Sunsynk + Predbat single timer slot configuration (working solution)

[carig-rob]

Hi everyone,

I've been running this successfully since March and wanted to share my Sunsynk configuration because I couldn't get the standard six-slot approach to behave reliably.
I found that mapping Predbat across all six Sunsynk program slots eventually caused timer overlap issues, especially when a charge period crossed midnight. Sunsynk timer behaviour did not appear to handle the overlapping/rolling slots in the same way Predbat expected, and over time I found the six-slot configuration became unreliable.
My workaround was to give Predbat one dedicated Sunsynk timer slot and leave the remaining five slots parked outside the operating window.
This is the apps.yaml mapping I am using:

===============================

SUNSYNK CONTROLS

===============================

use_timer:

• switch.ss_use_timer_2

timed_charge_current:

• number.ss_battery_max_charge_current_2

timed_discharge_current:

• number.ss_battery_max_discharge_current_2

===============================

PROGRAM CONTROL

===============================

charge_limit:

• number.ss_prog1_capacity_2

charge_rate:

• number.ss_prog1_power_2

charge_start_time:

• select.ss_prog1_time_2

charge_end_time:

• select.ss_prog1_time_2

charge_enable:

• select.ss_prog1_charge_2

On the Sunsynk inverter timer page I configure:
Timer 1 = 00:30
Timer 2 = 23:00
Timer 3 = 23:30
Timer 4 = 23:30
Timer 5 = 23:30
Timer 6 = 23:30
Only Timer 1 has grid charging enabled.

The remaining timer slots are left unticked (including Gen Charge) and are effectively parked outside the operating window. Predbat only controls Timer 1.
Predbat then writes the required charge window into that single Sunsynk timer slot.

For example, Predbat generated a charge period of:
charge_start_time = 15:30:00
charge_end_time = 16:00:00
This creates the Predbat entities:
sensor.predbat_SK_0_charge_start_time = 15:30:00

sensor.predbat_SK_0_charge_end_time = 16:00:00

select.ss_prog1_charge_2 = Allow Grid

The Sunsynk Prog1 timer slot is then updated accordingly.

This setup has been running successfully for several months and has also handled charge windows that cross midnight without the timer overlap problems I experienced with the six-slot configuration.
I am not suggesting the six-slot method is wrong, only that this single-slot approach has been more reliable for my Sunsynk inverter.
I couldn't find this approach documented elsewhere, so I thought I would share it in case it helps anyone else who is struggling with Sunsynk timer behaviour.

Thanks to everyone involved with Predbat and the Sunsynk integration work — hopefully this helps another Sunsynk user

[sgadd32]

Good work making progress with sunsynk and predbat. I'm using AI to try and crack the code and it has referenced your example above several times, specifically relating to the time slot predicament. Everytime I think it's getting close to providing a working solution, it then takes another fork in the road and gets lost and has to start from scratch again. Is there any chance of seeing your actual Apps.yaml at all (sanitized if required obviously). After sevaral days i'm beginning to think that my existing Solar Assitant config is doing a better job but i'm keen to be proved wrong and make better use of the features of the combined efforts using Home Assistant, Kellerza, Solar prediction, sunsynk and predbat. Cheers, Steve.

[carig-rob]

Hi Steve, I used AI and it got me about 80% of the way there, I’m not a coder at all, but i learnt a lot very quickly and most of it was by trial and error, all i can say it's been working really well for me since march. Heres my apps.yaml.

pred_bat:
module: predbat
class: PredBat
prefix: predbat
timezone: Europe/London
inverter_control: true
inverter_control_force: false

set_window: true

===============================

HOME ASSISTANT CONNECTION

===============================

ha_url: http://homeassistant:xxxx
ha_key: !secret ha_key

===============================

INVERTER (Sunsynk 3.6kW)

===============================

inverter_type: SK
num_inverters: 1
validate_configuration: true
prog_time_format: "%H:%M"
prog_time_interval: 30

===============================

LIVE POWER

===============================

soc_percent:
- sensor.ss_battery_soc_2

battery_power:
- sensor.ss_battery_power_2

pv_power:
- sensor.ss_pv1_power_2

load_power:
- sensor.ss_load_power_2

grid_power:
- sensor.ss_grid_power_2

===============================

BATTERY & INVERTER LIMITS

===============================

battery_capacity: 10.65
soc_max: 10.65
battery_rate_max: 3600
battery_rate_max_scaling: 0.96 # Fixed value instead of helper

inverter_limit: 3600
export_limit: 0

battery_loss: 0.04
battery_charge_loss: 0.04

===============================

BATTERY DISCHARGE CURVE (Fixed)

===============================

battery_discharge_power_curve:
0: 0.96
100: 0.96

===============================

ENERGY TOTALS (REAL SENSORS)

===============================

pv_today:
- sensor.pv_energy_today

load_today:
- sensor.load_energy_today
# - sensor.ss_day_load_energy_2

import_today:
- sensor.grid_import_today

export_today:
- sensor.grid_export_today

battery_today:
- sensor.battery_charge_today

===============================

FORECASTS

===============================

pv_forecast_today: sensor.solcast_pv_forecast_forecast_today
pv_forecast_tomorrow: sensor.solcast_pv_forecast_forecast_tomorrow

pv_forecast_today_attribute: detailedForecast
pv_forecast_tomorrow_attribute: detailedForecast

pv_forecast_mismatch_threshold: 0.8

===============================

TARIFFS (Octopus Agile)

===============================

metric_octopus_import: sensor.octopus_energy_electricity_23jxxxxxxx_2199999222129_current_rate

metric_octopus_export: sensor.octopus_energy_electricity_23jxxxxxxx_2100042053810_export_current_rate

octopus_import_tariff: Agile
octopus_export_tariff: 0
octopus_auto: true
octopus_intelligent: false

===============================

SUNSYNK CONTROLS

===============================

use_timer:
- switch.ss_use_timer_2

timed_charge_current:
- number.ss_battery_max_charge_current_2

timed_discharge_current:
- number.ss_battery_max_discharge_current_2

===============================

PROGRAM CONTROL

===============================

charge_limit:
- number.ss_prog1_capacity_2

charge_rate:
- number.ss_prog1_power_2

charge_start_time:
- select.ss_prog1_time_2

charge_end_time:
- select.ss_prog1_time_2

charge_enable:
- select.ss_prog1_charge_2

===============================

HISTORY & SCALING

===============================

days_previous:
- 8

days_previous_weight:
- 1

load_scaling: 1.0

===============================

ML LOAD FORECASTING

===============================

load_ml_enable: true
load_ml_source: sensor.ss_load_power_2
load_ml_max_days_history: 14
load_ml_parallel: true

On the Sunsynk inverter timer page I configure:
Timer 1 = 00:30
Timer 2 = 23:00
Timer 3 = 23:30
Timer 4 = 23:30
Timer 5 = 23:30
Timer 6 = 23:30
Only Timer 1 has grid charge enabled, everything else is diabled, the reason i found is that the available times decrease as the slots fill and i found this as a get around, no automations needed, predbat creates this,
sensor.predbat_SK_0_charge_start_time = 15:30:00 ( times change accordingly to predbat plan)
sensor.predbat_SK_0_charge_end_time = 16:00:00
select.ss_prog1_charge_2 = Allow Grid
happy to be educated and improve, as i said I’m not a coder.
Let me know how you get on, cheers Craig

[sgadd32]

Thats great Craig, my current apps.yaml is only showing 1 error at the moment but i'm pretty sure that it needs a couple of the fundamentals that I can see in yours. I have Octopus Go and no export needs at the moment. It looks to be a case of matching a couple of my Entity ID's, particulary in relation to the Predbat and Kellerza Entity ID's specific to my personalized naming conventions and hopefully it'll start to do something useful. I'll publish my Yaml here once it's looking stable. It would be ideal if there were a universal Entity naming convention converter or something that assists with mapping the ID's because that's what is really making me go cross-eyed. Thanks again. Steve.

[carig-rob]

Nice, the only other thing is in my /homeassistant/configuration.yaml, i have these, if thats what you mean?,

===============================

DAILY ENERGY METERS

===============================

utility_meter:
pv_energy_today:
source: sensor.ss_total_pv_energy_2
cycle: daily
grid_import_today:
source: sensor.ss_total_grid_import_2
cycle: daily
grid_export_today:
source: sensor.ss_total_grid_export_2
cycle: daily
battery_charge_today:
source: sensor.ss_total_battery_charge_2
cycle: daily
battery_discharge_today:
source: sensor.ss_total_battery_discharge_2
cycle: daily
load_energy_today:
source: sensor.ss_day_load_energy_2
cycle: daily
I found them in HA developer tools>states, again trial and error and used what i thought was applicable 🫣
Good luck Craig

[sgadd32]

Excellent, yes looks like another piece of the puzzle hopefully. I think because I have a Soar Assiatnt solution already in place amoungst lots of other add-ons it certainly adds to the complexity. I should probably have used another Raspberry Pi and did a vanilla build specifically for Home Assistant and Predbat to keep it as simple as possibe. Cheers.

[gcoan]

The normal approach for Predbat controlling inverters is to only set the first charge and discharge slots. I see from the Sunsynk documentation that the original author took a 6-slot approach which feels unusual to me.

If this is a more reliable setup then could you raise a PR to update the Predbat Sunsynk documentation to this approach https://springfall2008.github.io/batpred/inverter-setup/#sunsynk and by all means reference the changes that can be made to use all 6 slots if that is preferable to some people

[carig-rob]

Hi gcoan, I’ve replied above, let me know what you think and also where i may have been going wrong or could do better. honestly this is my first time coding anything 🫣 and would love some feed back. you guys are great 👍