75/15 MPPT and insufficient PV error with Firmware 1.59 issue

Question

question

David Kennedy asked Aug 28, '22

75/15 MPPT and insufficient PV error with Firmware 1.59 issue

Hi folks,

I have a victron 75/15 MPPT hooked up to a 160w panel and 200ah AGM leisure battery, the system has been working flawlessly for years, battery replaced when needed but no issues at all, however, suddenly after upgrading to firmware version 1.59 I constantly get the insufficient PV error.

I have tried using a different panel, and different battery to no difference, having discussed this on Reddit in the victron community there,‘I’ve come across two others who also seen the same issue after upgrading to 1.59

Is there anything I can do about this, have victron issued any statements about faulty firmware, or is there a way for me to roll back to previous version which worked without any issue at all?

MPPT Controllers MPPT SmartSolar firmware update bug report

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Modifications Space

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Answer 1 · 2022-08-28T14:35:49Z

Alexandra answered · Aug 28, 2022 at 02:35 PM

@David Kennedy

I have a 75/15 has been running the 1.59 for a while with no issues.

Suggest checking you panel.

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David Kennedy commented · Aug 28, 2022 at 02:40 PM

Panel fine, has been tested, battery also been replaced and fine, have tried using a secondary panel too and same issue, wasn’t sure what was going on as no fuses out, multimeter reading output from panel fine, then others noted they had the same issue since 1.59 so that seems to be the common thread.

Only thing I haven’t replaced is the MPPT so I guess that’s next if nobody has a solution, approached victron for help who told me to speak to local dealer, then local dealer told me to speak to victron, who again told me to speak to local dealer so… great customer support

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Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) ♦♦ David Kennedy commented · Aug 29, 2022 at 06:49 AM

Hi @David Kennedy,

I always hate to hear about finger pointing when things don't go well.

Did you open a support ticket here?

If your MPPT is not working, then the best thing to do is resolve it with your dealer as a warranty claim.

They will want to test to see if they can reproduce the issue on their test bench (to rule out an installation issue) and be sure it is the MPPT at fault. Once it is confirmed to not be working on their test bench - they should quickly replace it with a known working unit.

If the MPPT DOES work on their test bench, but still not in your installation then it gets more complicated to work out the cause - we have a book to assist with this called wiring unlimited - Wiring-Unlimited-EN.pdf - and of course an experienced installer should also be able to identify any installation issues.

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Answer 2 · 2022-08-28T14:51:17Z

nickdb answered · Aug 28, 2022 at 02:51 PM

Have you verified all the settings are what they should be?

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David Kennedy commented · Aug 28, 2022 at 03:06 PM

Yeah, settings as per battery manufacturer are as follows:

Float: 13.8

Cycle 14.8

Same as was there before, values didn’t change after the firmware update but instantly after doing the update it suddenly stopped working and giving me error #OR1 but having checked panel, wires, fuses and mppt with multimeter everything is fine, and again, was working perfectly prior to updating firmware.

Issue began the second firmware update was complete

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Answer 3 · 2022-08-28T15:29:06Z

nickdb answered · Aug 28, 2022 at 03:29 PM

If it never works, it may just be coincidental that it occurred during the update. If you are absolutely certain that the panels are spot on, you may have to take it to a repair center to test it for you.

If it does still work just not as often then the fault is most likely still external.

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David Kennedy commented · Aug 28, 2022 at 03:34 PM

I thought it was coincidental until two others on the victron subreddit also had the same issue, also as soon as they updated to 1.59

Two of the three of us are running 160w panels too, so it seems more like a firmware issue?(waiting on panel confirmation from third person still)

I have been monitoring it every hour for days now asides from when I’m sleeping and it’s always the same result

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Answer 4 · 2022-08-28T16:42:13Z

andy-h answered · Aug 28, 2022 at 04:42 PM

Hi David... It was me who posted up on reddit.

I have the same issue and I can say with 100 percent certainty this was the 1.59 upgrade that did this..

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andy-h commented · Aug 29, 2022 at 08:29 AM

Here's the summary screen as well.

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Answer 5 · 2022-08-28T16:47:13Z

andy-h answered · Aug 28, 2022 at 04:47 PM

My issue occurred immediately after I upgraded my firmware.

My panel is fine and showing 25.9v earlier when read using multimeter at cable end.

I have a raspberry pi running venus, invertor, smart shunt and orion-tr smart dc-dc charger

I am certain this is a firmware issue

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David Kennedy commented · Aug 28, 2022 at 09:47 PM

Hey Andy, thanks, think people here were thinking I was insane, I’ve tested panel, battery, even replaced battery and hooked up to a friends solar panel after a lot of faffing (luckily he was mid conversion so less faffing for him) and always the same result.

Problem 100% started after 1.59 upgrade

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Answer 6 · 2022-08-28T17:06:25Z

kevgermany answered · Aug 28, 2022 at 05:06 PM

I've reported it for you.

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David Kennedy commented · Aug 28, 2022 at 10:45 PM

Thanks Kev, would be good to know how I go about doing this, victrons site told me to speak to local victron dealer, I called them and they told me I need to speak to victron direct

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kevgermany ♦♦ David Kennedy commented · Aug 30, 2022 at 04:16 AM

All Victron service and support is through the dealers. Victron don't expect you to seek out a service centre which may be quite a long way away. Also see @Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) reply earlier with link.
Most of us here are customers, like you, but there is occasional Victron input.

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Answer 7 · 2022-08-29T03:51:36Z

ericloe answered · Aug 29, 2022 at 03:51 AM

I am the third person from reddit. 130 watt panel and I can reproduce this on multiple 75/15 running 1.59. It works fine for a while then the PV voltage starts showing .1v less than the current battery charge.

I’ve only reproduced the issue with one of my 3 panels. But i am also certain it started the day after the firmware upgrade. It was working flawlessly for 3 months prior.

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Answer 8 · 2022-08-29T06:39:33Z

Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) answered · Aug 29, 2022 at 06:39 AM

Hi all,

Thanks for the reports.

First to re-assure, this 1.59 firmware version has been out now for over 12 months and installed in millions of solar chargers - we are quite sure it stable and reliable.

BUT to rule it out as the cause we need to get a bit more information.

Can everyone who is experiencing issues that they think might be related to this firmware version take the following screenshots in VictronConnect and post them here:

Summary

History

Settings -> Battery

Settings -> Product Info;

victronconnect.png (244.0 KiB)

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ericloe commented · Aug 29, 2022 at 08:59 PM

Hi Guy,

Here is todays graph where the voltage is fine until around midday and then drops to match nearly the battery voltage. First is highlighting working, then not working, then turning off the shore power and matching battery voltage drop. And also the screenshots you asked for.

I have bypassed the switch between the panel and mppt as well is redone the solar wire splices. And Ive checked the mc4 connectors for corrosion and made sure they’re tight. With the controller off i am seeing 22 volts from the panel. I have also found that sometimes disconnecting the panels for an hour or two i can get the charge to come back and it happily produces 75-100 watts until this issue occurs again.

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ericloe ericloe commented · Aug 29, 2022 at 09:00 PM

….

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ericloe ericloe commented · Aug 29, 2022 at 09:01 PM

….

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Answer 9 · 2022-08-29T07:34:21Z

andy-h answered · Aug 29, 2022 at 07:34 AM

Thank you Guy.

I can't quite believe it but I am getting some charge this morning. The only thing I have done is placed the battery on charge via pms mains hookup over last 18 hours.

The upgrade was done 6 days ago

2 days ago I was driving so the battery was being charged by the orion I guess

I also disconnected the battery yesterday and that will explain the 3.96 min. At that point I was getting some readings from the solar, albeit not 5v+ over 12v

Thanks

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Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) ♦♦ commented · Aug 29, 2022 at 08:30 AM

Hi @Andy H,

Thanks for posting those - so there is a noticeable drop in max solar voltage 6 days ago, and then only a trickle of power.

Make sure there isn't any obstructions on the panels themselves, either casting shadows or bird droppings or something like that.

The next most common cause for this is a bad connection somewhere. Could you please check all the connections,

Then check any fuses, switches or junctions between the MPPT and the panels.

Then re-terminate (remove, re-strip, re-insert) the PV connections that go into the MPPT (make sure that everything is safely isolated first!!)

If it's also possible to re-check the connections at the panel side - though these are typically MC4 and sealed up, so a visual and a wiggle is about all that can normally be done.

This will then hopefully eliminate those most common causes, either by fixing the issue, or by having no effect, so we can investigate further.

As always, never do anything you are not confident with regarding electrical, height safety! Please have someone around if you are experienced, or get in touch with someone to help you if you are not.

If you haven't already - please have a read of this book wiring unlimited which demonstrates some best practices regarding clean wiring terminations on page 28 - https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Wiring-Unlimited-EN.pdf

Best of the luck and hoping for a quick solution!

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andy-h Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) ♦♦ commented · Aug 29, 2022 at 04:40 PM

Thanks for reply.

I have already checked the connections between panel and mppt. Confident there's no issue there.

The external fuse is also fine.

Given the fact others are experiencing almost exactly the same issues within a short period of time, can I ask whether this firmware release 1.59 hasn't been reissued (I know you said its been out for a year).

Is there a way I can load an older firmware via my vrm

Here's today's graph. It worked this morning and then stopped and working again now...

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Answer 10 · 2022-08-29T08:27:37Z

andy-h answered · Aug 29, 2022 at 08:27 AM

I have gone to check again and it's not working again...

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Answer 11 · 2022-08-29T16:55:49Z

andy-h answered · Aug 29, 2022 at 04:55 PM

@Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) I also found @Ericloe comment on reddit interesting...

https://www.reddit.com/r/Victron/comments/wt4iyq/mppt_7515_not_charging/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

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Answer 12 · 2022-08-30T09:43:48Z

Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) answered · Aug 30, 2022 at 09:43 AM

Hi @Ericloe, @Andy H, @David Kennedy and anyone else who suspects a 75/15 SmartSolar MPPT fault caused by the v1.59 firmware update.

I am attaching a previous firmware version v1.56.

Please see here for the instructions for how to use a self-supplied firmware update - https://www.victronenergy.com/media/pg/VictronConnect_Manual/en/firmware-updates.html

You will need to unzip to extract the .DUP firmware file first - let me know if this is an issue and I can organise the .DUP without requiring the unzip.

It would be great if you could be somewhat scientific with how you approach further testing.

Ideally the systems are on VRM, and you'd be willing to let me know the system names.

It would also be very useful if you could do a screen recording of the entire procedure, showing the behaviour before, doing the update and then after. Otherwise screenshots.

Also please report back again after 24 hours, so we can see if there are any changes after a complete cycle.

Looking forward to hearing your results!

Solar Charge Controller MPPT 75-15 SMART v1.56_A053.dup.zip

solar-charge-controller-mppt-75-15-smart-v156-a053.zip (43.2 KiB)

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andy-h commented · Aug 30, 2022 at 10:02 AM

Thanks Guy - I will try this out in the next few days, (away from the van for work at the moment)

Really appreciated.

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Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) ♦♦ andy-h commented · Aug 31, 2022 at 10:30 AM

Hi @Andy H and @Ericloe,

Please check your emails.

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Answer 13 · 2022-08-31T09:09:36Z

mickymac answered · Aug 31, 2022 at 09:09 AM

Hi @Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) I'm also seeing similar issues with a Bluesolar 150/35. Is it also possible to get the older version (1.56) linked for this one as well?

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nickdb ♦♦ commented · Aug 31, 2022 at 09:18 AM

You're describing a very different issue on different hardware to this thread. It is unlikely to be related.

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Answer 14 · 2022-09-01T15:38:59Z

andy-h answered · Sep 01, 2022 at 03:38 PM

Hi @Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) I was able to put the 1.56 firmware on, but am still seeing the issue occuring

Essentially I did the downgrade of firmware via VRM, but obviously I cant change any settings from (not that I was going to) from the Victron app as you get the message "Settings disabled, Update to the latest firmware is required in order to view, modify, load or save settings"

You can see the graph below shows I was getting a small amount of solar in this morning, and then its dropped off completely. Yes the battery is almost fully charged and its not a "Sunny" day, but would be expecting there to be something going in.

Once I get the drop off, the MPPT seems to think voltage isnt above 12.5v but the panel says otherwise when read directly via multimeter. There is no shading of the panel from trees etc

I know you have emailed directly and I appreciate that, but prior to following up on those actions, I wanted to post here in case theres something else you wish for me to look at or you can access the VRM

Thanks

Andy

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Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) ♦♦ commented · Sep 01, 2022 at 10:42 PM

Thanks for trying @Andy H, I think it’s time we get this one back to Victron labs for further testing.

We’ll handle the rest of the details via email.

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andy-h Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) ♦♦ commented · Sep 02, 2022 at 03:29 PM

Thanks Guy, my only hesitation is its a right pain getting this unit out of the van as its right up in a tough spot to work on! I can do so, but was hoping I could avoid.

The other thing I have done today is quite interesting, I set the SOC via the BMV as 90% last night, and the unit has been working flawlessly until it gets to 100% SOC and then swicthes itself off. No float or absorption

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Answer 15 · 2022-09-06T00:58:59Z

mickymac answered · Sep 06, 2022 at 12:58 AM

I've had a small win, but then even more confused. I've found that my issue can be cured by having a fan blowing onto the 150/35 unit and since doing so, haven't had the same issues since.

Prior to the fan I did think it was very warm but not scorching hot, but must have been enough to throttle the charge controller down to basically nothing. I'm almost wondering if it must be reading the wrong temperature reading from it's internal sensor.

I'm pretty disappointed that I have to try and permanently retrofit a fan solution to my quite expensive Victron MPPT controller but just glad at least I now know what's going on.

Just providing the update in case it helps others. - Still running the 1.59 firmware.

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Answer 16 · 2022-09-06T12:50:55Z

andy-h answered · Sep 06, 2022 at 12:50 PM

Hi @Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) any update on the email I sent to you please? Pretty much seeing this unit is misbehaving so would like to get it sorted. Thanks

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Answer 17 · 2022-09-06T18:18:33Z

David Kennedy answered · Sep 06, 2022 at 06:18 PM

Hey @Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager)

Apologies for me taking so long, I am disabled and had to get help getting to the mppt, but I have, even though I couldn’t really afford it, bought a new 75/15 and plugged it in and it works perfectly.

For whatever reason, whether coincidental or not, upgraded to 1.59 on the previous one, just killed it, the new one, plugged into exact same system, same battery same panel, everything is working, obviously I’m going to keep the new one now but should there have been any sort of warranty on the original one and if so can I send it somewhere for you to have a look at, appreciate I’ve already spent £100 or thereabouts on a new mppt, but would appreciate you looking at what happened to the original one and why it stopped working at 1.59, and if possible, reimbursement for the faulty product would be appreciated.

Screenshot of new mmpt in place and not getting the charger off error despite rest of setup being exactly the same, so mppt is failure point, immediately after update as mentioned before

Let me know and sorry it has taken me so long to reply, not easy for me to do this stuff and had to wait for a friend to help

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David Kennedy commented · Sep 06, 2022 at 09:01 PM

Hey Andy, I took a gamble and spent money I didn’t really have to get a replacement 75/15 and it works fine, it came with 1.59 already installed and no issues, working fine with same panel and battery that refuse to work on mppt that died immediately after the update.

Really seeming like whatever is happening during that update process is bricking the units as literally nothing has changed in my setup but the replacement mppt and works perfectly, and again, previous one worked flawlessly until the update.

So whilst it may not be v1.59 itself actually causing the issue, it looks like it’s something happening during the update procedure itself?!

Either way hoping I can be reimbursed as I’ve had to spend to even answer that question only to find out I now have a mysteriously dead unit that 100% happened immediately after the 1.59 install

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mvader (Victron Energy) ♦♦ David Kennedy commented · Sep 19, 2022 at 11:16 AM

Hi David, good to hear a new one sorted it. Just like it looks like happened to @Andy H, see below.

I'll send you an email to take care of the reimbursement.

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mvader (Victron Energy) ♦♦ mvader (Victron Energy) ♦♦ commented · Sep 19, 2022 at 11:21 AM

ps. this Q&A is becoming a pain to read and follow. So to keep it a bit together I've moved your comment here, to be an answer to your own question. Pls make sure to add additional comments/answers here - thanks!

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andy-h mvader (Victron Energy) ♦♦ commented · Sep 19, 2022 at 11:44 AM

I don't think it has sorted the issue for me. Yesterday I had issues. Today's its been fine. @David Kennedy is yours definitely working every day?

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David Kennedy andy-h commented · Sep 19, 2022 at 01:11 PM

Hey Andy, every day without fault, only difference being this new unit arrived with 1.59 already installed, and based on what I have experienced, I don’t think I’m ever going to upgrade the firmware again after this.

Mentioned on Reddit to you also, but definitely looking like the issue is caused *during* the remote update via Bluetooth rather than the update itself as I’m guessing the units with 1.59 installed at factory are done so wired rather than wirelessly.

Seems to be a software issue or some other problem with communication between devices during it at a guess

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mvader (Victron Energy) ♦♦ David Kennedy commented · Sep 19, 2022 at 01:40 PM

Hi, something going wrong during the update is a possibility. Do note that literrally 100.000's of MPPTs have been updated in the field to 75/15.

With which I'm not saying that there is no bug, instead, what I'm saying is that if there is a bug, its one that has a very rare occurrence.

Regardless: please to all of you David, Andy, Eric, reply to the emails send by myself and/or a colleague, and get your faulty units to us. So far what I'm having here is dozens or more messages, but nothing to analyse in the lab.

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andy-h mvader (Victron Energy) ♦♦ commented · Sep 19, 2022 at 03:59 PM

Thanks for taking time to reply.

I will get the unit back ASAP as I emailed support earlier.

Andy

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David Kennedy commented · Sep 15, 2022 at 03:40 PM

Hello @Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) can I get a response from you on this please?!

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David Kennedy commented · Sep 15, 2022 at 03:40 PM

@Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager)

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Answer 18 · 2022-09-15T12:08:14Z

andy-h answered · Sep 15, 2022 at 12:08 PM

Heres my update...

New mppt received recently and just fitted. It mandated the firmware upgrade (so I did that) - and now have exactly the same issue.

1. My Panel is reading circa 25v right through to the very end connection. It is absolutely not the wiring from panel to mppt.

2. When I plug it into the mppt, the mppt will not go above 13v-14v.

3. Its very obvious as well that the MPPT starts to work early in the day, but then drops off. This isnt a shading issue, the mppt simply seems to report a different V to me reading directly from a Digital Multimeter)

This leads me to assume that the mppt is failing, or the mppt has logic to not go above the current 13-14v based on infromation its getting elsewhere ie battery health, teh raspberry pi, bmv-712

I will also reitterate that the setup was working perfectly up until I did the 1.59 upgrade and it immediately started these issues.

I understand that many installs of this in the wild and they dont have this issue, but I find it very odd that a few of us reported the issue (after we did the firmware upgrade)

Very happy to allow VRM access to Tech support - as at this stage I dont have any real options left.

any help very much appreciated.

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klim8skeptic ♦ commented · Sep 15, 2022 at 12:51 PM

3. Its very obvious as well that the MPPT starts to work early in the day, but then drops off. This isnt a shading issue, the mppt simply seems to report a different V to me reading directly from a Digital Multimeter

Did you notice that the Vmp dropped once the Imp spiked?

Looks like a faulty panel, or a high resistance joint in the array wiring.

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andy-h klim8skeptic ♦ commented · Sep 15, 2022 at 02:03 PM

I not really sure what that means. But to clarify the mppt surely must be getting the same v as I am reading, yet its not showing it.

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klim8skeptic ♦ andy-h commented · Sep 15, 2022 at 02:14 PM

But to clarify the mppt surely must be getting the same v as I am reading,

After 8am your mppt measured 12 (ish) volts. What did you measure at the mppt's PV terminals?

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andy-h klim8skeptic ♦ commented · Sep 15, 2022 at 02:44 PM

25v ish. This is consistent throughout the day. and starts to drop when shaded or as night time approaches.

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Answer 19 · 2022-09-17T12:53:41Z

castie answered · Sep 17, 2022 at 12:53 PM

Hi all,

I am also having the same issue as described by others above.

Mines been charging fine for months. Gone away this weekend, did the update and haven’t had any charge since.

It was charging fine this morning until I ran the update. That’s what you see on the graph, and then nothing since.

I’ve also tried rolling back the firmware to 1.56 to no avail. Seems like the damage is done?

Regards

Chris

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andy-h commented · Sep 17, 2022 at 03:51 PM

When I tried going back to 1.56 I had same issues.

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Answer 20 · 2022-09-17T15:46:30Z

andy-h answered · Sep 17, 2022 at 03:46 PM

Hi @castle

So when you look at status it's not doing anything?

My new mppt has worked fine today. So am hopeful it's sorted for me... But will see how it fairs over week. I think there's some condition that's being set to stop it working, and then it resets itself and works again. Here's today's activity showing it working better than anytime since the upgrade

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castie commented · Sep 17, 2022 at 03:56 PM

Hi,

I tried rolling back the firmware which didn’t make a difference. Now back at the latest. It seems intermittent.

It randomly started working an hour or so ago, but had stopped again now (even though we have glorious sunshine on the panel)

I’ve added a pic of the status.

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andy-h castie commented · Sep 17, 2022 at 04:02 PM

Feel for you. Same issue as us.

May I ask what size panel you have?

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Answer 21 · 2022-09-18T12:13:48Z

andy-h answered · Sep 18, 2022 at 12:13 PM

Today my mppt has remained off despite being in sun.

I would say this problem is going to be tricky to solve.

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klim8skeptic ♦ commented · Sep 18, 2022 at 12:25 PM

Today my mppt has remained off despite being in sun.

There is the problem.

You are supposed to put the PV panel in the sun. And the MPPT in the shade.

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andy-h klim8skeptic ♦ commented · Sep 18, 2022 at 12:40 PM

Chuckle... You know what I mean

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Answer 22 · 2022-09-24T23:27:13Z

stuart-browning answered · Sep 24, 2022 at 11:27 PM

Hey all, I've just gone to connect my solar up yesterday and my 75/15 has prompted me for an update. After update, having the same issue as all of you. No charging!
State switches from "off" to "BULK" and controller recognizes solar voltage but there is no "current" registering.

Never had any issues in the past 3 years, the mppt controller is barely used as its in my 4 wheel drive and not needed unless we go away on a trip.
12v setup and I've tried a few different solar panels now (200W house panel and 160w solar blanket) both have the same effect.

read all through these forums last night and rolled back the firmware to 1.56 and there was no change.

I'm in Australia and dealers here are few and far between.
By the looks of all these other people with issues I'm hoping Victron can revise a firmware update for us quickly to un-brick these devises.

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andy-h commented · Sep 25, 2022 at 05:30 AM

I have sent my unit back to victron so hopefully they will observe the issue and be able to fix it. Fingers crossed

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stuart-browning andy-h commented · Sep 26, 2022 at 08:01 AM

I may have to do the same...

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Answer 23 · 2022-09-29T14:25:59Z

andy-h answered · Sep 29, 2022 at 02:25 PM

@mvader (Victron Energy) @Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) Any update at all (i know you only had the unit a couple of days so completely understand if not)

Thanks

Andy

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Answer 24 · 2022-10-09T04:09:01Z

mickymac answered · Oct 09, 2022 at 04:09 AM

Hi @mvader (Victron Energy) is there any update to this, because I've updated to 1.61 and still have the same issues.

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Answer 25 · 2022-10-11T05:42:00Z

andy-h answered · Oct 11, 2022 at 05:42 AM

So @Stuart Browning, myself and @mickymac still having this issue.

My units back with victron and whilst they say the unit looks fine, there's clearly still an issue affecting us only.

Hoping we can get more info on what else we might try.

Thanks

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stuart-browning commented · Nov 05, 2022 at 10:19 AM

I haven't touched mine or even driven my car since commenting here.

If there is now a 1.61 update I'll see if that changes anything.

Ill take another look tomorrow. Also plan on hooking up a different battery too to rule that out.

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Answer 26 · 2022-10-11T05:54:16Z

mickymac answered · Oct 11, 2022 at 05:54 AM

Thanks @Andy H I've ended up having to go back to the 1.59 firmware as I've noticed massive mppt issues since the 1.61 update.

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nickdb ♦♦ commented · Oct 11, 2022 at 06:52 AM

There is nothing in the firmware change apart from work on battery voltage sensing:

Improvements:

- Improve battery voltage auto-detect corner cases, by completely eliminating the chance of a charger running with an auto-detect pending after the next restart or power cycle. Three changes: (1) in case the charger can’t detect the battery voltage, because no battery voltage is present at power-up on the battery terminals, select 12V. (2) after doing a restore settings to default, perform an auto-detect after 10 seconds. The 10 seconds is to allow a distributor to power down the product in order to leave the product as if its fresh from the factory. (3) Models without load-output would do an auto-detect only if there is PV present. This is changed: auto-detect happens always within 10 seconds after power-up, unconditionally and same for all models.

- SmartSolar Control display: no longer show the battery voltage setting on the display at first power-up, to simplify the process and interaction with auto-detect. The setting is still available in the settings menu.

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Answer 27 · 2022-11-07T06:26:43Z

stuart-browning answered · Nov 07, 2022 at 06:26 AM

Still not working. PV is putting in more than enough voltage. Mppt is changing from "off" state to "bulk" however no current is being transferred. Have gone back to firmware 1.56 with no change.

screenshot-20221107-171430.jpg (291.1 KiB)

screenshot-20221107-171245.jpg (342.7 KiB)

screenshot-20221107-171325.jpg (276.9 KiB)

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Answer 28 · 2022-11-08T19:56:02Z

amplituded answered · Nov 08, 2022 at 07:56 PM

I have exactly the same symptoms everyone else here is having. PV is roughly 0.1V lower than the battery, no power going through. Problems seem to have started after the update was pushed (1.59). The setup is a VW Grand California, PV, fuses, cables, connections checked or replaced, everything seems to be ok. Next step - getting a Votronic charger sent, that should fully isolate the issue. (MPPT fault or not). Will update once test complete.

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Answer 29 · 2023-01-23T23:10:39Z

stuart-browning answered · Jan 23, 2023 at 11:10 PM

Received a new unit under warranty today.

Still no idea what had happened to the old one however I'm glad it's sorted.

20230124-100609.jpg (2.1 MiB)

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Answer 30 · 2023-06-05T21:37:58Z

andy-h answered · Jun 05, 2023 at 09:37 PM

Right....

I am back again and on my third victron mppt now (all have the same issue) . The solar input rarely gets beyond 13.5volts for me. Meaning I have no charging from the panel.

Fyi - I have tried with success a renogy 20amp mppt using the same wiring.

Back to using the victron, When I measure voltage at the pv connections just before they go into the victron mppt they are around 26.5v. When they are plugged into the mppt, it registers as 13.25 within the app . Coincidence that it is 50%?

When I connect the multimeter to the screws I also read 13.25

Whilst I recognise others have this sorted I don't, is there any information in the above that might help?

Thanks in advance

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kevgermany ♦♦ commented · Jun 06, 2023 at 07:08 AM

Just wondering what your dealer has said.

I've flagged it with Victron.

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andy-h kevgermany ♦♦ commented · Jun 06, 2023 at 01:46 PM

I haven't taken it to a dealer...

Victron have been great sending me a replacement unit and for a short while I thought that sorted things. However this has me stumped. Even this morning it was working for a short while on the victron but back to not working. When I swap it to the renogy it works.

At this stage I stick with the renogy or try a new solar panel and mc4 cable. To be honest I really want to find out what's causing it!

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kevgermany ♦♦ andy-h commented · Jun 06, 2023 at 04:21 PM

Suggestion is to check the panel for an intermittent fault.

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