question

You use the state of the digital input as I do in startstop.py in GeneratorConnector

You need to discover which input is configured to indicate if the generator is running, then use the value of /State to modify you title for the AC input tile.

If you hard code the digital input to be used, you can bypass the discovery process I do in startstop.py.

Set the service path to that of your digital input service as shown in dbus-spy. (You must configure one of the digital inputs to something or there will not be a related service. I recommend Generator since it's more appropriate than other functions.)

How you get dbus parameters depends on how you use them in the qml code.

In one case, you set a property to a VBusItem, then test the value of the item.

In another case, you set up a VBusItem and have its onValueChanged event to call a function.

Here are some examples from another project:

    property VBusItem inverterModeItem: VBusItem { bind: Utils.path(inverterService, "/Mode" ) }

function someFunction ()
{
     var inverterMode = inverterModeItem.valid ? inverterModeItem.value : 0
}

or

TileText {
            text: inverterModeItem.valid ? inverterModeItem.value === 1 ? "true" " "false" : "not valid"
}

This can be used because the TileText text property is updated when there's a change to its value.

The other way is useful if a set of properties or other settings depend on many dbus parameters and it's too complicated to equate a property to them. In this case, you'd set one or more properties inside a function then call that function with onValueChanged.

    VBusItem
    {
        id: inverterContinuousPowerItem
        bind: Utils.path("com.victronenergy.settings", "/Settings/GuiMods/GaugeLimits/ContiuousPower")
        onValueChanged: setLimits ()
    }
    function setLimits ()
    {
        var inverterContinuousPower = inverterContinuousPowerItem.valid ? inverterContinuousPowerItem.value : 0
    }

These examples are pulled from PowerGauge.qml in GuiMods if you are interested.

Many thanks for your detailed reply Kevin. :-)

I'll digest that and see how I get on, i like the idea of bypassing the discovery process.

dbus-spy will help me a lot I think.

I have tried pinching some of your code from startstop.py and overviewGenerator.qml to build my own startstop.py and overviewPage.qml but I must have missed something I think.

EDIT: I missed this step-

  
                  

                   
function someFunction ()
                   
{
    
                   
     var inverterMode = inverterModeItem.valid ? inverterModeItem.value : 0
                   
}
                  

That should get me going.

Thanks for the pointers. ;-)

Bob.

@Kevin Windrem

Hi Kevin.

sorry to be a PITA but I'm still struggling...

if using your GeneratorConnector startstop.py (or my variant)....

Should this work as part of my QML file?

VBusItem
{
id: runningStateItem
bind: Utils.path(bindPrefix, "/GeneratorRunningState")//is this correct?
onValueChanged: runningState ()
}

function runningState ()
{
var runningState = runningStateItem.valid ? runningStateItem.value : 0
 }
function getAcSourceName(type)
{
if (type === undefined)
return qsTr("AC Input")
if (type === 240)
return ""
//if (runningState.value == "R") //this doesn't work
//if (runningState.valid) //neither does this
if (!runningState.valid) // this does work but means I've screwed up somewhere
return qsTr("Generator") //show "generator" text in tile 

return acSourceName[type]
}

I have managed to get the Generator Overview page tile to show stopped/running when I switch my gpio input, so my startstop.py is generating the dbus service ' /GeneratorRunningState'

I used your Tile text method for that. :-)

Thanks again for your time @Kevin Windrem

so many languages...so little time to learn them all. haha.

I've avoided the runningState function by moving it into the function I use it in and tweaked a few things but still no joy.

Here's my latest attempt-

StackPage {
property variant acSourceIcon: ["overview-ac-power", "overview-grid-power", "overview-generator-power", "overview-shore-power"]
property string runningState: "" // i'll need it again later if it works

 VBusItem
{
id: genRunningStateItem
bind: Utils.path(bindPrefix, "/GeneratorRunningState")
onValueChanged: getAcSourceIcon(type) 
}

 function getAcSourceIcon(type)
{
var runningState = genRunningStateItem.valid ? genRunningStateItem.value : 0

if (runningState == "R") {return "overview-generator-power"}

if (runningState == "S") {return "overview-grid-power"}

else {return "overview-ac-power"} //it shows this icon 

/*so still not reading "/GenaratorRunningState" (or it's not valid) 
but OverviewGenerator.qml uses it just fine)/*

}

}

Oooft!! it's 3 am, better get some kip.

errors are logged in /var/log/gui/current. These may help figure out what's going on.

The call to getAcSourcIcon is returning a value that's not used (onValuChanged does not expect a return value). You probably need to set acSourceIcon in our function.

If you want to retain runningState, do not use a local variable in getAcSourceIcon. You can set the property from there, or better yet:

property string runningState: genRunningStateItem.valid ? genRunningStateItem.value : 0

hmmm..... /var/log/gui/current shows "unknown service com.victronenergy.generator.startstop0"

but dbus-spy shows com.victronenergy.generator.startstop0.generator0/GeneratorRunningState=S

I can only assume the service is being called before it is running which flags up the error but by the time I get in there with PuTTY it is running. so maybe that's a red herring.

I need to find what's calling getAcSourceIcon() and when it's getting called.

Yay, I finally got it working, my problem was "bindPrefix related.

My flow page now shows "Generator", and the generator icon, in the ac input tile when whichever digital i/o pin is set to generator input is switched to ground.

and otherwise shows whatever you set it to in settings>system setup menu of the gui.

Thanks again Kevin, you kept me going with this.

If anyone else wants to do something similar, here's my complete OverviewPage.qml code.

it relies on having either Kevin's (or my slightly different) version of-

/opt/victronenergy/dbus-generator-starter/startstop.py

and also removes the toolbar at the bottom of the flow page as it was annoying me.

import QtQuick 1.1
import "utils.js" as Utils
import Qt.labs.components.native 1.0

StackPage {
id: root
property variant acSourceName: [qsTr("Not available"), qsTr("Grid"), qsTr("Generator"), qsTr("Shore")]
property variant acSourceIcon: ["overview-ac-power", "overview-grid-power", "overview-generator-power", "overview-shore-power"]
property string bindPrefix: "com.victronenergy.generator.startstop0"//RB
property VBusItem runningStateItem: VBusItem { bind: Utils.path(bindPrefix, "/Generator0/GeneratorRunningState") }//RB
property string runningState: runningStateItem.valid ? runningStateItem.value : 0//RB
focus: active
width: Screen.width
height: Screen.height
showToolBar: false

/*
 * Determine direction of power flow, but ignore some noise
 * Typically used for directions of the arrows, 1W @ 230V -> 4mA RMS.
 * Since you don't want to overreact with the visual indication, only
 * some arbritary significant power is shown as power flow. A less
 * arbitrare choise would be to base it one the maximum or nominal power
 * flow of the connection... This function ignores some low power values
 * around zero, the flow function below returns the sign of it.
 */
function noNoise(power)
{
if (power === undefined || !power.valid)
return 0;

if (power.value < -30)
return power.value
if (power.value > 30)
return power.value

return 0;
}


function flow(power)
{
return Utils.sign(noNoise(power))
}

/* show "Generator" and generator icon when genny is running */


function getAcSourceIcon(type)
{
if (runningState == "R")//RB check if genny running
return "overview-generator-power"//RB
if (type === undefined)
return ""
if (type === 240)
return ""
return acSourceIcon[type]//  else get ac input device from settings
}


function getAcSourceName(type)
{
if (runningState == "R")//RB 
return "Generator"/RB
if (type === undefined)
return qsTr("AC Input")
if (type === 240)
return ""

return acSourceName[type]
}
}

I've discovered a strange bug in my system, I think I know where it's coming from but.... when I reboot my pi the generator runs for about 5 seconds during reboot. and if I shutdown (halt) the pi then the gen runs continuously until I remove power from the pi, not something I can live with obviously.

I have gpio 3 configured as the start/stop relay signal and this drives an opto-isolator which in turn switches a power transistor to switch the relay drives.

I suspect this is to do with hardware pullup resistors on the gpio lines.

from another furum- "When a Pi first boots, all Gpios are set to input, and GPIOs 0 to 8 have pull-ups enabled, the rest have pull-downs enabled."

So my solution should be to either use another gpio or add a 10k pull down resistor to my gpio output.

I'll try the 10k and see if it is enough of a pulldown......

Edit: fitted 10k pulldown and removed 1k8 pullup R23 from the pi board. gpio 3 is also used for I2c so has hardware pullups in gpio 2 and3 that are needed for that. but i'm not using I2C.

I thought I'd stick this in here as it will effect anyone using non standard gpios as digital outputs as a gen-start relay drive. the standard gpio21 relay output is not effected.

I also made modifications to startstop.py and TileManualStart.qml which replaces the manual generator run-time timer with "until charged".

This runs the gen by manual start until SOC>90% or until manually stopped.

This is allready available as an auto start function but I don't like auto starts.

I might change this so it just replaces the 1 minute timer with "until charged" and leave the timers available for >= 2 mins.