Eastron SDM630 power meter to a EG4 18K inverter

Gsell21

Has anyone connected an Eastron SDM630 power meter to a EG4 18K inverter or any inverter via the RS485 connector?

BB.

I don't have an answer for your question... But I do have my own question.

Why do you want to connect an AC Power Meter to your AC inverter? Pretty much all higher end AC inverters have the ability to report their various electrical parameters--Including their AC output power.

What would the inverter do with the RS485 data?

https://www.eastroneurope.com/products/view/sdm630modbus
https://eg4electronics.com/products/all-products/inverters/eg4-18kpv-hybrid-inverter-all-in-one-solar-inverter-eg4-18kpv-12lv/
https://eg4electronics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/EG4-18KPV-12LV-Manual-1.4.4.pdf

-Bill

Dave Angelini

With Schneider, the power meter is used for AC coupling of an existing grid inverter to show up on the Conext Insight battery based monitoring. Other reasons to do this also with 3 phase battery based C Insight. 

Mainly for people adding battery based back-up to an existing solar system, grid or offgrid.

Gsell21

BB. said:

I don't have an answer for your question... But I do have my own question.

Why do you want to connect an AC Power Meter to your AC inverter? Pretty much all higher end AC inverters have the ability to report their various electrical parameters--Including their AC output power.

What would the inverter do with the RS485 data?

https://www.eastroneurope.com/products/view/sdm630modbus
https://eg4electronics.com/products/all-products/inverters/eg4-18kpv-hybrid-inverter-all-in-one-solar-inverter-eg4-18kpv-12lv/
https://eg4electronics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/EG4-18KPV-12LV-Manual-1.4.4.pdf

-Bill

My inverter is in our barn, the main breaker panel is in the house a couple of hundred feet away.  This is basically an attempt to "remote" the CT's from the inverter. Currently I have an ethernet cable running from where the inverter is out the door, over a concrete drive,across the yard and into a window where the main breaker panel is located. In the inverter manual it says the inverter is compatible with the SDM630 power meter via rs485. So as a first step I am attempting just to get the meter to talk to the inverter. Once I get that working then I will insert a couple of wireless waveshares in the mix to get rid of the cable running across the yard. I probably should have mentioned this is for zero export to the grid. I reached out to the distributor and EG4 and they don't seem to know, but it is stated in the manual that the sdm630 is approved to work with the eg4. I asked here since I have been getting little to no response from the distributor or eg4. 

Dave Angelini

Keep pressing them ! Call (no emails) alot, be a royal pain!  This is the problem these days with companies that promise and do not deliver. I do not suppose the installer can support you?  Another reason if this is DIY that an even higher level of due diligence is required. 

You in California or Hawaii? Big states that require zero export. If you plan to have batteries down the line, you may want to look at Schneider's offering for this. Be sure and scroll down.

 https://shop.se.com/us/en/schneiderhome