Sunny Boy Communication Manual

Sunny Boy Communication Manual

April 21, 2010

Version 1.00

Table of Contents

3……………………………………………………………..System Specifications

3……………………………………………………………..Preliminary Requirements

3……………………………………………………………..Errors in Communication

4……………………………………………………………..Communication Commands

System Specifications

The Sunny Boy model that is installed in the project room is a model 3000US. It is equipped with an RS-485 communication module that allows communication through the SMA data protocol. This protocol is implemented using the YASDI (yet another SMA data implementation) API that was provided by the Sunny Boy manufacturer. This code is located in the Sunny Boy directory on the fit pc.

Preliminary Requirements

Before communication with the Sunny Boy is possible, the RS-485 wires that are coming from the Sunny Boy must be connected using an RS-485/422 to USB convertor which must be connected to the fit pc. The connected device’s location must be tty/USB1, this can be verified by typing the following command into the terminal on the fit pc:

>tail var/log/messages

This command will display where the most recent connected USB devices have been allocated to. If it does not match tty/USB1 then the yasdi.ini file must be modified to match the allocated USB number.

How to Communicate with the Sunny Boy

First, cd into the Sunny Boy Code directory located on the Desktop of the fit pc. Then cd into the Communication_Code directory, then into the most recent version available (currently version 1). Once there run the executable sunnyBoy to start the communication process.

Errors in Communication

If no Sunny Boy can be detected, there will be a message on the terminal that will explicitly say that the program cannot find the device. If it is found it will display that the device has been found.

Communication Commands

Once the initialization is complete the program will prompt the user for a channel name, a list of known channel names and its return value are:

Error – Gives a number that corresponds to a specific type of error which can be found in the documentation. A zero means there is no error.

E-Total – Returns the total energy in kWh delivered to the grid.

Fac – Returns the frequency of the AC voltage delivered to the grid

Iac- Returns the amount of current in Amps delivered to the grid

Ipv – Returns the amount of Amps being drawn from the PV array

Mode – Returns a number that corresponds to the mode of the system. This list is in the Sunny Boy documentation

Pac – Returns the amount of power delivered to the grid in kW

Temperature – Returns the temperature in degrees Celsius

Vac – Voltage in Volts delivered to the grid

Vpv – Voltage in Volts currently being drawn from the PV array

This is a list of all currently known command for communication with the Sunny Boy. As more are found, they will be added to the list.