Does FW update V3.65 fix charging problem (alternating bulk/abs) with charger Blue Smart IP65 12/15?

DIY
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1

Hi all and especially @guystewart and @mpvader !

My Blue Smart IP65 12/15 charger (bought Nov 2024) stopped working during our trip with our RV through Europe this summer. It has the exact same problem (“Alternating bulk and absorption lights and 1A charging limit”) as others have mentioned on this forum before, mostly from October 2024 until the first part of 2025:

https://community.victronenergy.com/t/blue-smart-charger-ip65-12-15-low-voltage-and-current-firmware-bug/5863
https://community.victronenergy.com/t/problem-with-ip65-12-10/14448
https://community.victronenergy.com/t/smart-ip65-charger-15a-12v-not-charging-switching-between-bulk-and-abs-after-firmware-update/13672
https://community.victronenergy.com/t/smart-ip65-charger-10a-12v-not-charging-switching-between-bulk-and-abs-after-firmware-update/20197

Everyone in the above threads were blaming firmware update V3.61 to be the cause of this charging problem but after an investigation by Victron this was then resolutely denied by both Matthijs Vader and Guy Stewart (both working for Victron) here:

https://community.victronenergy.com/t/smart-ip65-charger-15a-12v-not-charging-switching-between-bulk-and-abs-after-firmware-update/13672/9
https://community.victronenergy.com/t/smart-ip65-charger-15a-12v-not-charging-switching-between-bulk-and-abs-after-firmware-update/13672/21

They stated an underlying hardware defect in certain charger units was already causing this behaviour/problem and updating to V3.61 just made it more visible because the LEDs also would show this behaviour now.
Quoting Guy Stewart:
“A charger that is showing this characteristic still had this fault in its hardware before the firmware update, and downgrading the firmware will not remove the hardware fault.”

Last week I contacted the (web)shop where I bought the charger to start a RMA procedure. I informed them about the underlying hardware defect and gave them the links to the above threads on this forum. Still they wanted me to update to V3.65 first and test the charger again before I was ‘allowed’ to send the charger to them for testing/RMA.

So, this weekend I updated my charger and imagine how shocked I was to find out it was working again!

I tested the charger last weekend several times by disconnecting the mains, turning all the lights on (12V) for some hours drawing about 5Ah, then connecting the mains again so the charger could ‘do it’s thing’ and that all seems to work again.
But I have troubles ‘accepting’ this problem as solved now because of the above statements made by Matthijs and Guy from Victron claiming it was/is a hardware fault.

So, over to my actual questions to @guystewart and @mpvader :

  • Has the update to V3.65 really fixed my charger or is this just a coincidence?

  • If it fixed it, how is this possible regarding to the hardware fault you claimed earlier to be the cause?

  • And can you guarantee me that your software fix is not some kind of ‘bush fix’ just temporarily working around the real hardware problem? Leading to a possible malfunction of the hardware in a couple of years (outside the 5years guarantee period)?

  • If it didn’t actually fix it, how can I get my charger replaced now it doesn’t show the ‘symptoms’ anymore?

  • And if it has to be replaced, how do I know this exact problem isn’t going to occur again with the new charger? I guess you replaced the hardware part with a newer version? Can I check the serial number or something like that?

As you might understand from the above questions, I lost my faith in Victron or at least in this particular Victron charger and hope you are willing and able to restore it.

To all others having or having had the same problem with their Blue Smart IP65 chargers, please write in this thread how you solved it (FW update or replacement).

2

Hi @Magnus ,

to know if the charger is good or not, use it to charge an empty enough battery:

while charging, make sure the charge current goes above 1 amp. When above 1A, all is good. When it charges with 1A only, then there is a defect in the charger.

To me, it sounds like just a coincidence.

There has been no working around, and actually no related changes at all in v3.65.

Ps. that the webshop wants you to update is standard, and not specific for the charger. For any RMA and any possible defect, updating to the latest version is part of the mandatory steps.

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Hello @mpvader and thank you for taking the time to answer my question!

During my first tests directly after upgrading the firmware to 3.65 it seemed like the charger was working again, charging my battery with up to 15A.

But I thought the charging process seemed a bit odd because it went very quickly from Test → Bulk → Abs (12.51V / 2.1A) and then back(?!) to Bulk (14.9A) for 10 minutes as the voltage increased from 13.94V to 14.71V, after which it again continued to Abs (when the voltage became ~14.7V) and charged first with 14A and then the current decreased for a few hours until it switched to Float (13.8V / 7.8A).

Triggered by you mentioning “use it to charge an empty enough battery” and the fact that the battery was almost full when doing my earlier tests directly after the firmware update I decided to run a ‘final’ test last week with a half-discharged battery (according to the camper’s system: ~53% and 12.3V) instead of an almost full battery (~92% and 12.5V).

And now the charger failed again!

This time it was first in the Test stage for a minute or so (never taken that long before) and then in Bulk for a few seconds and then directly to Abs. The voltage in both the Test and Abs stages according to the Victron app was 12.32V and the ‘charging current’ 1.0A. In contrast to last Sunday, the charger did not go back to the Bulk stage after a minute or so and since the lights were still on, this meant that the battery continued to be drained even though it was being ‘charged’…

After 7 minutes in Abs and ‘charging current’ 1.0A I thought it was enough and turned off the lights in the camper so no current was consumed (before the consumption was about 6-7A) to test if it might affect the charger in any way. Disconnected the charger from 220V, waited until the charger’s LED lights went out, waited another minute and reconnected the charger to 220V.
And then the exact same thing happened again: Quickly to the Abs stage (now 12.49V / 0.9A) where it remained for 3 minutes before I disconnected the charger and connected the CTEC 5A charger (which I had to buy abroad this summer) instead. It has exactly the same stages as the Victron charger and it did exactly what it was supposed to do: max current in the Bulk stage until the Abs voltage was reached and then to Abs etc.

So, I guess my charger isn’t OK after all and needs to be replaced?

Is this (failing) different behaviour while charging a half empy battery compared with an almost full battery something you can confirm in relation to the failing hardware?

After the update to 3.65 I don’t get the alternating behaviour between Bulk and Abs anymore, it just stays in Abs the whole time. Is this something you recognize?

And why did the app state the battery voltage was 14.7V during my first tests? I am running the charger in Normal mode, not in ‘High’ mode.

Question for @symovo : In this thread https://community.victronenergy.com/t/blue-smart-charger-ip65-12-15-low-voltage-and-current-firmware-bug/5863/10 you wrote your problem was fixed with update 3.65. Can you please confirm that still is the case? And if so, did you try charging a half empty battery too or are you just ‘maintenance’-charging a battery?

Blue Smart Chargers IP65 - pulsing current and too high voltage on Normal mode
4

Hi again @Magnus,

Long story short: yes, that charger needs to be replaced.

Sorry for all the trouble!

Matthijs.

5

Hi @mpvader !

Ok, I understand and will continue with the RMA then.

But there are 3 things that worry me:

  1. If the webshop test the charger in the ‘wrong way’ they might think it works as expected, send it back to me and I have to pay about 70 euros for their investigation and still have a faulty charger. I will give them exactly the same test information as I did here but I wonder if they could contact you in case of doubt?
  2. If they agree to send me a replacement charger, how do I know this exact problem isn’t going to occur again with the new charger? Can I ask them to check the serial number or something like that to be sure I get an updated version of the charger?
  3. In case there isn’t an updated version of this charger, how about the 5 years warranty? Will that ‘reset’ for the new charger?
6

Hi @Magnus , I’m quite sure your supplier will OK to replacement, and if not they can double check with our service department.

Its really not very common for a charger to have that fault; even though it has been one of the more occurring faults - and therefore shows up now and then in online reports.