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Larry avatar image
Larry asked

BMV-712 firmware update fail. Result: #6

I was trying to setup my BMV-712 via bluetooth using an Android phone running VictronConnect. I was able to connect but VictronConnect wanted to update the firmware. It got to 4% and failed with the following message: Result: #6 The product did not activate its bootloader although it should have.

I tried running VictronConnect on a Win 10 computer but it would not find the BMV.

Is there a work around for this?

BMV Battery Monitorfirmware update
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Larry avatar image Larry commented ·

@Justin Cook, Thank you for your Answer. Per your recommendations, I uninstalled and reinstalled VictronConnect on my Android phone and then tried 5 more times with the phone a few inches from the BMV. Still no go with the same symptoms. I bought the VE.Direct to USB cable you recommended. I should get it on Saturday. I'll let you know how it goes.

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Justin Cook avatar image Justin Cook ♦♦ Larry commented ·

@Larry, let us know how it goes. I think it should work for you, as I had to do this yesterday on an MPPT that failed giving Result #8... I was able to load in the FW update directly using the VE.Direct to USB cable, then disconnected that, reconnected to BT, and loaded the BT update and was successful. In my case it was a pain because it was the BT update that failed, not the FW update, but the new FW seemed to make the BT update want to take. Having the two separate modules in these units, each with their own updates, is occasionally a bit of a pain.

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Justin Cook avatar image
Justin Cook answered ·

@avikit, the Windows machine won't find the BMV over Bluetooth, as there's a difference in BT protocol the two different devices are using; I hear that's being worked on, but for the moment that's not an option.

I've had several updates fail on my test bench on various devices; in each case, I've been able to reconnect to the device and restart the update and have success (though occasionally after two or more additional attempts). Have you tried restarting the process?

I will say, as a general note, that in my experience it's best to have your phone literally right up next to the device... I know that in general the BT range is decent on these things, but when you're actually sending a significant amount of data to the BMV as during a FW update, it's best to have your phone right next to it so that no packets get lost during transmission. I've also found that it's best to ensure that your phone screen stays on during the update process, as some models of phone seem to throttle BT transmission when the screen times out.

If all else fails, there's the hard-wire workaround, which would be connecting a VE.Direct to USB adapter to the VE.Direct port on the back of your BMV monitor and loading the FW in from your PC (via VictronConnect). I'm not positive if I'm allowed to link to external products here (we'll see), but you can find them on our site: https://baymarinesupply.com/victron-ve-direct-to-usb-interface.html or any authorized Victron distributor. I doubt you'll need to do it that way, however, I really think you'll be able to successfully load it through your phone so long as you stay close, keep it awake, and have patience.

Good luck!

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Related Resources

Victron BMV battery monitors product page

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