Signature Solar 6500EX (MPP Clone)

[RoySalisbury]

2 questions.

1. Will this work with the 6500EX (MPP Clone) from Signature Solar? It uses the same communications at all the other MPP solar inverters.
2. Since this inverter has a USB connection that basically allow you to plug in a USB to RS232 dongle (thats what I did with a Pi 4), I'm wondering if the ESP32 can just use the onboard USB port and communicate via serial that way. I know when I plug it into my computer it just see's it as a serial port.

If this is possible, please point me in the direction of a .yaml config file for my ESP32. I have all 8 of my JK BMS connected via bluetooth to ESP32 modules, and would love to get my 2 6500EX inverters connected as well.

Thanks.

[syssi]

1. I don't know. Does the device provide a RS232 port?
2. I'm not aware of an easy way to communicate via USB using ESPHome. You should use a Raspberry Pi and the mppsolar project instead if this is the only available communication port of your inverter.

[RoySalisbury]

This was a bit of an old post. I had since found that the USB port on the inverter just exposes it as a HID device. You can talk to it using the same protocol, but its a bit different. Not sure of a way using an ESP32's USB port as a client instead of a host port.

[syssi]

Some ESPs (ESP32-S2) will come with a tiny USB stack and will support USB host mode. This would be the foundation to talk to USB-HID devices. For now this is far far away and you should stick to Mini PCs or Embedded Devices with Linux support if you want to talk to USB devices.

[SeByDocKy]

Really some ESP32-S2 could support USB-HID ? interesting .... for multiple JKBMS configuration :) with their own RS232 <=> USB converter.....

[syssi]

Lol. I will ping you in 2025 if I see a ESPHome node in USB host mode attached to a USB switch. ;-)

[SeByDocKy]

I am checking too :)