Lifepower4 firmware update issues, intermittent monitoring connection

[offgridfarmgineer]

I have two 6500s and 12 Lifepowers as a secondary off-grid system (other system has been powering my tinyhouse off-grid since 2020) which powers two EVs and will power a walk-in cooler and other stuff on our farm. This system has been in use for a couple months and I just did a warranty replacement of both 6500s due to P80 errors. Now working fine so far.

I have been trying to upgrade the Lifepowers' firmware and getting comm issue using BMS test software. I'm able to open the port instantly and can see all the batteries in the bank, but mostly getting bad reads (maybe connects 1 to 5% of the attempts) and often has blank columns while looking at all 12. This would be ok since in the long run monitoring batteries should be rare, but when trying to get boot info for updating firmware it fails every time. I tried leaving connected a while hoping it would eventually get boot info, but keeps saying failed connection. Using the EG4 cable with exposed pinout wires and they are pins 1 and 2 of course since I am able to read the battery status (intermittently).

I have address set to zero, I have dc breaker to 6500 off, have the battery to battery com cable disconnected and even tuned off the other 5 batteries in the rack of 6.
I messed w various baud settings but in seeing the eg4 videos the default settings should work.

Any ideas? Again, I am able to read the battery but it mostly shows a red text fault and only occasionally green in the bar info tab whether looking at just 1 battery or all 12.

See pic which shows status for battery but also shows address 0 in red and status in red at the time of photo. Status only updates occasionally instead of always being connected.

I'm using a newish workstation laptop which requires a USB C adapter. This laptop has been used to update firmware on the 6500s no problem.

 

[Zapper77]

Edit

Correction: you can not use bms test and have the battery communication between the inverter at the same time.

 

[Zapper77]

 

[Zapper77]

Next Check your cable.

 

[Zapper77]

EG4® LifePower4 | 48V 100AH Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery - EG4 Electronics

EG4 Electronics

eg4electronics.com

 

[offgridfarmgineer]

Thanks so much! I'm at work and can't look at things again until after work. I think my cable is fine and the app does default to 9600. I'm currently using address 0 through address 11 for the 12 batteries. So it seems like I need to have it at zero to not get 61 for the inverters but switch to something else besides zero for bms test? That is so odd and not how they show it working on the two SS/EG4 videos, weird. So perhaps I can try setting it to 12 or something since I'm already using 1, otherwise just need to rename the others 2 through 12 and leave 1 open for these occasions.

They say to update it needs to be at zero but more correct perhaps is it just needs to match the battery? Are there already dozens of posts on this issue and I didn't see them or do most folks just use address 0 one by one as they update each battery solo and this is a rare issue?

 

[Browse]

I had an issue upgrading the firmware and it turned out to be my USB Serial driver.

EG4 Lifepower4 48V Top Balancing Firmware.

Well Im out of options

diysolarforum.com

 

[Zapper77]

They say to update it needs to be at zero but more correct perhaps is it just needs to match the battery? Are there already dozens of posts on this issue and I didn't see them or do most folks just use address 0 one by one as they update each battery solo and this is a rare issue?

No zero isn't required.

No not dozens of post...maybe 3 or 4

When updating you can not have any other communication cable connected or and current flowing or load on the battery.

 

[offgridfarmgineer]

I had an issue upgrading the firmware and it turned out to be my USB Serial driver.

EG4 Lifepower4 48V Top Balancing Firmware.

Well Im out of options

diysolarforum.com

Thanks, I saw this thread a while back when I wasn't dealing w this issue and forgot about it. I'm working w an EG4 person via the FB group and they also suggested the driver as a first step. Trying that when I get home.

 

[offgridfarmgineer]

Arrrrg. So a great eg4 tech was helping me and he helped me discover after a while that I'M AN IDIOT and when I checked a week ago which pins I was using I got it wrong (using 7 and 8 not 1 and 2). Before that he also helped me update driver. Also I downloaded the latest BMS test and that actually let me get green status messages all the time for monitoring.

He is shipping out a proper cable but I went ahead and made my own as you nicely show above.

I made my own cable from a spare patch cord, pin 1 orange/white going to B/D- and pin 2 orange going to A/D- on the USB. It connects fine, reads batteries , green status messages but still no boot info. Other cable unplugged in battery and DC breaker off so no current. So feel like I'm doing everything right and scratching my head !

 

[Oldtimmer69]

Arrrrg. So a great eg4 tech was helping me and he helped me discover after a while that I'M AN IDIOT and when I checked a week ago which pins I was using I got it wrong (using 7 and 8 not 1 and 2). Before that he also helped me update driver. Also I downloaded the latest BMS test and that actually let me get green status messages all the time for monitoring.

He is shipping out a proper cable but I went ahead and made my own as you nicely show above.

I made my own cable from a spare patch cord, pin 1 orange/white going to B/D- and pin 2 orange going to A/D- on the USB. It connects fine, reads batteries , green status messages but still no boot info. Other cable unplugged in battery and DC breaker off so no current. So feel like I'm doing everything right and scratching my head !

I am going through the samething.

I made my own cable, the eg4 cable was pinned wrong 7,8 not 1,2.
Unplug the communication cables, put dip switches on 0, turn battery off then on, disconnect the positive side of the battery. That worked for me.

Edit : updated 17 batteries, and the communication hub. but the 2 gyll batteries.. I just couldn't get them to show on the bms test. Now my hub sees 16 batteries. This definitely helped me out and shame on SS for never tell me about updating everything to see if that would work in the 6 phone conversations I've had with them about the bms charging problems.

 

[offgridfarmgineer]

I finally got the cable. The one I made should have worked but strangely didn't. The new cable worked great, upgraded each battery in under 2 mins. Then the batteries balanced in 2 days. The BMS test works each scan for monitoring the 12 in multipack mode.

When updating I just used each unique address instead of setting each to zero and messing w dip switches. After I got the boot info for each I needed to wait like 6 or so seconds before sending the update file to the batteries.

 

[Zapper77]

After I got the boot info for each I needed to wait like 6 or so seconds before sending the update file to the batteries.

You can watch the BMS LEDs, after getting boot info the BMS does a restart (thats why the 6 second pause is required). Once the LEDs come back on you can continue with the update.