Youda's off-grid LAB

[Henwilsch]

On 2021/03/11 at 8:30 PM, PurePower said:

I am looking for V2.5 firmware for the US2000 or US3000A Pylontech battery. If anyone can share, it will be highly appreciated. 

 

And for the record @Youda, your setup is amazing! Its very impressive on what you have done so far. 

I would also like to get hold of V2.5 for US3000A. I do have a copy of Batterview ver. 3.0.23

Edited March 25, 2021 by Henwilsch
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[Japie Muller]

Good day, I just have the following question:

- I have a Synapse 5.0K+ (Axpert King).
- No firmware upgrade needed for I have the Option 05 = PYL
- I have a US3000B Pylontech Battery (not US3000C)
- I don't have a RS-485 cable, need to make one up.

Question: Is the pin-outs still the same for US3000B Pylontech?
3 to 1
1 to 3
5 to 2
2 to 5

OR is these pin-outs only applicable to US3000C?

[Henwilsch]

I bought a new US3000C and it is definitely faulty. It started out with problems. Giving system errors when used in a 2 battery stack with a US3000A. It cleared all its log data and even the cycle count went back to 0 yesterday. Now it charges to 53% soc and thinks it is full and that is running just on its own.

This does not boost any confidence in the model US3000C batteries.

I there another brand of battery that can be used together with Pylontech batteries?

[PierreJ]

6 minutes ago, Henwilsch said:

I bought a new US3000C and it is definitely faulty. It started out with problems.

I bought 5 US2000B batteries in March of last year. Two of them have since failed and were swapped out under warranty. The service from Pylontech was excellent, and the swapout process was painless in both instances. However, it is a bit concerning when you have a 40% failure rate within one year. I am hoping this was just a bad batch, and my experience is not indicative of the reliability one can expect from Pylontech batteries in general.

[Henwilsch]

Pylontech promised to replace the battery, hopefully next week. We will see if the new battery is any better.

[PiecE]

My link ports melted...

Can anyone tell me exactly what the link ports are for? I have 2x pylontech's (one US3000 and one US2000) that my installer linked on port 0 for both. After a year I decided to give the batteries some backup from utility to help overnight and with this I noticed the RJ45 cable was connected incorrectly. The cable ends basically melted into the port. I've managed to get them out but some pins bent and some pins are completely melted off the socket itself.

So basically I have two pylontechs with only their Link 1 ports working. Do they need to be connected for proper parralel usage or is it just a communications port for software? I'll put up pictures if needed. Hoping for the best...

[PeterGutti]

Hi Youda.

i'm planning to also buy a EV with plug-in.  I also would like to use the excess electricity of my PV panels to charge the car. At least in summer time and after the batteries are fully charged. 

But i do not have the skill to do that all myself.  I'm looking for a solution on the market, a wallbox with DC input.

Is there any?

Current installation: 2xAxpert 5kVA, 24 Batt a 1500Ah, ICC software to monitor, ICC GPIO to start/stop the power generator and the pool pump. 

[Kalito]

On 2020/03/16 at 6:02 PM, Youda said:

 

Yes @Andries, that picture is correct. I've just checked the cable with the multimeter.

Keep in mind that COLORS are not important, as they can differ based on the vendor of the cable.
Just follow the wiring:

• The RJ-11 have to be the one with just 4 golden contacts, not 6.
• PIN1 is not used
• PIN2 leads to DB9 PIN3
• PIN3 leads to DB9 PIN2
• PIN4 leads to DB9 PIN5

DB9 connectors have small numbers imprinted directly on them. You can't mess-up this part.

And here's the more obvious picture for you:

 

 

@Youda Just to be clear, I am trying to crimp a serial cable for a UP2500 to ICC and I note the pin assignment is different for this battery RJ11

1. GND
2. RXD
3. TXD
4. GND

Am I right to crimp RJ11 to DB9:

1. Null
2. ---> 2
3. ---> 3
4. -----> 5

 

[Brano]

On 2020/11/08 at 4:25 PM, Youda said:

Yeah, the current 3-phase hybrid inverters from almost every manufacturer now are using HV batteries (where allowed voltage range is typically 200V to 400V DC). LV, aka 48V DC batteries are being used for 1-phase inverters mainly.

Speaking of Pylontech, their HV and LV batteries are talking different protocols. Therefore, BatteryView version intended for US2000/3000 is incompatible with H48050 of Force H2.

If you want to try it out, I have a BatteryView version for HV batteries as well. It works with H48050 (aka PowerCube-X1), but I don't know whether is will work with Force-H2 too.

Anyway, RS232-to-USB coverter, together with a correctly wired communication cable is a must, of course.

Dear sir

Can you let me know where can I download BatteryView software for H48050 ?

Best regards

Braňo

[Youda]

BatteryView_HV_3.5.zip

[Youda]

BatteryView_HV_3.5.pdf

[Speedster]

I have managed to make up a cable as described and get the following error when connecting to my US2000B Plus batteries. Any idea what I'm doing wrong?

 

 

[Speedster]

22 hours ago, Speedster said:

I have managed to make up a cable as described and get the following error when connecting to my US2000B Plus batteries. Any idea what I'm doing wrong?

 

 

Blonde moment - I had the TXD and RXD connected the wrong way around. Anyway, it works now, but gives a timeout about 3 or 4 seconds after commencing scan

 

String Output Window tail is as follows:

pylon_debug>pwr@
#snipped data
Command completed successfully
$$
pylon_debug>unit@
Unknown command 'unit' - try 'help'
$$
pylon_debug>

 

Edited March 3, 2022 by Speedster

[Tibi]

Hi,

If anyone else other than me needs a BMS cable from mpp solar pip5048 gk to pylontech us3000c here is the pinout connections which worked for me:

3 - 8

5 - 7

7 - 5

8 - 3

The numbering is standard for RJ45, you can find in this discussion thread pictures with the connections to other inverter & battery combinations where you have a very explicit diagram of the RJ45 numbering. If you don't like to scroll just keep in mind that numbering starts with 1 from left to right with the connector having the clip on the table and the hole where the cable enters towards you.

[Wanda]

On 2019/05/08 at 5:27 PM, Youda said:

Hi guys,

so, if you want to check the status of your Pylontech Phantom-S, US2000 or US3000, there's a great diagnostic tool for this called BatteryView.

*DISCLAIMER:
*Please note that with the information written below, you can effectively destroy your batteries, or invalidate your warranty.
*Do what you like, but I take no responsibility for your actions and results.

 

First, you have to create a Serial Console cable, as no such cable comes in the box with the batteries. Here's the wiring:

1. Plug the RJ-11 connector of the cable into the CONSOLE PORT of the TOP BRICK of you battery stack. Just to be sure, the top brick is the one that have LinkPort0 EMPTY.
2. Next, plug the cable into your laptop's serial port, or USB2Serial adapter.
3. Launch the app and choose the serial port name according to your's laptop configuration. IE COM1, COM2, COM6...
4. Baudrate is 115200.
5. If you have more Pylon bricks stacked, then check the "Parallel" box and select the number of bricks that you have in a single stack.
6. Click OK to connect to the BMS.
7. If you did everything correctly, the app will scan all the bricks and will show you the operational parameters, like cell voltages, current, temperature, SoC...
8. There's a couple more charts available under the "Windows" menu, like Voltage/Amps curve, etc.
   
9. Be carefull, as this tool is used also for updating firmware. So, don't screw up your battery...

 

For the experts, there's even a possibility to open a CLI, where you can query much more detailed info.
You can SET the values, test the circuits, perform shutdown, etc.
This CLI is so powerfull, that it's actually scary.

Well, if you're not a certified Pylontech expert, don't touch it, please!

 

ATTACHMENT:

BatteryView.zip 1.49 MB · 673 downloads

 

Hello. I have a UP5000 which now uses RJ45 on the console port. How do I connect the RJ45 to the DB9.

Thanks

 

[riogrande75]

Can anybody log the communication BMS/Inverter (Infini) for some minutes? Would be curious what commands they "speak"?

Edited May 25, 2022 by riogrande75

[Youda]

@riogrande75

personally, I am not using direct comm link between the Pylontech and my Infinisolar inverters, as the implementation on the Infini side is really poor. Can't perform even basic tasks. I had the required card in the past, tried it, but then gave it to somebody else, who had just one inverter (where it works a bit better than in my setup of 3 inverters)

As a replacement, I've built my own automation, that talks to Pylontech and to Infini too and performs various tasks based on SOC, actual PV power and the system load. Complicated, expensive but it works much better.

Anyway, if you are still interested, Infini is talking to Pylontech BMB via RS485 interface. I've put PDF with Pylontech protocol description in this older post: https://powerforum.co.za/topic/2322-youdas-off-grid-lab/?do=findComment&comment=75314

[Youda]

Hi guys,

did a couple of updates to my lab in the meantime:

1) There was a sale on batteries, so I've added some more Pylontech US3000C bricks to my setup. It's 56kWh now. Note that the rack on the left is still empty:

2) I was not satisfied with the plastic distribution board that I originally used. Main reason was that I needed to add some new components in and there was no free space left. Therefore, I ditched the plastic box and rewired everything in the new Eaton distribution board that is made of metal. This board has a space for 196 modules, if I recall correctly, so I hope that it will last.

Edited February 2, 2023 by Youda

[Youda]

3) Moved from EmonCMS (cloud-based) to Grafana running on-premises. While EmonCMS was great for start, Grafana has way more capabilities and on-prem solution is a nice way to get rid of that monthly OPEX that was associated with the cloud-based solution. By the way, I went for 64bit OS and 64bit InfluxDB2, in order to be able to run integration jobs (stats) on larger datasets.

A few examples from the GUI:

 

Works on internet-enabled mobile phone too:

Edited February 2, 2023 by Youda

[Youda]

***DISCLAIMER: Use at you own risk. You may brick and/or damage your batteries

How to upgrade firmware of the Pylontech batteries

• If it works okay, do not touch it!
• If it does not work okay, contact your dealer.
• If your dealer is not helpful, contact Pylontech support.
• If Pylontech support is not answering, then you can try to upgrade the firmware.

Connect laptop PC to the Pylontech battery:

1) First, you'll need to make (or purchase) a serial cable in order to connect a laptop to CONSOLE port of the battery.
Older models of Pylontech batteries are using RJ-11, while newer models are equipped with RJ-45.

Wiring on the right is suitable for all the new models, including US3000C, US5000C, Force H1 and Force H2:

2) A lot of people are struggling with making a working cable, because in some versions of Pylontech user-manual there's a missing information on the GND pin for the RJ-45 console port. Other people are unable to connect since they swapped TX and RX. So, here's the actual pinout of console port for RJ-11 and RJ-45:

3) Grab a Windows laptop PC equipped with a physical DB9 serial port and connect it to the battery stack via the cable above. As an alternative, you can use cheap USB-to-SERIAL converter, for example FTDI-based.
WARNING: Console port is RS232, with positive and negative voltage levels. Therefore, you have to use true RS232 serial-port interface, NOT UART 3.3 or 5V!

4) Download and unpack Pylontech_Tools.zip from the link bellow.
The password for the ZIP file is: Youda

5) Start the BatteryView software:

• For batteries with a very old firmware, BatteryView 2 works the best.
• For new batteries, use BatteryView 3.0.28 or newer.
• Select the respective COM port and use 115200 baud-rate

6) Now you can perform diagnostic tasks, or update battery's firmware.

Updating Pylontech firmware:
1) When updating firmware, the best is to power-down whole stack, remove all the LINK cables between the batteries and then turning-on just one battery at a time and perform the FW upgrade on it. Then repeat the process for the next battery. Updating batteries while online in a stack works too, but you will get alarms and red lights.

2) There are several models of Pylontech batteries and the firmware is INCOMPATIBLE between most of them:

• If you flash a wrong FW in the battery you will brick it.
• FW numbering is INCONSISTENT between the models. Fox example: For an old battery with certain PCB the FW2.4 might be the most-recent, while for a new battery with a different PCB and chipset the most-recent version would be FW1.9. In other words - higher number does not automatically mean that the firmware is newer, nor better!

3) If possible, it's preferred to update FW via BatteryView 3.0.28 while using following rules:

• For updating US2000C, US3000C and US5000 select the whole ZIP file that includes two BIN packages inside and perform update. The BW3.0.28 will be able to pick right BIN file inside the ZIP package automatically. DO NOT select BIN package manually.
• When updating US2000 and US3000 then you must select the correct BIN file manually, for a shame.

4) Due to the silicon chip shortage Pylontech changed the BMS chip for some of the produced batteries. Therefore, for some models there are two different firmware branches. One for the original chip and the other for the new chip. Luckily, when upgrading FW via the ZIP method desribed above, the BW3.0.28 will choose the correct branch (BIN file) automatically.

 

5) This list indicates firmware version suitable for the each model and what file to flash:

Model: US2000plus
FW: V2.9
FLASH: us2000b_v2.9_Crc.bin

Model: US2000plus95
FW: V3.4
FLASH: us2000B_Plus_V3.4_Crc.bin

Model: US3000
FW: V3.4
FLASH: us3000a_V3.4_Crc.bin

Model: US2000C (original chip)
FW: V2.8
FLASH: NT1.7+2.8.zip

Model: US3000C (original chip)
FW: V2.8
FLASH: NT1.7+2.8.zip

Model: US2000C (new chip)
FW: V1.7
FLASH: NT1.7+2.8.zip

Model: US3000C (new chip)
FW: V1.7
FLASH: NT1.7+2.8.zip

Model: US5000 (original chip)
FW: V1.3
FLASH: US5000 ST+NT 1.3.zip

Model: US5000 (new chip)
FW: V1.3
FLASH: US5000 ST+NT 1.3.zip

 

6) If you have a bricked battery, you can use Pylontech Upgrade Tool V1.0.9 from the Pylontech_Tools.zip to recover it via flashing a correct firmware. The process is as follows:

Connect the debug cable to this software and the battery (attention: at this time please do not switch the battery on), then
1. open the software, click Immediate Update.
2. Click Connect.
3. Click Browse to select the correct firmware.
4. Then click Program and switch on the battery by hard switch and the red soft start button immediately.
This will bring the battery back to normal.

7) When updating firmware, it's the best to turn-off all the batteries in the stack and remove all the LINK cables.
Then power-on a single battery and perform FW update on it.
Repeat for the remaining batteries in the stack.
Reconnect all the LINK cables and start the stack as normal.
Although it is possible to perform FW update while the battery is running in the stack, you will get alarms and red lights when you'll do it that way.

8 ) Firmware packages mentioned above are packed in this archive:
Download and unpack the ZIP budle from the link bellow.
The password for the ZIP file is: Youda

 

Youda

Edited February 12, 2023 by Youda
swapped individual FW files for a complete bundle due to the post size limitations

[Youda]

Just updated another batch of batteries. There were 3 different types:

• Original US3000
• US3000C with the older chip
• US3000C with the new chip

Everything went okay, here's the final update window for each type:

Original US3000, named s US3000A in the software:

US3000C with the older chip:

US3000C with the new chip (as identified by E2 or C3 in the serial number):

 

[riogrande75]

On 2023/02/02 at 7:20 PM, Youda said:

As a replacement, I've built my own automation, that talks to Pylontech and to Infini too and performs various tasks based on SOC, actual PV power and the system load. Complicated, expensive but it works much better.

@Youda I already succeeded in reverse engineering the comms between Infinisolar inverter and pylontech battery card/box.
Voltronic implemented a new command on the infini side (^D054BMS...), so you can actually connect any BMS and let it "talk" to the inverter as long as you build you own "translator". I connected a JK-BMS with DIY batteries e.g.

Would you post your implementation of the pylontech-infini communication?

[Waldek]

Thanks a lot. The update was successful. And the battery behavior > 90% SOC has improved significantly.

before update

after update
 

[PurePower]

On 2023/02/02 at 11:26 PM, Youda said:

5) This list indicates firmware version suitable for the each model and what file to flash:

Model: US2000plus
FW: V2.9
FLASH: us2000b_v2.9_Crc.bin

Model: US2000plus95
FW: V3.4
FLASH: us2000B_Plus_V3.4_Crc.bin

8 ) Firmware packages mentioned above:

us3000a_v2.9_Crc.bin 201 kB · 2 downloads

us2000B_Plus_V3.4_Crc.bin 201 kB · 3 downloads

Hey Youda, 

I noticed that you don't have the "us2000b_v2.9_Crc.bin" file attached, it is slightly different to the "us3000a_v2.9_Crc.bin" file that is attached. You do have the "us2000b_v2.4.bin" file attached. 

If this was not a typo, please could you attach v2.9 if you do have it. 

Secondly, how does one distinguish between the US2000plus and US2000plus95 models? 

Thanks again for this awesome post. 

Edited February 10, 2023 by PurePower

[Youda]

16 hours ago, PurePower said:

Hey Youda, 

I noticed that you don't have the "us2000b_v2.9_Crc.bin" file attached, it is slightly different to the "us3000a_v2.9_Crc.bin" file that is attached. You do have the "us2000b_v2.4.bin" file attached. 

If this was not a typo, please could you attach v2.9 if you do have it. 

Secondly, how does one distinguish between the US2000plus and US2000plus95 models? 

Thanks again for this awesome post. 

Hi @PurePower
Just double-checked that and I can confirm that at the end of 2022 the latest FW versions for US2000 variants were:
US2000plus = us2000b_v2.9_Crc.bin
US2000plus95 = us2000B_Plus_V3.4_Crc.bin

For a shame, I do not have the first file, just the second one. Sorry
Also, there's no easy way of identify which variant you have, as both of the above are reporting device model = 2KBPL in the BatteryView.

On top of that, beware that:
- US3000 firmware is NOT compatible with US2000, so don't try to flash us3000a_V3.4_Crc.bin in the US2000.
- US2000C and US3000C firmware IS unified. You can flash it into both, US2000C and US3000C.
- US5000 has a special firmware.

Like I wrote in the beginning - if it works, then don't repair it. However, if you have some problems and will be able to get us2000b_v2.9_Crc.bin from your seller or Pylontech support, then share it with the others afterwards, please.