Installation · Sofar Solar

Install GridZeno on Sofar 1100-3300TL-G3.

Sofar 1100-3300TL-G3 is a small single-phase grid inverter without a battery. The dongle's firmware can't read it yet, so GridZeno shows nothing from it today. Once the firmware can, GridZeno can show the production and, where the protocol allows it, limit export. There's no battery to control. It doesn't have the KTLM series' 16-pin COM connector, but a 2-pin RS485 terminal marked TX- and TX+ behind a waterproof cover.

Applies to: SOFAR 1.1K-3.3KTL-G3, 1.1-4KTL2-G3 and 3-6KTLM-G2
Connection: Wires in the inverter's terminal plug
Time: About 25 minutes

What GridZeno can do on Sofar 1100-3300TL-G3 today

The 1.1-3.3KTL-G3 and 3-6KTLM-G2 use Sofar's older protocol for 1-40 kW, not the G3 map, and the 1.1-4KTL2-G3 has a map no source shows. The dongle doesn't read them yet.

Live overview of solar, consumption and gridAll subscriptions
Coming later
Battery state of chargeAll subscriptions
Not possible
Stop selling at negative pricesSmart and Pro
Coming later
Charge from the grid when power is cheapSmart and Pro
Not possible
Discharge the battery when power is expensivePro
Not possible

You can connect the dongle by this guide, but it reads nothing from the inverter until its firmware can. GridZeno Dongle for Sofar 1100-3300TL-G3

What you need

GridZeno Dongle: The device ID is on the label, e.g. GZ-A1B2C3.
Cable: GridZeno's Modbus cable with one end cut off, or another network cable with one plug.
Wire strippers and small flat-head screwdriver: For the two wires in the RS485 terminal from the accessory bag and for the waterproof cover.
USB power: A 5 V USB charger and a cable with USB-C.

The port

Behind the waterproof cover marked USB/DRMs/RS485/CT on the underside, next to the DC switch. Behind the same cover are the current clamp's terminal and an RJ45 port for DRM.

Port: RS485 (2-pin terminal, TX- and TX+)

The RS485 terminal, marked TX- and TX+ on the inverter. Sofar doesn't number the pins, so pins 1 and 2 are counted from the left, as in Sofar's drawing. The numbers are on the plug.

Pin 2 A, TX+
Pin 1 B, TX-

The cable

A network cable where one end has an RJ45 plug for the dongle and the other end is cut off. At the inverter end, only the two wires from pins 4 and 5 are used. The terminal has no RS485 GND, so the white/green wire isn't used.

From the dongle to the inverter
Dongle end	Inverter end
Dongle pin 4, blue (A)	RS485 terminal pin 2, TX+
Dongle pin 5, white/blue (B)	RS485 terminal pin 1, TX-
The other wires	Cut off and insulated

Settings

On the inverter

1.Enter Setting > 8.Set Address: 01, as from the factory

In GridZeno's Welcome

The inverter is chosen in GridZeno: in Welcome the first time, and later under System, Change inverter. The dongle fetches its setup from there.

Manufacturer and model: Sofar Solar, 1100-3300TL-G3
Connection: By cable (RS485)
RS485 settings: Keep the default: 9600 baud, 8N1, address 1.

Step by step

Each step has a small drawing that shows what to do.

1
Check the address
Hold the button down to get into 1.Enter Setting, and go to 8.Set Address. The address must be 01, as from the factory. If the display asks for a password, Sofar's default is 0001.
2
Remove the waterproof cover
Switch off the inverter. Unscrew the cover marked USB/DRMs/RS485/CT with a screwdriver. It's on the underside next to the DC switch.
3
Pass the cable through the cable gland
Loosen the cover's cable gland, remove the blanking plug, and pass the cable through the cable gland and the cover.
4
Prepare the cable
Strip about 6 mm of the two wires from pin 4 (blue) and pin 5 (white/blue). Insulate the other wires.
5
Put the wires in TX+ and TX-
Blue (A) goes in TX+ and white/blue (B) in TX-, following the markings on the inverter. Tighten the screws with a flat-head screwdriver.
6
Close the cover again
Screw the cover on, and tighten the cable gland so it's sealed.
7
Plug the RJ45 end into the dongle
The cable's other end goes into the dongle's RS485 port. Place the dongle somewhere dry and close to the inverter, so the cable doesn't hang from the plug.
8
Connect power to the dongle
Plug the USB-C cable into the dongle and the charger into a socket. The dongle starts by itself. It gets power from the charger, not from the inverter.
9
Connect the dongle to the network
Over Wi-Fi: the first time, the dongle creates its own Wi-Fi, GridZeno-Setup- followed by the last characters of the device ID. Connect your phone to it, choose your own network, enter the password, and press Save and connect. When it says Connection OK, press Go to GridZeno. Over cable (LAN): plug a network cable from the router into the dongle's network port.
10
Log in, and choose your inverter
Log in to GridZeno. Welcome pairs the dongle with its device ID. Then choose your inverter, Sofar Solar 1100-3300TL-G3, and the connection By cable (RS485). Press Save inverter, and the dongle fetches its setup and reads the inverter.

The dongle's own setup is described with screenshots in The user guide, and the pairing in Getting started.

Take care

The RJ45 port behind the same cover is the DRM control, not RS485. Never plug the dongle's cable into it. The CT terminal is the current clamp's, and the port marked Wi-Fi/GPRS/Ethernet is for Sofar's own data logger.

If an energy meter has been turned on under Set ElecMeter, write to us before you connect the dongle. The manual doesn't say which connection the meter uses.

If you aren't used to fitting wires in a terminal connector, let the installer do it.

Sofar 1100-3300TL-G3 isn't on the compatibility list yet. If you're stuck, write to us with the model name.

Source

Ports, pins and menus are from the manufacturer's own manual: SOFAR 1.1K~3.3KTL-G3 User manual (EN, version 2023-12-14), SOFAR 1-4KTL2-G3 (EN, 2023-09) and SOFAR 3-6KTLM-G2 (ES, 2021-04), Section 4.5, RS485, CT, inverter logic interface connection (table 4-4), 4.7, Communication method, and Enter Setting (8. Set address).