Installation · Sofar Solar

Install GridZeno on Sofar HYD-EP.

HYD-EP is Sofar's single-phase hybrid inverter for a 48 V battery. It has a round 16-pin COM connector, but the pins are arranged differently from the three-phase HYD: Sofar's RS485 for monitoring is pins 5 and 6. The dongle is connected with two wires in those two pins.

Applies to: HYD 3000-EP to HYD 6000-EP
Connection: Wires in the inverter's terminal plug
Time: About 30 minutes

The battery is controlled with Sofar's passive mode. If the dongle goes silent, the inverter goes back by itself to the mode it was in before. What GridZeno can do on Sofar HYD-EP

How the dongle recognises it: The serial number in holding 0x0445 with the code M2 (SM2E or ZM2E): HYD 3-6K-EP, single-phase.

GridZeno Dongle for Sofar HYD-EP

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 ferrules: Two wire-end ferrules.
USB power: A 5 V USB charger and a cable with USB-C.

The port

On the underside of the inverter, between Link Port 1 and Grid. The same connector is used for battery, energy meter, current clamp and DRM, so there may already be wires in it.

Port: COM (16-pin multifunction connector)

The COM connector, as Sofar numbers the pins. Pins 5 and 6 are the monitoring RS485, pins 15 and 16 the energy meter's. The numbers are on the plug.

Pin 5 A, 485-1TX+
Pin 6 B, 485-1TX-
Pin 12 Must not be connected, DRMS0

The cable

A network cable with an RJ45 plug for the dongle at one end and the other end cut off. At the inverter end, only the two wires from pins 4 and 5 are used, with ferrules on.

From the dongle to the inverter
Dongle end	Inverter end
Dongle pin 4, blue (A)	COM pin 5, 485-1TX+
Dongle pin 5, white/blue (B)	COM pin 6, 485-1TX-
The other wires	Cut off and insulated

Settings

On the inverter

1. System Settings > 8. Communication Addr.: Read Communication Addr. and Baud Rate. The dongle must have the same. The manual mentions no default.

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, HYD-EP
Connection: By cable (RS485)
RS485 settings: Same baud rate and address as the inverter, 8N1. If it's set to 9600 and 1, there's nothing to change.

Step by step

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

1
Read off the address and baud rate
On the display, go to 1. System Settings and 8. Communication Addr. Note down Communication Addr. and Baud Rate: the dongle must have the same.
2
Unplug the COM connector
Switch off the inverter first: switch off the AC breaker, set the DC switch to OFF, switch off the battery, and wait 5 minutes. The round 16-pin COM connector is on the underside between Link Port 1 and Grid. Unscrew it, and pull it out.
3
Pass the cable through the connector's parts
Pass the cut end of the cable through the nut, the sealing claws, the seal and the connector housing, in that order.
4
Prepare the cable
Strip 20 to 40 mm of the outer sheath and 6 to 10 mm of the two wires from pin 4 (blue) and pin 5 (white/blue), and put terminals on. Insulate the other wires.
5
Put the wires in pins 5 and 6
Blue (A) goes in pin 5 and white/blue (B) in pin 6, following the numbers on the connector. Don't touch wires already in the other pins: they belong to the battery, the energy meter, the current clamp and DRM.
6
Plug the connector back in
Screw the connector together, plug it into the COM port, and tighten it 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 HYD-EP, and the connection By cable (RS485). Set the inverter's baud rate and address under RS485 settings. 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

Pins 5 and 6 are also the connection between several daisy-chained inverters. If there are several inverters, each must have its own Communication Addr. Write to us before you connect the dongle to such a system.

Pins 15 and 16 are the energy meter's, pins 1 to 4 the battery's, and pins 8 to 12 the DRM control, where pin 12 can stop the inverter. Don't touch them.

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

What GridZeno can control on Sofar HYD-EP, and how, is on the page about Sofar HYD-EP. If you're stuck, write to us with the model name.

Source

Ports, pins and menus are from the manufacturer's own manual: Sofar HYD 3000-6000-EP User Manual V5.0 (EN, 2023-11), Section 4.8.2, COM (table 4-5 and figures 4-11 and 4-12), and System Settings, 8. Communication Addr..