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Trevin Corkery avatar image
Trevin Corkery asked

Is VE.Direct hex discontinued?

With the firmware update v1.42 on MPPT charge controllers, they introduced new registers for settings:

  • Adjustable tail current


  • Adjustable re-bulk offset voltage


  • Adjustable automatic equalization


But seeing how the VE.Direct hex protocol hasn't been updated since 2018 I asked a sales representative if there is newer documentation out there and they told me to instead use the venus products for communication as "the hex protocol is not supported anymore." (Which I assume just uses the hex/text protocol anyways)


So is VE.Direct hex discontinued and no longer updated? Because to be honest that is the main reason I went with Victron to begin with over other competitors. The open and well-documented protocol.


VE.Directdocumentation
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Trevin Corkery avatar image Trevin Corkery commented ·

Hey, @Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) I was hoping maybe you could check with someone that works on the interface and let me know. I would use the CCGX for communication but not only do I not have any of the products, but it also seems limited on what I can control.

(I am currently developing software that uses VE.Direct hex to completely configure your Victron system [Will be released as open-source and will be put on GitHub])


Thanks, man, I appreciate it more than you know.

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Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) avatar image
Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) answered ·

Hi @Trevin Corkery

There is some distinction inside Victron between Supported, Unsupported, Depreciated and Discontinued. Though this can easily get confused.

The VE.Direct hex is still available and the documentation will be updated with the new features. Dealers and sales managers are not normally trained to help their customers with VE.Direct hex though.

When there is a change like additional MPPT settings, there are flow on consequences all through the product, firmware, software, documentation, testing, and training stack. It can be a lot of work even for a seemingly small change.

We do our best to get everything organised and up to date in the long run, though there are priorities. Some less used features are still available, but not fully supported* or fully documented.

Supported is a bit of a difficult term too. It can mean 'Victron tested it and it works', but can also mean 'I expect to get help from Victron to make it work'. In this case, it works, but Victron employees can not help to make it work.

Filling those gaps is part of the role of this community.

I will see if I can get you more information to help before the rest of the documentation gets updated.

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Trevin Corkery avatar image Trevin Corkery commented ·

Hey, I just want to say thanks for the response because that was actually really informative.

I made another post and mvander posted on it and let me know that the new updated documentation will be out in the next few weeks.

But I also appreciate you searching for the information and I am happy to hear back with what ever you find!

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Dr. Werner Sachs avatar image Dr. Werner Sachs commented ·

Also I can't find any HEX protocol reference to "Smartsolar MPPT RS 450". So I can't use this device in my system.

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Related Resources

VE.Direct protocol FAQ

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