Classic 150 communications with Schneider products?

[Vic]

So what is the MNSICOMM adapter? Is it a similar design to the Outback AXS port, at least from the hardware viewpoint? does it consist of an embedded processor that does all the conversion and comms?
the AXS port uses a well spec'ed ARM Cortex M4 processor with 512k and lots of i/o inc ethernet, MNSICOMM similar?
dgd

dgd,  am not a Sunny-Anything person,  but,  here is some info from the MN Solar site:

http://www.midnitesolar.com/productPhoto.php?product_ID=568&productCatName=E-Panel%20-%20SMA&productCat_ID=38&sortOrder=1&act=p

FWIW,  Good Luck,    Vic

[dgd]

Thanks for that pointer Vic, I had not seen that doc before.
This has raised a few more questions for me and I also see why MN cannot make a Xanbus adapter unless Schneider release the info on the Xanbus hardware interface and more importantly the data framing needed by their system monitor display in order to recognize the Classic.
And why should they as the Classic is a competing product for their own MPPT controller.
I suspect the only way to achieve some sort of interface will be analysing what data moves over a working Xanbus system and even then it will be to just extract inverter data into a blackbox system for subsequent analysis and reporting.

Something that I found interesting in that doc was that four Classics could be daisy chained (just like follow-me wiring but no loopback) and then modbus register info could be extracted by modbus ID, fixed from 10 to 13, over one Classic at device 10 being connected to the MNSICOMM box. This is sort of like implementing an RS485 bus over daisy chained RS232.
Before reading this I mistakenly thought the follow-me was the only use for this chaining but now it appears its built into the Classic firmware as a passthrough capability  to allow general modbus register access.
My questions are:
- Is this limited to just 4 Classics?
- Is the KID being considered for a similar daisy chain rs232 connection?
- Is there a performance hit since data from all four is going through one 19200 baud async rs232 port? I can imagine this would be a real bottleneck if attempting to retreive a large portion of the register map every second or so.
- Has the serial port speed been configured higher to improve throughput? 100kb+ 
- Is there a limit to what modbus registers can be extracted through the daisy chain?
- What about modbus file access, can this be done through the daisy chain? to extract logs from each Classic?
- Would global updates be possible using modbus ID 255 (or whatever)

This interests me because I can see it would be easy to have a blackbox (eg Arduino DUE) with say 4 rs232 ports each connecting to a chain of 4 or more Classics/Kids. The possibilties for follow-me, output load balancing, switching in and out certain PV array segments, diverting excess power (waste not) etc are intriguing

quote from MNSICOMM pdf
Connect a CAT-5 Ethernet cable of suitable length from the SLAVE/OUT jack on the FIRST Classic (#10)
to the RJ-11 connector at the far right end of the Communication Adapter

doesn't cat 5 ethernet use rj45? thats not going into any rj11 or rj12 either in the Classic or MNSICOMM 

dgd

[ClassicCrazy]

I wish I had the communications knowledge that you do dgd !

[dgd]

I wish I had the communications knowledge that you do dgd !

thanks for the compliment but its really just all smoke and mirrors.
Its what I don't know thats my problem and thats an awful lot.
A business friend who has been in the home RE business for over 30 years said about my Classic web stuff
'Wot a waste of time when all you need is to stick a voltmeter across the battery to see if everything is ok' 

dgd

[Westbranch]

though I can appreciate his position, a lot of us were there at one point, (for me that was not much  over a year ago on parts of my total setup)  without the plethora we now can access, but as the world turns..... he is missing the  train,  as now we can deduce just what is wrong , where and hopefully why

[dgd]

Getting back on topic..

Some searching and the Xanbus connector pinouts are looking very much like rs485 with +15v, Earth, A and B for data, also the bus termination with 120ohm resistors.
In the Outback forums there are comments that Xanbus data framing may just be modbus RTU.
If thats the case then I cannot locate any modbus register/address map published by Xantrex or Schneider.
(does anyone have this or know where it is?)

Also the Schneider commbox may be nothing more than modbus RTU to ethernet modbus converter with a few bits added such as the USB memory slot. Probably implemented using an embedded cpu of some sort with firmware allowing file (firmware) uploading to devices on the Xanbus.

Looks like the only way forward is to get an SW inverter, use an rs485 to ttl converter, see pic below, and connect it to a ttl serial port on an Arduino and write some code to scan through modbus register addresses and listen for responses.
If Xanbus is that simple then interfacing to blackbox would be straightforward.

dgd

[ClassicCrazy]

What about this one ?
http://www2.schneider-electric.com/resources/sites/SCHNEIDER_ELECTRIC/content/live/FAQS/229000/FA229511/en_US/ConextXWModbusMap.pdf

or this one

http://www2.schneider-electric.com/resources/sites/SCHNEIDER_ELECTRIC/content/live/FAQS/229000/FA229511/en_US/ConextSWModbusMap.pdf

[dgd]

Thanks for that, I googled but could not locate anything.
So now it appears that data extraction from SW series inverters should be relatively straighforward into blackbox
The Arduino modbus library via serial port into rs485 converter connected to inverter should be good 

All I need to do now is wait for the 48volt SW in 230vAC 50Hz model, July?
dgd

[Westbranch]

I know we are talking inverters etc, but look for the manual Xantrex had/ has for the XBM battery monitor.  It had all the pinout info and a lot of bits that were above my pay level.  \\\\\a friend  and another NAWS member hacked the ABM so it did not cost a $300+ _ bill to be able to download the data off the XBM...

Soory out at the lake and do not have access to my old emails.
will look for that old document handy out here, hoe I haven't cabbaged them in a cleanout...

[ClassicCrazy]

Westbranch is probably referring to this

http://www.xantrex.com/documents/Accessories/LinkPro-Battery-Monitor/XBM%20Communication%20Interface%20Specification.pdf

[Westbranch]

CC that sure looks like it     

How did you locate it?

[ClassicCrazy]

ha ha - for both dgd and yours I just used part  sentence from your posts and googled them !

[Westbranch]

reason I ask is  I tried a  search for the doc and came up dry... even after I read your post?   

[ClassicCrazy]

Westbranch - this is what I put into Google search

XBM battery monitor.  It had all the pinout info

I think third link down was the one I put above

[Westbranch]

I got it, originally I used the Word Xantrex and it took me to their main site, the documents section took me to a bunch of sales PDF's and the Manual......  tried to shorten your link to documents and got a ....you're not allowed access or similar...   joys of 'google-ing'