Inspired by Wildebus

Doing a different test with my new battery which means the connections are different, but still getting dropouts ....
The BMV is connected with a DIY Cable to the unpowered hub, and then that hub is now connected to a genuine Victron Venus GX USB port. Been like this since noon today and had two disconnects already.
Rebooting the Venus GX got it recognised again (rebooting the Pi had the same result as well)
So this maybe eliminates the Pi as a causal effect?
What I have added into the mix however is a 5 Metre long USB Extension lead to let me plug in the BMV, and I am dubious about a USB Cable that long TBH?

I really am thinking whatever is in the dongle in the Victron Lead is there for a reason! going to try to find a shorter USB Lead to use instead. I have previously used a Logitech Mouse dongle extension when I used the Pi on a live system (but with the Victron VE.Direct-USB Lead) and they are around 1.5 or 2M long, which would be plenty for me. Might also see if I can find the genuine Dongle VE.D-USB lead as well to use with the long extension.
 
I've never got on well with long USB cables unless they are active, powered types.
 
st3v3 said:
I've never got on well with long USB cables unless they are active, powered types.
Click to expand...
5 Metres seems very long to me. I decided to get a lead that long as Victron do make a VE.Direct lead 10 Metres long so I thought maybe ..... :)
The USB hub I was using is unpowered, but it has lights on, so it is powered by the port itself (which actually makes it worse probably!).

Just went to the kit and found I could get away with using one of the original DIY cables I made which will reach the Venus GX without an extension or Hub. Lets see what happens ...
(I think right now if I were installing a Pi setup for someone, I'd buy the genuine cables just to avoid the doubt, but the DIY jobbies are great for testing)
 
Shame your still having trouble, mine is still going strong with no dropouts since day 3. What amp PSU are you using for the Pi? Have you thought of powering the hub?

Regards,
Del
 
alwaysared said:
Shame your still having trouble, mine is still going strong with no dropouts since day 3. What amp PSU are you using for the Pi? Have you thought of powering the hub?

Regards,
Del
Click to expand...
This is using the Victron GX now when I had the long lead.
With the Pi I using either the Official Raspberry Pi Mains Lead or a 3A/5V 12V converter (the typical USB Socket in a van won't provide enough current I have found).
This Pi worked fine for many many months (probably over a year) running 24/7 without a break.
 
I was hoping to turn into a semi Luddite when I retired but can feel the pull of extra monitoring. Being lazy does help me resist for now though :)
 
Nabsim said:
I was hoping to turn into a semi Luddite when I retired but can feel the pull of extra monitoring. Being lazy does help me resist for now though :)
Click to expand...
you know you want to .....


1591699723258.png

How is simple .....

Look into my eyes. not around the eyes, into the eyes .....

 
You know, I downloaded a couple of new languages just before I retired, was interested in the Apple one they are pushing with kids and another I can’t remember. This retirement is a bugger though, no time for anything lol
 
Back to topic - mostly ... I am really not having luck with the DIY cables on the Pi :( Devices randomly disappearing with no rhyme or reason. Tried different DIY Cables and still getting random AWOLs. Tried with and without a USB Hub and I made the cables deliberately short to suit the setup.
If I do a reboot via the Remote Console I will get the devices back (sometimes takes two reboots to get both back) so the physical connections are ok and seems to be purely some kind of logical/software issue?
I am going to try adding a ferrite choke to the cable to see if that makes a difference but if that doesn't sort it, at a loss to know what to try next? I think the genuine item will be required :( (at least they are not that bad a price!)

And I can't find the one that I do have already (I think!) annoyingly.
 
wildebus said:
Back to topic - mostly ... I am really not having luck with the DIY cables on the Pi :( Devices randomly disappearing with no rhyme or reason. Tried different DIY Cables and still getting random AWOLs. Tried with and without a USB Hub and I made the cables deliberately short to suit the setup.
If I do a reboot via the Remote Console I will get the devices back (sometimes takes two reboots to get both back) so the physical connections are ok and seems to be purely some kind of logical/software issue?
I am going to try adding a ferrite choke to the cable to see if that makes a difference but if that doesn't sort it, at a loss to know what to try next? I think the genuine item will be required :( (at least they are not that bad a price!)

And I can't find the one that I do have already (I think!) annoyingly.
Click to expand...

The Victron leads are galvanically isolated (if I remember correctly), I used an opto isolator in my DIY lead. Does the Victron VE.Direct signal have a 5 volt level or is it less?

I can't check my MPPT outputs as it's at the back of a packed cupboard.
 
xsilvergs said:
The Victron leads are galvanically isolated (if I remember correctly), I used an opto isolator in my DIY lead. Does the Victron VE.Direct signal have a 5 volt level or is it less?

I can't check my MPPT outputs as it's at the back of a packed cupboard.
Click to expand...
Interesting. There should be no need for isolation but might be a factor? I have a 4-way opto-isolator kicking around (I use one on my Venus GX to change the digital signals from 12V to 3.3V on the Heater Fuel Pump). That should work with 2 USB cables then (2 pairs of Rx & Tx)? But I think it will be the wrong voltage, thinking about it (12V & 3.3V)

The VE.Direct connections are 3.3V. USB will be 5V so need a 3.3V + 5V isolator if using one of those? definately simpler to buy the Victron Cable!
 
wildebus said:
Interesting. There should be no need for isolation but might be a factor? I have a 4-way opto-isolator kicking around (I use one on my Venus GX to change the digital signals from 12V to 3.3V on the Heater Fuel Pump). That should work with 2 USB cables then (2 pairs of Rx & Tx)? But I think it will be the wrong voltage, thinking about it (12V & 3.3V)

The VE.Direct connections are 3.3V. USB will be 5V so need a 3.3V + 5V isolator if using one of those? definately simpler to buy the Victron Cable!
Click to expand...

I bought 2 Victron cables, it made a neat and reliable lead. The only slight difficulty was the lead length between the dongle part and the male USB that plugs into the Pi is quite short so ended up with a couple of right angled USB extension leads too.
 
Added a pair of Ferrite chokes to each cable (one towards each end). Didn't make any difference to what I can see (solar controller AWOL for a hour as I type this).
Shame, but giving up with using DIY cables I think :(
 
wildebus said:
Added a pair of Ferrite chokes to each cable (one towards each end). Didn't make any difference to what I can see (solar controller AWOL for a hour as I type this).
Shame, but giving up with using DIY cables I think :(
Click to expand...
That's a shame, are you using a VenusGX? If so maybe it looks for a signal from the USB lead to identify it has being a real Victron one, a bit like Dell laptops will tell you if you've plugged a non genuine battery or PSU in? Mine are still going strong even after replacing the 100/30 with a 100/50 MPPT controller.

VRM_Screenshot_ 2.jpg
VRM_Screenshot_ 1.jpg


If you think about it the MPPT etc are using a serial type connector and all you are doing is converting it to USB, this is a common thing and you can buy USB to serial converters but they usually go to a 9 pin serial connector. The voltage can't be the problem as 3.3v is the common voltage for data over a serial connection and the Victron will decide the voltage it uses when sending data to the Pi which in turn is clever enough to send it back at the same voltage. If you really wanted to you could eliminate the USB by connecting directly to the onboard serial pins in the Pi but of course you can only connect one device and we want to connect more devices. Like I said in an earlier post I've made these for programming security alarms and telephone systems who are both notorious for ripping you off, one phone system programming lead is nearly £200.00 and I was using my homemade one years and my son is still using it now :)

Regards,
Del
 
Cheers :)
It is a RPi that I am having the problem with. But the very same Pi was fine for a year with Victron leads.
It usually sees the missing one after a reboot but will often assign a new device ID (this I understand is a general 'feature' of the Victron OS though. I thought originally it was some thing to do with a lead ID when I first setup the Pi with the real leads a few years ago and plugged the BMV and the MPPT into the two leads without taking note of which was which but I don't believe that is the case in fact.
I wonder if anyone has taken apart a Victron lead to see what is in the dongle.
I am considering getting a Beaglebone rather than a RPi anyway and having a little go with that (as that is the core of the Venus hardware).
 
I have left my battery box (with battery, BMV, MPPT and Pi in it) alone since the 20th June...
Since then I have had Zero dropouts from the BMV communications to the Pi, but the MPPT comms are unreliable. The longest that has talked to the Pi is 9 hours without going AWOL. doing a Reset of the Pi via Remote Console once or twice will allow the MPPT to be seen again, but it will go away again a bit later

So one good, one bad.
Need to decide what to try next ....
Is it the cable? (swap VE.Direct plugs over - same device fails = cable)
Is it the Pi USB Ports? (swap USB plus over - same device fails = USB)
Could it actually be a fault with the MPPT if either of above happens? Or is the MPPT comms just more 'sensitive'?

Think I will move the two USBs over to the other unused USBs and see what happens ...
 
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