Thanks @Cef for this application.  Saved me countless hours of development.  I've incorporated it into my reporting system and must say it works great.    Looking forward in adding additional reports to your valuable data.

On 2021/08/30 at 3:31 AM, curto said:

Thanks for the response. It looks like we had a bit of a breakthrough over the weekend and have now seen that for reading purposes the SBP series are treated the same as ES/EM series.

So no Modbus but just the AA55 protocol over UDP

I am now succesfully reading the data from the inverters with python and just converting that into Node Red now.

My next step is to start writing to the inverters and this is where everyone seems to have stopped - have you got any info on the AA55 command features for writing and controlling the inverters ? I am particularly interested in being able to force discharge and charge at prescribed rates (rather than using ECO and the time block in the PV Master app).

Do you have any insights there into writing/controlling ?

I am just about to connect one of my inverters up with RS485/Modbus and see what they support through there.

 

Craig

Hi @curto . Sorry for the delay, I've been very busy with my work.
I do not know your inverter, but in the ES Series it is not possible to use RS485 and WIFI - LAN simultaneously and therefore UDP.
The MODBUS protocol by RS485 interface is ideal for all of this. I use it with Eastron Power Meters and it obviously has nothing to do with UDP.
If I were not going to lose the data of the SEMS PORTAL, in addition to the remote firmware updates and eventual online assistance, I would have done all my development over MODBUS, which has infinitely fewer errors, it is extremely robust, the polling rates in milliseconds can be much lower than those obtained by UDP and with some information that, as you know, you can find on the web, you can know the read and write registers without the tortuous UDP.
An extra difficulty that I see to use RS485 is that GOODWE can change the registers, if they wanted, in some firmware revision and then in the case of writing what your goal would be, it is very dangerous if you do. Without up-to-date information from Goodwe, the memory / registry spaces may change and there is the possibility that you could render your own inverter unusable.
Actually, for someone who is not interested in sharing their knowledge and programs, the ideal is to sign with Goodwe the famous confidentiality agreements in .PDF and they will give you all the information you need.
With reference to the UDP write commands, although I have not dabbled in them yet because I have a lot of previous functionalities in mind for my current development, I can tell you that I have a pretty good idea of how something can be discovered. using UDP, by reverse engineering. That is, to be able to imitate the behavior of the "PV Master" with its own development in Pithon or in any programming language. In order not to distort this thread, if you wish we can communicate in private.
Regards.-

Edited September 7, 20214 yr by Cef

is possible to choose the ip in my case i have two es 5048 installed ?

21 hours ago, batmax said:

is possible to choose the ip in my case i have two es 5048 installed ?

Hi there. Good question. I have not contemplated it yet. The software connects to the first inverter that responds to the broadcast sent by the program. I'm going to do some research and try to make the software automatically recognize all the inverters present on the LAN and allow you to choose which one to connect to, always defining one by default in the configuration file in case of an unexpected restart of the Windows operating system, the idea it would be to resume with a previously chosen inverter as principal, after a specified time.

@Cef If you do a UDP broadcast on port 48899 this will then find all the inverters that respond. (Which i think is a stupid method by GoodWe - why wouldnt we just give the Inverters Static IP addresses and then define them in the app ?

 

Craig

@curto

Well. It sure is the simplest solution.
But you should know that most people do not know how to configure a static IP on a router.
Those of us who use Windows instead of Blackberry PHI with its Python routines and other third-party tools make up 2 large groups. Those who have basic computer skills and are only interested in Plug and Play software or those who know a little more but are not satisfied with the limited number of read and write events at one second polling rates than a SD card Memory can support  placed in a PHI, if you are not interested in consuming a few Watts more than a PC used in industrial environments, cooled by natural convection, they have a very low consumption. Not to mention the processing power of a PC and therefore the possibilities of what it can do with the data are not dreamed of by a PHi.
Clarifications apart from the Broadcast that is sent through the port that you indicate with the string 255.255.255.255 in search of an Inverter is how the PVMaster and the EZmanager work.
I have not had time to review the Response Chain yet, I do not really know if the different investers are chained, separating their IPs and MACs by commas, one next to the other, since I only have one to test ...
If not, I don't know how the PVmaster will find more than one inverter on the grid.
The other thing that occurs to me is to start from the IP of the First discovered, is to launch the device info command: AA55C07F0102000241 at IP of the firt inverter + 1 up to the number 255 and see if there are valid responses. The latter would take a little longer but would automatically discover all inverters in the LAN.
If something else occurs to investers to discover, I automatically follow it with great interest.

CEF,

OK from what i can see PV Master sends out a single 48899 query on UDP Broadcast and then waits for a maximum of 10 seconds for inverters to respond.

 

If during that time your inverter did not see the broadcast and has not responded then it is not listed in the set of Available inverters. In my case i have 3 of them - in many cases using the App i will only get two of them listed and then if i want to work on the other one i have to exit the app and start again.

You missed my point re static addresses - why not the first time they find an inverter as would you like to remember this - from then on it is there rather than having to do this stupid stuff.

Craig

 

@curto,

😆😆😃, I get your point .
But you insist on a design philosophy that Python programmers and yours fans can see very well, but I am from another era and my philosophy is different.
If I am going to make a program just for me, obviously I would do it in the simplest way that is the solution you propose and what I did in the first version: static address and immediate connection, expanding that simple concept in addition to knowing all the IP addresses to decide which one to connect with.
But my intention is to share what I do with anyone who thinks they like and serve them like me, even if they don't have much notion of what a static or dynamic IP is delivered by a DHCP from a router, simply because an installer didn't just install your entire solar system and left your equipment set up on your LAN and you haven't taken any computer science courses, you don't understand or care.
I do not live from programming, it is my hobby and in that line I look for 4 objectives:
1.) That the system provide me information in real time with the lowest refresh rate (polling rate) that Goodwe's hardware inverter technology allows, in this case, so that the energy sum equations have the highest possible precision and having the data available to be able to use the full power of a PC to add many more functionalities.
2.) Use a platform that allows me to save my data locally, not depend on the web cloud and is reasonably protected against read / write failures.
3.) That it is as visually attractive as possible within my own limitations of graphic design concepts, having a Micro PC and a Monitor next to the Inverter and that my whole family understand what is happening and show it to my friends and people who want to get into Solar Energy, without being so aware of the additional consumption of  10 Wh more, since for an industrial micro PC it is not much greater than a Blackberry PHI 4.
4.) That it is intuitive, easy to use and therefore does not require more than a minimum of knowledge to install the program as anyone does and that it works for anyone, such as PVMaster / EzManager.
His intervention was useful when he told me that he has 3 (three) inverters connected to his LAN and that the PVMaster makes a kind of internal list for 10 seconds. I did not know that.
To avoid what the PVMaster does wrong, we just need to improve the search algorithm.
When I have time I will continue with this topic to automate the discovery of all Goodwe inverters automatically.
Regards.

Edited September 16, 20214 yr by Cef

3 hours ago, Cef said:

Blackberry PHI 4.

Sorry: Raspberry Pi. 😀

Edited September 16, 20214 yr by Cef

On 2021/09/16 at 5:08 PM, Cef said:

@curto,

😆😆😃, I get your point .
But you insist on a design philosophy that Python programmers and yours fans can see very well, but I am from another era and my philosophy is different.
If I am going to make a program just for me, obviously I would do it in the simplest way that is the solution you propose and what I did in the first version: static address and immediate connection, expanding that simple concept in addition to knowing all the IP addresses to decide which one to connect with.
But my intention is to share what I do with anyone who thinks they like and serve them like me, even if they don't have much notion of what a static or dynamic IP is delivered by a DHCP from a router, simply because an installer didn't just install your entire solar system and left your equipment set up on your LAN and you haven't taken any computer science courses, you don't understand or care.
I do not live from programming, it is my hobby and in that line I look for 4 objectives:
1.) That the system provide me information in real time with the lowest refresh rate (polling rate) that Goodwe's hardware inverter technology allows, in this case, so that the energy sum equations have the highest possible precision and having the data available to be able to use the full power of a PC to add many more functionalities.
2.) Use a platform that allows me to save my data locally, not depend on the web cloud and is reasonably protected against read / write failures.
3.) That it is as visually attractive as possible within my own limitations of graphic design concepts, having a Micro PC and a Monitor next to the Inverter and that my whole family understand what is happening and show it to my friends and people who want to get into Solar Energy, without being so aware of the additional consumption of  10 Wh more, since for an industrial micro PC it is not much greater than a Blackberry PHI 4.
4.) That it is intuitive, easy to use and therefore does not require more than a minimum of knowledge to install the program as anyone does and that it works for anyone, such as PVMaster / EzManager.
His intervention was useful when he told me that he has 3 (three) inverters connected to his LAN and that the PVMaster makes a kind of internal list for 10 seconds. I did not know that.
To avoid what the PVMaster does wrong, we just need to improve the search algorithm.
When I have time I will continue with this topic to automate the discovery of all Goodwe inverters automatically.
Regards.

I've only had the ES running 2 weeks but the impact that this software had on visualizing the power network is tremendous. I agree wholeheartedly with the realtime refresh rate, visually attractive and intuitive easy operation. Will study the data more closely over the next couple of weeks. Well done on a great 'piece of art' Cef

@DanieVanZyl

Welcome to the PowerForum community. I'm glad you like it and work for you!

Regards

Great app @Cef.

I'll add a vote to being able to select between multiple ES inverters. I have two ES inverters and one 5000SBP which the app picks up occasionally and displays (with some errors). Being able to select an inverter / IP address would be a helpful enhancement to select a specific ES inverter (and ignore the SBP).

Also, I'm not able to exit the app. I need to kill it with Task Manager. Did I miss something in the install that prevents the close 'X' from working?

Biggest insight for me was how low the voltage is on short (<10 panel) strings and how long in the early morning and late afternoon the voltage sits below the MPPT minimum of 150V.

Thanks for all that you've done with the app and engaging with the community.

Cheers,
David

Edited September 22, 20214 yr by wattever

Hello, @wattever
I am very busy at the moment. I think October will be a good month to come back a bit calmer and I am going to release some intermediate version between 3 and 4 with correction of small bugs, "Time To Go" of the batteries and I will see if I solve the issue of several inverters. on the LAN.
With reference to exiting the application is very simple. Just click with the mouse on the application icon that you will find as a Service in the Windows system tray. I purposely did it this way to avoid mistakenly closing the application from the "X" of the window. Do not forget that although most do not use it 24 hours / 7 days for now, it is designed to be used in continuous monitoring and the values of Hourly / Daily Energy ... to give reliable data they need the application to be working, otherwise Otherwise, the total values displayed will be lower.
The other reason I decided to run the main application as a Systray Service is that when I add more functionality such as real-time graphics, external event / relay handling, etc. It is possible that the tasks are separated so as not to overload a Processor thread and that the application behaves similarly to the "SOLARPOWER" software that runs on Windows and that everyone with "Axpert Inverters" and the like knows so well. distributed together with them for their configuration and monitoring of the solar station.

Hi everyone.
https://youtu.be/lLozeLOEaW4

I wanted to show you a short video based on the answer to a question from one of the forum members in another thread.
It is not my intention that this thread becomes distorted when entering another topic. It is only to inform you that this program that is already used by several of those who read this thread, was fundamental for me specifically regarding the invention that I show you, to adjust and test in my installation the Circuit that you observe in the video board, with the Power Data in Real Time and the stored data. Daily maximum of Amp, Vmp and Efficiency of the 2 chains that share the PV2 input.
By the way, I take this opportunity to demonstrate that continuous monitoring 24 hours a day, 365 days a year is possible with Windows.
Regards !

 

Is it possible to use it on a PC at work?

How can I connect to my home network? I can't do it with a VPN tunnel.

Do I need a new hex key on a PC at work?

Thank you for your response.

Regards

@Cef, I think I might have found a bug.

I was changing my nominal power PV string values and I made them too low which pushed the efficiency percentage  > 100% :

 

Even after putting in the correct values which should give me an efficiency of around 85%, the value stays on > 100%. Restarting the application does not work. 

On 2021/10/19 at 6:45 PM, oldbear said:

Is it possible to use it on a PC at work?

How can I connect to my home network? I can't do it with a VPN tunnel.

Do I need a new hex key on a PC at work?

Thank you for your response.

Regards

Hi !

Hello. Sorry for the delay in answering. It's a very good question. I use the Remote Chrome Desktop.
It is very simple and since I discovered it for my extraordinary, since:
1) No need to subscribe to dynamic DDNS pages.
2) You do not need to configure your network router.
You only need to have a Google Mail account, the Google Chrome Browser and install a plug-in on the server machine and a numeric password that will be requested by Remote Desktop only once, each time you incorporate a new Client device.
It's great, you have a desktop like with VNC, but you can also access it from your Android cell phone.
Regards !

Edited October 21, 20214 yr by Cef

On 2021/10/20 at 6:25 AM, Beylie said:

@Cef, I think I might have found a bug.

1) I was changing my nominal power PV string values and I made them too low which pushed the efficiency percentage  > 100% :

2) Even after putting in the correct values which should give me an efficiency of around 85%, the value stays on > 100%. Restarting the application does not work. 

 

1) It's a simple rule of three. This is how it should work

2) I just tried it and you are right! It is a Bug. I will correct it. Thanks !

Edited October 21, 20214 yr by Cef

@Beylie

Hi Again.

I think it is a "half Bug". I don't remember if in the last version I uploaded it was contemplated to do a manual RESET of the Efficiency.
You just have to double click on the text area that shows the Efficiency value in PV1 and PV2 as shown in the image. This, in addition, should generate an Audit Event.
The reason why this value remained and was maintained after changing the Nominal Power and Exiting the System, is because it is reset day by day. The idea is that this displayed value is the MAXIMUM daily Efficiency of the chain.
What I have to do is set the efficiency to "0" when in the Tab: Settings, you modify the Nominal Value.
You can try it and you will see that the Reset or Reset to "0" can be done manually.
At the end of the day, this value is automatically reset to "0".

 

 

Edited October 21, 20214 yr by Cef

Awesome software Cef.

Been using it since earlier versions and now moving it to my new 24/7 low power PC for monitoring.
Looking forward to the next version too

6 hours ago, viper_za said:

Awesome software Cef.

Been using it since earlier versions and now moving it to my new 24/7 low power PC for monitoring.
Looking forward to the next version too

I am glad that the software serves you and you like it. The next version is yet to come, 3.5 with minor bug fixes and battery monitoring adding: Predictive "Time to Go" for lithium and lead-acid batteries.

Cef, since upgrading to Windows 11, I've been getting a error message every 30 or so minutes.

When I click OK, the inverter values it was capturing in the background while the message was being displayed rapidly cycles until it catches up with the current time.

I have reinstalled into a new folder but the behavior is the same.

Any ideas?

 

Edited November 17, 20214 yr by Beylie

Hi @Beylie. Thanks for the suggestion and for taking the time to make a video.
It is something minor that happens in the animation of alternation of the icons in the system tray.
I have not installed Windows 11 yet, as I hope that several errors mentioned on specialized websites will be corrected.
In the worst case that is not corrected briefly, this error would disappear leaving a single icon in the System tray, which does not represent any inconvenience for the operation of the software. I will upload a new version this weekend, but I will wait a little longer to correct this until a new revision of Windows 11.
Regards.

Hi !

Version 3.40 was loaded and is in the download area.
Read the .txt file added to the .zip for more accurate data.
From this version I will only give the License to those members who have at least 3 comments published in the Power Forum.

Regards !

Cef

Edited November 22, 20214 yr by Cef

On 2021/08/10 at 11:56 PM, Cef said:

Hi @batmax
There is no OEM version nor does it have any type of limitations, the software reads the information that the Current Inverter has registered and it is the same that you can observe with the PV Master or EzManage.
If you think there is an error, we can find out what it is.
It is a LikeWare type software, only that as of Version 3.0 I give a life time registration key.

Hi Cef, as I sayed, I try to do my best, which is obviously not close to perfect. But however, now I undestand the system of sending  better as before.

Anyhow, after looking into 3.10 Version I am getting a real fan of your work. Great piece of software you are giving away.

By the way. I am using a seplos BMS and this is sending battery informations to the Inverter. The BMS has an integrated coulomb meter and seams to give a realistic information about charging, discharging, DOD or DOC ... I include a screenshot...

Have a nice evening

Niels