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janrostlinka avatar image
janrostlinka asked

MPPT not charging then burnt

Hello friends,


I am an owner of MPPT 100/30. I have been happily using it for almost 1 year. Last night, I updated to the latest firmware version. In the morning, I noticed it is not charging my batteries (0W charge), although it showed voltage on the panels (34.37 V). At that moment, I took a screenshot of my app:

I tried to disconnect the (negative) cable between the battery and the regulator for about 10 seconds, then connecting it again firmly. After this “reset”, the app started to show that the system is charging again, about 300-400W and 8A (normal for cloudy conditions).

However, after what was like 1-2 minutes, the regulator started to burn. What could be the possible cause and do I have a chance to success with a claim with my retailer?

Thank you!
MPPT Controllersfire
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janrostlinka avatar image janrostlinka commented ·

Here is the screenshot in the morning after my firmware update in the night:


https://drive.google.com/file/d/18DwgwmM-PlhLVjnMU3nI1TCGWUFYNx1K/view?usp=drivesdk

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

Hi @JanRostlinka

You don't mention where the burning happened, but it is usually seen at the terminal connections.

In all cases that I know of, the cause of heat damage to the MPPT terminal connections is due to installation wiring issues. These can be incorrectly sized, or incorrectly stranded, or incorrectly inserted, or loosened/weak physical connection.

Sometimes this can be seen as a higher than expected battery voltage (because of the bad connection between battery and controller), as the controller is 'pushing'.


I would recommend talking to your supplier, and providing them with photos of the installation.

They are the ones to make the decision if it is a warranty claim due to manufacturing or the controller fault, or if it is an installation issue that has damaged the controller.


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