PVbrain

PVbrain is an opensource/openhardware project to monitor/control simultaneously a PIPsolar/Voltronic Inverter (most of) and a BMS (JKBMS/AntBMS/DalyBMS). It adds also the possibility to control up to 16 relay allowing for example to control an Automatic Transfert Switch (ATS) (Offgrid<=>return to grid). The PCB board uses only crossing components or pluging ones in order to have an easy setup/maintenance. The MCU used is an ESP32 running ESPhome allowing communication by WiFi to Home Assistant (HA) natively (but MQTT can be added easily). Main features are:

• Direct communication and control with (most) voltronic/pipsolar inverters via a direct ethernet cable (pvbrain got a builtin RS232=>TTL). RS485 communication is also possible for non-voltronic inverters, but not yet tested. Important parameters can be set directly from HA (or the webserver if activated)
• Monitor a BMS (tested with JKBMS but should work with the antBMS or the daly)
• Perform the detection up to 3xAC sources (solar/grid/other) (in order for example to make a soft switching for the ATS part)
• Monitor via 2xPZEM-004T V3 (modbus) both the solar & grid productions
• Control up to 16xrelays, i.e. for an ATS control or the inverter mode of modern voltronic inverter (Axpert max I & II for exxample)
• Monitor temperature/humidity/pressure of your basement (you can setup alarms in case)
• Free I2C ports available to plug extra I2C sensors

This PCB uses the excellent ESPhome integrations done by @syssi available at https://github.com/syssi. The PVbrain represents a joint work between e-2-nomy https://www.youtube.com/c/e2nomy/ and Bandit-17.

Main PCB Layout:

Gerber files:

Please find all gerber files required for the PCB into the following zip file: https://github.com/Bandit-17/PVBRAIN/blob/main/Gerber_PCB_PV%20BRAIN%20V1.0.zip

additional daughter board addons:

An optional addon card can be pluged to monitor direct voltages of your PV strings (up to two)

Gerber files:

Please find all gerber files required for the addon PCB into the following zip file: https://github.com/Bandit-17/PVBRAIN/blob/main/Gerber_PCB_pvbrain-carte-option1.zip

Wiring your hybrid inverter and your BMS with the PVbrain PCB:

Example of realization with an Voltronic Axpert max II (pip8048 branch)

Bill Of Materials (BOM):

please find all electronic parts required to assemble the PVBrain: https://github.com/Bandit-17/PVBRAIN/blob/main/BOM_PVBRAIN__OPTION1.xlsx

To compile the ESPhome pvbrain.yaml file:

Before to compile:

You need absoluptly to compile the yaml from a Linux or a Windows box, not (yet) from HASSIO directly since the HASSIO addon module don't support yet the arduino V2.0 Lib. The arduino V2.0 lib is required ir order to increase the loop stack memory and then runs all entities in memory

Here is a (french) video showhing how to install ESPhome on a windows platform: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lawVsX6XMeE

compilation procedure:

step 1:

• please download the pvbrain.yaml in your local folder
• in the same folder, create an empty secrets.yaml where you will write inside:

esphome_ssid: "your_SSID"
esphome_password: "your_wifi_password"

• save the file

step 2:

From your console, compile and upload via the following command >esphome run pvbrain.yaml

If you want only to compile the file, please run instead >esphome compile pvbrain.yaml

Choose your PIPsolar/Voltronic inverter:

In the first header part of the pvbrain.yaml, you can find in the external section, the place where you can spefify your particular PIPsolar/voltronic inverter Actually, the current PVbrain.yaml uses the pip8048 branch (with 2xMPPT strings).

external_components:
  - source: github://syssi/esphome-jk-bms@main
    refresh: 0s
  - source: github://syssi/esphome-pipsolar@pip8048
    refresh: 0s

Most of former models has one mppt and the main branch must be prefered:

external_components:
  - source: github://syssi/esphome-jk-bms@main
    refresh: 0s
  - source: github://syssi/esphome-pipsolar@main
    ref

For very old (24V) inverters, another branch can be used

external_components:
  - source: github://syssi/esphome-jk-bms@main
    refresh: 0s
  - source: github://syssi/esphome-pipsolar@hms-3k-24v
    ref

Home assistant entities import:

After a successful firmware update, Home assistant will auto discover the new integration. Please add (all) associated entities in your favorarite HA dashboard. Here is an example of my current PVbrain dashboard

Entities allowing to control some important inverter parameters:

The yaml used last template number/select/switch esphome objects. Everything is directly imported from ESPhome into HA. No extra HA configuration required.

If you need some extra informations, please feel free to contact us in Discord at: https://reseautono.me