Take a live sneak peak at the Off-Grid-Garage in the Victron VRM World
The S.P.A.T. Calibration Centre VRM link (new PowerWall 2.1)
Here is a step-by-step manual on how to connect your Victron equipment to the Victron VRM to remote control and monitor it from anywhere, using a Raspberry Pi minicomputer.
Alternatively, you can also use the Victron Cerbo GX Communication Centre which literally does exactly the same as the Raspberry Pi will do. It has some additional features though, which the Raspi does not have…
- no programming
- no coding
- simple and easy
- everyone can do this at home
Below you will find the complete part list for everything you need as well as the link to the video where I explain the setup in all details.
Especially when you have a new built system, it’s more than just peace of mind if you can not only monitor but also control all systems even you’re not at home.
Software you need:
There are two things you need to download. Both software is free to use and does not have any adware, nasty popups or trial versions:
Win32DiskImager:
Under Windows, this software is needed to install Venus OS onto the SD card. Click the green download button on the SourceForge website here: Download the Win32DiskImager
Victron Venus OS:
This is the actual software we need to download and install on the SD card. Please download the latest version available. In the screenshot below it shows v2.65 as the newest version. At the time you watch this, there might already a newer version available, so download that newer version.
Here is the direct link to download the Venus OS from the Github project website (as shown above).
If you want to know more about the project, please visit the Github website of Victronenergy Venus OS Installation.
Hardware you need:
Below is all the hardware you need to connect your Victron gear to the cloud. Really!
Raspberry Pi 4
Original Raspberry Pi 4 Model, Broadcom BCM2711, Quad core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) 64-bit SoC @ 1.5GHz, Wifi, Bluetooth, HDMI and 4 USB Ports
AliExpress product link
Amazon product link
Raspberry Pi Case
Official Raspberry Pi 4 Case, Red/White or Black
AliExpress product link
Amazon product link
Micro SD Card with card reader
This SD card acts like the ‘hard drive’ for the Raspberry Pi and carries the Victron Venus operation system.
AliExpress product link
Amazon product link
USB to TTL Serial Cable
Windows and Mac compatible
AliExpress product link
Amazon product link
JST 4-Pin Male Header Cable
Unfortunately, I could not find any on Amazon or AliExpress which have these male pins at the end. Most of them have just a bare wire end. You may want to solder them to your USB TTL adaptor.
AliExpress product link
Amazon product link
I think you can order the cables with separate female sockets from here. These are the exact same ones I showed in the video:
Core Electronics
or
Adafruit
Raspberry Pi 4 Power Supply/Adapter
5V/3A
AliExpress product link
Amazon product link
I’m using a DC – DC buck converter to power the Raspberry Pi directly to my 48V battery. Here is a video on how to connect and set this up. The converter can be found here.
All links on this page are affiliate links to support the channel. I’m getting paid a small commission if you order products or services through these links. This does not make the products or services more expensive for you.
the Off-Grid-Garage 