Hello everyone...I'm really in need of advice. Received the relevant MCU & CPU firmware from the installer and attempted to update myself using the USB to RS232 method, which seems relatively simple. Isolated Grid input / Isolated Load output and switched off battery, connected USB to RS232 cable to Inverter - opened the reflash tool - selected the update file.

See image attached. LCD Panel went blank after this and inverter completely dead - no screen, no lights - nothing.

The firmware versions shared were as below

MCU (02.83)

CPU V41.17

 

14 hours ago, Tennessee said:

Isolated Grid input / Isolated Load output and switched off battery,

Err, the inverter has to be running, preferably from battery only. Were you attempting to run from solar only? Or you turned the battery back on after turning it off briefly?

Hi

No, definitely on 2 x fully charged Revov batteries.

My misunderstanding; I didn't see where you said that you turned on the battery.

But now that I look closely at your screen shot, you are using the DSP reflash tool with mcu.hex (the display firmware's hex file).

You have to use the display reflash tool (usually called Remote Panel_ReflashTool.exe) with mcu.hex, and the InvReflashTool.exe with the dsp.hex file (it sometimes has other names).

Does the screen and/or inverter come back (the inverter might be able to power loads with a completely blank display, for example) when you restart from scratch?

I would get the display working first. Try using the display reflash tool (it should be in the same folder as mcu.hex) with that mcu.hex file.

It should not react as you did; the InvReflash Tool should not have accepted the mcu.hex.  So I'm suprised at your observed behaviour. 

Hi Coulumb

Thank you for your assistance thus far. I've attached 2 x screenshots of the relevant MCU folder with the associated reflash tool that displays the DSP upgrade option as well as the CPU folder with relevant files.

I've been told by someone else that I would need to take the brick display in to reflash the Eeprom.

The Inverter does not power up at all, no lights, no sound - nothing - completely dead. Is there another way to restart? (Maybe by physically disconnecting everything and rebooting from the battery alone? (I doubt this but am clutching at straws now).

 

 

9 hours ago, Tennessee said:

I've attached 2 x screenshots of the relevant MCU folder with the associated reflash tool that displays the DSP upgrade option as well as the CPU folder with relevant files.

That looks OK, except that you have folders with those folders, as if you did the unzipping twice. I would start again with the unzipping, and make sure that you unzip into a folder whose name has the version and type (main or display) of the firmware, so that they don't get mixed up. It's shocking to me that the hex files rarely have the version in their file name.

You still must have used the reflash tool from the wrong folder however.

9 hours ago, Tennessee said:

relevant MCU folder with the associated reflash tool that displays the DSP upgrade option

You should never use the DSP upgrade option on the reflash tool that has both buttons. They don't seem to have finished the merging of the two reflash tools properly. Reading the first line of the hex file would tell them whether it's a DSP or MCU reflash, so it would be trivial for them to make the tools easier to use.

Coulomb,

I've unzipped again and placed them in separate folders, named accordingly.

I'm in a rut as the display wont power up due to the inverter not powering up. I there a way around powering the inverter without the display? Failing this, I will have no choice but to take the display in to reflash the Eeprom in order to get the inverter powered up.

1 hour ago, Tennessee said:

I there a way around powering the inverter without the display?

The switch in the inverter connects directly to two pins of the cable; there is no electronics involved in the display, and no power required.

So you could make up your own cable with just the switch part in this post.

Thank you Coulomb....I haven't got around to this yet as I've searched for a female DB9 which I thought I had but to no avail...will be passing by an electronic store tomorrow and will purchase at least 2 x male and 2 x female for future ..., so for clarity, would the inverter start up just be shorting 5&6 out together without the RS232 connection to the PC, or is the necessary voltage supplied by the RS232 PC connection? 

2 hours ago, Tennessee said:

would the inverter start up just be shorting 5&6 out together without the RS232 connection to the PC,

Just connecting the wires to pins 7 and 8 should be all that's needed to start the inverter. So no need for a D9, unless you want to reflash the DSP without using the display. Note that this this is for the RJ-45 connection between the removable display and a board inside the inverter; this is NOT the "PC" port of the removable display. That's a completely different pinout.

See the diagram on the post after the one I linked to above.

Edited August 12, 20242 yr by Coulomb

Noted, I tried this with no effect though. The inverter did not restart. Checked battery voltage at the Inverter input terminals - correct - checked the inverter 150Amp fuse - all ok.

Hi Coulomb

It's definitely not working after shorting pins 7&8 (The other end of the cable is not connected to anything and not shorting between cables to be used (cable is ready for the DB9 connector once I have it on hand)- no response from the inverter at all - completely dead. What are the next steps after this failed firmware upgrade?

 

On 2024/08/13 at 7:27 PM, Tennessee said:

What are the next steps after this failed firmware upgrade?

Now you have to repair the inverter. Either send it off somewhere,  or use the 5 kW traced schematics as a rough guide to what you will find:

https://forums.aeva.asn.au/viewtopic.php?p=59548#p59548

Note the switch marked "AC start". I would expect to see roughly battery voltage at pins 7 and 8 on a multimeter. These pins should wend their way through the communications board (the one with about 3 RJ-45 sockets on it).  Then probably through a 2-pin cable to the main board near the main power supply "transformer" (TX9 in the traced schematic; it may be different in your model). Check for a pulse appearing at the two transistors' base-emitter junctions, and thus power at the switcher IC.

You can probably check for the battery voltage at pins 7 and 8 without taking the inverter apart.

On 2024/08/13 at 7:27 PM, Tennessee said:

The other end of the cable is not connected to anything

Do you mean pins 1-6? Obviously, the cable needs to be plugged into the inverter, where the removable display used to plug into. That should be one of the RJ-45 sockets on the small comms board.

Yes, the cable is plugged into the comms board of the inverter...there is 11,13Vdc measured across pins 7&8

Wow, I can't believe this emanated from a failed firmware upgrade....

Edited August 14, 20242 yr by Tennessee

sorry, the end of that cable is now soldered to a DB9 connector as screenshot below...

On 2024/08/14 at 9:50 PM, Tennessee said:

The cable is plugged into the comms board of the inverter...there is 11,13Vdc measured across pins 7&8

That seems too much less than battery voltage to me. But I don't know the 24V models well enough to know for sure. 

On 2024/08/14 at 9:50 PM, Tennessee said:

Wow, I can't believe this emanated from a failed firmware upgrade....

Me neither.