This has been itching me a long time, from very start when I got my first blue box.
We all - both users and Victron support, seem to spend a lot of time with numeric parameters to match different products (inverters, batteries, solar panels, MPPT's, shunts etc) to work together. Looking for where that battery PDF and specs were, and then entering those voltages and currents into correct configuration dialogs via various user interfaces.
At the end of the day, all those are public information and ones and zeros. This could be simpler, easier, more accurate and lead to safer systems.
How about:
- defining a XML specification schema for each type of device
- writing a specfication data file for each device
- publishing them at Victron server via REST API for machine-to-machine use
- GX device would push correct settings to each device in its domain
Then users would choose device make and model which would be a lot easier than typing in all the numeric parameters that get lost in every update. There could be an option to deviate from factory settings with user override as there is already in some devices.
Victron could release new format versions and update the device data as new information would become available and when errornous information would be found and corrected.
These format versions and device specs would probably have to be released in bundles that could also be transported via usb-sticks for offline sites, just like firmware updates.
I've written XML schemas and it would suit well for this kind of application where different organizations (eventually) release information used by others and where cannot be different interpretations (judged by validation) of the same format.
The format defination would proabably be used across the industry once one company would create and start maintaining it. For example battery manufacturers would publish their specification files along the other documentation.
Juha
