Victron Venus OS and a Rasberry (1 Viewer)

[Vansflyer]

You must not connect the 5v on any of your DIY cables or your very likely kill your devices.
You can only use the 5v on an Isolated USB to TTL UART FTDI like this.

Isolated 4 port USB to TTL UART FTDI – DuPPa

www.duppa.net

Thank you for the info, this is a steep learning curve for me.

 

[Vansflyer]

Just a quick update.
The Ruuvi temp tags arrived today so I set about adding them into the system. All was good but as I suspected may happen the software forcing the Pi to search for the BT Fogstar connection kept rebooting and I then lost the three temp sensors. Turning BT off and on reset it but it timed out within 5 mins repeatedly and then it lost the Ruuvi connections.
Done a fresh download of Venus onto the Pi without the Fogstar "hack" and all the sensors now work fine. Obviously lost the Fogstar info but I can live without that on the Pi and log in on the App for the info.
Oh well..never mind eh ;-)

 

[Driventemple]

Just a quick update.
The Ruuvi temp tags arrived today so I set about adding them into the system. All was good but as I suspected may happen the software forcing the Pi to search for the BT Fogstar connection kept rebooting and I then lost the three temp sensors. Turning BT off and on reset it but it timed out within 5 mins repeatedly and then it lost the Ruuvi connections.
Done a fresh download of Venus onto the Pi without the Fogstar "hack" and all the sensors now work fine. Obviously lost the Fogstar info but I can live without that on the Pi and log in on the App for the info.
Oh well..never mind eh ;-)

Where did you source the Ruuvi tag?

 

[Vansflyer]

Where did you source the Ruuvi tag?

Amazon sadly.
I needed at least three and they were the cheapest by about 6 quid each. I despise buying off Amazon but sometimes needs must.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09FMYRYBR/?tag=mhf04-21

 

[Driventemple]

Amazon sadly.
I needed at least three and they were the cheapest by about 6 quid each. I despise buying off Amazon but sometimes needs must.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09FMYRYBR/?tag=mhf04-21

Yes, Amazon is the cheapest source I have found. Luckily I only need one - for the Fridge!

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[OldAgeTravellers]

Providing you flashed the sd card with the relevant venus image for PI2, ot will work fine.
DIY cables work very well, I have 3 in my van since 2010-20. No faults.
Accessing the venus on LAN all you need to type in the browser is "venus.local" and you get full display and functionality. I use a Ipad and phone with success.

Thanks for this, sorry not to reply before, I have been rather busy.
Venus.OS is working fine on the RasPI 2b so far but I don't have any kit connected yet and it may slow down as data starts to flow. I have ordered a 4 port UART And cables as a USB-C cable will be much easier to run from my Tech Cupboard down to the battery box where the B2B, BMV Shunt and Inverter live.
Do I need to run a cable to my BMV display and plug it in instead of the Bluetooth adaptor or can the Pi GX connect to it with Bluetooth?
Connecting to Venus.Local with my phone gives a full screen display, but, connecting with a tablet or laptop the display is only small. Can this be enlarged to use as a permanent display?
Thanks again for the help.

 

[Raul]

You will need to run a cable from the BMV display, to the RPI. It will maintain functionality on display, but the PI needs the data from the bmv via cable. The Bluetooth is only to connect with a mobile/ tablet to the PI.
Venus screen is default size, won’t go larger unless is re coded by competent IT gurus.

 

[Two on Tour]

You could try altering the screen res by SSH into the config.txt file and playing with the framebuffer size. I altered mine to better suit the RasPi 7" screen.

cd /u-boot/overlays/

nano /u-boot/config.txt

framebuffer_width=800
framebuffer_height=480

Ctrl O enter to save
Hit enter
Ctrl X enter to exit

reboot enter

 

[Raul]

You could try altering the screen res by SSH into the config.txt file and playing with the framebuffer size. I altered mine to better suit the RasPi 7" screen.

cd /u-boot/overlays/

nano /u-boot/config.txt

framebuffer_width=800
framebuffer_height=480

Ctrl O enter to save
Hit enter
Ctrl X enter to exit

reboot enter

Whats the default resolution Paul? The venus is displayed in 5" cerbo screen and ecrano GX that is larger.

 

[Two on Tour]

Whats the default resolution Paul? The venus is displayed in 5" cerbo screen and ecrano GX that is larger.

Was from memory 480 high x 272 wide, but with screen scaling to full screen on your gear.

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[Raul]

In that case, I think I changed mine as well to 800x480, as it fills completely the 7" PI screen.

 

[landranger]

Thanks for this, sorry not to reply before, I have been rather busy.
Venus.OS is working fine on the RasPI 2b so far but I don't have any kit connected yet and it may slow down as data starts to flow. I have ordered a 4 port UART And cables as a USB-C cable will be much easier to run from my Tech Cupboard down to the battery box where the B2B, BMV Shunt and Inverter live.
Do I need to run a cable to my BMV display and plug it in instead of the Bluetooth adaptor or can the Pi GX connect to it with Bluetooth?
Connecting to Venus.Local with my phone gives a full screen display, but, connecting with a tablet or laptop the display is only small. Can this be enlarged to use as a permanent display?
Thanks again for the help.

The more I follow this thread, the more I find my self thinking ooh that looks good, or, in this case scratching my head thinking why?

So, OldAgeTravellers what is the advantage of this and why would one wish to use it? Also, can you provide a link please.

I have a similar question to yours regarding the distance between my BMV display and the Pi, pleased to see Raul has replied, but, does one use a USB extension lead like this https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/usb-...VZ4pQBh1ByAOyEAQYASABEgLKQ_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds or extend the wires coming out of the https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/25357439...pid=5339023013&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1 convertor cable?

And don't get me started on these RUUVI things, a quick dabble on the interweb just sent my mind racing but then I'd have to buy a USB hub as I've run out of ports and do I need a powered hub or not and, and, and........?

Fascinating guys, keep it up, I'm learning as we go here, good to keep the old grey matter working.....

Thanks

 

[Driventemple]

Bit the bullit and purchased a Ruuvi. Arrived yesterday afternoon. Just in time to monitor the Fridge as we are going on short trip to check out before MOT.

 

[Two on Tour]

The more I follow this thread, the more I find my self thinking ooh that looks good, or, in this case scratching my head thinking why?

So, OldAgeTravellers what is the advantage of this and why would one wish to use it? Also, can you provide a link please.

I have a similar question to yours regarding the distance between my BMV display and the Pi, pleased to see Raul has replied, but, does one use a USB extension lead like this https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/usb-...VZ4pQBh1ByAOyEAQYASABEgLKQ_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds or extend the wires coming out of the https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/25357439...pid=5339023013&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1 convertor cable?

And don't get me started on these RUUVI things, a quick dabble on the interweb just sent my mind racing but then I'd have to buy a USB hub as I've run out of ports and do I need a powered hub or not and, and, and........?

Fascinating guys, keep it up, I'm learning as we go here, good to keep the old grey matter working.....

Thanks

I'm running 3 to 4 metres on some of my homemade Ve.Direct cables from my Pi to Orion XS B2B and MPPT, and you can normally run Ve.Dircet cables to 10 metres or more.
To free up USB ports, I'm using a couple of the isolated USB to TTL UART FTDI boards to give me four Ve.Direct cables in and one USB out on each board.

https://www.duppa.net/shop/isolated-4-port-usb-to-ttl-uart-ftdi/?v=79cba1185463

Unless you need remote temperature monitoring, then use wired DS18B20 temperature sensor. I have five DS18B20 hooked up to my Pi via the Pi's I/O pins.

1/2/3/5/10/15M DS18B20 Waterproof Temperature Temp Sensor Thermal Probe UK Sell | eBay

1/2/3/5/10/15M DS18B20 Waterproof Temperature. DS18B20 Cable. 1/2/3/5/10/15M x DS18B20Waterproof Digital Thermal Probe or Sensor. Lead length: 1M/2M/3M/5M/10M/15M. Resolution: 9~12 bit programmable. You will receive 1 piece cable if you need more add quantity.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Two on Tour]

Bit the bullit and purchased a Ruuvi. Arrived yesterday afternoon. Just in time to monitor the Fridge as we are going on short trip to check out before MOT.



View attachment 892108

I'm using Sonoff Zigbee temperature/humidity sensors in our fridge and freezer as you can add them to Alexa to tell you the fridge and freezer temperatures when you ask her from the comfort of my sofa on our van.

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[Two on Tour]

I'd have to buy a USB hub as I've run out of ports and do I need a powered hub or not and, and, and........?

I tried running a powered USB hub (tried a couple of different ones) to get over running out of USB ports on my Pi, but I found that the devices would keep dropping off the device list and reconnecting, which is why I change over to the isolated USB to TTL UART FTDI boards which are rock solid stable.

 

[Vansflyer]

I'm running 3 to 4 metres on some of my homemade Ve.Direct cables from my Pi to Orion XS B2B and MPPT, and you can normally run Ve.Dircet cables to 10 metres or more.
To free up USB ports, I'm using a couple of the isolated USB to TTL UART FTDI boards to give me four Ve.Direct cables in and one USB out on each board.

https://www.duppa.net/shop/isolated-4-port-usb-to-ttl-uart-ftdi/?v=79cba1185463

Unless you need remote temperature monitoring, then use wired DS18B20 temperature sensor. I have five DS18B20 hooked up to my Pi via the Pi's I/O pins.

1/2/3/5/10/15M DS18B20 Waterproof Temperature Temp Sensor Thermal Probe UK Sell | eBay

1/2/3/5/10/15M DS18B20 Waterproof Temperature. DS18B20 Cable. 1/2/3/5/10/15M x DS18B20Waterproof Digital Thermal Probe or Sensor. Lead length: 1M/2M/3M/5M/10M/15M. Resolution: 9~12 bit programmable. You will receive 1 piece cable if you need more add quantity.

www.ebay.co.uk

View attachment 892113

Thanks for this info, most interesting.
Can these probes got straight to the I/O pins without another board to correct the voltage on them?
Sorry to be dumb but I don't assume anything anymore.
I have used a cheap as chips none powered 4 port USB hub for the MPPT and hunt connections and it is rock solid with no dropouts at all. Strange eh..

 

[landranger]

USB to TTL UART FTDI

Thank you. I'll digest all that when I have a bit more time to sit at the laptop......there may be more questions

 

[Two on Tour]

Can these probes got straight to the I/O pins without another board to correct the voltage on them?
Sorry to be dumb but I don't assume anything anymore.

The DS18B20 probes connect to a small terminal board. This terminal board has a pull-up resistor that's needed. I have used two of the terminal boards and piggybacked three of the probes onto one board and two onto the other board, and then piggybacked the two terminal boards together to connect the Pi's I/O.
The DS18B20 probes are 3 wires (3.3v pos, neg and a single wire data line) and each probe has its own unique register code which the Venus OS reads to identify the individual probes.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15488682...pid=5339023013&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1

I have used a cheap as chips none powered 4 port USB hub for the MPPT and hunt connections and it is rock solid with no dropouts at all. Strange eh..

I was trying to connect seven devices to a seven port USB hub which may have been the problem.
Another way to increase the number of USB ports on a Pi is by using a Mega4 USB hub, but they are pricey.

 

[Vansflyer]

The DS18B20 probes connect to a small terminal board. This terminal board has a pull-up resistor that's needed. I have used two of the terminal boards and piggybacked three of the probes onto one board and two onto the other board, and then piggybacked the two terminal boards together to connect the Pi's I/O.
The DS18B20 probes are 3 wires (3.3v pos, neg and a single wire data line) and each probe has its own unique register code which the Venus OS reads to identify the individual probes.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15488682...pid=5339023013&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1




I was trying to connect seven devices to a seven port USB hub which may have been the problem.
Another way to increase the number of USB ports on a Pi is by using a Mega4 USB hub, but they are pricey.

Excellent info, many thanks indeed for sharing the details. I will go and have a look at the bits and work out a plan.
Yep 7 USB devices may have been stretching it a bit ;-) The Duppa stuff looks very good and gets great reviews if expansion is needed.

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[Ditcha]

I use one of these usb hubs over the last year and it's been faultless.

Industrial Grade Dual-Host USB Hub (4x USB 2.0)

This industrial-grade powered USB hub can extend your device's single USB port to four USB 2.0 ports and allows you to switch the USB devices between two host computers. This all-metal USB hub is ideal for switching your low-power USB peripherals between a Raspberry Pi and your PC, removing the...

thepihut.com

 

[OldAgeTravellers]

The more I follow this thread, the more I find my self thinking ooh that looks good, or, in this case scratching my head thinking why?

So, OldAgeTravellers what is the advantage of this and why would one wish to use it? Also, can you provide a link please.

I have a similar question to yours regarding the distance between my BMV display and the Pi, pleased to see Raul has replied, but, does one use a USB extension lead like this https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/usb-...VZ4pQBh1ByAOyEAQYASABEgLKQ_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds or extend the wires coming out of the https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/25357439...pid=5339023013&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1 convertor cable?

And don't get me started on these RUUVI things, a quick dabble on the interweb just sent my mind racing but then I'd have to buy a USB hub as I've run out of ports and do I need a powered hub or not and, and, and........?

Fascinating guys, keep it up, I'm learning as we go here, good to keep the old grey matter working.....

Thanks

Hi landranger, others more knowledgeable have already answered, but for me at the moment, I don’t know, yet. I have just spent a lot of money and time on upgrading my MoHo to a Lithium system and I had a couple of spare RasPi’s so I thought I would see what the Venus OS was like. Especially as my onboard panel will now be of little use for monitoring the electrical system. I already use HomeAssistant at home extensively for automating lighting,heating, de-humidifiers and solar panels and home battery so I thought it may be like that. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be as sophisticated but I haven’t yet got my isolated hub to start monitoring the Victron kit yet. And perhaps if I get into Node Red there may be more promise there. Or perhaps I can monitor the RasPi Cerbo-GX with Home assistant running on another RasPi! It’s all learning and is keeping the old grey cells going. Luckily there are some very generous experts happy to share their knowledge, both here and elsewhere on the web.
The most important thing like with HomeAssistant is to keep the WAF high, (wife acceptance factor).
Maybe it is all a complete waste of time and I will end up just using the Victron Connect app and the FogStar Bluetooth app to monitor things. But it will be an interesting and educating journey.