New Ruixu Heated Server Rack install

[Dlashbro]

I just posted this way down in a Ruixu experiences thread, but I figured I'd repost here to get a little more visibility.

I just received a set of 6 Ruixu heated server rack batteries with the cabinet. Shipped on time and packaged very well as others have mentioned. Install and setup was a breeze. I installed and powered up on Thurday 1/16. Replaced a lead acid bank. I'm running victron Quattro 10kva, mppt 250-100 and a cerbo gx with a 500a smart shunt. I used the victron cable purchased from Ruixu and the system instantly recognized the BMS and let it drive. Overall I'm very pleased.

I do have a couple questions though. I set the voltages for the quattro and mppt as recommended in the battery manual (56 absorbtion and 54.6 float). But when I look in the remote console under the battery>parameters it shows the charge voltage limit as 54.6. Watching the charging pattern the last two days, the bms took the charge up to 54.6 and then went to float. I thought it should go up to 56 to top balance and then drop to float. But, I am new to LiFePo, so not sure if I am carrying my lead acid thought process somewhere I shouldn't. Is this something I need to correct? or is it good to go?

Currently the lowest cell voltage is 3.316 and the highest is 3.325. Is that close enough to balanced? or do we want a much smaller delta there?

I am guessing (from previous threads) step one is a firmware update. I just tried connecting a pc using a victron MK3-usb and an rs485 cable using Ruixu's tool, but it didn't recognize the bms. I ordered a usb-rs485 cable from amazon and will try again when that gets here. I saw on the Ruixu website the last firmware listed was 18...but the firmware file that said heated model was like v10 or so. Not sure which version I should upload once i get the cable sorted out. Is the firmware specific for heated vs non heated? Also, should the Mk3 work for me to plug into the pc? or is that a different connection that what I need?

Thanks for any insight.

Update morning of 1/20: lost power several times this morning with the batteries flashing alarm. That triggers the quattro to shut down even though per the shunt, we still have voltage to the system (53v+). Quattro was showing a low voltage alarm. Was able to power cycle them and get them going again, but still have the alarm led flashing. Anxious to get the firmware updated but not sure how quick I can get the right cable to be able to do that.

 

[Dlashbro]

Received email reply from Rachel at Ruixu within 24 hrs. Correspondence below:

Wang​

to me

[td]

4:09 AM (6 hours ago)​

[/td]​

[td]

​

[/td]​

Hi Dave,

1. In the case of closed-loop communication between the inverter and the battery, the BMS prioritizes controlling the charging process. It will adjust the charging voltage based on the battery's health, temperature, or other factors, so you do not need to make additional settings for absorption and float voltages.
2. The voltage difference between the lowest and highest cell is within an acceptable normal range.
3. You purchased the heated model battery, so you should choose the latest firmware LD10 file for the heated version. LD18 is the firmware for the standard version of the battery.
4. The RS485 to USB cable for connecting to the host PC can be purchased from our official website: https://www.ruixubattery.com/product-page/rs485-battery-communication-cable-3feet.
5. Could you record a video of the alarm light flashing?

---

techsupport@ruixubattery.com

Dave Lashbrook​

to Wang

[td]

10:51 AM (2 minutes ago)​

[/td]​

[td]

​

[/td]​

Thank you. Please see below:

1. In the case of closed-loop communication between the inverter and the battery, the BMS prioritizes controlling the charging process. It will adjust the charging voltage based on the battery's health, temperature, or other factors, so you do not need to make additional settings for absorption and float voltages. Ok, I will see how it reads once the firmware update is complete. My concern is that a hard stop voltage limit (which is lower than what is specified in the manual) is keeping the bms from sending the correct voltage request to the mppt. Per the manual, the charge voltage should be 56 and some setting from the bms is keeping it at 54.6,
2. The voltage difference between the lowest and highest cell is within an acceptable normal range. Ok. Thank you/
3. You purchased the heated model battery, so you should choose the latest firmware LD10 file for the heated version. LD18 is the firmware for the standard version of the battery. Thank you for the clarification.
4. The RS485 to USB cable for connecting to the host PC can be purchased from our official website: https://www.ruixubattery.com/product-page/rs485-battery-communication-cable-3feet. I am ordering this now. Is it possible to ship it to me priority mail given there is a $12 shipping charge? Also, it would have been very helpful if this cable had been included with the package, or if the website clearly stated that it was needed as all the batteries require a firmware update. The website did make clear I needed to order the inverter cable, but I didn't know I needed this one.
5. Could you record a video of the alarm light flashing? The alarm cleared later in the day. It was flashing the Flash 3 sequence and the Inverter shut off with a low voltage error. However, the BMS and the Shunt both read 52-53v (working from memory but definitely not actually low). I power cycled each battery and the inverter and the alm lights came on again, but the inverter continued to operate and eventually the lights went off. The error occured just when the mppt was beginning to charge at about 830a. Temp in the room where the batteries were was 22F.
6. This morning I noted that the batt temp is showing cells at 30F but still allowing a charge. Air temp was around 20F so I believe the heater is working, but not sure if this is a problem. Please advise.

​

 

[Dlashbro]

More correspondence with Ruixu.

Wang​

to me

[td]

5:14 AM (16 hours ago)​

[/td]
[td]

​

[/td]​

Hi Dave,

1. Let me first explain the meanings of charging voltage, float voltage, and absorption voltage: Charging voltage is the target voltage of the battery, which is typically the voltage the battery should reach during the charging process. In most cases, the charging voltage is the full charge voltage of the battery. Absorption voltage is a stage during the charging process where the battery will maintain this voltage until it is fully charged. Float voltage is the final stage of the charging process, typically used to maintain the battery's voltage level after it is fully charged. When closed-loop communication is established between the battery and the inverter, the absorption and float voltages do not need to be manually set.
2. The RS485 cable is included with the battery. This issue will be addressed in the future. The reason it was not included previously is that most users do not need this cable. It is specifically for customers who need to connect the battery to a host computer for data checking or firmware updates due to battery faults.
3. The flashing alarm light is suspected to be caused by overcurrent charging. I recommend using a 50A current to charge the battery.

​

Dave Lashbrook​

to Wang

[td]

9:20 PM (0 minutes ago)​

[/td]
[td]

​

[/td]​

Thank you Rachel.

1. I understand the different charging stages. I have been living off grid using only solar for almost 2 years. My concern is that there is a protection parameter for charge voltage limit that is preventing the bms from properly cycling thru the bulk, absorption, and float stages. The batteries should be charged up to 56v, then dropped to float. But the voltage limit is only allowing them to go to 54.6 and then staying there. They are not getting top balanced because this setting is (I believe) incorrect. Please confirm with tech support what the correct voltages are for bulk, absorbtion, and float, and then ask if a voltage limit that never allows the battery to exceed 54.6 would disrupt a proper charging cycle.

2. Thank you. I look forward to receiving the cable so that I can update the firmware.

3. The first time I got the alarm light, I was charging at less than 15a. The second time, I was under 30a. This was not an overcurrent issue.

4. This morning I ran into more errors. The low temp here this morning was 20F. The internal heater in the battery did not cycle on at first to keep the battery above 32F. See screenshots showing cell temps too low, and a 646w charge being allowed thru by the bms. See pics 1 and 2. Then, when solar power increased, all batteries went into full shutdown, solid red on the Alarm LED See pic 4 and 5. At this point, the battery's heaters were drawing 32a see pic 3, which shows 32a passing thru the shunt but none too the batteries. While this occured, the batteries were not providing power to my inverter even though they were at 40% SOC. After about 10-15 minutes, the heaters had brought the cells up to temp (see pic 6). I had to manually power cycle the batteries several times to clear the alarm and bring them back online. Then when I powered the inverter back on, I had to repeat the power cycling several more times as the BMS was still sending a low voltage alarm to the inverter, causing it to shut down repeatedly. Several more power cycles for the batteries, and the inverter finally cleared the error and everything functioned properly for the remainder of the day. I do expect that I will have to do this again in the morning.​

 

[Dlashbro]

For anyone considering a purchase of Ruixu server rack batteries, a couple take aways from my experience so far:

1. Rachel has been responsive and helpful.
2. Definitely order the usb to rs485 cable when you order the batteries. It is $5 and you definitely want to have it. Victron MK3 won't work, and neither will a usb to ethernet adapter from best buy (at least not the one I tried).
3. If you are depending on your system for power (ie off grid) do not attempt to put these into service without doing a firmware update on them before hand. And, you may want to keep your previous batteries ready to go in the event that you have issues.
4. If you are running victron, consider powering your Cerbo with a separate battery so that you don't lose monitoring capability while working the kinks out and power cycling these etc.

 

[HardYakka]

For anyone considering a purchase of Ruixu server rack batteries, a couple take aways from my experience so far:

1. Rachel has been responsive and helpful.
2. Definitely order the usb to rs485 cable when you order the batteries. It is $5 and you definitely want to have it. Victron MK3 won't work, and neither will a usb to ethernet adapter from best buy (at least not the one I tried).
3. If you are depending on your system for power (ie off grid) do not attempt to put these into service without doing a firmware update on them before hand. And, you may want to keep your previous batteries ready to go in the event that you have issues.
4. If you are running victron, consider powering your Cerbo with a separate battery so that you don't lose monitoring capability while working the kinks out and power cycling these etc.

Getting the correct firmware loaded on my six pack to LD18 has seemed to stabilize them better than before. I still get a "ALM" when the temp goes below 40F/4.4C. I have sticky thermometers on bottom and top batteries.

 

[Dlashbro]

Getting the correct firmware loaded on my six pack to LD18 has seemed to stabilize them better than before. I still get a "ALM" when the temp goes below 40F/4.4C. I have sticky thermometers on bottom and top batteries.

Good, I am hoping the firmware update will smooth some of this out. Did you get the heated version of the battery or unheated?

 

[Dlashbro]

Wang​

to me

[td]

4:36 AM (7 hours ago)​

[/td]​

[td]

​

[/td]​

Hi Dave,

1. What is the maximum charging voltage of the DVCC you set in the inverter? It is recommended to set it to 56.5V.

2.The working process of the heated battery is as follows: When charging between -25 to 5 degrees, the heating function will be activated. The charger current is first supplied to the heating film until the temperature reaches 5 degrees. The resistance wire generates heat through heating. When the temperature reaches 12 degrees, the charger current stops supplying power to the heating film and begins charging the battery. The reason the heater is drawing 32A while the battery is not receiving any charge is that the battery has not yet reached the required temperature for charging and is still in the heating stage.

3.Do you have a charger? Disconnect the inverter from the battery, restart the battery, and check if the alarm light still persists. Then use the charger to charge the battery until it reaches a slightly higher state of charge, and reconnect it to the inverter.

Dave Lashbrook​

to Wang

[td]

11:40 AM (0 minutes ago)​

[/td]​

[td]

​

[/td]​

Hello Rachel,

1. The max charge voltage was set to 55v. I have now set that to 56.5 per your recommendation. I also re-read my Cerbo GX manual to make sure i was understanding the functionality correctly. Both the MPPT and the Quattro inverter (when charging) are correctly reflecting Ext Control, indicating that the battery's bms is controlling the charge voltage, current, etc. Also, the Parameters screen I sent you previously (which indicates charge voltage limit of 54.6) is info drawn from the battery's bms. This is not being set by any of the victron devices.

2. Again this morning, our temp was around 20F. At 900a the min/max battery cell temps were 28-30F. We had about 1100w of solar coming in and the bms was allowing a 5-6a charge even though cell temps were below 32f. I turned on the generator power to the quattro and began supplying an additional 30a charge. Immediately, all six batteries began the heating cycle but also went into shutdown, not allowing charge or discharge. ALM led solid red. And this caused the quattro to shut down as well. I had to restart the quattro a couple times and then one of the batteries went from solid red, to blinking red, and was allowing charge/discharge. This one battery active allowed the quattro to stay on for the duration of the heating cycle. I did note that the six batteries act as one on the heating circuit as we maintained 30a delta between current shown on the BMS and current shown on the SmartShunt data. Eventually some of the batteries were over 64F by the time the lowest temp battery was brought up to the shutoff temp of 54F. One by one as the batteries were heated to temp they dropped the solid red ALM LED and came back into service. While running the generator, the quattro (plus about 1000w from the MPPT) was able to operate the heating circuit and the other loads. However, even after the batteries were all back to allowing charge/discharge, while the heating circuit was on, if I turned the generator off, the quattro would immediately kick a low voltage alarm and shut off. By the time this was occuring, the sun was higher and we were getting 3000w of solar from the mppt. I went into the details later and found that the system voltage (as measured by the shunt) was never below 51v. However looking at simultaneous data from the VE Bus system (provided by the quattro) it showed voltage drops to as low as 34v. It appears that something about that 30a draw from the heating circuit is preventing proper battery operation, while the heating circuit is active. I am pretty surprised to find the battery is unuseable while the self heating mode is engaged. I hope this is something that is corrected once the firmware update is done.

3. I do not have a separate charger, other than putting the quattro in charger mode. But even then, it is still reading data from the BMS and i had to restart it several times to get it to stay connected and supply voltage. At no point (either yesterday or this morning) were the batteries at an extremely low SOC. Yesterday we were around 40% and today around 50%. Voltage both days was 51.9 prior to starting the charging. These should not be steps that are needed to facilitate what should be an automatic cycle of the battery every cold morning.

Any update on when that battery comms cable should be shipped out? I placed the order on Tuesday. I am pretty anxious to get the firmware update completed to see if that resolves these issues.

Thank you,
Dave​

 

[Dlashbro]

Good Afternoon Rachel,

I should be receiving the cable within a day or two and hopefully I can complete the firmware update at that time. I did want to relay a couple more experiences from the last couple days. Please advise if these will likely be resolved once the firmware is updated.

1. Two days ago, our low temp was in the low 20sF. Of the six batteries, only the bottom battery on the stack had cells go below 32F. Once the sun came up and 30a+ charging began from solar, the heating cycle began. One battery was solid red ALM LED and disabled from charge/discharge (the bottom battery). The other 5 were flashing red. SOC for all was 50% and all had voltage readings 51v or higher. However, once the heating cycle started, none of the batteries allowed any discharge current. So, if I had 50a coming off the solar charger, 30a went to the heating cycle, 20a could power other loads thru the inverter. But if another device came on (such as my well pump) creating a load of more than 20a the whole system would shut down. The same thing would happen if the a cloud passed by and the panels were shaded briefly. It seems the heating cycle completely makes the batteries (all of them-even the batteries that do not have cells under 32F) completely unavailable to power loads as long as the heating cycle is active. During very low temp periods, this is very problematic as the other day it took nearly 45 minutes for the heating cycle to be completed. During that time, my system was only minimally operational (with whatever power the solar charger had available during that time.) Since this is occurring first thing in the morning, there is not very much solar available at this time.
2. Yesterday, battery cell temps were between 32F and 36F first thing in the morning. The heating cycle never activated. I suppose this is ok, since we were not below 32f with any cell, but per your prior email, I believe that it should have cycled on.

I will advise once i have the cable and am able to pull and send history as well as complete the firmware updates.

Thank you,

Dave

 

[Brucey]

If you are having trouble with soc etc then disconnect comms and run open loop based on voltage, not using fantasy soc numbers from the battery bms. Simple and just works. Assuming you have a smartshunt to track soc.

 

[Dlashbro]

If you are having trouble with soc etc then disconnect comms and run open loop based on voltage, not using fantasy soc numbers from the battery bms. Simple and just works. Assuming you have a smartshunt to track soc.

That is definitely a possibility. I have thought about doing that. And, if do that, I may also disconnect the batteries comms from each other, then each will run its own heating cycle and get rid of some of the issues created by having all six on an all or nothing heating regimen.

 

[Dlashbro]

Rachel, I was able to connect to the batteries using the cable. I had to reset the batteries several times in order to get all 6 packs to connect. I found that the firmware already installed on them was in fact LD10. I did not install that firmware as the batteries appear to have the most recent version for the heated model. Please advise on how I should proceed.

Attached are the xml files from the parameter screens. I tried to read the history, but kept getting an error message "error in obtaining resume" and I was unable to get the history to read. I have also included some screen shots of the current parameter settings. I was surprised to see the heater setting such that it heats the battery all the way to 20c before turning off voltage to the heating element. I am still finding that the battery's bms stops charging and goes to float as soon as the packs are at 54.6. I am never getting a truly full charge and top balance of the cells. Also, I am noting that there is commonly a 5% delta between the SOC from the battery and the SOC from the smart shunt (shunt shows lower SOC). I believe this is due to the battery bms resetting to 100% as soon as voltage reaches 54.6v even though the Ah actually supplied is lower than 100%. In the long run, I believe this will degrade the batteries.

I am also concerned that the heating function requires a 30a charge coming in to function and will not allow discharge of the battery while the heating cycle is running. If there is less charge coming in than the 30a for the heater + whatever loads are running, the inverter is not supplied with sufficient power to run and the voltage drops and the system shuts down. For a full off grid system that I rely on for daily power, this is not acceptable. The heating cycle should allow the batteries to discharge normally while the heater runs. In fact, I think the heater should be able to be powered from the battery if the solar charge coming in is less than the 30a needed for the heater. This functionality desperately needs an upgrade.

Please advise on what I should do to get this running properly.

 

[Dlashbro]

Wang​

to me

[td]

Mon, Feb 17, 3:42 AM (2 days ago)​

[/td]
[td]

​

[/td]​

Hi Dave,

1. Use the attached V1.04 version of the upper computer to try exporting the battery history data again.Note, when exporting data, the batteries do not need to be connected in parallel. Disconnect the connection between the batteries.
2. What is the maximum charging voltage (limit) set in the DVCC on your Cerbo GX?
3. The difference in SOC can be caused by different measurement methods and the calibration of the battery management system. This difference is usually normal, but if the SOC difference is too large, it may require further inspection of the battery management system and the settings of the shunt.
4. If the battery itself powers the heater, in a low-temperature environment, the battery might already be at a low charge state, and the heater's operation would further drain the battery, leading to excessive discharge, which could affect the battery's lifespan.

 

[Dlashbro]

1. I will try that.
2. 56.5 see below. But the bms of the battery is overriding that and limiting it to 54.6.


3. The difference between the batter and the shunt is 13-15%. This is due to the battery bms saying they are at 100% as soon as voltage hits 54.6. In reality they should be charging up to 56 to truly reach a full charge.
4. The way this heater system is set up makes it almost useless in an off grid solar set up. The coldest time of the day is first thing in the morning. Solar charging starts off very slowly as the sun comes up. The heating cycle basically takes your batteries offline completely while it is running. During that cycle you only have whatever solar power is coming off the panels. And in the morning that usually isn’t very much. There has to be a better way to program that.
--Dave

 

[Dlashbro]

Hi Dave,

1.After confirmation with the team, the BMS limits this value to 54~57V, so 54.6V as the float charge voltage is normal. This setting helps charge more capacity (Ah). The difference in capacity between the voltage range of 54.6V to 58.4V is not significant, so a higher voltage does not effectively charge more. Additionally, maintaining this voltage setting helps reduce the number of overcharge and over-discharge cycles, thereby extending the battery's lifespan.

2.Regarding the battery flashing alarm that triggered the inverter shutdown, was it occurring for all the batteries or just an individual battery? Could you export the historical data of the faulty battery for me? Please refer to the attached video for instructions.

 

[Dlashbro]

Dave Lashbrook​

to Wang

[td]

9:38 PM (0 minutes ago)​

[/td]​

[td]

​

[/td]​

My issue with the charge parameters is not that the float voltage is 54.6. That is fine for a float voltage. My issue is that the charge cycle is going bulk, straight to float as soon as the battery voltage reaches 54.6. The bms is preventing the absorption stage of the charging cycle altogether. See the attached graph of the voltage and current. This happens every day. And the battery is never actually getting a full charge. As a result in the month that I have been using these batteries the difference between the shunt SOC and the battery SOC has gone from 0 to 15%. The bms is preventing the cells from ever actually getting a full charge. This is actually a big issue and will lead to degradation of the cells, not to mention that I will have significantly less available Ah even after a supposedly full charge.

This was yesterday. The absorption stage should have gone to the 56v range and then gradually tapered the current off before dropping to float. Instead, it stopped here. And, the shunt shows that during this "float" we were actually at 80% SOC.

This is not following the voltages in the manual that came with the batteries.

As far as the history, I will try that again when I have time and send it along if I can get it to work I can tell you that the heating cycle being on prevents the batteries from discharging altogether. I watch this in real time several mornings in a row during our last cold weather. During the heating cycles, the batteries do not supply any power to the system. The charge current (from solar or the generator) is directed to the heating cycle first, then any leftover power is available for the inverter to power loads. However, if the loads plus the heating element exceed the power coming in from the solar or the generator, then the whole system shuts down. The battery's power is completely unavailable. I watched it happen in real time with multiple shutdowns occuring. All the batteries were flashing the error. I sent you pics and videos of that earlier in this email thread.

 

[Dlashbro]

Wang​

to me

[td]

4:48 AM (2 hours ago)​

[/td]​

[td]

​

[/td]​

Hi Dave,

1. During charging with heating: The smart meter = charging current + heating current (about 8~10A).
   During discharging: The smart meter = discharging current.
   Since heating introduces a discrepancy, the SOC displayed on the smart meter is not the actual SOC of the battery. It is estimated that the smart meter SOC is higher than the battery SOC. If the inverter's charging process is controlled based on the smart meter SOC, charging may stop prematurely.

Conclusion:​

1. Are you controlling the inverter through the "smart meter"?
2. Do not rely on the "smart meter." The battery does not recognize the smart meter’s current and does not operate based on the smart meter’s SOC.
3. If you need a detailed analysis of the charging process, connect a monitoring system to extract historical records or log data for a full day.

1. It is not that the battery cannot discharge when heating; rather, heating is not required during discharge.
   • The discharge temperature can go as low as -20°C.
   • Using battery power for heating assumes there is charge available. If the battery is fully discharged and cannot be recharged due to low temperatures, it becomes unusable.
   • If a battery remains in a discharged state throughout the winter, it may be permanently damaged.

Recommendations:​

• Improve insulation to maintain adequate operating temperature.
• Increase the number of battery modules to ensure sufficient energy.
• If heating during discharge is necessary, you can install a 48V heater as a load, allowing the battery to discharge to heat itself just like any other load.
• Heating requires approximately 30A, and solar power generation of around 1.5kW is insufficient to meet this demand. This is not an issue with the battery itself.
• You can also add a diesel generator as an auxiliary power source.