Problems with qhostly flickering screen with some artefacts. The inverter and comunication is working fine.  Can anyone help me to fix this? It happent suddenly with no intervention.

13 hours ago, John Surveyour said:

Can anyone help me to fix this?

I find that most Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) are made of special glass with transparent conductive traces, almost like a printed circuit. To connect these flimsy traces to the drive circuitry, they usually use (a) strip(s) of special rubber that has columns of conductivity. The rubber squashes between the glass at one end, and plated PCB conductors at the other end (these are long ends, the rubber is only 5-12 mm high). These connections are not the most reliable, and when they become intermittent, you get segments partially "lighting" up. LC Display segment are very high impedance, so even 100k of resistance won't stop them much. So don't expect to have your multimeter beep with conductivity across this lightly conductive rubber.

I assume that the segments are usually dark, and become transparent to "light" them, the actual light coming from some coloured LEDs behind the glass. But it might be a completely different technology with these displays. I note that the numeric digits appear to be much thinner than with earlier LC Displays.

So to fix this problem, if that's what it is, is to manipulate the rubber into making better contact. Maybe it has buckled or moved, or maybe the PCB pads have corroded, or maybe some screws need to be tightened to increase pressure. Be careful not to crack the glass, of course.

This is a non-traditional repair situation, where you leave your soldering iron off for once 🤔.

On 30.10.2022 at 5:13, Coulomb said:

Găsesc că majoritatea ecranelor cu cristale lichide (LCD) sunt realizate din sticlă specială cu urme conductoare transparente, aproape ca un circuit imprimat. Pentru a conecta aceste urme subțiri la circuitul de comandă, ei folosesc de obicei (o) benzi de cauciuc special care au coloane de conductivitate. Cauciucul se strivește între sticlă la un capăt și conductorii PCB placați la celălalt capăt (acestea sunt capete lungi, cauciucul are doar 5-12 mm înălțime). Aceste conexiuni nu sunt cele mai fiabile, iar atunci când devin intermitente, segmentele se „luminează” parțial. Segmentele de afișare LC au impedanță foarte mare, așa că nici 100k de rezistență nu îi vor opri prea mult. Așa că nu vă așteptați să vă semnalați multimetrul cu conductivitate peste acest cauciuc ușor conductiv.

Presupun că segmentele sunt de obicei întunecate, și devin transparente pentru a le „lumina”, lumina reală venind de la niște LED-uri colorate din spatele sticlei. Dar ar putea fi o tehnologie complet diferită cu aceste afișaje. Observ că cifrele numerice par a fi mult mai subțiri decât cu afișajele LC anterioare.

Deci, pentru a remedia această problemă, dacă asta este, înseamnă a manipula cauciucul pentru a face un contact mai bun. Poate că s-a deformat sau s-a mișcat, sau poate plăcuțele PCB s-au corodat sau poate că unele șuruburi trebuie strânse pentru a crește presiunea. Aveți grijă să nu spargeți sticla, desigur.

Aceasta este o situație de reparație netradițională, în care lăsați fierul de lipit oprit o dată  🤔.

Hi. I have 2 pcs Easun SV IV with different firmwares, i cant paralelize them, has anyone firmware for this inverter to flash ? Thanks

17 hours ago, add1c7ed55 said:

I have 2 pcs Easun SV IV with different firmwares, i cant paralelize them, has anyone firmware for this inverter to flash ?

* Are they both Easun Igrid SV IV or Easun Isolar SV IV? These are very different models, which happen to look very similar. If they aren't the same model, you certainly can't parallel them, no matter what firmware you try to use. 

* Have you tried paralleling them already? Minor differences in firmware may not prevent them from paralleling. Hopefully, the days when they were making frequent changes to the internal CANbus protocol are long gone now. 

* What are the versions for the main (U1) firmware now? Use monitoring software that reports the complete (potentially 5 digit) version number. 

I don't know what the implications would be of mixing different DSP chips in a paralleled system. I can't think of a reason why it would lead to problems, but there may be some. 

8 hours ago, Coulomb said:

* Sunt ambele Easun Igrid SV IV sau Easun Isolar SV IV? Acestea sunt modele foarte diferite, care se întâmplă să arate foarte asemănătoare. Dacă nu sunt același model, cu siguranță nu le puteți paralel, indiferent de firmware-ul pe care încercați să utilizați. 

* Ai încercat deja să le pui în paralel? Este posibil ca diferențele minore ale firmware-ului să nu le împiedice să fie paralele. Sperăm că vremurile în care făceau modificări frecvente la protocolul intern CANbus au trecut de mult acum. 

* Care sunt versiunile pentru firmware-ul principal (U1) acum? Utilizați software de monitorizare care raportează numărul complet al versiunii (potențial 5 cifre). 

Nu știu care ar fi implicațiile amestecării diferitelor cipuri DSP într-un sistem paralel. Nu mă pot gândi la un motiv pentru care ar duce la probleme, dar pot fi unele. 

 

14 minutes ago, add1c7ed55 said:

 

 

You seem to have firmware versions 76.01 in one and 54.02 in the other. My wild guess is that one is for a '2809 DSP, and the other is for a '28066 DSP.

I can't figure out Voltronics' firmware numbering scheme.

In any case, I don't collect many Infinisolar firmwares, and yours appears to be an Infinisolar V IV. Certainly, neither 76.xx or 54.xx (for Infini) are in my collection.

You appear to have a display firmware update file in one of the phone screen captures. What you need is a pair of compatible main (DSP, U1) firmwares. I suspect that only the factory engineers can tell you which versions are compatible with each other. You have to talk to the factory engineers via your supplier, as you presumably are doing.

There is a thing that I call a "paralleling constant" that has to agree between the two firmwares before they will parallel. Without a firmware update file for each firmware, I can't tell whether the constants are the same. It seems to me that it is quite reasonable for you to expect Voltronic Power (via your supplier) to be able to sort this out for you, since paralleling of these inverters is advertised as a feature.

Good luck unravelling all this.

Related to the original problem, I have the same, on an Easun Igrid SV IV. I wrote to Easun Support and they've recommended to open the inverter and check if the LCD cable is loose. While doing that, when removing the front cover, the two cables connecting to from the mainboard to the front cover, which holds the display, got a bit tensioned. I've started the inverter with the front part still connected but not attached, everything was working. All the cables and sockets are attached with glue/silicon, so I could not really check anything. I've put the front cover back and the display was working properly ... until next day when the production started rose over 3000W, the issue reappeared immediately. I am not saying that there is an issue of going above 3000W, because it did that before many times before without the artefact issue. I believe that the issue appears due to the cooling current done by the fans when the inverter is under load (either charging or discharging) and then something moves inside. Unfortunately it does not cure itself over night or with a restart, so I doubt it's temperature related, rather something mechanical with the cabling. As far as I looked when the front panel was off, it seems the LCD cables (two of them) are a bit squashed between the front cover with the LCD and the rest of the inverter.

On 2023/03/02 at 12:44 PM, onobeka said:

Related to the original problem, I have the same, on an Easun Igrid SV IV. I wrote to Easun Support and they've recommended to open the inverter and check if the LCD cable is loose. While doing that, when removing the front cover, the two cables connecting to from the mainboard to the front cover, which holds the display, got a bit tensioned. I've started the inverter with the front part still connected but not attached, everything was working. All the cables and sockets are attached with glue/silicon, so I could not really check anything. I've put the front cover back and the display was working properly ... until next day when the production started rose over 3000W, the issue reappeared immediately. I am not saying that there is an issue of going above 3000W, because it did that before many times before without the artefact issue. I believe that the issue appears due to the cooling current done by the fans when the inverter is under load (either charging or discharging) and then something moves inside. Unfortunately it does not cure itself over night or with a restart, so I doubt it's temperature related, rather something mechanical with the cabling. As far as I looked when the front panel was off, it seems the LCD cables (two of them) are a bit squashed between the front cover with the LCD and the rest of the inverter.

First, try update firmware MCU, if not work need to change communication board near the display!

On 2023/04/11 at 7:11 PM, mihaigsm2003 said:

First, try update firmware MCU, if not work need to change communication board near the display!

Thank you, where could I find new software for it? Thx! My current software version is 76.01, the latest one I could find in the downloads section is 74.02.

However, looking in the section I found this , which suggests adding a capacitor across the PV inputs for solving also the screen flickering issue. As I have noticed, after a restart the issue is gone until the inverter reaches a certain load (big). In my case this load is solar charging the battery. Initially I thought it's a loose connector of the LCD screen and the cable being the airflow or something dilating and contracting. Reading that document makes me want to try that capacitor mod. What do you think?

Edited May 29, 20233 yr by onobeka

Yes, try the capacitor mod. 

Don't mix 76.xx and 74.xx, these are likely very different. Those sound like DSP firmware, MCU usually means display firmware. Besides, screen artefacts are likely not a firmware issue. 

Thx. I did not notice the MCU indication. Even so, I would not know where to find the software other than googling around. It should probably be somewhere in the Download section right? I did check there, not particularly for the MCU and I did not remember to have seen it. I will check again.

Regarding the capacitor mod, I will do this probably next week provided I can source the capacitor. I could get something like this: https://www.conrad.com/p/wima-mkp-4-33uf-10-630v-rm375-1-pcs-mkp-thin-film-capacitor-radial-lead-33-f-630-v-dc-10-375-mm-l-x-w-x-h-4-1569435, would that work?

 

PS: In the document, a backing plate is also mentioned, but I have not found any information despite my searches. Making a baking plate out of steel or aluminium would be simple, I guess it should also be grounded, right? If I recall correctly some form of a backing plate behind the display module already exists, I will need to check and report back.

Edited May 31, 20233 yr by onobeka

On 2023/05/31 at 5:46 PM, onobeka said:

Regarding the capacitor mod, I will do this probably next week provided I can source the capacitor. I could get something like this: https://www.conrad.com/p/wima-mkp-4-33uf-10-630v-rm375-1-pcs-mkp-thin-film-capacitor-radial-lead-33-f-630-v-dc-10-375-mm-l-x-w-x-h-4-1569435, would that work?

Yes, that should work, provided that it physically fits.

Thx. I guess it does not necessarily need to fit inside the unit, behind the display, provided it has to be wired in parallel with the PV+/-. It could be in the lower part of the inverter or even in the DC fusebox, as this one is about 0.5m away from the inverter. Yes, it is a dangerous charge, but when I need to work on the inverter or panels I will separate the panels by their DC fuses and breaker, if there is charge in the capacitor the imverter would consume it right away as it was solar. Is there an issue if the capacitor is not right in the unit as long as it is added with short and decently thick wires?

Edited June 4, 20233 yr by onobeka

12 hours ago, onobeka said:

if there is charge in the capacitor the inverter would consume it right away as it was solar.

Well, it might stop short at say 120 V, which is still dangerous. Also, there are cases where the inverter won't use solar. So always check with a meter.

12 hours ago, onobeka said:

Is there an issue if the capacitor is not right in the unit as long as it is added with short and decently thick wires?

It's hard to say with these sorts of things, but my guess is that it should be fine. The switching transients are presumably generated inside the inverter, so the closer to the MPPT board the (slightly?) better.

I’ve installed the capacitor two days ago. The problem of the LCD is solved. I’ve waited before reporting back just to be sure. We’ve had days with sun and clouds and those high irradiation when the sun comes out of the clouds, so big stress on the unit. The lcd indications did not even budge. I’ve used a film cap 2.2uF, X2, 630V DC by Kemet. As I only have 240VOC per string this should pe plently. A 3.3uF would also fit behind the screen. I’ve installed it as indicated in the document. Thank you very much Coloumb!

Thanks for confirming that it works, and that 2.2 μF is sufficient.

I note that X2 capacitors are almost "consumables"; they tend to wear out a tiny bit each time they absorb a transient. So it's possible that you might have to replace it in several years time. Just something to be aware of. This is unavoidable and you used the right type; you don't want the type of capacitor that explodes or short circuits (creating a fire hazard because it won't be a perfect short circuit) whenever there is lightning in the area.

Thx! I will probably replace it every couple of years. AFAIK there is not really much better/safer capacitors to use. I personally do not like too much this solution, because there is indeed a risk of a short circuit. OTOH, I did not care so much about the display (my only issue), because for monitoring I have Solar Assistant and the whole cloud (Solar Power, Watch Power). For modifying settings, Solar Assistant is not helping too much, some settings work some are "rejected". The same settings do work in the 'cloud' apps at the very same time, however in an emergency situation is best to also have the display. If it were the top line of the LCD that would be affected by this issue that would not be an issue either, but it's the bottom line in which you have to see the values and text. Going blind by number of 'button presses' is no option as it is not always that reactive, sometimes you need to press multiple time to have an action carried out.

I've also measured the voltage in case the inverter is stopped. Right after cutting all the power (AC-in/out, Battery and last PVs) the voltage across PV+/- is 6V and decaying 1V per second. 

6 hours ago, onobeka said:

I did not care so much about the display (my only issue),

If it affects the display (where perturbations are obvious), then is it also affecting anything else? Other effects may not be so obvious, yet may be important. Best to be safe, I think.

That’s true. The inverter interior space is very tight. I did not notice other differences so far. 

Eu am avut aceasi problema cu invertorul meu Easun SV4 am rezolvat probleme cu filtre de ferita montate atat pe cablurile de la baterie cat si pe intrare si iesire AC inclusiv pe cablul de retea de date am pus si problema sa rezolvat. asa ca daca nu doriti sa interveniti in interior incercati filtre de ferita pe dimensiunile corecte ale cablurilor. Cand o sa il desfac invertorul sa il curat voi pune un inel de ferita si pe cablu de la display ca sa fiu fiu impacat, intre timp am comandat inca un set de 15 bucati de la chinezi si am pus pe mai toate prelungitoarele din casa mai ales cele unde sunt conectate aparate ce au motoare, frigider aercul conditionat etc sa taie din paraziti asa ca am curent mult mai curat in intreaga casa acum, pretul e mic dar efectul este mare.