• Have you tried out dark mode?! Scroll to the bottom of any page to find a sun or moon icon to turn dark mode on or off!

diy solar

diy solar

12000XP Firmware update caused stuck in standby mode

ddxv

New Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2024
Messages
100
Location
Willits, California
Well, finally finished getting the new inverter setup,. Family clamoring for AC power, time to turn it on. Seems like it's working at first, just no generator charging with "gen boost" setting, which needs updated firmware. Update the firmware then it's stuck in standby mode.

Standby mode appears to be a very restricted mode where you can't charge / use batteries etc. Additionally, the wifi dongle, despite multiple resets of the wifi password, is no longer working, I read that might also be related to 'standby'.

How I got here:

1) Turn on inverter
2) Mostly seems to be working
3) Get dongle setup, good also working
4) Can't find gen boost setting, despite manual, decide I need firmware update
5) Update firmware via website
...
6) Inverter restarts, house/wifi router lose power
7) Inverter is now in Standby mode, can't use battery -> AC or charge from generator. 120v Generator on does initiate Bypass mode.
8) *Dongle seems to be unable to connect to the internet*
9) App / Website report the inverter as offline


Only hope so far is that I can do the 'locally connect' option while on the dongle's wifi network, but not sure if any of those changes are useful.


I've tried various restarting combinations of turning on / off generator and inverter and it stays in standby mode. The dongle still wont reconnect to the internet, I read because it doesn't work in standby mode?

This seems to be nearly the same issue as this user faced with their EG4 6000XP a week ago:

This user, with a 12000XP seems to have hit the same issue I did as well:

It seems like a big contributing factor to the problem is that this 'off grid' inverter seems to have expected to remain connected to a grid while it went through a reboot for the firmware?
 
My current plan is based on the two mentioned threads:

"He can exit standby if the grid input is powered even momentarily"

So today I'll try to get the generator hooked up for 120/240v then connect it to the grid side and try rebooting to see if I can exit standby.
 
Before you do that what are the particulars of your system. Batteries, their state of charge, any warnings or errors (they are different) and any troubleshooting you have done would be helpful. Also can you connect to the inverter with your phone using blue tooth?
 
Before you do that what are the particulars of your system. Batteries, their state of charge, any warnings or errors (they are different) and any troubleshooting you have done would be helpful. Also can you connect to the inverter with your phone using blue tooth?
Thanks, you're right I missed some stuff:

Batteries
48v Lead Acid Battery Bank ~700AH. The state of charge was pretty good yesterday, but by today they're quite low as I am unable to charge them and the house's 12v lights are hooked directly into them.

WiFi Dongle / App
The dongle seems stuck as well. It previously had a connection to the internet via the home network "Molly" which it seems to connect to now (Successfully sets network and password), but then is stuck with a flashing cloud light on the dongle. The app seems to connect fine both via TCP on it's wifi network. I'm able to change some settings, but I don't think they actually are chaning on the inverter despite success messages on the device. If you have any specific things to change though, let me know. The main one I keep trying is "Standby" -> "Normal" which does not change the inverter's mode.

Generator
Generator is hooked up only to the L1 leg as it's only 120v. I'll try changing it to 120/240v regardless.

Inverter
After performing the firmware update, the inverter only shows "Standby" or "Bypass" when the generator is running. The inverter does show the battery connection and the current volts, and of course shutting off the battery breaker causes the inverter screen to shut off. I have not seen any errors or warnings on the inverter except one warning that briefly flashes when switching the generator off, so when the inverter goes from Bypass to Standby, but this warning is so quick I haven't caught the number.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20241230_080237_EG4 Monitor.jpg
    Screenshot_20241230_080237_EG4 Monitor.jpg
    60.6 KB · Views: 5
  • Screenshot_20241230_075443_EG4 Monitor.jpg
    Screenshot_20241230_075443_EG4 Monitor.jpg
    64.7 KB · Views: 5
I always use the blue tooth local connection mode which seems stable. You haven't said but I assume you have no grid connection? If you don't be sure the ECO mode is not used. If you can connect locally select settings and "read all". A screen shot of the expanded entries would be helpful.
 
I always use the blue tooth local connection mode which seems stable. You haven't said but I assume you have no grid connection? If you don't be sure the ECO mode is not used. If you can connect locally select settings and "read all". A screen shot of the expanded entries would be helpful.
ECO Mode is not enabled on the inverter settings.

The app shows this these settings.

Correct, there is nothing connected to the grid terminals yet and there is no official grid connection.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20241230_083652_EG4 Monitor.jpg
    Screenshot_20241230_083652_EG4 Monitor.jpg
    76.8 KB · Views: 12
  • Screenshot_20241230_084041_EG4 Monitor.jpg
    Screenshot_20241230_084041_EG4 Monitor.jpg
    84.7 KB · Views: 12
What model inverter do you have? The thread title says 12000xp but your screen shots indicate a 12000kpv. Also what firmware version did you load?
 
What model inverter do you have? The thread title says 12000xp but your screen shots indicate a 12000kpv. Also what firmware version did you load?

Wow, how did you see the App screenshots indicate 12000kpv? I have 12000XP.

App

The login page of the app has a button "Download Firmware" which leads to a firmware download/installation page which says "select device type" and the options are: "18KPV-12LV" and "6000XP". I haven't clicked those.

Using the Bluetooth Connect in the settings the button at the very bottom "Update Firmware" which I have clicked after my issue arose, it simply instantly appears with text saying firmware updated.

Web Portal

Here is the screenshot from where I updated the firmware on the web portal (not app):

1735578070097.png

The screenshot it from quite awhile after the firmware caused the internet to go out, then reloading the page, hence that it shows connection lost.

Inverter

The firmware, I believe successfully updated, now shows: "ceaa-0402".
 

You have settings which are not applicable to an off grid inverter. I would call EG4 before you do anything else.​

 
Not to sound dumb... did you shut it off completely? Throw all the breakers and PV disconnects. Then turn it back on, just batteries first, then PV, then mains.

Then check the page on the display, and flip off standby if it's still on.

1735580776288.png

Run down the display and verify your settings, Post what you see if it's still stuck.
 
I think you need to verify that you have the correct firmware installed. EG4 really needs to update the app to reflect the 12000xp.
@EG4TechSolutionsTeam
Thanks. Just contacted them via their form on their site. Just curious, were you saying that the Android (in my situation) app has a different set of settings than it should? Or were you looking at the "ceaa-0402" firmware version on the inverter and thinking that was wrong?
 
Just a note . . I would never upgrade firmware on ANYTHING I cannot 'physically' get to if it's important. I've been burned WAY too many times. Firmware upgrades can turn into multi-hour ordeals, thus if the equipment is critical, it should be done with a multi-hour downtime in mind. I upgraded my 18Kpv remotely once and had it not come back, not a problem it's behind an ATS feeding the panel, I just paid the power company for a couple hours til I got home from work. Most firmware update issues are usually resolved by a hard reset. If that fails the fun begins.
 
The inverter firmware settings had entries like "grid sellback", "fast zero export" and "ct sample ratio" which is only used in grid interactive inverters.
 
Not to sound dumb... did you shut it off completely? Throw all the breakers and PV disconnects. Then turn it back on, just batteries first, then PV, then mains.

Then check the page on the display, and flip off standby if it's still on.

View attachment 266603

Run down the display and verify your settings, Post what you see if it's still stuck.
Yeah, definitely have completely turned it off / on at all breakers multiple times. Been using the manual to follow their exact order as well incase that was part of it.

The one thing that the inverter settings show the mode set to "Normal" but the inverter home screen shows "Standby"
 
The inverter firmware settings had entries like "grid sellback", "fast zero export" and "ct sample ratio" which is only used in grid interactive inverters.
Yep I see all that too. Also, double checked those do not appear in the "Application" settings on the inverter itself.
 
Where did you get what you posted earlier?
The screenshots earlier were from the Android app while connected to Bluetooth. I also checked though and the same issue of those settings appears in an iPhone which had not previously been connected as well.
 
It looks like you have incorrect firmware installed. The 0405 version is the latest which solves the W028 warnings which plagued quite a few 12000xp users. BTW EG4 has a forum now which has some info you might want to review.
 
It looks like you have incorrect firmware installed. The 0405 version is the latest...
Yes, this was totally it. In the end, I called EG4, and we fixed the problem by switching from the Android phone (which didn't show the download firmware option for 12000XP) to an iPhone which DID show 12000XP in the firmware drop down, then using the iPhone's bluetooth local connect to update the firmware to the latest 0405.

Attached is the screenshot of the Android app. The app was just downloaded yesterday, and I checked for an update today as well, so not sure why it's either broken or out of sync. Could be something like the dropdown menu has a bug.

I'll forward the screenshot of the app to EG4 to fix.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20241230_111021_EG4 Monitor.jpg
    Screenshot_20241230_111021_EG4 Monitor.jpg
    55.3 KB · Views: 6
Yes, this was totally it. In the end, I called EG4, and we fixed the problem by switching from the Android phone (which didn't show the download firmware option for 12000XP) to an iPhone which DID show 12000XP in the firmware drop down, then using the iPhone's bluetooth local connect to update the firmware to the latest 0405.

Attached is the screenshot of the Android app. The app was just downloaded yesterday, and I checked for an update today as well, so not sure why it's either broken or out of sync. Could be something like the dropdown menu has a bug.

I'll forward the screenshot of the app to EG4 to fix.
Yeah I have an Android but with dual 6000xp's it's not a problem....yet
 
Yes, this was totally it. In the end, I called EG4, and we fixed the problem by switching from the Android phone (which didn't show the download firmware option for 12000XP) to an iPhone which DID show 12000XP in the firmware drop down, then using the iPhone's bluetooth local connect to update the firmware to the latest 0405.

Attached is the screenshot of the Android app. The app was just downloaded yesterday, and I checked for an update today as well, so not sure why it's either broken or out of sync. Could be something like the dropdown menu has a bug.

I'll forward the screenshot of the app to EG4 to fix.
We are glad you were able to get this issue resolved. We apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused. Thank you for bringing this up to our attention and we will make sure to address and correct this issue.
 

diy solar

diy solar
Back
Top