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cory cantrell avatar image
cory cantrell asked

Lynx Distributor Red LED - But Fuse Not Blown.

Hello,

Hoping I can get some help here, I am installing 2 new Multiplus-II in parallel system and all seems to be working well except i get all LED lights as red on the lynx distributor when I have AC power on and the inverters are charging. I have tested all the new fuses just via continuity test and the batteries are getting charged.

The even stranger thing is this: When I put the 120x2 3000 12v 50a Multiplus in standalone operation, they light will be green, then turn red after a period of time, then green again, but as soon as I put them in parallel and they are both charging the batteries from AC power, the led's on the lynx distributor stay red.... I have the battery protect connected to one slot on the lynx, 2 inverters (multiplus-II) each in its own slot, and the final slot is taken up by my BIM to chassis battery/alternator. The batteries are connected to the Lynx shunt via the end posts (where most people would connect the lynx power in). All the components have shutoff switches in between them.

Any help in understanding the Red LED's when under load would be greatly appreciated. As soon as I turn off the load the led's go off, and only the one green in the center of the distributor is lit. The lynx shunt stays green in any scenario.


Update - Even in standalone when the lynx distributor is under load the lights turn red. I have taken everything back apart and verified every connection but no matter what, under load, I get red lights on the lynx distributor. @Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) - Either load from chargers or load from the coach, ie when I turn on a microwave and a heater, it happens every time. I have ordered another lynx distributor to see if maybe it is a hardware board fault? I can't think of anything else it would be... Thanks for any advice in advance.


I have raised this with my retailer (CR for multiplus, and another company for the lynx) and they stated they would open a ticket with Victron, but have heard anything. I think this is an odd one, but maybe Victron staff have ran across this before?

Multiplus-IIlynx shunt
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cory cantrell avatar image cory cantrell commented ·

I just also realized it does the same thing under load. If I run a Load the lights immediately come on and a humming and vibrating sound appears in the battery area where the lynx is.

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Daniël Boekel (Victron Energy Staff) avatar image Daniël Boekel (Victron Energy Staff) ♦♦ commented ·

Hi @cory cantrell

how do you power the lynx 5v line? I'd look there first. is it an isolated source? might be a ground loop issue?

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cory cantrell avatar image cory cantrell Daniël Boekel (Victron Energy Staff) ♦♦ commented ·

I use an RJ11 from the lynx shunt to the lynx distributor. I have tested this thing to death and just can’t figure out why they turn red, I have replaced all cables, replaced the lynx distributor. I don’t see a ground loop but honestly don’t know how to test for one... Any ideas/thoughts? Odd to me it only happens on heavy loads.

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javierpilote avatar image javierpilote cory cantrell commented ·

I have a Lynx distributor. I feed it with 5V with the RJ connector. Until now the LEDs worked correctly (green). Now I have an error and I have not changed anything, the fuses are good but they have lit red. I have done all kinds of tests, I have disconnected all the systems, but I cannot find where the problem is. I have replaced the 24v battery with a 12v one to test and it works, the led lights up green. But when I install the 24V battery all the LEDs light up red. Any suggestion? Can I update firmware at the dealer? Thanks

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bice0004 avatar image bice0004 commented ·
I also have this issue when charging off the multiplus ii 3000/12. Any solutions yet? I looked at voltage drop across the fuses it says are blown and the voltage is identical.
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12 Answers
Nate avatar image
Nate answered ·

for users with a Lynx BMS and a GX Device experiencing this issue:

This was a hardware issue. Lynx Distributors with part number LYN060102000, manufactured before November 2022. Customers experiencing this issue are advised to contact their dealer to get an RMA ticket. Alternatively customers can elect to modify the PCB on the distributor by replacing several (tiny) surface mount caps, contact your dealer for info on this if you'd rather go that route.

Current workaround for this without RMA or modification is to simply turn off fuse monitoring.


I work for a distributor and we were having this same issue with one of our larger projects, conveniently for us, Victron sent this out yesterday, so I figured I should share.

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bobmillington avatar image bobmillington commented ·

I can confirm the same information above, I just purchased a distribution unit in August of 2023 and i get repeasted blown fuse notifications on the Cerbo and they immediatley clear. I do get the red leds on the front of the unit but go back to green when the error clears. The reseller confirmed there was a bad batch, waiting to get a new unit shipped. Will respond back if this issue is resolved with the newer unit.

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tozz avatar image
tozz answered ·

It's hard to give any ideas without additional information, only thing that pops up in my head is that perhaps positive and negative are reversed?

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cory cantrell avatar image cory cantrell commented ·

Thanks for the reply, I have 100% verified the cabling and have taken it apart 2 times completely and even ran new cables from the inverter to the lynx distributor (configured both as standalone and tested one at a time on the new cables) the same thing happens at at high load. I replaced the lynx distributor and the same thing happens.

today I plan to remove the equipment ground lug and test (Maybe a ground loop or alternate path for negative is being used?)

I am really running out of ideas as this is a weird one. Today I plan to put a clamp meter on the equipment ground under load and see if that is the path being used for return.


I am very sure I don’t have + and - reversed though.

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lloydchung avatar image lloydchung commented ·
I am having the same problem, with all the Lynx Distribution lights turning red at once whenever the load goes over 10KW. The installed system has 2x Quattro 48/10000 in a split phase arrangement, 1x Lynx Shunt 1000 with 2x Lynx Distribution after the shunt. There are only five of the eight fuses being use. However, all eight lights turn red whenever the load goes over 10kw. I have replaces the Lynx Shunt 1000 to see if this made a difference, but still the same thing happens.
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Jed Manwaring avatar image
Jed Manwaring answered ·

I am having the exact same situation. I have run things off the AC, but today when I turned on the toaster oven, lights on the Lynx shunt went red. When the toaster oven is not heating (but is still plugged in) the lights go out and the center one returns to green. The weird thing is, the lights on the Lynx shunt are sometimes just one goes red, others times two will go red (plus the center light).

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gsymes avatar image
gsymes answered ·

I too am having a similar issue. Lynx distributor being use with Lynx shunt. All fuse lights red, but fuses all ok. Green power light isnt on. If I unplug and replug the RJ11 cable then the green power light comes on, all fuse LEDs go green, then back to red again.

Very strange, let me know if anyone finds any reason for this.


Cheers

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Tsama Parsons-Pineda avatar image
Tsama Parsons-Pineda answered ·

We are having the same issue. Under a larger load of 20 A, 240 V inverter output the error occurs on several different fuses sporadically and intermittently. It seems that the sensitivity of the detection is set too high. Could this be fixed in software and pushed out via the next firmware update?

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boulderdave avatar image
boulderdave answered ·

I have the exact issue. 24v system with 3 Quattros. When the Quattros are under heavy load - the fuse lights go red. It goes back to normal when the kid is reduced.

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Dennis Leth Andersen avatar image
Dennis Leth Andersen answered ·

Hi. According to victron the lynx distributor have a fuse sense and with a voltage difference of 0,5 volt above the fuse the LED will turn red. It might be something with the resistance in the fuse to do. Is the fuse a 12v or 24v fuse?

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neoneddy avatar image
neoneddy answered ·

Had the same thing happen on a customer install this week. a .5v difference doesn't take much when we're on a larger 12v system pulling 100 to 200 amps. In short, this is a cosmetic issue I believe. Only way fuses work is to have a limited sized conductor that will self destruct, as a result it needs to have some resistance at higher loads. Only thing I cna think might be to use 2x the connections to multiplus... or we stop doing giant 12v systems.

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jistjad avatar image
jistjad answered ·

was there ever a solution for this?

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dora avatar image
dora answered ·

Same here, but all systems are working correctly...


kimg0173.jpg


kimg0173.jpg (810.2 KiB)
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ghaynes754 avatar image
ghaynes754 answered ·

Would be nice to hear from Victron. My distributor has all 5 lights red. Everything is working. Only change was I updated my Quattro 48/5000's to firmware 497.

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srgn02 avatar image srgn02 commented ·
The Lynx Distributor manual calls for you to use dummy fuses for each of the four circuits, even if there are unused circuits, to avoid the red LEDs.
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horstenegger avatar image
horstenegger answered ·

I'm having a similar but slightly different issue: the lights that should be green are OFF when a (working) fuse is connected. Power light is green, when I disconnect fuses, their lights light up red, but with fuses fitted they just go off instead. I guess I could live with the knowledge that LED OFF = OK, but still it's a bit weird and doesn't feel right. Any thoughts?

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the-doon avatar image the-doon commented ·
I’m pretty sure that is normal. Only 1 green LED in the middle if all fuses are ok. If a fuse blows the center LED changes to red along with the corresponding fuse red LED. That’s how mine work anyway.
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