Hello,

I have Axpert VM iii twin 6kva (Local brand AXIOMA energy ISMPPT BF DOU G 6000)

Unfortunately, I have found out that it has some issues, with MPPT particularly, and after some research I decided to upgrade firmware.

Upgrade went "well", inverter starts, it sees battery, AC, solar, it generate output, but it fault after 5 minutes.

I have tried different firmware I found in this forum and also tried different running conditions, like only from battery, or AC, with and without load, it always fault after 5 minutes.

Watchpower desktop app doesn't show any errors, but Energy-Mate(mobile app) shows two errors, first error is Inverter Fault and the second is EEprom Fault.

When it fault there is no error code on display just Fault led is working and it produces fault sound. I did config reset using both mobile and desktop applications, with hope that this will fix Eeprom problem, but no result, I wonder if eeprom is the reason.

Originally this inverter had firmware U1:56.10 U2:25.08

Manufacture date is an end of 2022.

Is there a way to perform some kind of factory reset by pressing some buttons combination?

Any ideas what might be an issue?

Thanks 

 

 

11 hours ago, vdml said:

I have tried different firmware I found in this forum

Did you try any 60.xx? 68.04?

It seems that the 60.xx took over from the 56.xx series (up to about 56.11 at that stage) in February 2023. I find very few differences between 56.11 and 60.64, both from that month.

68.04 seems to be some sort of special version to quieten the fans.

11 hours ago, vdml said:

Is there a way to perform some kind of factory reset by pressing some buttons combination?

Not really. But it may be worth changing settings to defaults, using monitoring software (e.g. Watchpower, Solar Assistant etc), or the PF command, especially after updating firmware. Sometimes the addresses of settings in the EEPROM change between versions, causing chaos.

I've tried 60.04, 60.05, 60.06, 60.89, 68.04, 70.00 also 100v 60.06 patched firmware, all have the same result, after 5 minutes of work it fault.

58 minutes ago, Coulomb said:

Not really. But it may be worth changing settings to defaults, using monitoring software (e.g. Watchpower, Solar Assistant etc), or the PF command, especially after updating firmware. Sometimes the addresses of settings in the EEPROM change between versions, causing chaos.

Thanks, I will try to do this. As for PF command, where can I read more about this?

8 hours ago, vdml said:

As for PF command, where can I read more about this?

Probably the easiest way to send and receive commands if you have a Windows machine is now via the Voltronic Communications Tool, available from:
https://www.mppsolar.com/v3/download/
and search for "Communication Tool". 

Quote

I've tried 60.04, 60.05, 60.06, 60.89, 68.04, 70.00 also 100v 60.06 patched firmware, all have the same result, after 5 minutes of work it fault.

Impressive. It looks like you have a hardware fault then. Though I can't see how you'd get the fault light on without a fault code, unless it's a weird DSP to display incompatibility.

So perhaps try one last pair of firmwares (DSP and display) from this very recent post.

Edited June 13, 20241 yr by Coulomb

Thank you very much, I will try. 

@Coulomb Do you have 56.10 firmware by any chance?

16 hours ago, vdml said:

Do you have 56.10 firmware by any chance?

No, but I have 56.11. This was posted here as a bare hex file; I've added the reflash tool in the attached zip file.

This is factory firmware version 56.11 for the Axpert VM III 1.5kW/4kW/6kW (not the older 3kW/5kW) Twin. It may or may not be suitable for VM IV or even VM II, sorry I don't yet know how to determine compatibility with those models. Do not use with any other model. Use at your own risk.

Firmware upload instructions for models with a removable display.

VM III_TWIN_DSP_5611.zip

I have tried it already, unfortunately result the same. I'm going to contact supplier, since I'm running out of ideas.

 

Meanwhile, I have a question about upgrade instructions, and specially about part where solar must be disconnected.

I'm not 100% sure, but if I forgot to disconnect solar and start DSP upgrade, what it might affect?

 

For history, if someone will face the same issue, I haven't found a way to fix this problem, so at the end I have ordered new Control Board here https://maximumsolar.online/product/4024mt-6048mt-control/ and it works good, problem solved.

 

The final question that is left is what to do we serial number and potential 90 error. New board has default serial number 5535553..., but if the same number in the bootloader then I believe everything should be ok. I don't really care about serial number, just need to be sure that it will not fault with error 90.

 

Any idea how I can validate this?

Thanks

On 2024/07/16 at 6:47 PM, vdml said:

just need to be sure that it will not fault with error 90.

Any idea how I can validate this?

If you can send a QBOOT command, please reply with the response. You may have to send ATE0 before, and send ATE1 after you have finished.

I have some now rather outdated instructions here.

Edited July 17, 20241 yr by Coulomb

On 2024/07/17 at 12:34 PM, Coulomb said:

If you can send a QBOOT command, please reply with the response.

Communication tool was used to send commands.

Logs

[2024-07-18 12:45:40] Send: QPI
[2024-07-18 12:45:41] [60ms] Return: (PI30� 
[2024-07-18 12:46:04] Send: QBOOT
[2024-07-18 12:46:04] [60ms] Return: (NAKss
[2024-07-18 12:46:24] Send: ATE0
[2024-07-18 12:46:24] [58ms] Return: (NAKss
[2024-07-18 12:46:52] Send: QBOOT
[2024-07-18 12:46:52] [54ms] Return: (NAKss
[2024-07-18 12:47:15] Send: ATE1
[2024-07-18 12:47:16] [521ms] Return: (ACK9 
[2024-07-18 12:47:36] Send: QBOOT
[2024-07-18 12:47:36] [81ms] Return: (1©=

 

Wow, you got a non-NAK result in the end.

I believe that this is the result you want; you should not be getting fault code 90.

 

@Coulomb Thank you very much

Hello there,

I decided to use this topic, since here I found a source for the Control Board which most likely I will need... (Thanks @vdml)

I have similar inverter but with 4K power (Locally LogicPower VM III Twin 4K with removable display)

Initially it was with U1 56.09 and U2 25.06 firmware. Following different directions from this forum I found needed how-tos and software updates (Thanks @Coulomb!) (I wanted less noisy fans, looked for a fix for premature float bug), but it seems, I bricked it completely.

I started the update with "VM III TWIN dsp 68.04" using DSP reflash tool and USB data cable connection. This cable I've been using a lot of times for flashing and setting Speedybee, Pixhawk drones with Betaflight, Ardupilot, everything was fine. 
The flashing of the inverter was started successfully but failed after 30 seconds with Connection Error. Now when I turn on the inverter, even coolers are not starting, after Display countdown, it shows "Fault 32".
I tried to reflash it with USB to RS232 cable, created a bypass cable, to avoid using Display module. The outcome is the same - the flashing hangs after read err (See screenshot).

I was looking for the way how to debrick it, but I ended up here and, looks like, I will need to purchase this control board.

But before that I would like to ensure, maybe is there a way to reanimate my control board, maybe by reflashing it by some other bootloader, which will be consistent with the latest firmware for this inverter.. 

Thanks,

Oleg

17 hours ago, runtimeassertion said:

I started the update with "VM III TWIN dsp 68.04"

It looks like you are using 60.89 from the screen shot. I don't yet understand what the difference is between the 56.xx firmwares and the 60.xx firmwares. By the looks, it's something important 😲

I would first try to recover the DSP by reflashing with the latest 56.xx that you can find, probably 56.72.

17 hours ago, runtimeassertion said:

I was looking for the way how to debrick it... 

Patiently retrying the reflash, making sure you have the right firmware file, possibly varying the timing from switch on of the inverter to pressing the update button on the reflash tool, as per my "if you think your inverter is bricked" post. 

Your inverter is a clone (note the cent symbols rather than the Greek letter phi for "phase" on the label). That reduces the chances of success. 

17 hours ago, runtimeassertion said:

maybe is there a way to reanimate my control board, maybe by reflashing it by some other bootloader... 

The bootloader is not changed by an ordinary reflash, successful or otherwise. The 56.xx and 60.xx firmwares use the same reflash command, so their target machines probably have the same bootloader. 

Edited August 3, 20241 yr by Coulomb

Hi @Coulomb,

Thanks a lot for the reply! I tried what you advised and it works now! 

Using your bypass cable directly flashing to the inverter, I started from 56.72 and it was succeeded. Then I tried again 60.89 and 68.04 - no luck (the process was failing at the middle with read error), so I reflashed on 56.72 and then tried 60.04. And it worked! Then I tried sequentially all 60.XX and ended with 68.04 successfully.

I couldn't imaging that if bootloader was the same the order of flashing firmwares matters.

Now I finally enjoy silent fans!

3 hours ago, Coulomb said:

Your inverter is a clone

Hmmm, honestly I thought that all these inverters are OEM and available from different brands( Voltronic, Axioma, QPower, LogicPower etc) and were manufactured in the same facility somewhere in mainland China (OUYAD?), but now I see that originally it was from Taiwan, but then clones were produced  

But in any event, even if it is a clone, it looks robust and reliable inside.

 

Testing now in different modes...

 

Thanks again for help!

18 hours ago, runtimeassertion said:

Hmmm, honestly I thought that all these inverters are OEM and available from different brands( Voltronic, Axioma, QPower, LogicPower etc) and were manufactured in the same facility somewhere in mainland China (OUYAD?),

Voltronic calls their system ODM (Original Design Manufacturer?). Voltronics' design headquarters are in Taiwan, and their manufacturing is on mainland China.

So both the real Voltronics inverters and the clones are made in China (as is nearly everything in the last decade or two). But the clones are made to unknown standards, and they copy the Voltronics firmware without paying for it (as far as I know). Voltronics won't help any owners directly, only via the reseller. And the resellers won't talk to clone owners at all. So you are taking a big risk in my opinion buying a clone. Some of them can't even be firmware updated at all, some stop with fault code 90 after a few weeks of operation, and no doubt some as good as the real thing. But how do you know which ones are the good ones? What if you need a firmware update, and it's not on the internet? It might appear next week, but it might never appear.

Speaking of firmwares that don't appear: I don't have 68.04 (unless that's a typo) in my collection. [ Edit: Duh! I've been reading it! Brsin spasm. ] Would you be able to upload it here as an attachment?

I'm glad you got yours going.

Edited August 4, 20241 yr by Coulomb

27 minutes ago, Coulomb said:

Would you be able to upload it here as an attachment?

Sure, I found it in the forum here: It was said that it introduces smart fan control, and now I can really observe this.

 

Thanks for the explanations about these inverters. If I would have this information, probably I'd chose original version. I didn't have enough time, I needed the backup power urgently due to the critical situation in power grid and the stock was almost empty everywhere in the country..

As a software developer I wouldn't like if my software was stolen and sold under other names without any fees. I don't get why they use the same case color naming, is it legal at all to sell it worldwide, offering custom labeling... 

 

 

16 hours ago, runtimeassertion said:

Sure, I found it in the forum here:

Duh! I do indeed have it, it's even open right now. I noted recently that it was a 4200W power limit (but still 6.0kW for the other supported model). Possibly that explains the unusual firmware version number.

On 2024/08/03 at 12:59 PM, Coulomb said:

I'm glad you got yours going

So, I've been testing my ouyad clone for 2 days and finally found something which looks like a bug, either hardware or software.

It looks like an opposite to premature float bug, since my battery never switches to float mode. I use my inverter as a UPS, no solar connection, just utility and a battery. I have 25.6V 100 Ah LiFePO4 battery with BMS without RS232 port (no connection to the inverter). In settings I set User mode, 28.4v bulk, 27.2v float, 24v cut-off voltage. Battery is charging by 30A current up to 27.4v and then charging is "pulsing" from 0 to 10A and less, the closer to 28.0v it is. After reaching 28v the voltage is not  changing up to 4-5 hours, charging is constantly pulsing 0 to 1-2A. First I thought that it might be related with battery, but if I discharge the battery and then set 28v as a bulk voltage, it hangs charging on 27.6v...

I don't think, this is correct behavior and it is ok for the battery. Could it be related with specific setup? I.e. Do I need to use a connection to the BMS for LiFEPO4? But I used to have similar 1kW inverter with 12V LifePO4 battery without connection and after some time, charging process was finalizing, it was clearly indicated on the display.

Now I tend to think that the reason is in the hardware due to the cloned nature of my inverter.

If this behavior is not related with the official firmware (it was reproducible in the "native" 56.09 and the latest which I flashed - 60.95) I would like to purchase original version.

I investigated the market and found that, at least, MPP Solar ships inverters directly to Ukraine. I'm looking for 3-4 kW model, which will be used as a reserve power supply in the apartment building, solar controller is an option for future use.

I consider buying between the original of my "ouyad" 4024MT and 3024GEW

@Coulomb , you have huge experience in the inverters field, could you point me please to the best option from these two, or maybe to the least buggy other one?

 

Regards,

Oleg

 

4 hours ago, runtimeassertion said:

@Coulomb , you have huge experience in the inverters field, could you point me please to the best option from these two, or maybe to the least buggy other one?

I don't like to give recommendations, plus I'm not familiar with the GEW models. They seem to be an updated Axpert VM II, bit somehow they have RS-485 support for connecting to a BMS, without the usual removable or round display. I'm guessing that they have a separate card inside with the display processor, and that maybe drives the classic display, or maybe the DSP drives the display and the "display" processor only does BMS and comms.

So I'm not familiar with the firmware that such a model would have.

The 4024MT is a VM III Twin, so it presumably shares the same firmware as the 6 kW models. You get an extra 33% rated power from this model, which of course places higher demand on the battery. 4000W at 24 V is some 180 A, so you'd need a stout battery.

Thanks, @Coulomb !

So, it is decided then!

On 2024/08/05 at 1:27 PM, runtimeassertion said:

It looks like an opposite to premature float bug, since my battery never switches to float mode. I use my inverter as a UPS, no solar connection, just utility and a battery. I have 25.6V 100 Ah LiFePO4 battery with BMS without RS232 port (no connection to the inverter). In settings I set User mode, 28.4v bulk, 27.2v float, 24v cut-off voltage. Battery is charging by 30A current up to 27.4v and then charging is "pulsing" from 0 to 10A and less, the closer to 28.0v it is. After reaching 28v the voltage is not  changing up to 4-5 hours, charging is constantly pulsing 0 to 1-2A. First I thought that it might be related with battery, but if I discharge the battery and then set 28v as a bulk voltage, it hangs charging on 27.6v...

I don't think, this is correct behavior and it is ok for the battery. Could it be related with specific setup? I.e. Do I need to use a connection to the BMS for LiFEPO4? But I used to have similar 1kW inverter with 12V LifePO4 battery without connection and after some time, charging process was finalizing, it was clearly indicated on the display.

This is interesting. I have two inverters and one has similar problem, I'm using right now just lead-acid batteries. For both inverters I have new controls boards. The difference is that the control board on the inverter that operates as expected has firmware 60.04, second one 60.08. But, I don't think this is a firmware issue to be honest.

When inverter does not detect solar anymore, it just goes crazy with charging, this 0-3 amps pulses all the time. I have setup Solar Assistant today and I can clearly see that something is off. 

What's more interesting, "solar only" charge mode doesn't really change anything, what I see is that it stop resetting\re-measure SoC, but charge pulses continue, what is more interesting, when I disconnect batteries at all, inverter thinking that they are still connected. I assume that when only grid available, something doesn't work correct in the part of the system responsible for charging. Also, I see on charts that bus voltage is going crazy too.

I will continue testing, and will let you know If I will discover anything.

Unfortunately, second inverter installed in the different place and has no solar assistant, but "official" mobile app shows that battery voltage is on the same level all the time.

Below few screen shots from Solar Assistance, around 21:00 I disconnected it from the grid, connect some load (just for testing) and after enabling grid the strange behavior can be seen starting from 21:15

 

 

 

16 hours ago, vdml said:

I'm using right now just lead-acid batteries

Hmmm... I thought it might be reproducible only for LiFePO4 without BMC connection, when inverter tries to charge it, but BMS peridocally turns battery off trying to balance, that's why it might "pulse". But I don't see any explanation for the same behavior with lead acid batteries... It could be either hardware or software bug, especially if the latter has sophisticated condition branches, as Coloumb said once while speaking about premature float bugs...

Unfortunately, I don't have solar panels and can't test it with different modes..  

Got my new Pip-4024MT today.

The difference is huge! I didn't fully open it, but spotted clearcoat finish at the pcb, bigger electrolytes and lots of different thingys which make it more solid.

It works fine, switches faster when power goes off, produces less splatter sounds while generating output. It came with U1 60.08 U2 25.12. I decided to update it to the latest firmware found here: U1 60.95. And this time update was like described, through the display module, without any error from the first try.

A little fly in the ointment is the "premature float bug". Now it stops charging when voltage is float (27.2 for my case). But it really stops charging, so no longer pulses 0 - 3A.

Now I tend to think, it might be related with missing BMS connection and using my LiFePo AGMlike style. - It can't detect when charging is finished?

Once I have other battery to test, I'll check it.

 

In any event, I'm glad to invest in the original device and have it here!