#1 device switched off, BLACKOUT

Other languages German community
,
1

Dear community,

At the risk of getting told off for not introducing myself and possibly not having searched thoroughly enough.

But things are rather desperate at the moment, as we’ve been without power for hours.

I have 3 MultiPlus II 48/3000/53-32 units, one of which is a GX, together with a Pytes E-Box 48100R battery via Smart.Solar MPPT 250/70.

That’s the extent of my technical knowledge. The system is installed as a backup-power setup across all three phases. This means that mains power also runs through the inverters.

I’ve been having blackouts since Wednesday. Initially, the system recovers after 5–10 seconds. Then, after about 30 minutes, it starts switching off and on every 10 seconds, until it eventually shuts down completely.

Swapping the communication cables beneath the inverters on Wednesday gave me hope that the problem was solved. Far from it—last night, the same thing happened again. Since then, there’s been no power in the house.

Error messages:

#1 Device switched off

#14 Device communication error

#3 Error with expected devices

Yesterday, the app also showed a red bar reading: VE.Bus System [275], VE.Bus Error 3

I’ve contacted my electrician for today so that he can bypass the system and at least restore mains power for me.

Has anyone encountered this problem before and know whether it’s likely to be software- or hardware-related? English and technical jargon aren’t my strengths. My mate installed everything for me, but he has now reached the limits of his experience as well.

I’ve just restarted everything—that is, switched all the inverters off, waited 10 minutes, and switched them back on. It’s running. But of course I’m not counting my chickens just yet. I’ve already had this happen a few times.

Thanks, Daniel from Dollbergen near Hanover—or Peine

2

With a three-phase home/backup power system, I wouldn’t attempt anything on the AC side or with the wiring myself. I’d get an electrician to do this first: properly isolate/bypass the system so that mains power is stable again.

The error codes can be narrowed down fairly well, though:

  • VE.Bus Error 1 means, broadly speaking, that one device/phase has shut down, after which the others report consequential errors. The underlying cause is often Low Battery, Overload or high temperature on the phase that actually triggered the shutdown.
  • VE.Bus Error 3 means that not all expected VE.Bus devices were found. According to Victron, this often follows Error 1, but it can also be caused by VE.Bus communication cables, an incorrect/inconsistent three-phase configuration, or a DC fuse problem on one of the devices.
  • According to Victron, VE.Bus Error 14 strongly points towards a communication problem—most commonly the VE.Bus/RJ45 cable, or a short circuit/fault in the communication wiring.

So, before doing any more restarting, I would save screenshots/photos of the following wherever possible:

  1. The Cerbo/GX alarm history, including timestamps,
  2. The VE.Bus detail page for each Multi/phase,
  3. The LEDs on all three Multis at the exact moment the system fails,
  4. The VRM Advanced/Alarm Log around the first error, not just the final consequential error.

When the electrician is working on it, they should completely rule out the VE.Bus cabling as a source of the problem by using ready-made patch cables, and check that all three Multis are really configured as a single, shared three-phase system and that none of the three intermittently “disappears” on the DC side. If Error 14 continues after fitting new, reliable patch cables and ensuring a stable power supply, I would contact a Victron dealer/service centre next.

Source: Victron “VE.Bus Error Codes”: VE.Bus Error Codes [Victron Energy]

3

Many thanks for the quick assessment. I’ll get on with documenting it, then. I’ve already contacted the Victron dealer by email and hope to hear back promptly. They’re based less than a 30-minute drive from here.

4

Hi Kermit, unfortunately I can’t help you with the problem.

But that’s precisely why you install a so-called 1-0-2 switch or backup power transfer switch in your system. Then, in the event of a fault, you can simply switch over and the house will be supplied directly from the mains. Please mention that to your electrician.

5

Morning, yeah, thanks. That’s exactly the plan we’re following now. I’ve temporarily bridged it to grid operation, and the inverters are switched off. I’m now hoping the dealer who sold it to me will give me some support and either control it remotely or come out. They’ll have to prove the “We’re also here for you after the purchase” claim from their homepage first :wink:

Thanks for your time and for the quick ideas. I’ll be happy to let you know what the problem was…once I eventually find out myself

6

Can you actually set up a three-phase system like that? I always thought that all 3 MP2s had to be identical, but one of them is a GX device here. And wouldn’t all three MP2s also have to be connected to the battery?

7

The MPs themselves can still be identical. One simply has an additional GX integrated. I recently tried to summarise that.

8

Were the same error messages already being triggered during those initial faults?

Or have the VE.Bus messages only started appearing since the network cables were replaced?

9

Hello,

your electrician should install either a separate 1-0-2 changeover switch before and after each inverter, or one central 1-0-2 changeover switch that bypasses the inverters (so that the inverters can also be isolated on the 230 V side for servicing or, in your case, to deal with potential faults). This way, diagnostics can be carried out via the DC side as intended.

Are all the DC cables the same length? Give Wiring Unlimited to your mate and have them look through it:

https://www.victronenergy.de/upload/documents/The_Wiring_Unlimited_book/43562-Wiring_Unlimited-pdf-de.pdf

Is everything on the AC side also connected correctly according to the manual, or has anything been bridged??

10

The messages prompted us to replace the cables. After that, we had no faults for 36 hours.

Later, I’m going to use my IT skills, combined with a phone-a-friend, to connect to the WRs individually and see whether I can identify which one is having problems in the orchestra. At least, after my phone call with the seller and explaining the error messages, they immediately submitted a complaint document. I don’t yet know whether that’s a good or a bad thing.

11

With a 3-phase ESS system, it’s normal that … if an MP II fails … then pretty much everything shuts down.

To prevent further damage… that’s exactly why you normally install a bypass switch on this system..

so that in such a situation you’re not left in the dark … or, for example, during a software update..

And then, for example, you could reprogram the devices to operate as a 2-phase system (so you can carry out repairs at your leisure)

12

A single 1-0-2 changeover switch per device won’t work. You have to switch the neutral and all the live conductors simultaneously. Otherwise, you’ll run into some very “funny” problems. With three-phase systems, the rule is: always switch them all together.

13

As I’m currently expanding to three phases, I can say from my own experience that if you unplug one of the VE.Bus cables, all three MultiPluses disconnect from the mains. So if one of the cables is faulty, it could cause intermittent outages. The same applies if one isn’t properly seated in the RJ45 socket. I remember something similar from troubleshooting patch panels in the past: someone would fail to plug a patch cable in properly until it clicked into place, although it would work initially. Then someone else would work on other cables nearby, causing the improperly connected cable to slip out slightly—without it being visible—and you’d have a problem. Perhaps that’s what’s happening here too.

14

Hi, just a quick update. After the PV system was disconnected from the house mains on the AC side on Friday, I wanted to take a look at the inverters individually via the MK3 and the configuration that evening. That didn’t work out as hoped, so I’ve now contacted the seller and asked them to look into it. I didn’t do anything with the PV system on Saturday, and yesterday I checked the app: Error #14. I went outside to the inverters, and the inverter on L1 is dead. No LED, nothing. There’s DC voltage, all the fuses are fine, but there’s no sign of life. I also tried brand-new network cables again. Nothing.

Maybe it already had a fault on a circuit board last week or something and the intermittent connection was causing all sorts of trouble. I think it’s definitely a warranty case now, at the latest.

…To be continued

15

Hello,

Which firmware is installed? I once had an inverter that could no longer be switched on because of a firmware error. A firmware update fixed it.

Bye

16

A local power outage is not a BLACKOUT!

This term is being used far too liberally, and it feels as though even a candle going out is already being called a blackout.

No one wishes for a proper blackout.

17

Hello Kermit, I had a similar case at a customer’s installation. The problem only occurred rarely and couldn’t be reproduced (I changed the cables, etc.). I simply swapped the three Multis 3000 units with my own so I could keep an eye on it at all times, but the problem hasn’t occurred again for over 12 months.

If it really is a hardware problem, I’d be curious to know the production date — that is, the first six digits of the serial number.

18

Hi, it’s about time I apologised for keeping quiet here. A few family matters cropped up as well.

So: With the help of the equipment supplier, I first tried to determine the firmware versions of the devices. In the process, we found that we couldn’t access one device via the MK3, no matter what we tried.

We identified this as the culprit, since the VE.Bus was unusable and that somehow seemed to fit the overall problem.

So we removed it and sent it to a Victron partner. They couldn’t find any fault there; the device powered up and searched for its companions for the three-phase system. Apparently, the mainboard was very dusty, and they offered to replace it as a goodwill gesture for €180, including fitting and return postage. I agreed — who knows what good it might do.

Once the device had been returned, we connected everything, configured it (we had to downgrade the firmware because version 560 isn’t available for the GX), and the whole system has now been running without incident again for almost two weeks. I still felt a bit uneasy during the first two days, though. That feeling has since disappeared.

Conclusion: A major effect without being able to identify a cause. Somewhat unsatisfying, but we have a functioning system that will finally get the transfer switch tomorrow, followed by another 5 kWh of storage next week.

Nevertheless, thanks for the support from everyone here when things were at their worst!