Victron Venus GX Devices

Victron GX Product Range

GX products are Victron's state-of-the-art monitoring solution. The family consists of the different GX products, and their accessories.

The GX-device lies at the heart of the system - providing monitoring, and operating as the communication-centre of your installation. All the other system-components - such as inverter/chargers, solar chargers, and batteries - are connected to it. Monitoring can be carried out locally and remotely - via the free-to-use Victron Remote Management portal (VRM). The GX-device also provides Remote firmware updates and allows inverter/charger settings to be changed remotely.

The Victron GX Family consists of these models:

  • Ekrano GX - Victrons latest  GX product with integrated 7 inch touchscreen. The successor to the Color Control GX.
  • Cerbo GX - The most commonly used GX communication product, available with optional GX Touch 50 or GX Touch 70 display screen.
  • Cerbo GX-S - Lower cost version of the Cerbo GX but without BMS-Can port, Tank and Temperature monitoring inputs. Available with optional GX Touch 50 or GX Touch 70 display screen.
  • Color Control GX - Victrons first released GX product, the CCGX has a colour display and physical buttons.
  • Venus GX - The Venus GX has more analog and digital IO, no LCD and is more cost effective than the CCGX.
  • CANvu GX - The CANvu GX is best for harsh environments - when its IP67 rating and touch LCD is a must.
  • Octo GX - EOL - The Octo GX is particularly suited to medium size installations which have many MPPT Solar Chargers, as it has 10 VE.Direct ports. (EOL)
  • Maxi GX - EOL - The Maxi GX has the most VE.Direct ports: 25. This is the GX device to use for large systems with many VE.Direct MPPT Solar Chargers. (EOL)
  • Multiplus-II GX - Inverter/Charger with GX inbuilt.
  • EasySolar-II GX - All-in-one Inverter/Charger/MPPT Controller with GX Inbuilt.

GX Devices and Third party compatibility

The GX product range also works with a range of third party manufactures.

Telstra 4G Wireless Modem

For internet connectivity, check out this low-cost Telstra USB Wireless Modem. 

 

11 Products Found

Comparison table
User interface  Ekrano GX Cerbo GX CCGX Venus GX CANvu GX MultiPlus-II GX and EasySolar-II GX
Appearance
Display 1024 x 600 LCD
built-in 7“ touchscreen

Optional touch display (16)

GX Touch 50
800 x 480
GX Touch 70
1024 x 600

 480 x 272 LCD
Display & 7 buttons		 no display 4.3“ touch- screen 2×16 character display
Remote Console yes
Buzzer yes no
Victron comm. ports Ekrano GX Cerbo GX CCGX Venus GX CANvu GX(12) MultiPlus-II GX and EasySolar-II GX
VE.Direct ports (always isolated) 3 (1) 2 (1) 3 (1) 1
VE.Bus
(always isolated)		 2 paralleled RJ45 sockets 2 paralleled RJ45 sockets
VE.Can yes
VE.Can 1 isolated
VE.Can 2 non-isolated		 yes - non isolated 2 paralleled RJ45 sockets – isolated depends (14, 23)
Other communication Ekrano GX Cerbo GX CCGX Venus GX CANvu GX MultiPlus-II GX and EasySolar-II GX
USB 2 USB Host ports 2 USB Host ports
& 1 power only port (21)		 2 USB Host ports 1 USB Host port
Ethernet 10/100 RJ45 socket - isolated except shield 1 port. isolation?(12) 10/100 RJ45 socket
WiFi built-in optional (2) built-in, but see (3) optional (2) built-in
Bluetooth Smart yes (17) no depends (23)
Micro SDcard slot SDHC cards up to max. of 32GB. (5) no no
Second CAN-bus port
(also features
BMS-Can (18))		 yes - see VE.Can no no yes - non- isolated no no
BMS-Can port (15) no yes no yes (14)
Built-in RS485 no
I/O Ekrano GX Cerbo GX CCGX Venus GX CANvu GX(12) MultiPlus-II GX and EasySolar-II GX
Programmable relay (7) 2 x NO/NC (8)
DC up to 30VDC: 3A
AC: 1A, 125VAC		 2 x NO/NC (8)
DC up to 30VDC: 6A
DC up to 70VDC: 1A
AC: 6A, 125VAC		 1 x NO 1 x NO/NC (8) 1x NO / NC n/a
Resistive tank level inputs 3 (9) 4 (9) no 3 (9) no
Temperature sense inputs 2 (10) 4 (10) no 2 (10) no
Digital Inputs 2 (22) 4 (22) no 5 (22) 1 (22) no
Performance Ekrano GX Cerbo GX CCGX Venus GX CANvu GX MultiPlus-II GX and EasySolar-II GX
CPU quad core dual core single core quad core
RAM 1GB 256MB 512MB 256MB 512MB
Max. VE.Direct devices (1) 25 15 5 6 4 25
Other Ekrano GX Cerbo GX CCGX Venus GX CANvu GX MultiPlus-II GX and EasySolar-II GX
Supply voltage 8 - 70 VDC 8 - 32 VDC powered internally, no external supply
Mounting Flush panel mounting or
blind hole mounting		 Wall or DIN rail
(35mm)(20)		 Panel Integration Wall mounting Panel Built-in
Outer dimensions ( h x w x d ) 124 x 187 x 29.8 mm 78 x 154 x 48 mm 130 x 120 x 28 mm 45 x 143 x 96 mm ?  
Operating temperature -20 to +50°C -20 to +70°C  
Battery backupped clock yes no yes
5V output no 1 A (13) no
Standards Ekrano GX Cerbo GX CCGX Venus GX CANvu GX MultiPlus-II GX and EasySolar-II GX
Safety IEC 62368-1 EN 60950 IEC 62368-1 IEC 62109-1
IEC62109-2
IEC62040-1
EMC EN 301489-1, EN301489-17
Automotive ECE R10-6 E4-10R-053535 ECE R10-6 no
Notes

  1. The listed maximum VE.Direct devices on the `Performance` section in above table is the total connected VE.Direct devices such as MPPT Solar Charge controllers. Total means all directly connected devices plus the devices connected over USB. The limit is mostly bound by CPU processing power. In relation to that, note that (a) connecting solar chargers over VE.Can is more efficient than connected over VE.Direct - and besides more efficient also makes for better communication wiring. For example, a Cerbo GX can perfectly handle 25 pieces of VE.Can Solar Charger, combined with 6 pieces of Fronius three phase PV Inverter and of course a three phase Victron system. And note (b) that CPU load is not only caused by connecting VE.Direct devices; there are also other factors. Connecting multiple PV Inverters increases the CPU load, especially when they are three phase. Enabling ModbusTCP increases the CPU load as well. Up to three or four three phase inverters can typically be monitored on a CCGX. Higher power CPU devices can monitor more.

  2. Though the CCGX has no built-in WiFi that functionality can easily be added by attaching a USB-WiFi dongle.

  3. The built-in WiFi in the Venus GX has a very low signal strength - unfortunately. It is strong enough to connect to a phone, tablet or laptop in order to access setup and monitoring. But to connect the Venus GX to the internet either use the built-in Ethernet port or add a USB-WiFi dongle. Make sure the Venus GX is running v2.06 or later - early shipments of Venus GX units ran v2.05.

  4. The hardware of the Venus GX and Octo GX includes a built-in Bluetooth Smart chipset which hasn't proved satisfactory. Bluetooth Smart for GX devices is coming soon but will not use built-in chipsets.

  5. Larger SD memory cards (SDXC) are not supported. SD cards can be used for two purposes:

    1. Logging data, see the Datalogging to VRM chapter in the GX manual for details.

    2. Updating firmware, see the Firmware update chapter in the GX manual for details.

  6. The second CANbus port is accessible via the GND, CAN-H and CAN-L terminals. Note that the port is not isolated. See Settings → Services in the GX device menu for configuring that port.

  7. The programmable relay can be set to act as an alarm relay, automatic genset start stop, or an on/off switch, and is controlled via the GUI and/or ModbusTCP.

  8. In the Venus and Cerbo GX hardware there are two relays. Currently, Relay 1 can be used for programming as an alarm relay, generator start/stop, tank pump, temperature controlled relay or manual operation. Relay 2 is available for programming as a temperature controlled relay or manual operation in the Relay menu of the GX (requires firmware 2.80 or higher).

  9. The tank level inputs are resistive and should be connected to a resistive tank sender. Victron does not supply tank senders. The tank level ports can each be configured to work with either European (0 - 180 Ohm); or US tank senders (240 - 30 Ohm); or to configure a custom Ohm resistance range between 0 Ohm and 300 Ohm.

  10. The Ekrano GX has two, the Cerbo GX four and the Venus GX has two temperature terminals. They can be used to measure & monitor all kinds of temperature-inputs. Temperature senders are not included. The required sensor is ASS000001000 - Temperature Sensor QUA/PMP/Venus GX. (Note that this is not the same as the BMV temperature accessory.). Temperature range is -20°C to +70°C. Actually it can measure up to 100°C, but the sensor is not made to withstand temperatures above 70°C long term. Note that this is intended as a crude temperature sensor, and not calibrated. A deviation of +/- 2°C is to be expected.

  11. Octo GX comes with a small Wifi antenna. You may remove and replace it with any other Wifi antenna having an RP-SMA connector.

  12. Requires the CANvu GX IO Extender and wiring kit

  13. The 5V output on the Venus GX can be used to power, for example, a USB hub. Note that its output is not current limited or otherwise protected, and it shares the internal power supply in the Venus GX: overdrawing from it will result in shutdown(s) of the Venus GX. It is recommended to install a fuse for prevention.

  14. The CAN-Bus port of the Maxi GX, MultiPlus-II GX and EasySolar-II GX is a BMS-Can port. It can only be used to connect to managed batteries such as Freedomwon, BYD, Pylontech, BlueNova, MG Energy Systems and others, at 500kbps. Note that some early production batches had a labelling mistake: the port was labelled VE.Can. Which -unfortunately- is wrong. The hardware does not meet the requirements for a VE.Can port; and therefor is BMS-Can only.

  15. A BMS-Can port is a port dedicated to be used for connecting managed batteries, such as Freedomwon, BYD, Pylontech, BlueNova, MG Energy Systems and others, only. It is not possible to connect Victron VE.Can products to that port. To connect such managed battery, use our VE.Can to CAN-bus BMS cable, and see Battery Compatibility documentation. Connect the side labelled 'VE.Can' into the BMS-Can/VE.Can port on the GX Device. And connect the other side to the battery. The baudrate of a BMS-Can port is fixed to 500kbps.

  16. The GX Touch connects to the Cerbo GX using a single cable; fixed permanently to the GX Touch, which on the other end splits into a USB and a connector for the video signal. Both need to be inserted into the Cerbo GX, taking one of the three USB ports. The USB part of the cable is used to power the GX Touch. The cable is 2 meters in length; and can not be extended in length.

  17. The Bluetooth feature of the Cerbo GX allows to configure its WiFi and Ethernet settings from within VictronConnect. Even though it can be used for wireless temperature monitoring, we recommend to use a USB Bluetooth adapter instead: the Bluetooth function in the Cerbo GX stops working when the internal temperature is too high. This applies for Cerbo GX units built up to and including serial number HQ2207. Units manufactured later (HQ2208 and later) do not require an additional USB Bluetooth adapter. Also note that this limitation does not apply to the Cerbo-S GX.

  18. The secondary CAN port, available on some GX devices as per table above, can be configured to be used as a BMS-Can port, as well as other profiles. For details, see manual.

  19. Cerbo GX power draw without GX Touch mounted: around 2.8W. With GX Touch connected, and backlight off: 3.8W. Backlight at max intensity: 4.8W

  20. DIN rail mounting requires additional accessory - DIN35 Adapter.

  21. On the Cerbo GX, the USB socket closest to the HDMI connector can only be used to power a GX Touch. That USB port can not be used for any data related functions such as VE.Direct to USB cables, USB-sticks, USB-GPS-es, or other common USB usages. It’s a power port only, no data.
    Future versions of Venus OS will disable all data related features of this port, so it should not be used for anything other than powering the GX Touch screen. Attempting to use this port for data purposes may lead to corrupted VRM data on USB sticks or unreliable communication to for example a Solar Charger when using a VE.Direct to USB cable.

  22. The digital inputs can be used for open/closed monitoring of alarms, for example doors, or fire- or bilge alarms. The digital inputs on the Ekrano GX and Venus GX can also be used for pulse counting. The digital inputs on the Cerbo GX and other devices are not able to do pulse counting. See product manual for electrical specifications of the digital inputs.

  23. Late 2021 / early 2022, the hardware of the MultiPlus-II GX and EasySolar-II GX product range has been updated. The update adds Bluetooth and changes the CAN-communications port from a limited 500kbps BMS-Can only type to a full featured VE.Can port (non-isolated). Status per model, updated 2022-10-04:

    1. MultiPlus-II GX 24 3kVA; per HQ2231. Not shipping yet

    2. MultiPlus-II GX 48V 3kVA; per HQ2124, Ships from Australia, Spain, Netherlands and South Africa warehouses.

    3. MultiPlus-II GX 48V 5kVA; per HQ2220. Not shipping yet.

    4. EasySolar-II GX 24V 3kVA; introduced per HQ2203. Ships only from the Dutch warehouse

    5. EasySolar-II GX 48V 3kVA; per HQ2229. Ships only from Spain and SA warehouses

    6. EasySolar-II GX 48V 5kVA; per HQ2220. Ships from all warehouses.

  24. Non-Bluetooth GX devices require a USB Bluetooth dongle to enable the Bluetooth sensors

  25. Ekrano GX power draw in detail: Display on 6.2W @ 12V | 6.6W @ 24V | 7.4W @ 48V Display off 2.6W 12V | 3.0W @ 24V | 3.7W @ 48V

 

 

Connecting a Venus GX Device Online