question

suavek avatar image
suavek asked

How to update Multiplus firmware?

My Multi 12/1600/70 runs firmware 154. Product id # 2606

MultiPlus Quattro Inverter Chargerfirmware update
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brucesterj avatar image brucesterj commented ·

Here's a screencap of my Alarm logs. Screenshot 2024-03-06 190834.jpg


So I randomly check my updates.. and I find one for my MP. There's nothing connected to the VE bus ports.. so I click update... Screenshot 2024-03-06 185037.jpg


So.. not sure when this will self cancel.. Why is this happening..? It killed my internet connection, even though it's on a separate power source to to shore power. In an RV and have 400Ah of lithium with 2 separate connections to shore power of 30a each.. so it killed my internet and after waiting.. even though it shows I'm connected.. it won't restart now that I'm using my cell hotspot.

Help please. How do I avoid this in the future..?


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Alexandra avatar image Alexandra ♦ brucesterj commented ·

@Brucesterj

Buy an MK3 adaptor and update the inverter using Victron connect. (Make sure connect is up to date first)

What happens during a firmware update is power on the output of the invwrter goes off; so if your router is powered by the inverter you go internet dark.

You have to reprogram the inverter after each update anyway. And again that can get stressful over the internet again for the same reasons.

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brucesterj avatar image brucesterj Alexandra ♦ commented ·

I do have one.. I'll make sure that the router is on the dedicated plug or just plug in the cable. I have a backup to restore settings. I'm learning how to and what not to..

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3 Answers
Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) avatar image
Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) answered ·

Instructions for updating a MultiPlus with firmware older than 200 is here:

https://www.victronenergy.com/live/updating_firmware:updating_ve.bus_products

Note:

  • It is not required to keep your Victron equipment updated to the latest firmware version. Stable systems should be left with their current firmware. Firmware updates should only be done when it is recommended to fix an issue you are experiencing, or add a new feature that is required by the installation.

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cyberhom avatar image cyberhom commented ·

I have a Multiplus 12/3000/120 16 which will not run my auto washing machine. This appears to be a common problem.

there is one thread on here from Svenjoy, who says that he experienced these issues after a firmware upgrade.

can you clarify here, is this a known firmware issue, if so what firmware is the issue and which is the solution.


thanks

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spicedreams avatar image spicedreams commented ·

@Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager), I have an EasySolar II GX, with Multiplus firmware 470. It has been giving Overload warnings for no obvious reason and I read that firmware 481 cures spurious overload warnings.

But I cannot find how to upgrade the firmware. The link you give seems out of date, and is marked deprecated. I have VictronConnect (on Android and Linux) but there is no obvious way to backup existing settings or upload a new firmware. If I click Settings the only settings seem to be for VictronConnect itself. If I click on the device, I get only the options Remote Console and VRM Online Portal. I can use either of those through my web browser, but still no sign how I back up settings or update the firmware.

Help, please!

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Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) avatar image Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) ♦♦ spicedreams commented ·

Hi @spicedreams,

That update advice was specifically for the original question asker suavek who was running version 154, which requires that update method.


There are multiple ways to do a firmware update of a VE.Bus product (i.e MultiPlus, Quattro).


Which method to use will depend on the equipment and software platforms that you have available. Each method has some limitations.


with VictronConnect - the recommended way for most installations. Requires an MK3-USB adapter, available for Windows, Mac and Android devices, but does not work on iOS devices.


Remote Firmware update - available off site via VRM, requires a GX device and internet connection, and the GX to be connected to the DC bus (not AC connected to the output of the VE.Bus device). It also requires a Windows computer to run the VE.Configure software for reloading the settings after the update.


VE.Flash - this method is now in almost all cases replaced by the VictronConnect method, however it is still available, and operates on a difference access method so may be used in older devices (small processor, or Firmware version <200), MK2 adapters, or those otherwise incompatible with the VictronConnect method.



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spicedreams avatar image spicedreams Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) ♦♦ commented ·

Thanks @Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager)

I have an EasySolar II GX, with internet connection, connected to VRM.

Is the GX in this connected to the DC bus?

When following the Remote Firmware Update method, I do NOT see the MultiPlus listed as available to update. Is there something more I need to do to get this update to happen?

screenshot-at-2021-05-03-13-35-36.png

My MultiPlus is on v470 firmware, and I can run Windows if backed into a corner :-)

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Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) avatar image Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) ♦♦ spicedreams commented ·

Please read these limitation and requirements carefully step by step and confirm you satisfy them all

https://www.victronenergy.com/live/venus-os:remote_ve.bus_firmware_updates#limitations_and_requirements

I would guess most likely you do not have an up to date version of Venus OS installed.

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spicedreams avatar image spicedreams Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) ♦♦ commented ·

Thanks for the tip @Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager). I indeed needed to upgrade the GX device Venus OS firmware, then the MultiPlus appeared on the VRM remote Firmware Update page. It's intriguing that my EasySolar II GX was delivered less than 6 months ago with Venus OS v2.15 when v2.16 came out three years ago.

May I say that the documentation was less than helpful? According to it I fired up Windows and VE.Bus System Configurator to process the .rvms file downloaded by the VRM remote Firmware upgrade process, only to find it had no output of any use to the process. I then tried by myself the VEConfig software, which would read and write the .rvsc file, but again the upgrade process wanted a .vff file which neither of the Windows tools creates.

I ended up uploading the .rvsc file the VRM remote Firmware process downloaded, unmodified, back into the Upload file option hidden on the Firmware Update page, which (I assume) took my MultiPlus back to the same settings as before the firmware update. Is that correct?

But there was a lot of stressful trial and error involved, (I have missed out many steps here). And I started reporting these overload warnings here in early February, gave it quite a high personal priority since this is a new off grid residence, and it has taken me the last 3 months to pick my way through all of this to reach this point. And then Venus OS v2.65, the minimum I needed to get the MultiPlus upgrade, was only released a month ago.

I guess you are all running at a million miles an hour with product updates. I wonder how dealers and distributors keep up?


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Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) avatar image Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) ♦♦ spicedreams commented ·

That would indeed be intriguing, the first version of Venus OS released for the EasySolar-II GX, and the first version that left the factory was v2.30. v2.15 did not support the GX card in the EasySolar-II GX. It could have shipped with v2.51.

Did you watch the video training in the documentation and follow along step by step?

I tried to make it as clear as possible there, but additional suggestions for clarity and improvement are always welcome. The feature came first, and then documentation has been growing ever since around it in response to peoples suggestions.

I try to help the dealers and professionals keep up with the online training program, and the regional sales managers also offer training events, but indeed, it does take some commitment from them to stay up to date.

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spicedreams avatar image spicedreams Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) ♦♦ commented ·

Thanks @Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager). You are right about the Venus OS version, it was 2.15.

I watched several videos and read several pages, especially those you kindly pointed out to me. I am better at following written instructions than videos, so that is where most of my guidance came from. All I read was either just wrong or at best not explicit.

Anyway the upgrade has happened and I hope that I have restored the settings.

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andi-gen avatar image
andi-gen answered ·

Hey spicedreams,

you need an MK3 device for that, which can be connected directly to the VE.Bus ports of the inverter.

Buut, right now the VictronConnect App refuses to read data from devices with v470 it seems. Which makes firmware updates not possible. Is there a different option?


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spicedreams avatar image spicedreams commented ·

@Andi Gen, thank you for that information!

@Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager), can you confirm that even with a MK3 device I still could not update my MultiPlus firmware to get rid of spurious overloads? If so,how am I going to get out of this trap?

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Hi @Andi Gen

There aren’t any known issues with 470 and VictronConnect. Please create a new question specific to that issue with some more info.

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andi-gen avatar image andi-gen commented ·

Hi, the problem with updating from v470 has vanished and is now possible again. Thanks for the reply!

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Paul B avatar image
Paul B answered ·

Note that you may not be able to upgrade the unit past fw159 even though your firmware is 154 its the first part of the number thats also IMPORTANT ie does it start with 1906154 or is it 2606154

if it starts with 1906154 then there is NO way you can upgrade to as 2606481 firmware as this is a hardware limitation on the older multiplus units

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