
Surprising what you can get these little boards to do. I have an Audrino Uno connected to the fans that try and keep the fridge cool. It also has a temp sensor input. Checks the temp and switches fans on to half speed. It then waits 5 minutes and checks again. Stops the fan keep switching on and off. Above 40 degrees the fans run at full power. Three fans certainly get the temp down and half speed means you can hardly hear them.
Click to expand...

Care to share your set up details?

Regards,
Del
 
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alwaysared said:
This is the picture I got off the internet for the MPPT Pin Outs, it's obviously the same for all of the Victron stuff using a VE Direct to USB cable.

View attachment 81515

The USB is as follows:
  • Red: +5V
  • Green: Tx
  • White : Rx
  • Black: GND
But you probably already know these.

Regards,
Del
Click to expand...
I will be looking at this in more detail but I will throw in one comment now, based not on direct experience (as not made the cables so far) but what I have read... there is something about the voltage that you need to be wary of? USB is +5V and the VE.Direct is +3.3V? so you don't carry on the power line from end to end.
I'll see if I can find out what it is but something you may need to watch?
 
wildebus said:
I will be looking at this in more detail but I will throw in one comment now, based not on direct experience (as not made the cables so far) but what I have read... there is something about the voltage that you need to be wary of? USB is +5V and the VE.Direct is +3.3V? so you don't carry on the power line from end to end.
I'll see if I can find out what it is but something you may need to watch?
Click to expand...

Sorry I should've pointed out that you don't connect the 5v + wire, this is also shown on the picture from motorhomebuilder.com.

VE Direct cable PIN out.png


Regards,
Del
 
alwaysared said:
I bought a couple of USB to UART cables which cost me £6.99 and a pack of five four pin JST leads for £2.49, unfortunately for me they had different colour cables to the ones in the picture but I found out which pins were which on the MPPT and BMV. I followed the picture but it didn't work then I realised that the picture had a fundamental flaw! It shows the TxD on the USB going to the TxD on the JST plug and RxD on the USB going to the RxD on the JST, but it's obvious that this is the wrong way round! The RxD on the USB goes to the TxD on the JST and the TxD on the USB goes to the RxD on the JST, once I had switched them round it work okay and I already had the cable for my inverter/charger. So everything works as expected, I will probably keep looking on ebay for a Venus GX but until then the Pi is doing a decent job and the total cost was less than £60.00 which includes a 12v to 5v 3a step down to power the Pi. So a big thank you to Wildebus for the inspiration
Click to expand...
I did all this myself and never got my MPPT 100/30 and Raspberry Pi 3 to link up with the homemade cable scenario. Pretty sure I tried all the pin-out options at the time and concluded it was likely down to whatever extra components Victron use in their own USB cables
1589358028005.png

So just to confirm you have this working on a raspberry pi (if so which one?) using a homemade cable UART to USB connected to an MPPT controller OR connected to a BMV ? TBH I never tried it on the BMV I have so hoemmade USB to UART may work with the BMV's but not the MPPT controllers ? Thanks @alwaysared , would also be interested in your arduino set-up if you have details of that anywhere.
 
RAW said:
I did all this myself and never got my MPPT 100/30 and Raspberry Pi 3 to link up with the homemade cable scenario. Pretty sure I tried all the pin-out options at the time and concluded it was likely down to whatever extra components Victron use in their own USB cables
View attachment 81547
So just to confirm you have this working on a raspberry pi (if so which one?) using a homemade cable UART to USB connected to an MPPT controller OR connected to a BMV ? TBH I never tried it on the BMV I have so hoemmade USB to UART may work with the BMV's but not the MPPT controllers ? Thanks @alwaysared , would also be interested in your arduino set-up if you have details of that anywhere.
Click to expand...
He has the Pi Model B+ (is in the post ;) ). That is the model I have favoured as it always seems to work :)
He also has his home-made cables working on both BMV and MPPT, which is encouraging.

I am curious about what is contained in that lump on the Victron cable as well. But it could be as simple as an encapsulated choke? Putting a meter end to end might reveal more?
 
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