Sunny Boy Communication Manual
April 21, 2010
Version 1.00
Table of Contents
3……………………………………………………………..System Specifications
3……………………………………………………………..Preliminary Requirements
3……………………………………………………………..Errors in Communication
4……………………………………………………………..Communication Commands
System Specifications
The Sunny Boy model that is installed in the project room is a model 3000US. It is equipped
with an RS-485 communication module that allows communication through the SMA data
protocol. This protocol is implemented using the YASDI (yet another SMA data implementation)
API that was provided by the Sunny Boy manufacturer. This code is located in the Sunny Boy
directory on the fit pc.
Preliminary Requirements
Before communication with the Sunny Boy is possible, the RS-485 wires that are coming from
the Sunny Boy must be connected using an RS-485/422 to USB convertor which must be
connected to the fit pc. The connected device’s location must be tty/USB1, this can be verified
by typing the following command into the terminal on the fit pc:
>tail var/log/messages
This command will display where the most recent connected USB devices have been allocated to.
If it does not match tty/USB1 then the yasdi.ini file must be modified to match the allocated USB
number.
How to Communicate with the Sunny Boy
First, cd into the Sunny Boy Code directory located on the Desktop of the fit pc. Then cd into the
Communication_Code directory, then into the most recent version available (currently version 1).
Once there run the executable sunnyBoy to start the communication process.
Errors in Communication
If no Sunny Boy can be detected, there will be a message on the terminal that will explicitly say
that the program cannot find the device. If it is found it will display that the device has been
found.
Communication Commands
Once the initialization is complete the program will prompt the user for a channel name, a list of
known channel names and its return value are:
Error – Gives a number that corresponds to a specific type of error which can be found in the
documentation. A zero means there is no error.
E-Total – Returns the total energy in kWh delivered to the grid.
Fac – Returns the frequency of the AC voltage delivered to the grid
Iac- Returns the amount of current in Amps delivered to the grid
Ipv – Returns the amount of Amps being drawn from the PV array
Mode – Returns a number that corresponds to the mode of the system. This list is in the Sunny
Boy documentation
Pac – Returns the amount of power delivered to the grid in kW
Temperature – Returns the temperature in degrees Celsius
Vac – Voltage in Volts delivered to the grid
Vpv – Voltage in Volts currently being drawn from the PV array
This is a list of all currently known command for communication with the Sunny Boy. As more
are found, they will be added to the list.