GridBallast

Open Source Water Heater and Plug Load Controller

Please see the full documentation here.

Controller Board

This is the main board that interfaces with the peripherals. The board integrate the following modules and features:

• ESP32
• U-Blox NEO-M8T GPS Timing Chip
• SX1276 Radio
• USB programming and debugging
• 2.4" OLED display
• 4 way navigation buttons
• Raspberry Pi connectivity
• 60Hz Frequency Monitor
• RS485 and I2C exposed interfaces
• 2000:1 current transformer input
• Amplified microphone input with phantom power
• Leak detector input

Interactive 3D View

Relay, CT, and Temp Board

This is the accessory board that has two onboard high-power relays, a current transformer, and two analog inputs for temperature sensors.

Interactive 3D View

CTA2045 and RS485 Board

This small accessory board holds the connector to support CTA2045 and other RS485 communications.

Interactive 3D View

Getting Started

1. Install the xtensa-esp32-elf toolchain by following the instructions here: http://esp-idf.readthedocs.io/en/latest/get-started/#setup-toolchain. Make sure the xtensa-esp32-elf/bin is added to your PATH.
2. Clone the repository

   $ git clone --recursive https://github.com/WiseLabCMU/gridballast.git
   

3. Setup the IDF_PATH environment variable by adding the following to your ~/.profile:

   export IDF_PATH="<path/to/gridballast>/Support/esp-idf"
   

4. Build the controller module

   $ cd Source/framework
   $ make
   

   In the framework configuration, navigate to "Serial flasher config" and select the default serial port. This can be determined by checking which device appears in /dev when the controller module is connected via USB. It should start with /dev/ttyUSB. Save and exit the configuration interface.
5. Flash the controller

   $ make flash