I Just thought that I could share my latest integration with Balbo hottuub. From the beginning I was using the original wifimodule and a python script for controlling my hot tubs. My wifi modules had really poor wifi performance and after reading some stuff on different communitys I found out that the wifi module only runs RS-485 via wifi. So i descided to buy two ethernet to rs485 converter and it all worked like a charm.
While living in Sweden we have the risk for tubs freezing and a combinatination with high energy prices last winter I had to rely on poor wifi performance for keeping my tubs safe for a reasonable cost.
Now this summer I also set a price for when my hottubs can heat for the momoment 0,001eur/kwh.
My choice of hardware landed on Waveshare RS485 to ETH (B) mainly because this device covered the necessary settings and had a wide voltage range for power supply and available model for PoE support.The cost for this device is approximatly 30Eur.
On the Home Assitant community you can also read about a MQTT bridge for balboa systems that could be used instead of pythons script, but for me the pythonscript are sufficent for all my needs.
Good input however using mqtt will also impact network performance I have had it up for 4 days and my ubiquti dream machine says that devices hasn’t used enough data to make statistics of.
I will post if I enqcounter LAN performance problems. I guess my solution and original wifi adapter will spam equally as much?
Yes, the original wifi adapter and your rs485 to Lan solution will produce the same load on the network, however, wifi being a shared medium, this hurts more.
Marcus, this is super cool! Thank you so much for sharing this!
Did you use the regular or POE version of the RS485 to Ethernet adapter? I noticed that the POE one has terminals for power in; do you know if the POE version need to be powered that way, or does it just get power from the Ethernet cable (assuming of course that I inject power on the other end of the cable)? I think I’d rather do that than have to pull power off the spa to power the adapter; I’d like to make as few connections to the spa as possible.
Thank you so much for your terrific post and for sharing your great work!
The network connection to the Balboa heater works fine. I have it integrated to home assistant using the bwalink and can control the device. With the pybalboa library i had some issues as that also tries to execute a command that is handled by the Balboa wifi module itself, not by the heater control box.
However, I am experiencing now issues with the tp500s top panel. If the waveshare module is connected from bootup, then the top module only prints the device info and then the screen becomes blank.
If i connect the waveshare after some minutes, then the display shows the temperature as expected, but now there are no responses to button presses.
Note that while the top module is not working as expected, the remote control works fine.
Anybody else that had such experiences? Any ideas how to resolve this (such that we can also use the top module if we want)?
I did use the regular and used power from pins in wifi module. Voltage was good for my waveshare eth to rs485 converters. Basicly one can connect power and data with molex connector reserved for wifi dongle.
