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jkkm avatar image
jkkm asked

[SOLVED] SmartSolar Charger 150/35 - still experiencing zero output issues after firmware 1.53 and 1.54 updates

Hello,

After updating the firmware on my 3 SmartSolar 150/35 devices from 1.51 I have been experiencing issues where the PV power drops close to zero. In some instances the situation rectifies itself other times I need to disable/enable via the VictronConnect app. I saw there was an issue with the 1.53 firmware and hoped the 1.54 firmware would rectify the situation but unfortunately the issue still persists. Today device 260 was off for 2 hours before I disabled/enabled it via the app.

Setup

  1. Quattro 48/8000/100-2x100 - firmware 469
  2. 4 x Pylontech US3000
  3. 3 x SmartSolar 150/35 - firmware 1.54
  4. 2 sets of 6 x JA Solar JAP72S01-330/SC
  5. 1 set of 6 x JA Solar JAM72S01-380/PR
  6. Venus GX - firmware 260

solar-charger-pv-yield.jpg


solar-charger-pv-voltage-and-current.jpg


Is Victron aware that some devices still have this "drop out "issue even with the 1.54 firmware?

Thanks

firmware update
solar-charger-pv-yield.jpg (84.7 KiB)
solar-charger-pv-voltage-and-current.jpg (113.3 KiB)
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jbms2020 avatar image jbms2020 commented ·

I see the same problem with v1.53 and v1.54. Has this been resolved?

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jkkm avatar image jkkm jbms2020 commented ·

Not as yet. Victron is testing beta firmware on the devices. Yesterday there were two different firmware versions running. The one MPPT still drops out periodically.

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19 Answers
mvader (Victron Energy) avatar image
mvader (Victron Energy) answered ·

Dear all,


It took a while, but I’m happy I’m here now to share the good news:

Today we released mppt firmware v1.56, which fixes above issue.


Change log:

- Improve battery life algorithm by not allowing the voltage offset to decrease too fast to zero during a cloudy day.

- Change total input power data handling to allow report when charger is off. This is to prepare for trends.

- Improve fixing load output introduced on v1.54. There were still some rare cases that the load output could briefly turn off. This latest version fixes that.

- Fix overcurrent fast software detection on the SmartSolar 150/35. That caused the charger to get “stuck” on a low power output which was only reset when the charger stopped charging.



The new fw files are on Vicprof, and its dropbox, as well as in the VRM remote fw update system already.

A new VictronConnect release that auto/mandatory installs this is due for release next week.

For a system on VRM, easily install it already now using the Remote FW update feature.

For other systems, either wait for next week - update is most simple then. Or do it now using the “self supplied” fw feature:

https://www.victronenergy.com/media/pg/VictronConnect_Manual/en/firmware-updates.html#UUID-705fe0d3-30d8-e6e6-aad1-856f4ac6e3b3


Thank you all for your patience and help in fixing this. It was not an easy one!


have a good night, Matthijs

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besterwillem avatar image besterwillem commented ·
Hi Matthijs


After cleaning my solar array of my perfectly working system with a mppt 250/100, I was promted to do a firmware update to 1.56, during the update, the app crashed and wiped the 250/100 of any firmware, I retried the update and still no success after uninstall-reinstalling the victronconnect app and checking my internet connection which was at 70mbps I am now left with a mppt250/100 with no firmware and and app that keeps crashing when attempting to do the firmware update, the mppt controller is now in limbo stating with the flickering led's that it has no firmware. Any help would be appreciated please mate. Looking forward on your reply best regards Willem

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Warwick Bruce Chapman avatar image Warwick Bruce Chapman besterwillem commented ·
Please try updates from VRM.
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mvader (Victron Energy) avatar image mvader (Victron Energy) ♦♦ Warwick Bruce Chapman commented ·
Hi @BesterWillem , thats unfortunate! But be assured that its alway possible to recover from that


the interspeed has no relation to this. The App doesn’t use internet during the firmware update.

I’d try a different phone.

What phone do you have? And which version of Android?

I’ll ask my developers.

Also: This week we’ll release a new version of VictronConnect. Who knows it might help. The new version is v5.42.

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mvader (Victron Energy) avatar image mvader (Victron Energy) ♦♦ mvader (Victron Energy) ♦♦ commented ·
And, as @warwick said, if you have a GX device, then do the update over the VRM Portal. Its probably the most hassle free way out.
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besterwillem avatar image besterwillem mvader (Victron Energy) ♦♦ commented ·
@mvader (Victron Energy) thank you so much for your prompt reply, after I sent the message I though to try a update via vrm, and that worked really well, and the 250/100 is back up and running with firmware 1.56( hoping this version is as stable and the mppt performed as well as it did the last few years. My phone is a galaxy s9+ running android 10, but think in the future doing the updates via vrm will be my preferred method. Again thank you for your prompt response.
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Jairus Onsafari avatar image Jairus Onsafari mvader (Victron Energy) ♦♦ commented ·
Use/try a different phone.
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besterwillem avatar image besterwillem Warwick Bruce Chapman commented ·
Thanks @warwick, after I wrote the initial message, I thought I'd see if I can do a firmware upgrade via vrm, as I've never done it via vrm I wasn't sure if it was possible, anyway after looking around in my portal, I found the upgrade area and saw that my mppt was stuck in a bootloader phase, think it was waiting for the new firmware from the victronconnect app and as it had crashed mid update it left the mppt hanging, anyway the upgrade over vrm was hassle free as you said and worked really well, the mppt is now back in service and ready to rumble, just glad I could sort it out today. Have a great week, regards Willem.
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mvader (Victron Energy) avatar image mvader (Victron Energy) ♦♦ besterwillem commented ·

That good to hear! Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

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Daniël Boekel (Victron Energy Staff) avatar image
Daniël Boekel (Victron Energy Staff) answered ·

Hi @JKKM

I've sent you an email, so we can try an older firmware to see if this helps.

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jonow avatar image jonow commented ·

I have a feeling my problem could be that the charge controller seems to only want to use PV to charge the battery, and not supply power for my ac circuits - that is why it may be a configuration problem on my side.

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Andy avatar image
Andy answered ·

Hey guys, I'm having the same issue with the 150/35 MPPT. It's brand new and it locked up 3 times in the last week. It shows the battery voltage correct and also the PV voltage but only outputs 0.1A in full sun. When I open the PV voltage fuses, it still shows DC up to 140V but no actual throughput.
I have to disconnect PV and battery and wait until it turns off, then restart everything and it works again.
Running v1.54 as well. So is this a known bug?

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jkkm avatar image jkkm commented ·

Victron ran a number of different firmware versions on my 150/35 MPPT including a version with additional logging after which they contacted me with the offer to replace the devices with the 150/45 MPPT. Since replacing the devices I have not experienced the issue again

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Andy avatar image Andy jkkm commented ·

Thank you for your message and information. I've now logged a ticket with the supplier of the charge controller.

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czauto avatar image czauto Andy commented ·

Hi. I've found that if I put a fan on my MPPT to get some airflow over it, the problem vanishes. Try it. It might be the same issue. Every morning I put a pedestal fan next to mine and have no issues. As soon as I switch the fan off, I get the first shutdown within 20min.

I am currently communicating with my supplier to see what solution we can agree to.

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Andy avatar image Andy czauto commented ·

Last week, I had only cloudy weather and the controllers stayed relatively cool, so not much heat generated and I still had the issue. I had it also once in the afternoon when the sun was already on the other side of the roof. Solarpanels idling with 200-300W then.

And if heat is the problem, Victron has got a design problem here and need to integrate a fan.

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czauto avatar image czauto Andy commented ·

Same here. The amount of sun does not seem to be the issue. All I know is that with the fan, no issue. Without the fan the shutdowns starts within 20min.

I tested the temp readings around the controller one day. The one day it was around 32 deg Celsius ambient and directly above the smarsolar's heatsink it tested 39.7. This was not long before a shutdown occurred.

The spec sheet reads "maximum operating temperature 40deg celsius" Can it be that the firmware shuts the unit down when internal temps go above 40deg? This would make sense and could be a simple programming error.

Over the weekend I mounted my Smartsolar on a piece of 5mm Aluminium sheet I had laying around. You can clearly feel the aluminium heating up so it definitely helps dissipate heat. The problem still exists but only for about 7min at a time and nothing longer so I would say it definitely temp related.

My supplier agreed to swap the 150/35 for a 150/70 with a small amount I have to pay to cover the difference in cost.

Best of luck. Hope you get your's sorted. Get some air flow on your's to test. It would be interesting to know if the results are the same.


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Andy avatar image Andy czauto commented ·

Thanks for the update. I have measured over 42° on top of the inverter connected to only 1.2kW of solar and it worked fine the whole day long. On other days, there was only 300W solar been produced and it locked.
I sometimes have already 38° inside my garage but I will install 4 fans now in this area where the controller sits. It is working OK for the last 3 days without any problems. It's so random...

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Andy avatar image Andy czauto commented ·

The manual actually says operation temperature from -30 to +60°C and full rated output up to 40°C. So, I'm expecting the unit to be doing exactly that. If it limits the power output if it's hot, that's fine but it should not lock up and output nothing until the end of the day.

I've not spend all the money on this expensive gear to fix it with a fan. This is Victron and not a cheap controller from Alibaba.

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czauto avatar image
czauto answered ·

I'm experiencing the same problem with my 150/35. It's 3 weeks old and I've updated it immediately after it was installed. At first I noticed the dropouts was exactly 10min longs after which everything returns to normal but for the last week I've noticed dropouts of more than an hour. PV production has dropped from 13Kwh to less than 10Kwh which makes quite a difference. Has Victron solved the problem yet? Why is the product still being distributed with a know problem?

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mvader (Victron Energy) avatar image
mvader (Victron Energy) answered ·

Dear all, just an update - we’re working very hard to get to the bottom of this. I’ll have more information within a few days.

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Andy avatar image Andy commented ·

Thank you for your feedback on this. Let us know if you need any further information or how we can assist in helping finding a solution.

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mvader (Victron Energy) avatar image mvader (Victron Energy) ♦♦ Andy commented ·

great thank you - I'll send you an email.


if anyone else having this issue is interested in helping out (by testing a beta version) please shout and I'll find your emailaddress in the Community backend system and send you an email too.

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czauto avatar image czauto mvader (Victron Energy) ♦♦ commented ·

I'd love to participate but since I've swapped my 150/35 Smartsolar with a 150/70 Smartsolar, I don't seem to have any more problems. I do however still have the same amount of PV, which is now about half of the controller's capacity.

I still suspect that the controller backs off due to temperature issues caused by charging close to it's capacity. Mounting it on a piece of Aluminium plater helped but In my case a fan definitely solved the problem.

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mvader (Victron Energy) avatar image mvader (Victron Energy) ♦♦ czauto commented ·

Hi, most likely the fan helped to overcome/avoid the real problem, which is not directly temperature related.



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jkkm avatar image jkkm mvader (Victron Energy) ♦♦ commented ·

Hello, when I had the issue I contacted two friends who have 150/35 Bluesolar and they weren't experiencing the issue but were running an older firmware version, 1.46 or 1.48 maybe. I was asked recently if Victron had a fix yet because they wanted to upgrade the firmware but were concerned about the issue impacting them. I can put you in contact with them if that would be of assistance.

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mvader (Victron Energy) avatar image mvader (Victron Energy) ♦♦ jkkm commented ·

hi @JKKM, no immediate need for that - let them just update their units. In case they then do have an issue (which I don't expect) then welcome for sure!

Note that in total, the percentage of installed 150/35 that has such issue is rather small. No need to worry in general, and now neither for that small percentage since we're close to having it solved.

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Deon Taljard avatar image
Deon Taljard answered ·

@mvader (Victron Energy)

Hi All, seem to have the same problem but it only started when we added a second string, went from 3S1P yesterday to 3S2P today and now it does this cutting out on a 150/35

1617091592685.png


1617091734159.png

1617091887091.png



Sorry - to add to this it only seems to misbehave between 1.2 and 1.8K It maxed at 2K for most of the time without fail so not a temperature issue.

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1617110153731.png (56.4 KiB)
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typerr avatar image
typerr answered ·

I have a very similar issue with my Smart 100/30 unit. Everything was working fine at the end of last summer when I put my RV in storage but after getting it back this spring and first checking my solar setup, the firmware updated and I have been chasing issues ever since. My voltage stays steady but my amperage output often fluctuates up and down sometimes down to zero. Other times it seems to work for a few days and then back to fluctuating. I suspect my charging is working and it is just what is being displayed on my phone screen. Currently on v1.54 firmware.

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mvader (Victron Energy) avatar image mvader (Victron Energy) ♦♦ commented ·

hi typerr, thanks - though I don't know if that can be related or more likely be something else entirely; I'll discuss tomorrow / day after and get back to you.

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joe2 avatar image
joe2 answered ·

Hi,
I have the same problem with my SmartSolar 150/35.
Can I help with testing any beta or old version?


Setup:

Multiplus II 48/3000

3 x Pylontech US2000

SmartSolar 150/35 - firmware 1.54
with 2 sets of 3 x QCell Duo G6 355w

Venus GX

EM24

AC coupled PV with 10kw


screenshot-20210407-2126392.png


screenshot-20210407-2126392.png (93.3 KiB)
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karl-vesterling avatar image
karl-vesterling answered ·

Ditto, same problem here, no output with 1.56 at ALL... Very very unhappy...

How do I downgrade the firmware?

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concinnitydigital avatar image
concinnitydigital answered ·

Same thing happened to me with 1.56 and 1.59 that was just released. No output amperage from my solar MPPT.


There needs to be a way to downgrade firmware guys - when you release a firmware update and it breaks how many 10s of 100s of products around the world that people rely on... I mean.. come on? At least give us a way to undo this so we can keep our power on.

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gathman avatar image
gathman answered ·

It's April 2022 and I'm running 1.59 on a 150/35. I'm having to limit the output to about 20A to prevent the SmartSolar system from shutting down every minute. Has this every been solved?


I'd be totally happy to help troubleshoot.

System:

MultiPlus 24/3000/70-50 120V

Photovoltaic: 3 panels in series, 147.1V Open Circuit, 9.7A Short Circuit Current

SmartSolar 150/35 firmware 1.59

SmartShunt 500A firmware 4.08

Venus on Pi firmware 2.84

2 banks of LiFePO4 batteries managed by a pair of OverkillSolar BMS


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mickymac avatar image
mickymac answered ·

+1 I've also started to notice this with a Bluesolar 150/35 running 1.59 and have noticed that when doing 1200-1300watts of solar pv that it seems to do exactly what you guys are seeing.


Is there an older firmware available that I can downgrade too?

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andy-h avatar image
andy-h answered ·

@mickymac aee the thread on 1.59 firmware issue I and a few others having.


I haven't yet tried the other firmware they suggested for us to try. But do check whether may be linked to yours..

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mickymac answered ·

Thanks will check it out.

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panpower avatar image
panpower answered ·

Did you solve this with update? I have the same issue with 1.61 I reprogram it threw VRM with the same version and I will see tomorrow :(

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panpower answered ·

It wasn’t the update the problem of mine. I think it is the high frequency inverter (harmonics and spikes). With Phoenix inverter I don’t have this issue.

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panpower answered ·

Nope and with Phoenix inverter same problem :(

And it’s my second mppt charger the first I was waiting 2months victron service for replacement. Not solved

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kaypea avatar image
kaypea answered ·

Add me to the list as well - MPPT250/70 keep shutting down when its a sunny day and the charging current starts to rise. Limiting the battery charge current to 22amps seems to stop the shutting down, but allowing the unit full reign up to 50amps causes shutdowns.

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panpower answered ·

Victron service replace my smartsolar in warranty again :) they find a problem a voltage leak to the pv input from the batteries.

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