Newbie - Needs Help Solark 15k

[unc2k3]

I've got a Solark 15k inverter and the DSD TECH SH-U11F USB-RS485 converter as recommended in the Read.me. Problem I have is that my Intel NUC running HA is on the other side of the house so I can't connect directly to the NUC. Can someone give me a simple explanation on how I'm supposed to set this up as the SH-U11F only has a USB connection and I have no idea how I'm supposed to connect this to the Solark's RS-485 port or how to get it working with Home Assistant. There is a router connected to a Savant box which is connected to the Solark, but the router does not have any USB ports.

Forgive me for being so uninformed as this solar stuff is all brand new to me. Thanks in advance for the assistance!

[tommywatson]

Hi,
I was in the same boat, my solution was to use an old router running OpenWrt as a client on my main WiFi network with a static IP and place that by the inverter. Plug the USB into the router and wire up your own cable to go from the SolArk to your RS485.
You can get a cheap little router from GL.iNet for $30, ie the GL-MT300N which should be sufficient for this.

Cheers!

[unc2k3]

Thanks for the reply. That looks like the same router I was looking to get. A couple more questions... It looks like you wired up the ethernet cable to the rs485. Can you elaborate on how you wired this up (ie what color wires and to what pins on the RS485)? Also, you mentioned running OpenWRT on the router with a static IP and I read in the read.me that the author said to load up the modbus driver on the router for testing. Can you provide some details on how you set that up? My apologies for being so in the dark here but routing and networking are not something I'm super familiar with.

[pbix]

The solution proposed by @tommywatson works well. You must also load optional component mbusd on the OpenWRT router and the associated drivers and configure it properly. This is essentially the solution I use. You will have to ask questions on the openwrt forum and mbusd site for technical details on that.

While the cable you see looks like ethernet this user is just using the conductors inside an ethernet cable to host his RS-422 connection. This is a good method which I also do as ethernet cable is readily available and appropriate. Conductor colors are found in your Sol-Ark manual. Please refer there for details.

I sense you are new to this type of thing. The above proposed method is low cost and reliable but requires some understanding about openwrt and mbusd. Another approach is to use a modbus gateway which will require less futzing on your part but a little more money. I suggest you search on ebay for a used device with a good manual and perhaps a tech support number you can call for help.

[tommywatson]

The wiring info for the SolArk 15k is on page 44 of my manual under the heading "MODBUS/RJ45 Application Note", pins 1&8 are B-, 2&7 are A+, and pin 6 is GND.

Good luck!

[unc2k3]

Quick update. I was able to get OpenWRT setup on the router and I downloaded and installed modbus. How do I set the openwrt router up as a client and with a static ip? I can connect to the router like any other available wifi network, but I feel like this is supposed to be linked to my main router and NOT set as it's own independent router?

[tommywatson]

If you go to Network -> Wireless and click the scan button on the radio it will scan for WiFi networks it can join, connect it to your main router and then set your main router to give it a static IP.