Lifepower4 alarm light on/won't reset

[WNC_Prepper]

Hi, I just installed my system last week. I'm running 8kw solark, with 4kw array, and single Lifepower4 48v battery. Currently, there's no comms for solark and lifepower4. System was functioning correctly until Friday when I decided to see if it could handle the water heater. The battery beeped an alarm and shut down. I shut down the entire system, and restarted. I switched off the water heater to prevent another overload. I tried resetting the battery, but the alarm light stays on. I connected battery to computer and checked BMS test which shows and alarm code of "Discharge MOS Fault Alarm." I don't see any obvious way from inside the BMS app to reset. I bought the battery from Solar Sovereign which I think is an off shoot of Signature Solar. I called Stefan, who seems to be the only sales guy and the only tech support. He's very nice, but he's overwhelmed, hard to connect with, and doesn't know how to reset.

I'm new to all of this. Did I buy the cheapest battery from the cheapest distributor and now I've got what I paid for? If so, what batteries should I buy and where should I buy them going forward? I'm planning to build out a 15kw bank and money allows.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[marionw]

Check out the EG4 Communications Hub. It sits between your LifePower4 batteries and an inverter and performs the communications protocol translation between the EG4 protocol and many others. Just research to ensure the Hub supports any selectable protocol on your inverter

I do have six EG4 LifePower4 batteries and have no complaints. I do not consider them the cheapest and if you got them from Signature Solar they will also provide you free of charge a firmware upgrade tool.

If the BMS_Test software does not show your battery firmware to be V3.37 I would recommend you download the latest firmware for your battery from the EG4 website and use the BMS_Test software to update the firmware.

See/review to hopefully solve the "Discharge MOS Fault Alarm.":

Anyone else with a recent EG4 48v Lifepower4 battery purchase getting a "Charging MOS fault alarm" that can't be reset?

Got my battery last week, but today was the 1st time to get a full charge on it. Everything was great @ 99.6%, cells balancing, current curtailed, but I had to leave. Got back about 1 1/2 hours later to the beeping & red light associated with the fault. Re-set didn't work & I couldn't find...

diysolarforum.com

Post your results so the folks on this forum can further assist you if needed.

In addition @EG4_Jarrett may be of some help...

 

[WNC_Prepper]

Thanks so much. In trying to get back into the BMS test to check if I have V3.37 and I'm getting the message, "Access violation at address 0000000". So I'm currently locked out of the battery. Any idea how to get around this error code? Thanks again.

 

[marionw]

Is the "Access violation at address 0000000" a software/program error with the BMS_Test software or is it an error you see after connecting to the batteries.

Does the "Status" at the bottom of the screen show "Status: Port opened successfully!

 

[EG4_Jared]

If you could provide a photo of the battery cable in use, a screenshot of the BMS Test software, and an image of the dipswitches, I can certainly examine them. However, I suggest installing a second battery in the system because with the battery rated at 5,120 watts, it probably doesn't have sufficient capacity for the inverter.

 

[WNC_Prepper]

If you could provide a photo of the battery cable in use, a screenshot of the BMS Test software, and an image of the dipswitches, I can certainly examine them. However, I suggest installing a second battery in the system because with the battery rated at 5,120 watts, it probably doesn't have sufficient capacity for the inverter.

Jared, Thanks for your help. I sent an email message through the EG4 website on Saturday, and called EG4 on Monday morning. The system put me in the queue to get a call back from a tech in the order the call was received. Today is Wednesday, and you're the first person from EG4 I've been able to connect with.

I've been calling Stephan at Solar Sovereign since Friday and he's been unable to assist me also.

I plan to build out the battery bank to 15KW, but want to find a reliable battery, with good tech support. I was hopping it would be the Lifepower4, but so far it's been a frustrating experience. It's not your fault and I realize EG4 is probably overloaded with calls. Plus, it's tough to find good help. I'm trying to manage the load to keep demand below 5K and the system worked fine for three days until I had the overload shut down.

Here are the pictures. Any advice you can provide is appreciated.

 

[WNC_Prepper]

Is the "Access violation at address 0000000" a software/program error with the BMS_Test software or is it an error you see after connecting to the batteries.

Does the "Status" at the bottom of the screen show "Status: Port opened successfully!

I deleted the app and reinstalled it in case it was a glitch in the software. I even tried getting into it from a different lap top but got the same results. The status says, " "Comm.dll" doesn't exist or has problems!" Prior to the lock out, status had been saying. "Port opened successfully!"

I posted pictures in the reply to EG4_Jared in the thread below.

 

[marionw]

The BMS_Test_Windows when completely extracted to a folder contains the Comm.dll

https://eg4electronics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BMS-Test-Windows.zip

 

[EG4_Jared]

Jared, Thanks for your help. I sent an email message through the EG4 website on Saturday, and called EG4 on Monday morning. The system put me in the queue to get a call back from a tech in the order the call was received. Today is Wednesday, and you're the first person from EG4 I've been able to connect with.

I've been calling Stephan at Solar Sovereign since Friday and he's been unable to assist me also.

I plan to build out the battery bank to 15KW, but want to find a reliable battery, with good tech support. I was hopping it would be the Lifepower4, but so far it's been a frustrating experience. It's not your fault and I realize EG4 is probably overloaded with calls. Plus, it's tough to find good help. I'm trying to manage the load to keep demand below 5K and the system worked fine for three days until I had the overload shut down.

Here are the pictures. Any advice you can provide is appreciated.

Could you send me a direct message regarding this matter? Additionally, ensure that the BMS Test is extracted from the zip folder to allow the program to access the Comm.dll file. It is also advisable to set the dip switch ID to No. 0 and the start address in the software to 0.

 

[WNC_Prepper]

Jared,

Hi, the dip switches are labeled 1,2,3, and 4. Currently, 1 is up and the others are down. What position should they be in to set the dip switch ID to No. 0?

I'll delete and reinstall the software to make sure I extracted the file. I think I did but can't be sure. Also, when I get the access violation message, I'm unable to close the app without restarting the computer. Is that normal?

Thanks!

Mark

 

[WNC_Prepper]

The BMS_Test_Windows when completely extracted to a folder contains the Comm.dll

https://eg4electronics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BMS-Test-Windows.zip

View attachment 219911

I re-installed, extracted all, set all the dip switches to "off" which I'm hoping is position No. 0, set address in the software to 0, and am getting the same error codes. Also, once the access violation has occurred, I'm unable to close the BMS Test app. I have to restart the computer each time to get out of the app. Any ideas? Thanks.

 

[EG4_Jared]

Enabling both legacy components and the .net frameworks may be helpful in this case as well. However, could you post the files in the BMS Test folder as well as a picture of both ends for the cable?