Verbindung einer EasySolar 12/1600/70 mit einem Cerbo GX MK2

Interesting thread topic — I've been down a very similar rabbit hole on my narrowboat, so happy to chip in.

I've got a Victron EasySolar 24/3000/70 at the heart of my setup, paired with a Cerbo GX (the original, not MK2, but the principles are identical). Getting everything talking properly via VE.Direct and the VE.Bus took me longer than I'd care to admit.

A few things worth clarifying for anyone attempting this:

• The EasySolar already has a MultiPlus and MPPT built in, so you'll see them appear as separate devices on the Cerbo's device list — don't be alarmed, that's correct behaviour
• Your Orion 12/12-50 should connect via VE.Direct to one of the Cerbo's ports; make sure you're using a VE.Direct to USB cable if you've run out of native VE.Direct inputs (the Cerbo MK2 has more ports, which helps)
• The SmartShunt connects via VE.Direct too — critically, ensure it's configured as the battery monitor in VRM, otherwise the SOC readings will be all over the shop

One gotcha I hit: the MPPT inside the EasySolar cannot be independently updated via the Cerbo — you have to update the whole EasySolar unit via VE.Bus. Caught me out when I was chasing a firmware mismatch.

Has anyone successfully run a Cerbo MK2 with all four VE.Direct ports occupied simultaneously? I'm curious whether the MK2's additional ports cause any prioritisation issues in VRM dashboards, or whether it handles everything gracefully.

@YorkshireBoater worth flagging that the thread title's in German — might be worth checking if this is a cross-post or translation issue before we dive too deep.

That said, the EasySolar-to-Cerbo integration is generally solid in my experience. One thing I'd watch on the boat install specifically — the VE.Bus connection between the EasySolar's internal MultiPlus and the Cerbo can be fussy if your cabling run is on the longer side. Kept getting intermittent comms dropouts on mine until I shortened the cable considerably.

Also make sure you're on matching firmware versions across both devices. Victron's VRM portal will flag discrepancies but I've seen people chase phantom faults for days before realising the Cerbo firmware was lagging behind. Check via the Remote Console first.

What specifically are you trying to achieve with the Cerbo — monitoring only, or full ESS control?

@ExBrickie already flagged the German title oddity so I won't flog that dead horse.

@YorkshireBoater — on the EasySolar/Cerbo pairing, one thing that catches people out: the EasySolar's internal MPPT and inverter/charger both appear as separate devices on the VRM portal once the Cerbo sees them over VE.Direct and VE.Bus respectively. Took me an embarrassing amount of time to realise why my yield figures looked wrong — I was only reading one of them.

Make sure you're running a recent Venus OS version on the Cerbo. Older firmware had genuine issues polling both interfaces reliably on the 24/3000 variant specifically.

Also worth checking your VE.Direct cable length — anything over roughly 10m and you'll see intermittent dropouts that look like a config problem but aren't.

@YorkshireBoater curious about your Cerbo GX MK2 experience specifically — do you find the MK2 made a meaningful difference over the original Cerbo for monitoring? I've been considering adding a Cerbo to my own emergency backup setup and wondering whether the MK2 is worth the extra cost or if I'd be better off with a Color Control GX instead.

Also, does the EasySolar 24/3000/70 expose all its data cleanly through VRM, or are there any parameters that don't come through properly via the GX device? I'm still at the research stage and trying to understand whether I'd have full visibility of everything — charge state, inverter load, grid input — from a single dashboard.

@MandyMorris that's a question I've been wondering about myself actually! I've got a Cerbo GX (original, not MK2) in my motorhome emergency backup setup and it's been rock solid, but I keep eyeing the MK2 upgrade.

From what I've read, the MK2's main practical wins are:

• Built-in Bluetooth (no dongle needed)
• Faster processor — noticeable when the VRM portal is doing heavy logging
• Better long-term software support going forward

@YorkshireBoater — did you notice any meaningful difference in VE.Direct port handling? I've got three devices chained into mine and occasionally get dropout gremlins, wondering if the MK2 irons those out.

Would also love to know if the GX Touch 50 pairing felt snappier on the MK2 hardware. Thinking of doing the full upgrade before next summer's touring season.