EcoPVGX - DIY

Convert your own Growatt stick yourself

Instead of buying a ready-made EcoPVGX, you can convert the original Growatt stick (ShineWiFi-X), which you may already own, to the EcoSensors firmware yourself. For this the stick's firmware is replaced once via USB; afterwards it behaves like a ready-made EcoPVGX.

This page is aimed at hobbyists. If you received a ready-made EcoPVGX, you do not need it – the guide for you is EcoPVGX.

All steps are done at your own risk. If done incorrectly, the stick can be destroyed. The original Growatt firmware cannot be restored by us after the conversion because we do not have it. In principle, however, the stick can be flashed with the original firmware again.

Growatt ShineWiFi-X, back Growatt ShineWiFi-X, front

What you need

  • a Growatt stick (ShineWiFi-X, USB connector on the inverter, see the type plate on the back) – the page EcoPVGX lists which inverters it works with
  • a computer with a Chromium-based browser (Chrome, Edge, Brave …)
  • a USB extension cable (USB-A to USB-A)
  • pointed tweezers or a jumper to make a bridge; if needed a soldering iron and a pin header (see Setting the jumper)
  • the firmware file (see next section)

Download the firmware

  1. Log in to ecosensors.cloud and open the Firmware page.

  2. For the product EcoPVGX, download the "Complete image (initial installation)" there, in the desired variant:

    Variant For whom
    Standard ecosensors.cloud only
    -ha additionally local integration in Home Assistant

Do not take the "update file" (.ota.bin) here: it is only meant for sensors on which our firmware is already running. For the initial installation you need the complete image.

For advanced users: a checksum is shown for each file, with which you can verify that the download is complete and unmodified.

Conversion step by step

1. Open the stick

Press in the latches on the sides and pull the housing off the stick until the board is exposed.

Opening the stick (1) Opening the stick (2) Opening the stick (3)

2. Set the jumper

On the board you will find a header with three pins (marked in the picture). Place a jumper (bridge) here. It puts the stick into programming mode and must be closed before you plug the stick into the computer. It may stay closed during the entire update.

Setting the jumper

On some versions no pins are soldered in. In that case you can make the bridge temporarily, e.g. with pointed tweezers. Alternatively, solder in pins; for mounting in the housing they have to be bent slightly as shown.

3. Connect to the computer

Connect the stick to your computer with the USB extension cable – with the jumper set.

4. Flash the firmware

Flashing is done in the browser with the ESP Web Tool and is the same for all sensors of the Eco series. The steps with pictures are in the general guide, Way D:

  1. Open the ESP Web Tool, CONNECT and choose the stick's USB port
  2. select the downloaded file with SELECT, address 0
  3. PROGRAM and wait until 100 % is reached and Done! appears

5. Reassemble

  1. Disconnect the stick from the computer
  2. Remove the jumper (or release the bridge)
  3. Put the stick back together

Then plug it into the inverter and lock it.

6. Set up

The stick starts as soon as the inverter has PV power – i.e. in daylight. After about a minute it opens its hot spot ecopvgx-<ID>. From here the setup is the same as with the ready-made EcoPVGX:

  1. Set up WiFi
  2. Register the sensor
  3. Pair with Home Assistant – only for the -ha variant

Everything else, especially later firmware updates without removal, is in the guide EcoPVGX.

A look inside the stick

Some pictures of the stick's internals:

EcoPVGX internals EcoPVGX internals EcoPVGX internals EcoPVGX internals EcoPVGX internals

The button cell (CR1220) shown is not fitted in all models.