Gambit

setting the timezone appears to have worked 👍

I found I can add the time zone to the time component, giving that a try. time: - platform: homeassistant id: homeassistant_time timezone: Africa/Johannesburg

@slipx I'm using your ESPHome yaml for my Sunsynk 8Kw inverter. Thanks for these updates for syncing the time, it is much appreciated. This time sync appears to be working great with the exception that my inverter time is now exactly 2 hours behind local time. I guess it is syncing GMT instead of CAT, my HA server has the correct time zone set and the ESPHome logs on the ESP32 are show the correct time, not sure why GMT is being synced. Any ideas on how to get local time on the inverter?

Thanks. I'll have a look at Solar Assistant

Check this thread

Been looking for documentation on the Sunsynk battery modbus implementation but so far have only found the document for the inverters. Was hoping to use the rs-485 port but might make more sense to use the CAN bus instead as the batteries are already communicating via CAN with themselves and the inverter. Was thinking of connecting a USB CAN analyser to my laptop to record the communication between the inverter and the batteries. Might get some useful information to figure it out.

Hi I currently have an 8Kw Sunsynk inverter connected to 2 x 5.12kw Sunsynk batteries which are about 1 and half years old. I would like to purchase an extra battery and see they now have 5.32Kw capacity batteries. Other than the small capacity difference, they have similar specs. Is it possible to add a 5.32Kw to a bank of 2 x 5.12Kw and have it all play nicely together? I think I read somewhere that the older batteries will likely need a firmware update for the BMSs to communicate with the newer batteries. I am a very technical person, is that something they allow end users to do or do I have to take them somewhere?

I would be interested in doing the same for the Sunsynk batteries if anyone has any info.

Has anyone tried to read BMS values from the Sunsynk 5.32 batteries rs-485 port? Wondering what info you can get that would be useful. I guess the number of cycles would be nice

@iiznh While waiting for your stock to arrive, you consider upgrading smarthomeintegrations.co.za site to try upselling your own firmware and HA dashboards. I honestly went to your site to buy the non-firmware shield. Still, I might have been persuaded to buy the full product if there were some cool marketing visuals and bullet points about why your solution is superior/ easier and worth the extra bucks. I didn't see any reason to buy the full version anywhere

Thanks for the link for the compatible esp32 dev board, this is good to know. The ones I have are these and they were too narrow for the shield. Luckily smart home integrations sent a compatible esp32 with the shield I ordered.

Based on @Sc00bs recommendations I bought one of these esp32 rs485 shield combos from Smart Home Integrations and got the 3d printed case as well. It was a super simple and very neat installation on my Sunsynk 8Kw inverter, works incredibly well with ESPHome firmware and Home Assistant. The Sunsynk app has been down so often lately, this has turned out to be a great investment. I was thinking of buying some more to play with as the price is not bad as it combines the power supply, esp32 and rs485 transceiver requirements in 1 package for R400. The only issue is it appears that Smart Home Integrations has stopped shipping these firmware-free units locally for now. You might need to order from overseas https://www.electrodragon.com/product/esp32-can-rs-485-wire-interface-shield/. Will need the correct esp32 dev board that fits in the socket as @Sc00bs mentioned. The esp32 dev boards I got from https://www.robotics.org.za/ didn't fit.

Has anyone tried to collect sensor metrics directly from the battery BMS eg Synsynk BYD RS232 port? I am not sure if this rabbit hole is worth the effort, what useful data can you collect other than individual battery cycles, cell voltages and temperatures?

My guess would either be that the element has blown or a relay in the control box is no longer working

Still early in my HA journey, was going to look at automating the Sunsynk mode settings next, based on load shedding level. Checking your channel now, I see you have already covered this in one of your videos, going to check that out and give it a go next. Ideally like to vary battery SOC and grid charging based on weather/solar forecast and load shedding level. I have installed the solcast and load-shedding plugins. After that, I want to try to dump excess solar into my Geyser. Still thinking of other use cases for these tools.

I managed to successfully set up ESPhome and HA Dashboards using @slipx configs and dashboards following @Sc00bs video tutorials. Thank you gents, it looks like a lot of effort went into this, thank you for sharing your hard work with the community. I hit one snag which took a while to figure out so I thought I would post it here incase anyone had the same issue. Maybe this has been documented and in my haste I missed it. I set everything up but was not getting any sensor readings on my ESPHome provisioned ESP32. I was getting "[W][modbus_controller:136]: Duplicate modbus command found: type=0x3 address=150 count=1" errors. The ESPHome yaml configuration I was using had the modbus_controller address as "0x01". It turns out that my SunSynk 8kW Inverter had the "Modbus SN" setting in Advance menu set to "00" When I changed it to 01, the ESPHome started reading the correct sensor readings. Changing this setting requires switching the inverter off and back on again to clear a Grid Mode Change alarm that is generated. What is interesting is you can't even change the Modbus SN back to 00 so not sure why it was set to that value in the first place.

Yeah, friction will keep them together when the holder is pushed into the ceiling board, however, I have been told by some electricians that you are supposed to also put a screw from the gu10 holder and downlight holder. I have seen some gu10 holders have a hole for a screw. I didn't bother though when replaced my mr16's. It is really important that any metal fixture that is used in conjunction with a 230V supply is earthed. Your house would fail COC if they are not. MR16's are exempt from earthing as they are low voltage after the transformer. If you are getting an electrician to install these then they should know how to install these to SANS code.

It is supposed to be used in conjunction with a downlight holder, those metal prongs fit into one of the holders springs to earth the metal holder as well. You are also able to put an MR16 in one of these downlight holders so that would use a transformer and a different connector hence they are sold separately.

Thanks for the feedback @Louw. Do you know how this meter works? Can you use the kW/h units you generate in the month at night or do they pay for every kW/h you generate at the feed-in tariff and you must buy every grid kW/h at the normal tariff rate? I guess it is probably the latter as that makes the most sense for the CoCT. I'm still waiting for my SSEG app to be approved, how do I submit an application for an AMI meter in the mean time?

My combiner box has 2 fuses, but no breaker. The Inverter has a DC disconnect so I guess they are not needed in that case. The curious thing is I only have 1 fuse per MPPT on the positive and nothing on the negative. I wonder why that is the case, if I also need 2 more fuses.

Hi, I have an 8kW Sunsynk inverter. In the specs it says it can handle 500VDC input from the solar panels. My installer fitted 1000VDC SPD's. Should I replace them with 500V or maybe even 450V SPD's to be on the safe side?

I'm wanting to go this route, how much was the quote for the new meter?

Hi, Can anyone recommend an installer in the Cape Town Northern suburbs who can fix an existing installation to get it up to code for a COC to be issued? Had a Sunsynk inverter + panels installed in July 2022 and the installer has ghosted me. Also need purchase and install another 5kWh battery.

I'm considering adding another 2 batteries but not sure if they will all charge 100% in winter. What is your total panel array output?

Shows how we all have our eyes glued to our stats that we notice these issues so quickly.