ModbusTCP is a feature on our Venus-devices eg Color Control GX, and also the Venus GX. ModbusTCP is an industry standard protocol, that can be used to interface PLCs or other equipment with Victron products. For example to enable a heat pump when there is excess solar power, or create a fully integrated glass bridge on a yacht.

Through the ModbusTCP interface you can read and write date to the chargers, battery monitors, inverter/chargers and other products connected to the Venus-device. The unit-id combined with the register address is used as a device-selector: selecting for example from which device you want to read its battery voltage measurement.

Besides reading this FAQ, make sure to also read the ModbusTCP section in our Data communication whitepaper.

The supported function codes are:

• ReadHoldingRegisters = 3
• ReadInputRegisters = 4
• WriteSingleRegister = 6
• WriteMultipleRegisters = 16

Note that there is no difference between function code 3 and 4.

In the ModbusTCP Registerlist xlsx file, there is a column called 'dbus-service-name'. And it must be consulted to find out which set of registers are available for a product.

Note that besides device-specific registers, there is also a set of registers that represent the entire system: com.victronenergy.system. This service is also where the System Overview pages in the GUI, and the VRM Dashboard get their data.

(1): Only the Venus GX is provided with temperature sensor inputs. The battery temperature as measured by a sensor connected to a VE.Bus device is not available. And the battery temperature as measured by a sensor connected to a BMV battery monitor is available under the com.victronenergy.battery register set.

General note: not all list registers are available for each device. For example a BMV Battery Monitor has lots of readings: historical data such as maximum/minimum, for example. A canbus-connected lithium battery might not have those parameters available.

The purpose of this example is to show how to interpret the information in the worksheets of the excel sheet containing the modbustcp mapping. This excel sheet is available for download from our website on the Color Control page.

To request the input voltage of a Multi or Quattro, connected to the VE.Bus sockets on the CCGX, use the following settings: unit-id 246, and set the data address of the first request register to 3.

The ModbusTCP reply will contain 2302. Divide it by 10, as specified in cell E3, and then you have the voltage: 230.2 Volts AC.

By default, ModbusTCP is disabled. To enable it, go into the settings menu, scroll down to 'Services', and then enable the ModbusTCP service.

The unit-id, sometimes called ‘slave address’, specifies how a product connected to the CCGX needs to be addressed. See the tab ‘Unit ID mapping’ tab in the Modbus-TCP excel sheet.

For the overal system data, look for com.victronenergy.system in the excelsheet, and use unit-id 100.

Note that both unit-id 0 and unit-id 100 map to the same internal address. We recommend to use id 100, since many ModbusTCP clients and PLCs do not work with id 0.

All products that can be connected to the Color Control GX.

No.

Yes, you can! Though make sure not to include non existing registers in your query. Querying register 1 to 100 for example will not work, since registers 1 and 2 do not exist.

Yes, you can! We are, slowly, making the Color Control code open source, and the Modbus-TCP sources are already available on https://github.com/victronenergy.

You cannot interface with them individually if they are configured for parallel-working; or as a three-phase system. Neither is it necessary to address units individually as ModbusTCP provides system-totals as well as 'per phase' information.

It may change in the case of VEdirect Devices connected via USB - but even then our experience is that it will only change in the first reboot.

Unit-id's for products not connected via USB will not change.

If all unit-id's and register-addresses have been checked and re-checked, and still the connection doesn't work, you could try looking at the modbustcp log file on the Venus-device.

Follow these steps:

1. Obtain root access
2. Login with SSH (use for example Putty in Windows - or simply type ssh root@[ip address here] on a Linux or Mac terminal console.
3. List the latest log file:

   cat /log/dbus-modbustcp/current | tai64nlocal

In case of any errors, the output will look like this:

2016-01-08 16:34:24.658248500  INFO 2016-01-08T16:34:24.657 [Server] New connecion:  "141.138.140.60:41792" 
2016-01-08 16:34:24.695846500 ERROR 2016-01-08T16:34:24.689 "Error processing function code 3, unit id 247, start address 258, quantity 42 :" "Unit id is available, but start address does not exist" 
2016-01-08 16:34:24.753921500  INFO 2016-01-08T16:34:24.753 [Server] Disconnected:  "141.138.140.60:41792"

In most cases the problem will be found in either the unit's id address; or the register addresses. Double check the numbers shown in the output with the numbers as used in your modbustcp software or PLC.

Yes. See the Hub-4 advanced control manual for more details.

~~DISQUS~~