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glasses asked

Can MultiPlus Compact 12/1600/70 firmware be updated through VE.Connect?

Hello everyone. I have a MultiPlus Compact 12/1600/70-16 on firmware version 154. Is this firmware out-of-date? Can this Multi's firmware be updated using VE.Connect, or do I need to use the (deprecated, dangerous(??)) VEFlash method?


Reason for wanting to update:

In addition to the Multi, the system has a BMV-702, CCGX, and 2x MPPT 100/50. The MPPTs charge a 12 volt ReLion lithium-ion battery bank from two separate solar PV arrays.

I would like to tell the MPPTs that the battery voltage is what the BMV-702 measures, and not what each MPPT senses at its "battery" output terminals.

This is because in bulk charging there is a discrepancy of as much as 0.7 V between MPPT and battery voltages, depending on charging current. Under float conditions, the discrepancy tends slowly towards 0.1 V. The voltage drop from the MPPT output terminals to the battery's terminals is presumably due to the cabling, fuses, and isolator switches, none of which can be changed.

I want the MPPT to receive battery voltage data from the BMV-702 (or maybe the Multi) to solve this problem.

I read here that I can do this with the CCGX using DVCC and SVS. However, when I tried this I got an error message saying that there is a firmware incompatibility issue. Since all firmware in the CCGX, the BMV, and MPPTs is up-to-date I conclude it must be an issue with the Multiplus' firmware.

Any help greatly appreciated!

MPPT Controllersbattery chargingCCGX Color Controlfirmware updateDVCC
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ejrossouw answered ·

@glasses The firmware version should be 200 or greater to use Victron Connect, the processor software version found on the device start with 26 or 27 being the later version and then you will need a MK3 device. I'd strongly recommend to read the manuals as the devices will also reset after an upgrade and have to be reconfigured.

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glasses avatar image glasses commented ·

Thank you for your advice @ejrossouw

I followed your advice and found the relevant number on the device; I already had the MK3 interface.

I then spent some time learning about how to do the firmware upgrade, then contacted Victron and they provided the file for firmware v473 (and, because I asked nicely, the file for the old version I was upgrading, in case I needed to revert).

One very important thing to note is that when you save the Mulitplus settings using VE.Config, you are saving a ".vsc" file. You also really ought to use the "Export" function in VE.Config to save the settings as a .txt file. This is because for some reason, after the upgrade I got an error message whenever I tried to load the .vsc files I had saved. Because I had also exported and saved the settings in human-readable .txt files, I was able to manually reenter the settings post-upgrade.

That risk (of the .vsc not uploading) is not mentioned in the documentation, and I think it should be. In fact it would be optimal if on saving a .vsc file, VE.Config automatically generated and saved the .txt version in the same folder location with the same filename.


Apart from the above, the upgrade went smoothly. Another thing to note is that the instructions/manuals I found online for the procedure do not mention that you also need the 11-digit serial number of the Multiplus (found on either of two stickers inside the enclosure).

Following the upgrade I was able to start DVCC on my CCGX using the voltage and temperature data from the BMV-702 to keep the MPPTs and Multiplus informed of the real situation at the battery. I used VE.Connect to configure the MPPTs, and now the system is working as expected. That is, the graphs of battery voltage & current data from the BMV and from the MPPT are essentially the same, the bulk/absorption/float cycle is what it should be, and I am in the situation I expected to be in where my question is now "what to do with all this excess summer electricity?" :)

Thanks again for your advice, and also to Martijn Coster at Victron for providing the firmware.

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