MT50 and tracer 4215bn lfp battery settings not saving, revert after switching power off/on

[Gueyog8a7]

I saw that lfp04 as well as lfp08, rather than only having user settings to set them, are options and my battery seller said this would be the one I should choose (fogstar drift 105ah).

Every time I switch the power back on though the setting defaults to "sealed" in the options. I set again and they remain for that session but then again revert to sealed once switched off and on again.

Also I just saw this post advising not to use those presets anyway and rather choose user defined settings. Still though, being so new I would choose that for the time being as long as it is not hurting the battery, just less than ideal, as I have so much other stuff to work on - mainly getting heat in the van in these below freezing temps!

What I noticed is that other settings on the device will stick, at least the one other I tried, between power offs so dont know why this wont? I set the time/date settings and they have remained between power offs so what is the problem with the battery settings not taking? I didnt try messing with user or any other to see if it is only lfp8 it is not liking as I said above I dont know what I am doing there so want to keep it simple right now.

Is it perhaps because the device doesnt see it as lfp and is somehow rejecting it?

Also what would happen if I forgot to set them? I will of course try to remember and want to fix this as a priority but wondering if it could destroy the battery if I forgot?

Fogstar told me I could set it to either gel or sealed and it would be fine - forgot which now - if they said such and such setting was at x. I have no idea what that setting was or what that meant but they said the battery itself sorts itself out somehow.

So could anyone advise how to make lfp settings stick as this is rather an impediment to progress having to switch it manually every single time.

 

[AlpineJoe]

What version firmware is in your unit?
Have you tried reaching out to EPever tech support?

FWIW, I have not seen the issues you are seeing with mine EXCEPT when I had an error on any of the screens. I would make a change and save it for each screen, then when I ran into an error, fixed it, when I review all the settings, I would see another screen would be changed.

Programming it from the MT50 was difficult but do-able. Make sure you get NO errors for any of the screens, and if you do, exit the programming menu and go back in to make sure something did not default back to a factory value. I suspect that is what is happening.

 

[Gueyog8a7]

What version firmware is in your unit?
Have you tried reaching out to EPever tech support?

FWIW, I have not seen the issues you are seeing with mine EXCEPT when I had an error on any of the screens. I would make a change and save it for each screen, then when I ran into an error, fixed it, when I review all the settings, I would see another screen would be changed.

Programming it from the MT50 was difficult but do-able. Make sure you get NO errors for any of the screens, and if you do, exit the programming menu and go back in to make sure something did not default back to a factory value. I suspect that is what is happening.

I do not see any errors.

I have gone out and back and it stays but then goes away when power off. What is most weird is why the clock would stick but not that.

Btw with the battery icon on the screen I noticed it draining down, is that an accurate indicator of the remaining charge?

 

[AlpineJoe]

I do not see any errors.

I have gone out and back and it stays but then goes away when power off. What is most weird is why the clock would stick but not that.

Btw with the battery icon on the screen I noticed it draining down, is that an accurate indicator of the remaining charge?

AFAIK, that is only based on the battery voltage, so it is not accurate for remaining charge. I use my Victron shunt for state of charge.

Find out what your FW version is, and shoot an email to the email address I am going to put in a message to you. 'Fred' at Epever helped me with mine and provided an updated firmware that solved my 'stuck and not doing MPPT' problem on my 4215bn units. He also offered me to try a newer PC version of their software but I didn't as my issue was solved.

Do you have the RS485 adapter cable so you can program the unit from your pc?

 

[Gueyog8a7]

AFAIK, that is only based on the battery voltage, so it is not accurate for remaining charge. I use my Victron shunt for state of charge.

Find out what your FW version is, and shoot an email to the email address I am going to put in a message to you. 'Fred' at Epever helped me with mine and provided an updated firmware that solved my 'stuck and not doing MPPT' problem on my 4215bn units. He also offered me to try a newer PC version of their software but I didn't as my issue was solved.

Do you have the RS485 adapter cable so you can program the unit from your pc?

Thanks, I got an rj45 cable with it but not that one I guess since it says dont plug into PC.

I thought that using PC is terrible to program and using the mt50 is preferred. That is what his lordship will said anyway. Have things changed? It is still simpler for me to do with the mt50 since I have limited pc access. Possible but preferable to use mt50.

 

[AlpineJoe]

The PC software is not great, but is useable. I programmed both mine with the MT50, but when I installed the new firmware, I went ahead and programmed them with the PC program.

 

[Crowz]

I've never had an issue program either of the 4215bn's I have if I put in valid settings. They will error and kick out invalid settings. You are pressing the ok/enter button after picking the settings you want right?

 

[Gueyog8a7]

I've never had an issue program either of the 4215bn's I have if I put in valid settings. They will error and kick out invalid settings. You are pressing the ok/enter button after picking the settings you want right?

They say settings saved so must be but just do not save.

 

[Checkthisout]

Do you have the pc software and connector?

How old are the chargers?

 

[Gueyog8a7]

Do you have the pc software and connector?

How old are the chargers?

No software, just tried mt50.

The charge controller is brand new, only bought the other week.

 

[Gueyog8a7]

AFAIK, that is only based on the battery voltage, so it is not accurate for remaining charge. I use my Victron shunt for state of charge.

Find out what your FW version is, and shoot an email to the email address I am going to put in a message to you. 'Fred' at Epever helped me with mine and provided an updated firmware that solved my 'stuck and not doing MPPT' problem on my 4215bn units. He also offered me to try a newer PC version of their software but I didn't as my issue was solved.

Do you have the RS485 adapter cable so you can program the unit from your pc?

I thought that showing the voltage also indicates the charge as the voltage lowers the lower the charge is?

I have been emailing them, they are indeed very responsive.

Last emailed they said that the mt50 could show lfp option when the bn device does not support it and that I should check the sticker to see if it does. Have to wait til light to do that. If it didnts I dont see why the settings would save for the session. If it doesnt then I guess user settings will be the way? More fiddle but I saw a video where they guy who was initially excited by lfp preset actually went back to user due to preset not being that good.

 

[Crowz]

My m50 display shows .25 to .30 volts less than actual battery voltage all the time when discharging at night so its basically useless. I'm adding a volts display to my workbench now so I can see actual battery voltage anytime I check the camera I have pointed at the gauges.

I have a renogy display with shunt to know the actual state of charge of the batteries but even its voltage display is .1 to .2 wrong from the actual battery voltage but the ah reading and states of charge are dead on.

 

[AlpineJoe]

I thought that showing the voltage also indicates the charge as the voltage lowers the lower the charge is?

I have been emailing them, they are indeed very responsive.

Last emailed they said that the mt50 could show lfp option when the bn device does not support it and that I should check the sticker to see if it does. Have to wait til light to do that. If it didnts I dont see why the settings would save for the session. If it doesnt then I guess user settings will be the way? More fiddle but I saw a video where they guy who was initially excited by lfp preset actually went back to user due to preset not being that good.

I am using USER setting because I don't want to charge my LFP batteries to 28.8V (or 14.4V per battery). I want to keep the voltage low so as not to trip the BMS uppper limit in case a cell gets out of balance. So my float and equalize voltage is set to 28.0V.

Glad to hear they are responsive. If you don't like an answer you get, keep pressing them for info.

Right now I have a weird issue that didn't bother me until today. Sometimes the voltage on the MT50 doesn't match each other, and today when I looked, both said 28.8V when I looked at them remotely through my webcam but when I checked my SmartShunt and Smart Solar MPPT controller logs, they never showed anything higher than 28.0V (which is my float and equalize voltage) And this was at low charging current (~ 5A) so it had nothing to do with cable losses. I think they might be picking off battery voltage from some other point in their unit that is affected by their output mosfet. It cannot be because ALL of my BMSs kicked in because my biggest pack has no bms. . . . . ..

 

[Checkthisout]

I am using USER setting because I don't want to charge my LFP batteries to 28.8V (or 14.4V per battery). I want to keep the voltage low so as not to trip the BMS uppper limit in case a cell gets out of balance. So my float and equalize voltage is set to 28.0V.

Glad to hear they are responsive. If you don't like an answer you get, keep pressing them for info.

Right now I have a weird issue that didn't bother me until today. Sometimes the voltage on the MT50 doesn't match each other, and today when I looked, both said 28.8V when I looked at them remotely through my webcam but when I checked my SmartShunt and Smart Solar MPPT controller logs, they never showed anything higher than 28.0V (which is my float and equalize voltage) And this was at low charging current (~ 5A) so it had nothing to do with cable losses. I think they might be picking off battery voltage from some other point in their unit that is affected by their output mosfet. It cannot be because ALL of my BMSs kicked in because my biggest pack has no bms. . . . . ..

Array voltage maybe?

 

[AlpineJoe]

Array voltage maybe?

Epever support wondered if it was EMI. I do have 3 SCC’s all feeding my pack, one of which is a Victron 150/45. It does seem to happen most when the charge is at or near end point.

 

[Gueyog8a7]

I am using USER setting because I don't want to charge my LFP batteries to 28.8V (or 14.4V per battery). I want to keep the voltage low so as not to trip the BMS uppper limit in case a cell gets out of balance. So my float and equalize voltage is set to 28.0V.

Glad to hear they are responsive. If you don't like an answer you get, keep pressing them for info.

Right now I have a weird issue that didn't bother me until today. Sometimes the voltage on the MT50 doesn't match each other, and today when I looked, both said 28.8V when I looked at them remotely through my webcam but when I checked my SmartShunt and Smart Solar MPPT controller logs, they never showed anything higher than 28.0V (which is my float and equalize voltage) And this was at low charging current (~ 5A) so it had nothing to do with cable losses. I think they might be picking off battery voltage from some other point in their unit that is affected by their output mosfet. It cannot be because ALL of my BMSs kicked in because my biggest pack has no bms. . . . . ..

Ok I figured it out based on their suggestions. It actually isnt lfp compatible. They said to look on the sticker on the side if the model text had (Li) in it. It did not as some are made with and some without. Sounds like you have the former which also brought with it some other problems of its own?

They also said to try saving gel type and repowering and see if it saved and indeed it did. So user settings it will be. It seems a non issue now from what you and others I have seen online stating how they end up using user settings anyway.

Mikefitz I recalled kindly laid out settings specific to my battery in one of my first postings so I will try with those. I know you also gave a link to a thread where you set yours but figure I will try with mikes settings he gave tailored for my battery.

Thanks for your guidance though. It was quickly remedied once I got in touch with epever.

 

[AlpineJoe]

Ok I figured it out based on their suggestions. It actually isnt lfp compatible. They said to look on the sticker on the side if the model text had (Li) in it. It did not as some are made with and some without. Sounds like you have the former which also brought with it some other problems of its own?

They also said to try saving gel type and repowering and see if it saved and indeed it did. So user settings it will be. It seems a non issue now from what you and others I have seen online stating how they end up using user settings anyway.

Mikefitz I recalled kindly laid out settings specific to my battery in one of my first postings so I will try with those. I know you also gave a link to a thread where you set yours but figure I will try with mikes settings he gave tailored for my battery.

Thanks for your guidance though. It was quickly remedied once I got in touch with epever.

Glad they were able to help, we would never have figured that out. Weird that it didn’t do LFP though the MT50 allowed that choice. There must be some matching needed between the MT50 FW and the 4215bn FW/hw version.

Mine do have Li on the sticker. My issue was a FW bug where the charger would get stuck and not do mppt but instead just load the panels down to the battery voltage + 2V, so my amps was always low. New FW fixed that.

 

[Checkthisout]

Glad they were able to help, we would never have figured that out. Weird that it didn’t do LFP though the MT50 allowed that choice. There must be some matching needed between the MT50 FW and the 4215bn FW/hw version.

Mine do have Li on the sticker. My issue was a FW bug where the charger would get stuck and not do mppt but instead just load the panels down to the battery voltage + 2V, so my amps was always low. New FW fixed that.

For my Tracer 100 amp, the Solar Station PC software shows the controller has a 100 amp load output.

It's akin to those blocked-off switch plates you get with less-optioned models of cars.

Why is this cover here? Oh, that's where the seat heater switch goes on the more expensive model. ?

 

[Gueyog8a7]

I am using USER setting because I don't want to charge my LFP batteries to 28.8V (or 14.4V per battery). I want to keep the voltage low so as not to trip the BMS uppper limit in case a cell gets out of balance. So my float and equalize voltage is set to 28.0V.

Glad to hear they are responsive. If you don't like an answer you get, keep pressing them for info.

Right now I have a weird issue that didn't bother me until today. Sometimes the voltage on the MT50 doesn't match each other, and today when I looked, both said 28.8V when I looked at them remotely through my webcam but when I checked my SmartShunt and Smart Solar MPPT controller logs, they never showed anything higher than 28.0V (which is my float and equalize voltage) And this was at low charging current (~ 5A) so it had nothing to do with cable losses. I think they might be picking off battery voltage from some other point in their unit that is affected by their output mosfet. It cannot be because ALL of my BMSs kicked in because my biggest pack has no bms. . . . . ..

Hey can you offer guidance on overpanelling as discussed here. I am still not sure what I could go to as most people were saying even up to 1500 whats is fine but one user the 12voltinstalls user says I am still limited by VOC which I do not understand.