Victron RS485 to USB interface | 5 m

Overview
The Victron RS485 to USB interface is designed to facilitate communication between Victron and third party products that use the RS485 communication protocol and devices with a USB port such as the Cerbo GX and Cerbo-S GX, or a computer/laptop.
In most grid-tied installations it is a necessary component, as it allows for Victron-compatible energy meters to communicate with the GX device in the system.

Plug-and-play
The interface is typically plug-and-play, meaning that it's easy to set up and use. When connecting to a Cerbo GX or another device running Venus OS, there’s no further configuration required.
Depending on the device, when connecting to a computer or laptop running the Windows operating system, additional drivers and/or software may be necessary (VictronConnect for example).

Energy meter applications
Venus OS, the operating system running on GX devices supports several types of energy meters from well-known and respected manufacturers such as Carlo Gavazzi and ABB.
Most of the Victron-compatible energy meters use an RS485 port for communication, making the Victron RS485 to USB interface a practical, low cost solution for connecting them to a GX device.
The role of the energy meters when used in a system with a GX device is to measure the output of a photovoltaic Inverter, an AC generator or as a grid metering device for Energy Storage Systems (ESS), though they can also be used to measure AC loads.

Pinout
The RS485 end of the interface comes with a full set of wires, including 5 V power (red wire) and termination wires (brown for Pin 1 and green for Pin 2).
However, in most applications only the orange cable for Data + (A on some devices), yellow cable for Data – (B on some devices) and black cable for Ground (GND) need to be connected.
Always refer to the manual of the device you’re connecting, as the wiring methods differ depending on the manufacturer and model.

Alternative options and other considerations
The Victron RS485 to USB interface is also available in a version with a shorter, 1.8 m cable length, but it is otherwise identical (P/N ASS030572018).
If it’s not possible to run a cable, a wireless alternative is available as well in the form of the Zigbee to USB interface (P/N ASS300420200) & Zigbee to RS485 interface (P/N ASS300420100).
These devices work as a pair and create a wireless bridge between RS485 and USB using the Zigbee wireless communication protocol.
Some Victron-compatible energy meters such as the Carlo Gavazzi EM24 also have an Ethernet port, making it possible to use a network connection instead of RS485.
While this is also an option, we do not recommend it, as the devices will disconnect if there are any issues with the LAN, potentially causing complications.