outback_mate_rs232

Python API for Outback Power Systems Mate using RS232

This is a really simple python module to talk to a Outback Mate using python.

It is formatted as a python package, so after cloning, go to the directory above outback_mate_rs232. $ python3 -m pip install -e outback_mate_rs232/

Hardware required

• Outback Mate connected to Outback system
• RS232 cable
• RS232 to USB adapter

Data Access

In the Mate.data_raw data member, entries are keyed with the address of the inverter or charge controller. The data is as-arrived from the RS232 interface. If you don't want to use the user manual to interpret bit fields and error keys, instead use Mate.self.data_interp. Some of the fields are dictionaries of the error bitfields showing true/false for the error states.

Related projects

• pymate -> Python API that can emulate a mate
  • outback_mate_rs232 does not replace the mate, but instead uses the Mate's RS232 to receive data
  • Pymate will offer more features, but requiring soldering custom hardware
  • Pymate also has a RS232 module but its functionality is more limited than here

Limitations

• This module only reads data from RS232 and does not support any of the controls (yet)
• This module does not perform checksum error checking on the data

Further notes

• There are callbacks created for data arrival, data warnings and data errors. Rebind these as needed.