vaillant vrc 720 (15.ctlv3.csv) read RoomHumidity

[andreiandreiandreiandreiandrei]

Hi,

VRC 720 displays room humidity on its display, so I wonder if we can read humidity as we do with temperature. I discovered MaxRoomHumidity but it is not the actual humidity. I found some discussions and a definition like this:

r,,z1RoomHumidity,,,,,2800,,,EXP,,%,room humidity zone 1

I worte it in 15.ctlv3.csv, restarted, but it does not decode correctly. This is what I receive:

$ebusctl find humidity
ctlv3 MaxRoomHumidity = 40
ctlv3 z1RoomHumidity =  (ERR: invalid position for 3115b52406020000002800 / 00)

Can anybody help or guide how to write a decode for the response?

Thank you

[JonesGW-MGD]

Hi,

Firstly consider that I don't call myself an ebusd expert and I'm not particularly technical. Others may give you better guidance!

But to my mind it could be a few things. My VRC720f loads 15.700 at the moment and I don't have this field, although the controller, like yours, displays it.

First - start with the obvious which is that is not the correct telegram. Indeed while I've seen it in 'other' repositories, it is not in the 'official' one as far as I can see for any similar device so the consensus maybe that it just doesn't work and I've seen some other comments on another forum (in Dutch) that suggest it didn't 'work for them' too.

Notwithstanding this, I did a quick experiment taking your line.

I expanded it (since you should understand that in the file you found this line there was a 'default' line entry that preceded it. So if you simply just inserted the message line anywhere in your file, it may very well pick up a different set of defaults , so you'd get some nonsense back.) See: https://github.com/john30/ebusd/wiki/4.2.-Defaults

From the file where I think you might have found this, I combined the default (looks like it should be *r,,,,,,B524,02000300,,,IGN:4,,, and then your message line, and then loaded it directly using ebusctl:

(You can do this if you have --enabledefine as an ebusd start-up parameter)

ebusctl define -r "r,basv,z1RoomHumidity,z1RoomHumidity,31,15,B524,020003002800,value,,IGN:4,,,,value,,EXP,,,z1 Room Humidity"
response:
done

ebusctl read -f -V z1RoomHumidity
response:
basv z1RoomHumidity value=48 [z1 Room Humidity]

I then tried to hold the device in my hands (!) and affect humidity and it seems to correlate - somewhat - there is latency, even with the force read.

I'll capture the data for a while longer to see whether it looks more or less right or I conclude it is nonsense and post back here.

(Note your circuit identifier and ebusd master address ('basv' and '31' are/might be different so adjust accordingly if you try it yourself)

[andreiandreiandreiandreiandrei]

Hi,

It seems that we are closing. I replaced basv in your definition with ctlv3 and I have some results that looks ok:

ebusctl define -r "r,ctlv3,z1RoomHumidity,z1RoomHumidity,31,15,B524,020003002800,value,,IGN:4,,,,value,,EXP,,,z1 Room Humidity"

ebusctl read -V z1RoomHumidity
ctlv3 z1RoomHumidity value=75 [z1 Room Humidity]

The value is around the level I know for that room.
I am not at the location of the boiler so I can check with the displayed value, but I will be this weekend and I will check.

Meanwhile I'll study the documentation about the definition, as it is not clear to me the substitution order. I'll be back with the results. Thank you!

Regarding the .csv file autoloaded for the VRC 720, it is possible the system to do a difference between 720 versions. I have VRC 720/3:

address 15: slave #2, scanned "MF=Vaillant;ID=CTLV3;SW=0709;HW=3704", loaded "vaillant/15.ctlv3.csv"

As in repository there are .csv files for 15.ctlv2.csv and a link to the same file from 15.ctlv3.csv, I assume you have the first version of the controller.

[JonesGW-MGD]

I agree that after some hours, the values look sensible. I am able to manually manipulate the controller to effect quick large swings in humidity and the values on screen and from that value correlate, after a propagation delay within a range of between 45-73%.

If you feel likewise, you don't need to worry too much about the substitution order (and it took me a while of experimentation previously to figure out). Instead you can add the un-expanded line directly in your ctlv3 file - but you should take care to place it after the correct default and before the next one - essentially in the 'old' configuration repository (https://github.com/john30/ebusd-configuration/blob/master/ebusd-2.1.x/en/vaillant/15.ctlv2.csv) within this section:
# ##### zone 1 #####

Because the substitution prepends the default ID to the message ID you get '020003002800' which is what you need.

In the new repository (https://github.com/eBUS/ebus.github.io/blob/main/en/vaillant/15.ctlv2.csv), it looks like default lines are dispensed with altogether - probably because of the manner in which they are now generated from typespec sources. If you update to these files you can dispense with the circuit, and source/target addresses from the expanded line you used above and just insert that anywhere.

You are right - I have the VRC 720f/2. no idea what the difference is - perhaps only firmware. All SensoCOMFORTs look physically the same! But I also cloned my files over a year ago and before 15.ctlv2.csv was available.

(In my setup the SensoCOMFORT is of little 'user-value'. I effectively have 20 'micro-zones' with a VR50 TRV on each radiator which are individually programmed on the MyVaillant app. Each radiator can independently 'call for heat' and the VRC 720 simply shows the highest call for heat in the 'Desired Temperature' field. I have zigbee temp and humidity sensors in each room to manually calibrate an 'offset' because the TRV's sensors are too close to the radiator and so over-report 'room temperature'!)

[andreiandreiandreiandreiandrei]

Thank you for the guidance. I updated the definition to define '%' as measure unit so as HomeAssistant to draw a 2 dimensional graph. The new definition is:

r,ctlv3,z1RoomHumidity,z1RoomHumidity,31,15,B524,020003002800,value,,IGN:4,,,,value,,EXP,,%,z1 Room Humidity

For the moment, I initiate de definition in the ebusd start script.

The repository has 15.ctlv3.csv linked file to 15.ctlv2.csv. As you have 720/2, it would be nice if you use 15.ctlv2.csv instead of 15.basv.csv so as to confirm the complete compatibility for this definition for 720/2 (yours) and 720/3 (mine), maybe we push to official repository.

[JonesGW-MGD]

well, your modified version of this message certainly seems to work on my 720f/2. So no reason not to do/propose a PR to 15.ctlv2.csv?

At some point I'll update my configuration files but I'd want to compare 15.ctlv2.csv to 15.basv.csv (symlinked to 15.700.csv) line by line first - otherwise I might end up with orphaned sensors in HA!