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James Cate avatar image
James Cate asked

more update woes with mppt 100/30

My 100/30 system (2x200 w 42v in parallel) was working well, and victron connect via usb was also good. Then the phone died and I bought a new one: Samsung J2 pro running Android 7.1.1.

Attempted to connect, was told of need to update from v 2.12 to v 2.14. Attempted to do so, got a fail at 1%, repeatedly. Fooled around with various things, and at one point actually got it to go to 60% before failing. More repetitions and it did indeed say it succeeded, and showed that it was now v 2.14. Hooray! But, upon trying to connect, it again said that it needed to update, and further attempts have led to it repeatedly failing at 1 %, with failure codes #4 usually and #8 once. The manual says that this indicates that it is unable to connect with the MPPT bluetooth, but does not suggest a fix. Distance between phone and MPPT is less than a meter. I have disconnected the unit from all power several times, leaving for five or more minutes with no change noted.


In addition, a second phone (Moto C, Android 7.0) which had the app loaded and running well now fails to connect, stopping at 60% and recycling back to 20% endlessly.


The system is still working as far as I can tell, but I have no means of monitoring progress or charge state, nor changing charge parameters. I'm out cruising, using the solar system as our main source of energy and am loathe to send the unit in for service. It was purchased from Solar On Line in Australia, and I am currently cruising in Tasmania.


I could use some help!



VictronConnectfirmware update
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7 Answers
Paul B avatar image
Paul B answered ·

I suggest that you keep trying try some other brand of phones

uninstall the app and reinstall

make sure the internet connection is good and strong as it sounds like you maybe loosing service while updating.

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James Cate avatar image James Cate commented ·

Thanks, Paul, for the suggestions. Tried the un/re install of the app on both phones with no luck. It had been running well on the MotoC before, so I'd have t hought it would again. As of now, I have no access to an i-phone to try. I'm anchored in downtown Hobart and have a 4-5 bar 4G signal, so don't think that is a problem..


Any more ideas? I'm running out of patience with the issue!


Jim C

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Paul B avatar image Paul B James Cate commented ·

No not much help, all I can suggest is wonder over to another boatie and see if he can do it on his phone. Sorry

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boekel avatar image
boekel answered ·

I'm glad I usually have an usb-ve.direct cable and a laptop with me.

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

Hi Paul,

Sorry to hear about the connection issues. It can be frustrating. It seems a bit like whack a mole for the software devs with all the 1000’s of combinations of Android phones, bluetooth and android versions.

I will pass on this particular report for your model, and we may be able to get it fixed that way.


You mentioned the USB cable, are you using that to connect the phone? You can do so with a OTG cable.


I presume you have already read this troubleshooting manual?

https://www.victronenergy.com/live/victronconnect:start#troubleshooting

If you connect via Bluetooth, If you are still at the dock, perhap you could find a neighbour who has an iPhone or iPad that could download VictronConnect and help you with the update in the mean time. There are not so many versions of them to test and fix. They do not work with the USB connection though, only Bluetooth.

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James Cate avatar image James Cate commented ·

G'Day Guy, and thanks for responding. There's a bit of confusion here: I (the OP, Jim C) don't have the ve direct device to connect the 100/30 to a laptop, nor do I have access to any i-device at this time. However, the MotoC phone (my wife's) had the app running well before the update debacle began, so presumably it is compatible (or was with version 2.12).


And yes, I've read the troubleshooting section of the manual, and tried to execute the appropriate fixes. It is now firmly stuck at the failure at 1% response when updating is attempted.


Further help would be appreciated!


Jim C

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dwmarine avatar image
dwmarine answered ·

As far as I'm aware, the update will not brick your MPPT if it doesn't succeed. The MPPT will just roll back to the previous update version and keep working as it did.

We have had a few issues in our marine industry with MPPT updates on android devices, they don't seem to play well if there is more than one of them trying to connect to the MPPT at once Most have been fixed by turning Bluetooth off on every device and then turning it back on, on one device only that you intend to perform the update with. Are there any other Bluetooth devices that could confuse your system nearby?

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James Cate avatar image James Cate commented ·

Thanks for your response. I have turned off all other bluetooth devices in the boat, and it hasn't changed the outcome: failure at 1%. Still hoping for a solution!


And the MPPt is still working as far as I can determine sans the app. Batteries staying up as usual, factoring in the sun hours.


Jim C

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Scott Clark avatar image Scott Clark commented ·

Following dwmarine's good advice, I had a customer who had a similar Bluetooth issue with a BMV. The solution was discovered when he did not wear his Bluetooth enabled watch within range and it connected, uploaded and no problems since. If any other non-Victron Bluetooth devices within range, turn off or remove and have another go.

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James Cate avatar image James Cate Scott Clark commented ·

no other BT devices on in the boat. Still get the instant 1% note and then failure #4.

Tried doing it all on my wife's MotoC phone, which had been running v2.12 just fine, and had the same outcome as with my new Samsung. We're slipping the boat tomorrow and I may find someone with an i device who is willing to try. Getting kinda discouraged, I am!


Jim C

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jperez (Victron Energy Staff) avatar image
jperez (Victron Energy Staff) answered ·

Hello James,

The update that is failing is the Bluetooth dongle one (internal in case of SmartSolar), so the MPPT functionality will continue working without problem.


My I advice is to retry the update a few times with the Samsung phone. If at some point it succeeds and when reconnecting the update message is shown again, do the following:

  1. Disconnect and close VictronConnect
  2. Turn on the phone's flight mode and wait a few seconds
  3. Turn off flight mode
  4. Open VictronConnect and connect to the MPPT

We found a few cases where the phone is keeping the device in update mode. We are listing which models have this issue and working on detecting and prevent this situation. So if the problem is solved with this procedure, please let us know.

If the problem persists, follow Guy's advice, try to find an iPhone or iPad, there are not known issues with such devices. But if you can't find one to borrow, you can also try with a different Android phone model.




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James Cate avatar image
James Cate answered ·

@jperez thanks for the response, but sadly your scheme did not help. I still have not found an i-device to borrow (we're out at anchor) but will continue to look. Meanwhile, I'm feeling a bit miffed... the thing was working fine until the update was required (on my wife's MotoC phone) and now it's stuffed. I need to change some charge parameters and VC is surely the best way for me to do so.

Jim C

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James Cate avatar image
James Cate answered ·

Update:


Eventually Victron replaced my 100/30 under warranty, having determined that there was something wrong with the Blluetooth connection, and I was grateful! Thanks to all who tried to help... it was hardware all along!


Now the replacement is installed, and I was able to do the requisite two updates using my wife's MotoC phone. It works normally, and that's good. But, my own phone, a Samsung J2 Pro running Android 7.1.1 has a problem: Starting from a fresh re-boot, the Connect app finds, pairs with and connects with the phone as normal, and the app works normally. But if the phone times out or I shut down the app manually, it will not start up again, saying that it can not pair, and asking for the 000000 pin to be reentered. Doing so gets into a closed loop, endlessly saying not able to pair. Restarting the phone cures the problem and it functions once more... until the program is terminated. The Victron app is shown as paired on the phone's Bluetooth page. The phone pairs with and connects to other systems via Bluetooth without problems.


Any suggestions?


Jim

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