EPSolar Solar Station Monitor software & a cheap USB cable - 12v Solar Shed 

I just followed your guide and made the cable. Huge thanks for your explanation of MODBUS!

Thank you a bunch for your video, I finally got my connection going to the mppt :D Started out with a RS232->RS485 circuit but could not get it to work. A usb to rs485 circuit was the way to go.

Great stuff! Being a techno geek, this is right up my alley, my USB stick is on order. Can't really go wrong for AU$1.60!!!! Thanks for making the vid.

I'll take a look. thanks Adam. great vids by the way.

Thank you! This video just helped me figure out why my rs485 dongle wasn't communicating with my Epever tracer. It turns out the latest EPever Tracers don't come with the RJ45 pin out in the manual like yours did, and the pin-out I previously found online had the ground on the incorrect pin (causing me to ground one of the signals). Thanks for the great content.

This is some thing that would be most useful to me, but it went clean over my head

It's good to see another sceptic of basing things on S.O.C....! :) Voltage is definitely more reliable in my view.

Adam, thank you for all your videos! I didn't really like the station monitor software, i wanted something more dynamic and fast. Using a Raspberry Pi, USB to RS485 Converter, Node Red and MODBUS Nodes, I am now able to view in real time the status of the charger. I have also setup text alerts for certain scenarios, being that its realtime i get the texts with current data. My next step is to write to the registers to turn on and off the load via Node Red. Again thank you so much.

RJ11 telephone connectors have the same thickness, contact spacing and retaining clip width as the RJ45 connectors. I'm using a 2 wire generic telephone cord as my RS485 cable. The 3210A's metering is optimistic at low values, something I discovered in my tabletop testing using a 7AH battery and a 17 volt, 200 ma wall wart as the solar panel. Thanks for the video.

Super video. Thanks for sharing this information.

Thanks for this vid. I had to buy the rs485 modbus usb for my 2210 Tracer-AN version. Worked like a charm. I had to setup user settings for my LifePo4. Those settings are very specific and yeah. i could not just use the default 3 that was part of the Charger. When i bought the 20amp MPPT. I was hoping one could just cycle through the settings via the 2 button interface... but ye. USB to RJ45 via that chip was needed

thanks Adam for showing me how to use this cheap rs485 / usb converter

Awesome Video Series. I just purchased the newly updated 3210AN Charge Controller and I also bought the official CC-USB-RS485-150U cable (USB to RS485 Adapter w/ RJ45). It would not work at all until I opened the Device Manager, Right-Clicked on the COM port, and choose Properties. Under the "Port Settings" Tab, I had to check the "RS485" box and apply. As soon as I did that it worked. Thought it might be helpful to someone else out there! I'm on Win7 if that comes up.

Great practical information, explained clearly

your right. I mixed up parallel with series.

Great video. Very informative. Thank you

Just an FYI, the "official" USB to RS485 cable, (CC-USB-RS485-150U) has one wire attached to pin 4 on the RJ45 end and the other wire attached to pin 8 which is ground. The USB end is molded so I can't take it apart easily. I did use one of the cheap RS485/USB adapters like you mention, wired as you said and it does work.

Glad to find this video. EPEVER have "omitted" the RJ45 pinout in the booklet which comes with the Tracer AN! Also, they clame that the default configuration is suitable for both sealed lead/acid batteries, and LiFePO4 batteries, 12 or 24 volts...

Thanks for the info Adam. My new AN series manual does not have the RJ45 wiring info. I guess they would rather that you buy their cable. Less support problems. Already had a couple of those cheap USB-RS485 adapters. So making my own cable was a no brainer. Did not need to add a ground wire. Thanks again.

Hi Adam, thanx for creating and sharing your review of this product. It has helped me decide on which MPPT controller to purchase for my RV system that I'll be installing from scratch. I choose the 30 Amp unit, with 4 x 100 Watt Panels, and 2 x 79 AH AGM Batteries., and have ordered the USB to RS485 adaptors, however, I noticed something that I wanted to share, and of which I hope you will to be of benefit. When you build your own cable using either CAT 5 (or CAT 6) cables, be aware that you should be using a twisted pair of cables, contrary to your choice of leads. Be sure to check the standard wiring diagram for a Cat 5 or 6 Cable, (Google Everything) which will reveal the designs twisted pair leads. (Typically a solid colour is mated with a striped insulator of the same colour.) According to the book diagram, one should use lead's 4 and 5, or 3 and 6, as they are "each a set" of a twisted pair. This is important to maintain correct impedance, maintain noise reduction, capacitance, etc, especially in longer runs. Additionally, for longer runs, instead of a standard UTP CAT 5 cable, it might be wise to use shielded instead... and one other point, especially for longer runs, CAT 6 cable uses a slightly heavier gauge of wire in the sheath, of 23 Gauge, instead of 24 Gauge. I've yet to hook my gear up, but look forward to sunnier days ahead. Cheers! :)

Very helpful video. It took me quite a while to get my self-made cable to work with the Tracer 2210AN. I used the green and blue wire like you did. The drivers included in Windows 10 didn't seem to work, I had to download the CH341 drivers manually. Finally I was able to adjust the controller parameters to disable equalization charge for my AGM battery. I left the outer insulation of the cable (is it called jacket in english?) a bit longer than the inner wires and taped that to the RS485 adapter to prevent damage to the very thin wires.

Great video! I noticed you changed the boost duration from 120 minutes down to 60. Any particular reason? I have 6 UPS batteries @ 12v (110 amp hours each at the 20hr rate ) for my battery bank... How long should I run the boost cycle for my mppt controller? Is there anyway to mathematically figure this out for your battery bank size? Thank you for your time, great channel!

Thank you for the very informative videos Adam! I did not do a proper search on your channel yet, but my question is, did you get anywhere with the arduino logger?

Hi, I purchased one of these after watching your video and it works very well thanks. In the instructions it mentions battery discharge protection, does this mean that the load function shuts off automatically when the battery level drops to low? Cheers Andy

Hi Adam, First of all, great channel you got here. Learning alot with it. Just purchased a tracer2210an and also have the same USB adapter you have. Now, the problem is where to load the monitoring software. I can't find it in their website. The website is completely diferent. Can you help? Thax

Does the rated current apply to the load terminal as well, or just the PV/battery terminals

I've written and am using a PHP script to extract live data and store in a CSV file on the Rapsberry Pi. Data collection is very do-able.

Hey Adam, just a heads up if you didn't already know, there is a newer version of the Windows EPever Solar Station Monitor software out, V1.5, I noticed there is a new option under Parameters called "Control Parameter(LiBattery)" which lets you set voltages etc up for Lithium batteries, thought you might want to take look if you haven't seen it? :) Keep up the good work on the vids, been following for a long time now and you have great content which has been helpful on more than 1 occasion :)

Hi Adam! An other good video ! One question please , because IAM using mac and probably cant use this software with my epever. Can we limit the current ? Best thanks Phil

Nice video and informative. I have a little question. How can I monitor on raspberry pi. I will be happy to get the answer.

I wonder if the bulk charge voltage can be set to 16.8v/21v/25.2v/29.4v to charge lithium ion packs of 4s, 5s, 6s, and 7s.

Hi, i bought an epever 30A and it can handle 100v, so i can coonnect it with my 1800w panels ?

Friend, I read the other posts and I saw that you are looking for exactly what I'll do. With this software I talked called ScadaBR it makes storage and the graphics of this information and also available on the internet. In my channel have also this being shown.

Great review on this charge controller, am thinking of getting one of these myself and I am also thinking the same about whether something can be done with a Pi to capture the info as I have a couple sat about so will be watching for when you start looking into that :)

Hey Adam Welch. I wondering can I see data like how many power I produced and how many power I used the past month on my laptop ? like the MT50 remote monitor.

Hi Adam thanks for the video ,I follow your step but when I plug the usb it can not read or doesn't exit in epever software said,would you help me to solve this one ,thanks adam

gracias por el video , esta muy bueno

I have one of these in a motorhome. Now it seems somewhat ridiculous to also spend good money on a high current multi stage mains charger when this is in place, so I'm thinking of simply pushing 24-35v into the unit from a rectified 100a arc welder or a pair of stacked 12v server psu. Already have the welder transformer and diodes, just wondering of you think the waveform would be too noisy for the tracer to cope, if so I'll go for the other end of the spectrum with ultra-smooth kva 24v. Your thoughts? I'll talk to you later about the unmatched batteries and 70a draw...

Looks like the controller params settings might be configurable enough to use it for LifePO4 batts? Thanks Adam! Great videos.

Hi Adam ! Great stuff !! Have you tried having the two units att different adresses and connected together, to be able to monitor the two units in the software att the same time ? I have two units in My van, and have Them om different adresses, works fine, but I would like to monitor them att the same time. Tje program has support for it !!

Hey Adam, How do you export the data from the EPever and wich is kind of file they use?

Hi Adam, just found your videos and they are very informative. I have installed a tracer 3210 an to my caravan that has a 115ah battery and has a 120w solar panel. What would the best settings be to prevent overload on my battery or over discharge that could also damage it? Regards Mike

Hey Adam.Please help with an older version of Solar Station monitor for Tracer.Thanks!

HI ,Please I need for help ,how to program a PWM regulator EPLI using the SPP-02 , how to apply and send a strategy to a regulateor .

Awesome video! You’ve got a bunch of neat ones :) I’m curious... the rs485 specs say it can connect to 32 devices but I haven’t found a way to do this yet. Does anybody here know if one of those adaptors could be used to connect multiple tracer models??

opa sou de goias vc sabe me dizer se aquele adaptador rs485 q eles vende no mercado livra que e so a ponta usb e conectar dois fios nele fuciona no tracer

This software is good, I use it on a minix pc (150 euros incluing tax and win 10), associated with teamviewer you can then use your smartphone to watch remotly (win/android app). that way you can control the load as well (connected to a relay for instance).

tx for sharing.. sangat bermanfaat ..

Hi Adam! I have the EPEVER 2210A & I just ordered the MT-50 cable.Now,What program should I download (app) in order to use it with a mobile phone? (Idon't have a laptop)??? Thanks in advance...

new 4210AN, using Epsolar provided RS485 - USB the software recognizes the station and establishes a connection but instantly locks up when Start Monitoring is clicked. Ver. 1.93 on Win 10. Ran compatibility troubleshooter and it came back with Win 7 ... still locks up. Appreciate any suggestions. Thanks.

hi. can you set it to charge a li-ion 3s battery? i cannot do this from solar charger buttons(i don't have the option USER). thanks

Hello, I have such a regulator on my plot (Tracer 4210), is it possible to connect it to the Internet and control it remotely via a computer or telephone?

Thx for informative video! Stupid question - how is the temperatue probe mounted to the battery? My is a wire with a brass colored cylinder at the end - do I just tape this to the side of the battery? Thanks.

Adam Welch, is RS485 USB adapter compactible with windows 10?

Does the solar station monitor work with non-Epever brand charge controllers?

I am using an Esmart 3 mppt controller, Ive installed the software but Im not getting any communication between my laptop and controller. Do you have any advice? thanks.

would love a raspberry pie to run the monitor, cant wait till you start that project...

Hey great vid ! Good quality and clear content, I like it. I'm planning a van conversion and I want everything to be powered by solar (small fridge, couple led lights, charging my laptop, maybe a water pump) and I'd like to know if you have any recommandation on brands ? I want a 200w kits. If I can save a lot by buying separatly I will but otherwise a complete kit would be great. Would like to keep it under 1k$. Any recommandation ? Or brands I should avoid ? Heard some decent comment on renogy ...

should that same cable work with smk solar charge controller that has rs485 also?

If I wanted to use the MT50 monitor and also divert the trace to a Raspberry Pi in order to remotely view the data, could I split the RS-485 cable by sending half of the pins to the MT50 and half to the Raspberry PI? I'd like to use the MT50 to configure the charge controller and view the data when I am in my shed, but also record all the trace data automagically with the PI, but not sure how to split the cable to achieve this. I have one of the BN Series of controllers, so no screen on the controller.

I have a problem I want to use same system but i want to have that data in CSV file. I dont know how to do that? will be happy to recieve your answer.

s/w can't read the logfile. is it supposed to work? everything else seems to work.

thanks for the video! just ordered the cable required to hook up to my tracer. my system is running fine but I'm not overly impressed with what the battery seems to be producing. will I be able to figure it out/get it working better once hooked up or is it mainly for tracking the numbers etc? hope that makes sense. thanks.

I tried to download logging data, but the 3210A is not so equipped. Every time I tried, I got a file with column headers but no data. Oh, those logging files were also invisible. I had run into the problem before and had located a program that 'sees' them. Getting data out of the invisible files can be a challenge. The compiler is probably an obsolete Windows version. Thanks for the videos.

I wonder why the manual i have does no info about RS485 ethernet pinout. Do you have softcopy of it?

Adam, I was wondering about that bit, where you lowered the charge V to 14. In your case it's probably a good thing to do, because you have sealed batteries. But if they were flooded type, higher voltage would be recommended, because that's what drives the sulfate anions out of the plates, at the cost of loosing a little bit of water each full charge, but that's no problem, when you can just add some water. I think the batteries will get sulfated more, with that voltage lowered. But I would do the same you did, if I had sealed ones, it will likely give it a longer life, as you can't add water.

So you notice your SOC is at 60% at night if you dont use the batteries during the day? ill show 100% during the day but at nights it drops. have u chnaged your settings in the charge controller or mt50?

Hi Adam, Nice stuff. Maybe silly question but can I use just a network cable for this through the network port on my laptop? Having trouble getting the software to connect to computer. Checked ports and all. Downloaded software again but no luck. Would 32bit have anything to do with it on a 64bit machine?

Hello can U send a link to Monitor Software v 1.2 This new from the producent page of freeze com port

If I have an old laptop with a serial port, can I cut an Ethernet cable and solder 4&6 from the Ethernet to 4&5 on a serial cable? or will I have to go full duplex and connect E3>S4, E4>S8, E5>S5, E6>S9 and E7>S1(ground)?

Hi, Nice video! I thinking of starting with a few solar panels and working my way up in watts, same idea with my battery bank AMG deep cycle type. I was thinking of getting the larger EPEVER Tracer4210A 40A MPPT Solar Charge Controller Regulator 12V / 24V EPsolar so I can add more as I go. (solar panels and batteries) will be looking at a 24Volt set up but starting with 12 volt battery. Would this type of controller work with 140 watt panel mono with a 12volt 130 AH battery just to start? Does the controller recognise the smaller amp and adjust accordingly? Thanks

Thanks Adam, Any ideas on problems arising from not getting the software to display the settings? I bought the recommended cable but not getting it to display at all. Just trying to drop the max volts down. I have a 24v system and when the batteries reach 29v the inverter cuts out. The moment I switch off the solar all is well again. Great videos by the way and appreciated the prompt response. Well done.

I have a LiFePO4 battery. Would I be able to use these settings to get it working nicely? Most of the charge controllers don't seem to have a Lithium option, just the Lead ones.

Can I also use the cable with my smartphone?

I was trying to find out if you can just replace the cable that comes with mt50 with straight through cat5/6 to connect to mmpt. I need a longer cable

Is this software can work whit a mac compurter. Thanks

There at 10:20 , could this battery under temp. setting be used for LiFe low temp charging protection under zero degrees? As the setting goes from negative 40 up to zero...right on the limt. I suppose that needs the external temp sensor. I did not check on newer versions of the software... Edit: just downloaded the current software V1.95 and it has an additional section in that actual window in the video, especially for low temperature cutoff for lithium, possible to set from -40 to +10, seperately for charge and discharge. Edit: on the website it lists the compatible inverters. Tracer A, Tracer AN, etcetc. So it SHOULD work....

Well when she does please let me know. I connected and commissioned my little system (250W PV, Epever Tracer 30A controller, 2 x 100Ah gel batteries and a pure sine wave inverter) on Saturday and left the batteries to charge for three days as suggested by the manufacturer. It is a 70th birthday present to myself and last night I sat back and watched 4 hours TV courtesy of the sun. I am going to run a water pump to fill a 500 litre tank on my roof (it leads into 80 meters of 25mm black plastic pipe curled across the roof which heats up when the sun shines and takes the water into the house plumbing. No early morning or showers before going to bed of course) my TV, laptop and lights. A bit of juggling is going to be needed and info about how much each item uses and how long it will take to be replenished will be handy. I am in the bush in the Eastern Cape of SA and have plenty of sun and time to play. Watching you make the 485 cable reminded me of 1000 years ago when I worked out the pinouts between Autocad and HP A0 plotters. HP charged an arm and a leg and were horrified by my cheek. Add them to the dozens of 232 fly leads to Xenix/Unix terminals and .... oh sorry I am blathering on .....

Thanks for your great video I have 2 Tracer 3210AN the monitoring with solar station monitor and a USB to RS485 works perfectly. Since I have two devices, I wanted to operate both with the software at the same time. So I bought 2 USB to RS485 converters and connected them to a USB hub. In the software I now have 2 solar controllers one on COM5 one on COM7 when I set the first to start monitoring everything works fine. If I set the second to start monitoring I get an error message "Operation failed. The operation has timed out. (COM7)" Do you know what the problem can be why I get this error message

Do you know if this will also work with the esmart3 60a mppt solar controller?

Would you be able to get it to work with 4s lithium ion battery pack?

Adam, hey , good vidieos. Question , do you think we can tie in the inverters on/off switch with voltage settings ? Im wanting to turn the inverter off (to my rifg) when my baterry voltage gets below 12 volts and turns back on when the baterries get above 12.4 vt, whats your thought ? Thanks

Hey Adam.. quick question, I'm wrestling with device descriptor request failed error when I connect the usb/rj45 cable from the CC to my PC. I've run the gamut of troubleshooting solutions. I did install the Solar Station Monitor included USB driver. I just noticed in the CC user manual, "Connecting the controller with PC network communication port is forbidden. It may cause damage to the components of the controller." I did connect the CC using an ethernet cable to my PC communication port when I first got the CC because I was overly excited to get it running. Although I only had this connection hooked up for one or two minutes tops, I'm wondering if I have permanently damaged my CC. Any thoughts? Thanks m8.

So I'd join for your own end question. Is there an easy way to pull out power data and export it to spread sheet?

You mentioned real time logging. That is what I looked for but the fine print was that some models are capable and some are not. Ive been attempting to access the controller with python and a Raspberry Pi 3B. I've been working with the pymodbus library and kasbert's Epever python software. The following is a quote from a readme file: Begin Quote----------------- sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install python-dev sudo apt-get install python-pip pip install pymodbus Additionally, I had to install some extra packages: pip install pycrypto pip install pyasn1 End Quote------------------ The python Epever package from Kasbert : github.com/kasbert/epsolar-tracer The info.py and readall.py scripts load a mock modbus client and readout false data. I'm now studying the API and Epever scripts.

Hi Adam, Can you help me once again? My Tracer A series 30Amp does not give me load info because I am using it in a caravan and the batteries supply all of the DC voltage. I have an inverter that is hooked to the batteries and provides my AC.. There are no wires coming out of the controller under the Load section. Where if anywhere do I hook up the load wires? Thank you in advance Mark North Carolina, USA

Thank you for the video. In my case, we don't get much choices regarding mppt charge controllers and most times have to buy what is available. So, I purchased a generic looking charge controller. According to the seller, the feedback on the device by installers has been great. That's mostly what we have relied on over here. I have been searching for information on how to use the RS485 port having noticed that it looks quite like an RJ45 and to which it fits quite squarely. The USB to RS485 device seems like the way to go, so I'm wondering if the EPEVER software is universal and will work for my charge controller. Is there such a thing as a universal software to monitor and configure solar charge controllers?

I'm having an issue with mine were the battery symbol flashes with an error triangle. When I select the battery it says 2.8v but when I put a millimeter to the battery it says 11.7v? Any ideas? Sorry this is totally new to me.

Hi Adam some time since you did this video which is really helpful they have a bluetooth interface have you done a video about this Thanks heaps for your time to do these videos Ross tga NZ

is it possible to use this eBay adapter to Connect to Android phone vía OTG....? I'd tried It without luck

Hi Adam, I have tracer 2210A, cable CC-USB-RS485-150U but can't connect controller to PC. The computer recognize the cable, in port settings checked "RS485", but no any connection with charger - I cant't read information or get any data. After pressing "Start monitoring" nothing happening. If i try to read device COM settings, pop out table with "Operation failed". On the cable label also marked, that is for LS-B, Tracer-B, VS-B controller, can it be the reason (that there is no mentioned Tracer-A)??

Hello please help I am unable to make communication with laptop, I changed wires blue green etc but same issue

is rs485 not compatible with AN series?

hi adam, i have ep vs6024AU. au series can modify for monitoring ? because no have rs port out. thank u

I've recently bought an Epever Tracer3210A and I try to download the log with Solar Station Monitor software but I get nothing. I manage to get the information live though, using the real time monitoring. Does the LogData Download work on yours? Thank you!

hi adam i just got my ep controller today but i not get my pc to read it but had gutt full tonight so if it ok i try and chat with you soon about it please .cheers jim

i use the usb cable that come with the epever mppt and pc dont find the com5 port . say is nothing connected to com5 ..any idea

Does the "Battery Information" show the actual voltage of the battery or the charge voltage of the battery like the LCD display on the controller itself? Thanks. UPDATE: After watching your video fully, It looks like it does indeed show the real battery levels, not the charging levels. Thanks.

Hi Adam been trying to download monitoring software but no joy any other links available? cheers kenny

how do You persuade the controller to communicate at any other speed than the factory default 115 KiloBaud.? Using the PC control program I try to set device comm speed to 19200, but device refuses to reply at any other speed than 115 Kbaud.