Setup and login
Start from the browser without SSH.
From an empty Raspberry Pi to your first energy reading.
A progressive guide to install HelioPulse, understand its architecture, connect devices and extend the platform with drivers.
Based on HelioPulse OS 1.7.0 Instructions aligned with the repository
Real product walkthrough
See the steps before you install.
The guide is illustrated with real screens from the live HelioPulse installation.
Live energy overview
Confirm the system is reporting production and consumption.
Driver editor
Create a Modbus driver from a JSON definition.
What HelioPulse has today
A local energy platform you can use now.
The current product combines live monitoring, local history, device management and safe operations on the Raspberry Pi.
Available today
Local-first monitoring
Keep telemetry and history on the appliance and continue operating on your local network without Internet.
Live telemetry with quality
See solar, consumption, battery, grid and device connection state through live WebSocket updates.
Historical analysis
Explore production, consumption, SOC, temperatures and phases from today to a custom range or one year.
Validated JSON drivers
Load, create and reuse declarative Modbus drivers without rewriting the panel.
Multi-device operations
Manage independent collectors, stable serial ports, device state and start/stop/restart actions.
Alarms and event timeline
Follow alarm transitions, acknowledge incidents and audit connectivity, configuration and collector events.
Daily and weekly reports
Generate deterministic reports with energy, anomalies, alarms and events; local AI is optional.
Health, backups and recovery
Inspect Raspberry resources, connectivity and diagnosis, then create backups and recover locally.
Responsive, multilingual UI
Use the panel on desktop or mobile with nine languages and light/dark themes.
Optional and advanced
Solar forecast
Compare expected and produced solar energy after configuring the PV array.
BMS over Modbus RTU
Register a compatible BMS as its own device and inspect cells, balancing, SOC, SOH, temperatures and cycles.
Mock mode
Generate synthetic telemetry from a driver to validate the UI without hardware.
Local AI for reports
Optionally download and activate a local model; deterministic reports remain available without it.
MQTT and Home Assistant
Publish to an optional broker with TLS and Home Assistant discovery.
Local automations
Use thresholds, schedules, alarms or events to publish MQTT, call webhooks or record events; dry-run is available.
Remote access and app OTA
Optional outbound tunnel access and signed application updates depend on configuration and connectivity.
Roadmap
Cloud sync
Not part of the current local workflow.
Driver marketplace
Manual driver loading exists today; a public marketplace remains future work.
Proprietary BMS protocols
CAN, BLE and non-Modbus JK-style protocols are not part of the current supported path.
Automatic inverter writes
Automation actions do not write inverter parameters in this version.
Full OS A/B rollback
Application OTA is available separately; full operating-system A/B rollback remains future work.
Prepare the appliance.
HelioPulse OS is a Linux image for Raspberry Pi designed for local energy monitoring.
Pi 4 with 4 GB or Pi 5 with 4/8 GB.
128 GB USB 3.0 SSD recommended or High Endurance microSD.
USB–RS485 adapter with galvanic isolation.
- 1
Download the stable release
Get the image and review the release notes from the public releases repository.
View all releases - 2
Flash the image
Use Raspberry Pi Imager or an equivalent tool. Select the downloaded file and the destination SSD or microSD.
- 3
Connect and power on
Connect storage, network, USB–RS485 adapter and the official power supply suitable for your Raspberry Pi.
Work with the system powered down
Wire RS485 according to the manufacturer's manual. Do not handle energized inverter connections.
Configure from your browser.
When the device appears on your network, open its local address and complete the wizard. HelioPulse stays operational even when Internet access is unavailable.
Local networkLocate the Raspberry Pi
Initial accountCreate secure credentials
First deviceDriver, port and slave ID
A local, modular platform.
Each device has an independent collector. A failure or restart in one inverter does not interrupt telemetry from the others.
Device
The inverter or BMS exposes data through its protocol.
Driver
Describes protocol, registers, scales and metrics.
Collector
Reads each device in an isolated, controllable process.
Panel
Consolidates telemetry, history, alarms and forecast.
The translator between your device and HelioPulse.
A driver is a declarative JSON file. It defines how to communicate over Modbus RTU and convert manufacturer registers into common HelioPulse metrics.
No executable code
The package describes data; it does not install arbitrary binaries on the system.
Validation before saving
The backend checks structure, protocol and registers before accepting the file.
Reusable
The same driver can be used with several compatible devices.
Start with the Modbus map.
You need the manufacturer's protocol manual and verified readings from a real device. The minimum schema requires an identifier, modbus_rtu protocol and at least one group with one register.
my-inverter-modbus.json Minimal example
{
"id": "my-inverter-modbus",
"name": "My inverter",
"manufacturer": "Manufacturer",
"models": ["Model A"],
"protocol": {
"type": "modbus_rtu",
"baud_rate": 9600,
"slave_id": 1
},
"register_groups": [{
"name": "battery",
"interval": "5s",
"registers": [{
"address": 256,
"name": "battery_soc",
"metric": "battery.soc_pct",
"unit": "%",
"scale": 1,
"signed": false
}]
}]
}Before publishing
- Use a stable, safe id for the file name.
- Confirm baud rate, parity, stop bits and slave ID.
- Verify address, sign, scale and unit for every register.
- Compare power and energy with the device's physical panel.
- Test disconnections and out-of-range values.
Activate it without SSH.
Upload the JSON
In Equipment → Drivers, select the file. HelioPulse validates the schema before saving it.
Register the device
Set a device ID, driver, persistent by-id port and a slave ID between 1 and 247.
Start the collector
Start or restart only that device and confirm that telemetry becomes active.
Controlled replacement
Uploading another file with the same ID updates the driver. Restart associated devices to apply the new definition.
What comes next.
This view communicates the project's current direction. Scope and order may change after technical validation and field testing.
v1.7Available
Intelligent local foundation
- Multi-inverter and panel drivers
- Reports with local AI models
- History, diagnostics and forecast
v1.8Projected
Driver ecosystem
- Marketplace and verifiable catalog
- Compatibility and driver versions
- Testing and publishing flow
- More inverter and BMS drivers
v1.9Under study
Reliable advanced operation
- Expanded observability and guided maintenance
- Broader multilingual coverage and consistency
- Advanced validation of battery readings across inverter, BMS and shunt
- Manufacturer-specific alarm decoding and richer multi-action automation
Primary-agent installationsDirection
Primary-agent installations
- Primary-agent architecture with a Raspberry Pi coordinator
- Raspberry Pi or ESP32 collector agents
- Cloud backups
- Multi-site installation management
- Grafana integration for custom dashboards
- Real-time notifications through user-configurable channels
Ready to install?
Download the stable release or review the source code and project evolution.