Solar Dashboard Project

[amente]

Firmware updated and all looking good thanks Jon, screen load time appears much faster.
Are the Cloud & MQTT ports changeable as I'm already using 8123 with Home Assistant
Can the "SNEKTEK.COM SOLAR" SSID be disabled / turned off

The cloud and MQTT ports are server ports, so their shouldn’t be any issue if it is the same as home assistant.

[xion2000]

Cheers Amente.
Would it be possible to add the facility to adjust the figures / data extracted from the solar controller if required (calibrate) before its plotted in the Solardashboard.
I've measured my battery voltage with a multimeter and my charge controller is out by approx 0.10v. I correct this before it displays in Home Assistant but it would be better to correct it nearer the source

[jonathan]

Cheers Amente.
Would it be possible to add the facility to adjust the figures / data extracted from the solar controller if required (calibrate) before its plotted in the Solardashboard.
I've measured my battery voltage with a multimeter and my charge controller is out by approx 0.10v. I correct this before it displays in Home Assistant but it would be better to correct it nearer the source

This is an interesting suggestion. Did you measure the battery voltage during the day when the battery was charging? Measure at night and see if it's still off. Still I will add this to the features list.

[cheezemanrich]

Instructions to upload V3.1 Firmware (Updated on July 11, 2020)

After this firmware is installed, new firmware is available by over-the-air update in the settings page

Requirements:

1. USB micro connector cable
2. Download NodeMCU PyFlasher from here: https://github.com/marcelstoer/nodemcu- ... .0-x86.exe


Instructions:

Step 1. Download and extract the zip archive:

epever-rs485-full-master-3.1-403949-2020-07-10-07-32.bin.zip

Step 2. Open the case from the unit and attach a USB micro connector to the computer. Remove progjump1 and progjump2 jumpers.

Step 3. Open NodeMCU PyFlasher

nodemcu_flashing.PNG

Step 4. Select "Serial port" and click "Browse" to select the file: epever-solar-display-master-3.1-5758b4-2020-03-26-22-50.bin, extracted from Step 1.

Step 5. Click on "Flash NodeMCU", and see the following output when successfully completed:


snektek-firmware-update-success.PNG

Step 6. Unplug the unit from the computer and place back inside the case. Replace progjump1 and progjump2 jumpers or there will be no communication with the solar controller.

Step 7. Navigate to the solar dashboard page and click the settings tab. Go the the firmware section and update the firmware to the latest. If no firmware update is available, click reboot to check again.

Any idea when the source code will be available to download?

Richard

[jonathan]

Any idea when the source code will be available to download?

Richard

We've shifted to a model where we will release older source code a few versions behind. But if you have specific needs we have given some people access to the latest source code, with a gentleman's agreement to purchase hardware from us.

Version 1 source code is available at this time, and it works well, no SD card support however.

[paulcdb]

We've shifted to a model where we will release older source code a few versions behind. But if you have specific needs we have given some people access to the latest source code, with a gentleman's agreement to purchase hardware from us.

Version 1 source code is available at this time, and it works well, no SD card support however.

What about those of us who ordered previously but not been able to use it because it seems to stop working after a while?

I got an email telling me there’s new firmware but the link says “The requested topic does not exist.”

[jonathan]

We've shifted to a model where we will release older source code a few versions behind. But if you have specific needs we have given some people access to the latest source code, with a gentleman's agreement to purchase hardware from us.

Version 1 source code is available at this time, and it works well, no SD card support however.

What about those of us who ordered previously but not been able to use it because it seems to stop working after a while?

I got an email telling me there’s new firmware but the link says “The requested topic does not exist.”

Hi Paul, not sure why the link was broken but the firmware update instruction is here viewtopic.php?f=3&t=48&p=236#p236

This firmware is the latest version, the discussion you're referencing is about the source code.

The latest version is stable over many days/weeks so far and resolves many of the previous issues. And if any new issues are identified we will work on them. It helps to have customer feedback too.

[paulcdb]

Ah thanks, that one works.

All updated and I’ve got it showing in Home Assistant but can’t see how to configure MQTT. Do I need an SD Card? I can see /config shows settings, can I just copy them to an SD Card, edit and plug it in?

I don’t have a card yet or I’d have tried it but maybe there’s a button I’m completely missing and save me having to go buy one.

[amente]

Ah thanks, that one works.

All updated and I’ve got it showing in Home Assistant but can’t see how to configure MQTT. Do I need an SD Card? I can see /config shows settings, can I just copy them to an SD Card, edit and plug it in?

I don’t have a card yet or I’d have tried it but maybe there’s a button I’m completely missing and save me having to go buy one.

@paulcdb

To setup the configs for the dashboard you will need to insert an SD card. Create a file named "config.txt" and add the following lines:
Here is an example configuration, that publishes data every 10 seconds:

Code: Select all

mqttServer=test.mosquitto.org
mqttPort=1883
mqttTopic=exampleTopic
mqttPublishInterval=10

Keep in mind, the MQTT feature is currently experimental. Let me know if you encounter issues.

[boffin]

Hey there, hope you are safe and well. I've just updated a V2 with an electrolytic, FET, removed the Pwr LED and loaded the latest binary and have found everything to be much more stable - so thankyou and well done.
As for the surgery ... the "breakout" row down the side marked V2 & V3 came in handy as my NodeMCU is elevated on header pins\socket so I can easily swap it out. It was rather tidy to simply add the electrolytic under the NodeMCU connecting to adjacent 3v and Gnd pads on the vacant pads. A small PCB drill bit was used to put a hole at D0 to allow the wiring from the FET to go down on the board rather than on the NodeMCU (using some wirewrap wire from a bazillion years ago).
My remaining issue is with the default AP and the lack of security. I've added a config.txt file to the SD card root but the little bugger still thinks it's "snektek.com solar" with no password. I presume the apSSID and apPassword entries are with NO quotes?? The SD is FAT32\32GB and logs are being written as expected and can be read fine via the dashboard. I do note this has been mentioned before in the forum so if I haven't missed anything and the solution is via a new binary down the track I'll patiently wait.