New Venus OS on Ras Pi

[lonnie]

Apologies is this a bit niche but I know a good few funsters are using a Raspberry Pi to run the Venus OS. I've done this successfully for a couple of years but after I've upgraded all my Victron kit I refreshed my Pi 3 B+ with a fresh image of Venus 3.54.

But, I can no longer power it from the 12v > 5v step down. It works fine with Raspberry power supply (via 240v) but I get nothing with the one that's always worked.

So, could anyone running the new OS let me know how you power yours from 12v please?

 

[Cheese Monster]

RPi 4 with Waveshare USB HAT

USB 3.2 Gen1 Hub HAT for Raspberry Pi

This is a driver-free 4-port USB 3.2 Gen1 Hub HAT for the Raspberry Pi, providing more USB 3.0 ports for your Raspberry Pi along with a host of additional features. The HAT attaches to the Raspberry Pi via the 40-pin header and included USB PCB adapter. When working with Raspberry Pi 4, the...

thepihut.com

4 x Relay HAT board

PiRelay V2 - Relay Board for Raspberry Pi

The PiRelay V2 is a Raspberry Pi relay add-on board that provides a solution for controlling high current/voltage devices and makes your home appliances intelligent. It's a nice solution for controlling devices that can't be directly controlled by the Raspberry Pi's Digital I/Os (GPIO). The...

thepihut.com

and a BCRobotics PSU. HAT.

 

[lonnie]

I use these 5 amp adjustable DC-DC step down converters to power my Pi's

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/39418698...pid=5339023013&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1

Cheers Paul.

I thought I'd try one of these of ebay and it works perfectly. No powereing both my Pi and a Blink Sync module!

 

[lonnie]

Still playing around with it so not sure what the Guimod options are but initial findings are they only change the screen display hard wired to the pi, nothing on VRM which I guess is logical. Do you have Guimods on the Cerbo AdrianChen? When I went to 3.54 originally gui was out of date and the pi wasn't happy at all so I rolled back the software until gui was updated.
Just logged into VRM on my Mac and it had a wobble ... couldn't change to new interface and had to do it on my Android phone. Now working again so no idea what went on.
I wonder if anyone has got 3.54 working on a 3b?

Yes. I created a fresh image at v3.4x then upgraded to v3.54 using the Firmware Update in the VRM. Working well at the mo.

 

[Ditcha]

My 3B is working fine on V3.54

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[Lenny HB]

My 3B is working fine on V3.54

Mine screwed up when I did an update from the OS, just done a fresh install on a new SD card all working now.

 

[Vansflyer]

Mine screwed up when I did an update from the OS, just done a fresh install on a new SD card all working now.

Good news.
Mine sometimes crashes when auto looking for new software and it is a recent issue.
Fitted a spare phone yesterday for the VRM, quite happy with it.

 

[lonnie]

Could I ask how you connect your B2B to your Pi please. The console can't find my Orion and I've tried swapping the Rx/Tx cables at the TTL end. Still no joy.

Good news.
Mine sometimes crashes when auto looking for new software and it is a recent issue.
Fitted a spare phone yesterday for the VRM, quite happy with it.

 

[Lenny HB]

Mine connects via the UART hub, shows up in devices but not on home page.
Not tried since loading v3. 54

 

[Vansflyer]

Could I ask how you connect your B2B to your Pi please. The console can't find my Orion and I've tried swapping the Rx/Tx cables at the TTL end. Still no joy.

No problem. I made a cable up with cable / parts from pi hut. Ground, tx & rx connected leaving the 5v not connected. It worked when it was having 5v but threw errors.
The pi takes a few minutes to see the
Orion where the other usb connected and BT stuff is on from boot in a matter of seconds. This was my test connection before soldering.

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[lonnie]

No problem. I made a cable up with cable / parts from pi hut. Ground, tx & rx connected leaving the 5v not connected. It worked when it was having 5v but threw errors.
The pi takes a few minutes to see the
Orion where the other usb connected and BT stuff is on from boot in a matter of seconds. This was my test connection before soldering.

Great, thanks. I'll try popping the 5v out of the TTL connector.

 

[CeeJay13]

As for SD cards I often have problems, I find the installer seem to screw cards that have been used before even if they have had long format. Never have trouble with a new card.

Lenny HB Not sure if you are aware, but all RPI's are susceptible to SD Card failure unless you buy high quality. It's the Read/Writes that cause the problem. However, I have read that Venus OS by itself doesn't seem to do many R/Ws. For the Pi's I tend to pay a little more for and SD Card with the added reliability and use the CF slot in the Laptop to Image the cards. Also, if the 5V supply to the Pi is a bit low, this can cause errors.

Not trying to teach anyone to 'suck eggs', but as I haven't followed this in MHFun, not sure where you are with all this.

I have just started on the Pi-GX journey and yesterday loaded Venus 3.53 onto a RPI Zero 2 W. I saw a very convoluted way to install Venus OS on a RPi zero 2 W but the newer OS allows you to see the RPi over Bluetooth and then you can configure WiFi. One of the first things I did was an online upgrade to V3.54.

I don't have any Victron devices yet, need to upgrade the MH for the Orion XS DC/DC Charger, battery cabling is a problem on my Pilote, but I noticed a new plate down beside the drivers seat today which might be over the place where the cable 'conduit' from the electrics cubby hole disappears into!

I do see that the OS Large image has Node-RED included and the Venus OS itself has an MQTT Server. I note that people are using Home Assistant (Node-RED is also available in HA), I just use Node-RED and MQTT along with Zigbee2MQTT for Zigbee devices (small battery operated relays, switches, sensors). My home is driven by all this stuff (heating, water, tomorrows prices for electricity etc. etc.)

Is anyone else using Node-RED? If not, it might be worth a look at, it is easy to programme and has it's own Dashboard that you can build. combine that with MQTT and as long as VenusOS sends it via MQTT you can grab those messages and use them in Node-RED.

BTW VenusOS 3.54 has been running fine here for the last 24 hours, but as I say, it isn't really doing anything.

 

[Lenny HB]

@Lenny HB Not sure if you are aware, but all RPI's are susceptible to SD Card failure unless you buy high quality. It's the Read/Writes that cause the problem. However, I have read that Venus OS by itself doesn't seem to do many R/Ws. For the Pi's I tend to pay a little more for and SD Card with the added reliability and use the CF slot in the Laptop to Image the cards. Also, if the 5V supply to the Pi is a bit low, this can cause errors.

I always use branded cards, writing Venus OS sometimes screws up the card and you can't even format it afterwards, also found best not to try and rewrite a card that already has Venus OS on it, good jobs cards are cheap now.

 

[CeeJay13]

I always use branded cards, writing Venus OS sometimes screws up the card and you can't even format it afterwards, also found best not to try and rewrite a card that already has Venus OS on it, good jobs cards are cheap now.

Excellent!

In the past, when SD cards were not cheap, I used to use an CF/SD card recovery software, not as in recover Data, but recover the card. Memory is not so good these days, but I know that I will get the name when I least expect it! Let me have a think and I will see if it comes back. Assume you are using Windows? (Probably the software name is distant as I haven't use Windows for about 10 years!)

 

[CeeJay13]

Excellent!

In the past, when SD cards were not cheap, I used to use an CF/SD card recovery software, not as in recover Data, but recover the card. Memory is not so good these days, but I know that I will get the name when I least expect it! Let me have a think and I will see if it comes back. Assume you are using Windows? (Probably the software name is distant as I haven't use Windows for about 10 years!)

I think this might be your solution. Seemed to recall it was a CF/SD manufacturer that provided the software. You aren't going to lose anything.

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[CeeJay13]

Just to add an update, I decided that I would run Node-RED on a separate server (another RPi Zero 2 W) as the version available through Venus OS was too old and was not what I am used to. I first loaded DietPi on the RPi Zero 2 W and then added Node-RED using the CLI commands from Node-RED, added Pi-Hole using the DietPi install (saves data when connected), and finally added Zigbee2MQTT. OK, I have to add an extra RPI Z2W and a Zigbee Dongle (Sonoff -E, in use at home) and from then on, most added Zigbee devices are internal battery driven.

Venus OS 3.54 has been stable while standing alone, and so far (touch wood), all are operating OK together. The Duppa Isolated USB Hub is ordered along with all stuff coming for B2B and a Victron Smart Shunt are arriving 'soon', so I can start installing that. Unfortunately, what could be done in a day, now takes several now I am not as mobile as I was. I have noted that -ve on Hab Battery needs to go direct to the Vehicle Battery rather than a ground strap.

 

[Lenny HB]

Mine screwed up when I did an update from the OS, just done a fresh install on a new SD card all working now.

The saga continues, just found out I was a bit of a plonker, I now found up it didn't screw up the update, what I didn't know was that after an update you have reinstall the packages so I had no Pi display driver installed.

Anyway after installing 3.54 The Orion XS as in 3.3 it doesn't show on the home screen but does show in device list.
I managed to install 3.54 and not 3.54 Large, some plonker picked up the wrong file on his PC.

Tried installing 3.54 Large from USB but that wouldn't work so had to strip down my unit again and do it via SD card.

Now with 3.54 Large running can't see the XS at all not even in Device list but it does show in a remote connection.

Now, today I notice v3.55 is available so I have upgraded, Yabba, dabba do, the Orion XS shows on the home screen & I now have the option of a dark screen, it gets better you can click on a device on the home screen and go directly into it.
Only downside the upgrade installs the standard version not large but I'm happy with the results so I'll forget Node red for now, don't want to strip my unit down again.

After clicking on the Multiplus icon.

 

[Lenny HB]

lonnie see my post above, Orion XS now works in Venus v3.55.

 

[AdrianChen]

The saga continues, just found out I was a bit of a plonker, I now found up it didn't screw up the update, what I didn't know was that after an update you have reinstall the packages so I had no Pi display driver installed.

Anyway after installing 3.54 The Orion XS as in 3.3 it doesn't show on the home screen but does show in device list.
I managed to install 3.54 and not 3.54 Large, some plonker picked up the wrong file on his PC.

Tried installing 3.54 Large from USB but that wouldn't work so had to strip down my unit again and do it via SD card.

Now with 3.54 Large running can't see the XS at all not even in Device list but it does show in a remote connection.

Now, today I notice v3.55 is available so I have upgraded, Yabba, dabba do, the Orion XS shows on the home screen & I now have the option of a dark screen, it gets better you can click on a device on the home screen and go directly into it.
Only downside the upgrade installs the standard version not large but I'm happy with the results so I'll forget Node red for now, don't want to strip my unit down again.

View attachment 1040651

View attachment 1040612


After clicking on the Multiplus icon.
View attachment 1040613

Looks Good - You've probably hard wired most of what you might do on Node Red! Fridge solar dump is all I've done for now - I might do something for the Ablemail SW2 and or a simple on off, since when we're on board the CBE system keeps the start battery up to snuff.......

 

[Lenny HB]

Looks Good - You've probably hard wired most of what you might do on Node Red! Fridge solar dump is all I've done for now - I might do something for the Ablemail SW2 and or a simple on off, since when we're on board the CBE system keeps the start battery up to snuff.......

Solar dump runs the fridge from the inverter I'm running it on 12v.

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[AdrianChen]

Solar dump runs the fridge from the inverter I'm running it on 12v.

I can do either - currently using 240v, but also did a flow for 12v, just need to add a relay to control the jumper, since the Cerbo relay is max 6amps.... I could just have a switch in node red to choose between them.

So all it does is switch the Multiplus on if there is plenty of SOC and Solar and no EHU, then off again when the battery is lower. Can select the parameters on the Node Red dashboard. There is a switch to use the dump or not, only difference for the 12v version is it uses a relay in the Cerbo to switch (via a bigger relay) the jumper in the DS470 on/off.

 

[Lenny HB]

How to confuse a Lenny.

Now this is getting interesting, after going into the Multiplus setting I go back to the home screen and get a different screen with two more cons for the Multiplus bit no OX ( its still in device list).
I've not found a way of getting the original screen back yet, but this screen is more useful.

Click on the red icon and I get this.

And on the green one.

Overall this looks like a god upgrade making it much easier to use.

 

[Lenny HB]

I can do either - currently using 240v, but also did a flow for 12v, just need to add a relay to control the jumper, since the Cerbo relay is max 6amps.... I could just have a switch in node red to choose between them.

So all it does is switch the Multiplus on if there is plenty of SOC and Solar and no EHU, then off again when the battery is lower. Can select the parameters on the Node Red dashboard. There is a switch to use the dump or not, only difference for the 12v version is it uses a relay in the Cerbo to switch (via a bigger relay) the jumper in the DS470 on/off.

At the moment I have the fridge running using my programed S+ link with solar turned off, timer is working in my 1 hour on ½ hour off blocks just need to see the 12v signal turn off when the batteries get to 70%.

 

[Diabalo]

I had trouble with a SD card the other day that no amount of formatting would sort it out, had a look at it using windows built-in partition manager that's accessed through the disk management tool, it allows you to view, create, delete partitions, somehow it had 2 partitions which I deleted then created a new primary partition which sorted it out.

 

[AdrianChen]

How to confuse a Lenny.

Now this is getting interesting, after going into the Multiplus setting I go back to the home screen and get a different screen with two more cons for the Multiplus bit no OX ( its still in device list).
I've not found a way of getting the original screen back yet, but this screen is more useful.

View attachment 1040679

Click on the red icon and I get this.
View attachment 1040678

And on the green one.
View attachment 1040680

Overall this looks like a god upgrade making it much easier to use.

Yup - soon you will be happy not going anywhere - just sit watching the numbers on the screen!

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[Scottish Scrutineer]

I think that I’ve got a steep learning curve, with a few dead-ends to negotiate. I’ve recently acquired a RPi 4 and set it up as a Cerbo/Venus. The first issue I had was getting it to connect to the Victron Orion and Solar using the diy cables. Turns out the information I had on how to connect the cables to the devices was incorrect and needed to swap the RX/TX. I haven’t yet got a smart shunt, but see that as a key component.

Any tips on where to find out more about Node Red, or should I just stick with the Venus?

 

[Lenny HB]

I think that I’ve got a steep learning curve, with a few dead-ends to negotiate.

Join the club.

Any tips on where to find out more about Node Red, or should I just stick with the Venus?

Tobi's Real Life Skills are easy videos to follow.

 

[Lenny HB]

There is a switch to use the dump or not, only difference for the 12v version is it uses a relay in the Cerbo to switch (via a bigger relay) the jumper in the DS470 on/off.

Why not just switch a signal to the S+ on the fridge, no need for a second relay then.

 

[Driventemple]

Upgraded to 3.55 today - all fine.

 

[Two on Tour]

I think that I’ve got a steep learning curve, with a few dead-ends to negotiate. I’ve recently acquired a RPi 4 and set it up as a Cerbo/Venus. The first issue I had was getting it to connect to the Victron Orion and Solar using the diy cables. Turns out the information I had on how to connect the cables to the devices was incorrect and needed to swap the RX/TX. I haven’t yet got a smart shunt, but see that as a key component.

Any tips on where to find out more about Node Red, or should I just stick with the Venus?

I looked at Node Red, but the non Node Red version does all I need for my setup. Might look at again as it's interesting to learn new things, but I have more than enough to challenge my grey matter at present.

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[Lenny HB]

I looked at Node Red, but the non Node Red version does all I need for my setup. Might look at again as it's interesting to learn new things, but I have more than enough to challenge my grey matter at present.

I've taken the same view for now especially as 3.55 seems a lot better and more useful.