LV6548 and SOK server rack battery communication warning 61

[Scotts954]

At least for the panel I don't think up/downgrade matters since it erases whatever is on there first. I think there's definitely a possibility that it won't let you downgrade the main unit firmware. That was kind of my thought as well with how it didn't change at all. But I think that main unit firmware won't matter much for the communication issues. I think that's primarily handled in the LCD box/firmware.

@fanchazstic @Scotts954 please send me your order numbers by PM as soon as possible so I can express-ship something to you.

@PlaneBatteries I know who you are so I've got stuff going in the mail today.

When you three get the part, test it and let me know if there is any changes.

I also have the firmware files for the inverter successfully running in my shop that we can try, if the new part doesn't work.

I haven’t made much progress but that is because I had to travel for work. Will try to circle back to this soon. I did get a phone number for them if you would like that

 

[Nad]

To those who have SOK battery and their Inverter Protocol doesn't show the current one in the software, I suggest doing this one:

In PBMS Tools 2.5 folder, go to:

Config/XML/..

Rename InverterList.xml to InverterList.bak (for backup, or you could just copy paste for backup purposes)

Then,

Rename InverterList_default.xml to InverterList.xml

Then restart PBMS Tools 2.5.

Then re-do the video tutorial on how to change Inverter Protocol to Pylon RS485.

Disclaimer: DO AT YOUR OWN RISK. (though I believe there is no fireworks in this suggestion)

I just tried this and no change.

And, interestingly enough, when I connected to the ones that would report under the Inverter Protocol field they would not using the "InverterList_default.xml" XML file. Swapping back same as usual, 1-3 report, 4th does not.

 

[savaga]

I just tried this and no change.

Didn't work for my jakipers pro either

 

[PlaneBatteries]

Is it possible there are components in the BMS that all the server units share? Seems the EG peeps are having the same fits as we are.

 

[fanchazstic]

I can now report that I have working communication between the batteries and the inverter. I was finally able to get firmware version 112.19 provided by @savaga flashed onto my panel and have working communication. That being said I cannot recommend anyone else flash it. Do it at your own risk. In order to get my panel to flash, I had to remove the panel from the inverter and plug it in using a patch cable, and then take the back off the panel and blow onto the PCB for the entire 11 minute flashing process. Using a fan would have been safer and smarter but at the time I wasn't expecting it to work, it just kept getting further into the flash process and I kept blowing on it because I was too afraid to stop. My unit has a very warm spot on the remote panel and something must have been overheating. If anyone else is brave enough to give this a try and wants to report back with their experience, that would be great. But just understand the risks involved. That being said, communication has been working for about 10 minutes now without issue. I'll update if anything changes.

tl;dr: firmware version 112.19 fixed communication but flashing it onto your unit is not recommended at this time.

 

[fanchazstic]

A little over 4 hours now and communication is still working no issue. I even ran the unit off of battery for a bit and the inverter reflected the SOC reported by the BMS's during both the discharge and subsequent charge. Firmware version 112.14 seems to be a bit of a dud and 112.19 fixes the issue. Anyone still running 112.14 should probably get in contact with their inverter supplier and see if they can get version 112.19 through official channels. It would be a good idea to let them know about the issue and that 112.19 appears to solve it. I'll email Watts247 and let them know as well.

Speaking of, I updated the OP with the new information and links to savaga's post with the firmware and my previous post with more information/warnings. I also added a note about Watts247 and how they kept trying to sell me their own batteries claiming that the firmware was not the issue (when it actually was). I don't want to dwell on negatives but I feel like it should be mentioned so others can see.

Huge thanks to @HighTechLab for helping troubleshoot an issue that ultimately had nothing to do with the product that he sold. I'll definitely be doing more business with CC in the future. Huge thanks also to @savaga for the 112.19 firmware and @PlaneBatteries, @Scotts954, and @esch for their help in troubleshooting this as well. Hopefully we can get all the suppliers to stop shipping out units with 112.14 and can prevent other people from having this same issue.

 

[savaga]

I can now report that I have working communication between the batteries and the inverter.

Glad you fixed your inverter as well as the communication issue!!! Now I'll definitely give it a try too. Actually I was itching to do so anyways
Congratulation!!!

 

[fanchazstic]

Glad you fixed your inverter as well as the communication issue!!! Now I'll definitely give it a try too. Actually I was itching to do so anyways
Congratulation!!!

Awesome let me know what happens! Just keep in mind if the flash fails you may have to give it some airflow. Good luck!

 

[HighTechLab]

Good to hear! I was starting to loose sleep over this. I'm going to be out of the office this week, but when I get back I'll certainly be working on putting all this together in our documentation, as an advanced guide for users who can't get it to work out of the box.

I love this forum and the wonderful minds that inhabit it. You guys rock!

 

[savaga]

Awesome let me know what happens! Just keep in mind if the flash fails you may have to give it some airflow. Good luck!

I was finally able for flash both of my units. Faced similar (same?) issues as @fanchazstic. Long story short - most likely you won't kill your inverter in any case. All you need is a good airflow to the heat spot on the PCB. I took mine apart (even removed the display it's not needed while flashing) and used an air compressor to cool it down during whole process, about 11 minutes. That also fixed the issue with my jakiper batteries so no surprises here.

 

[robby]

I am really happy that you guys figured it out. It really is great when people come together and solve a major problem.
The one thing that I am a bit confused by is why does a firmware update on this inverter require this much work? I imagine that for 95% of owners this is going to be too risky or technical.
Is it because there is no firmware loading option in the pc software or inverter firmware?

I am just wondering if regular customers need to wait on a loader or how do they get there’s updated?

 

[fanchazstic]

The one thing that I am a bit confused by is why does a firmware update on this inverter require this much work? I imagine that for 95% of owners this is going to be too risky or technical.

It's very much so ridiculous that it's this difficult to update the firmware.

Is it because there is no firmware loading option in the pc software or inverter firmware?

I am just wondering if regular customers need to wait on a loader or how do they get there’s updated?

That wouldn't help, the issue seems to be a design flaw with the remote panel itself. Hopefully MPP Solar will address this....but I have low expectations given the response they gave me. See my next message for context on that.

 

[fanchazstic]

I explained to MPP Solar support in an email the whole situation and their response was, well, I'll let you read it.

Respectfully, there's no way for us to verify any of that...

I really don't know how you would expect us to fix this, given what happened.

Unfortunately I can't find a facepalm emote....

So yeah don't expect any kind of support from MPP Solar on these issues. Don't flash that firmware if you aren't comfortable with the risk. They will absolutely leave you out to dry. They didn't even acknowledge the issues. *facepalm* *facepalm* *facepalm*

 

[esch]

FYI, my firmware update (v112.19 from @savaga) went flawlessly and the BMS comms are now working.

I waited a week for support from Sun Gold, but no love. To be fair, I did get one message asking for a video of my setup but nothing since. Anyway, I figured I was on my own.

I did not notice any of the overheating issues reported by others. My inverter was disconnected from AC, running from battery. I don't know if that had anything to do with it. Ground loops, etc.

Thanks to everyone who helped fix this problem, you rock!

 

[robby]

I explained to MPP Solar support in an email the whole situation and their response was, well, I'll let you read it.

Let me see if I can translate it based on my time working with Chinese companies.

Respectfully, there's no way for us to verify any of that...

Translation, we got some Firmware but the managers do not care about the issue so we are not allowed to spend any of our time testing it. Plus we cannot get our hands on a Rack mount battery.

I really don't know how you would expect us to fix this, given what happened.

We sell Inverters, is your Inverter Inverting? If so why are you bothering us about battery monitoring.

Unfortunately I can't find a facepalm emote....

So yeah don't expect any kind of support from MPP Solar on these issues. Don't flash that firmware if you aren't comfortable with the risk. They will absolutely leave you out to dry. They didn't even acknowledge the issues. *facepalm* *facepalm* *facepalm*

This reminds me of the late 90s and Early 2000s when they had not yet come up with flashing circuitry that first loaded the whole Firmware file into non volatile memory then did a checksum and header test before actually overwriting the original firmware. In the old days if something glitched during an update the unit was bricked. I remember sometimes getting lucky and finding a JTAG port and being able to get the unit going again through that.

 

[fanchazstic]

I did not notice any of the overheating issues reported by others. My inverter was disconnected from AC, running from battery. I don't know if that had anything to do with it. Ground loops, etc.

Now that's interesting. We're 3 for 3 on MPP inverters having the thermal problems and 0 for 1 on Sun Gold. I wouldn't assume that would make a difference but I'd be curious if anyone else gives it a try what their unit does.

Edit: I tried both with AC connected and without it connected

 

[savaga]

This reminds me of the late 90s and Early 2000s when they had not yet come up with flashing circuitry that first loaded the whole Firmware file into non volatile memory then did a checksum and header test before actually overwriting the original firmware. In the old days if something glitched during an update the unit was bricked. I remember sometimes getting lucky and finding a JTAG port and being able to get the unit going again through that.

Fortunately this is not the case. My guess is there is some kind of overheat protection in bootloader which stops the process if temperature reaches some threshold. I flashed my first unit few dozen times before it succeeded.

Now that's interesting. We're 3 for 3 on MPP inverters having the thermal problems and 0 for 1 on Sun Gold. I wouldn't assume that would make a difference but I'd be curious if anyone else gives it a try what their unit does.

Edit: I tried both with AC connected and without it connected

I tried with AC connected initially with no luck then I temporary bypassed the wires and eventually flashed them in battery only mode.

 

[riogrande75]

Hi!
I'm working on reverse engineering the bms communication protocol's for mpp solar/voltronic inverters.
Can someone trace the rs485 connection for a while and send me the results - just like @esch posted in post #44
Would be very helpful if I would know the stat's of the battery from a specific time to assign values correctly.

Once protocol's have been fully explored and commands sent to/from inverter were revealed, it should be possible to create a "bms box" for all kind of battery/bms systems.

 

[ABJ]

Just wanted to chime in and report that 1 out of my 4 SK48v100's is doing exactly what you stated here. I set it to Pylon 485 it reports successful but never lists it under the Inverter Protocol field. The other 3 all report under Inverter Protocol field.

I have the battery with that issue on address 4 and have eliminated it from the error 61 by only testing with my first two batteries so I do not believe it is related. Regardless, it does concern me that it does not perform the same as my other 3.

I have exactly the same issue, just received an SOK battery two days ago, and it also has a blank field for the Inverter Protocol.
Trying to set it does nothing

Anyone got any ideas ?

 

[HighTechLab]

I've done some testing here, and I found that batteries from the 3rd batch forward do not respond back with the current protocol programmed. The good news however, is the battery did take the settings. I was able to go from CAN comms on a Sol-Ark to RS485 on an MPP unit and back with no problem other than the field being blank.