July 21, 20205 yr 13 hours ago, Coulomb said: They still attempt to switch at a time that minimises the current when the relay contact opens or closes. There is a special tricky function to handle time critical relay switchings. The ChgCurrHighUpdate() function isn't time critical; GridTask event 1 comes from the line cross interrupt merely because that's where the period is measured. Interesting. I'm curious how well that works considering that temperature and manufacturing differences would almost certainly make relay switching very unpredictable. I had this exact problem when I was trying to switch a relay on zero crossing using an STM32. Slight relay variances led to the relay switching just a bit different on each and when it gets hot it is slightly off. On paper (or in code) it looks great, it triggers exactly right digitally. On the scope you can see the actual variance in the relay due to mechanical latency. I ended up just giving up on zero crossing switching. Edited July 21, 20205 yr by Gnome
July 21, 20205 yr 14 hours ago, Coulomb said: They still attempt to switch at a time that minimises the current when the relay contact opens or closes The Multiplus does the same. You can audibly hear it happening when the grid returns after an outage. It shortens the cycles for a short while until the waveforms align and then switches over. It doesn't have to be exact, you just need to be more or less in the same quadrant 🙂 Edited July 21, 20205 yr by plonkster
July 21, 20205 yr 49 minutes ago, Gnome said: Interesting. I'm curious how well that works considering that temperature and manufacturing differences would almost certainly make relay switching very unpredictable. I had this exact problem when I was trying to switch a relay on zero crossing using an STM32. Slight relay variances led to the relay switching just a bit different on each and when it gets hot it is slightly off. On paper (or in code) it looks great, it triggers exactly right digitally. On the scope you can see the actual variance in the relay due to mechanical latency. I ended up just giving up on zero crossing switching. Oh I get it, you were talking about them synchronizing the wave forms. Yes that makes sense
July 21, 20205 yr 5 minutes ago, plonkster said: The Multiplus does the same. You can audibly hear it happening when the grid returns after an outage. It shortens the cycles for a short while until the waveforms align and then switches over. It doesn't have to be exact, you just need to be more or less in the same quadrant 🙂 Yep as I said, it is very common even on really old UPS. There was a cool vid of an oldschool APC UPS doing this where the guy drops the voltage all the way down to 40v (and it still tracks the wave form even though it is on battery). Couldn't find it tho
July 22, 20205 yr 11 hours ago, Gnome said: There was a cool vid of an oldschool APC UPS doing this where the guy drops the voltage all the way down to 40v (and it still tracks the wave form even though it is on battery). Interestingly, the Axperts don't attempt to match AC-in voltage, only AC-in frequency and phase. I guess they're not used to South African grid quality (from what I read) 😲
July 22, 20205 yr 9 hours ago, Coulomb said: Interestingly, the Axperts don't attempt to match AC-in voltage, only AC-in frequency and phase. I guess they're not used to South African grid quality (from what I read) 😲 Yep it makes me sad because our frequency likes to wander. 58Hz is good enough for our power utility
July 22, 20205 yr 8 minutes ago, Gnome said: Yep it makes me sad because our frequency likes to wander. 58Hz is good enough for our power utility You are kidding, right? ESKOM deserves almost all of the criticism levelled at it, but this is silly. I have a monitor on the line frequency that alarms at 0.5Hz from 50, and it never goes off. 99% of the time it is between 49.8 and 50.2Hz. 58Hz would imply that every turbine and generator on the grid has suddenly sped up to 3480rpm - this is a physical impossibility. Of course the 99% excludes the times when it is 0Hz, aka load shedding....
July 22, 20205 yr 1 hour ago, Calvin said: You are kidding, right? ESKOM deserves almost all of the criticism levelled at it, but this is silly. I have a monitor on the line frequency that alarms at 0.5Hz from 50, and it never goes off. 99% of the time it is between 49.8 and 50.2Hz. 58Hz would imply that every turbine and generator on the grid has suddenly sped up to 3480rpm - this is a physical impossibility. Of course the 99% excludes the times when it is 0Hz, aka load shedding.... I meant 48.8hz not 58hz, my mistake. I capture the data (since 2005) and that is the lowest recorded value I have Edited July 22, 20205 yr by Gnome
July 23, 20205 yr Hi All, just want to confirm before I do something stupid. I have a Kodak King that I bought earlier this year. Would it work with this firmware and is there anything I need to worry about? I've got a problem where with the PYL setting, it only charges at 10 amps so I assume I will need to switch over to setting it manually. I don't want to lose the battery capacity from the inverter that doesn't seem to work if it's not set to PYL but I'll just need to create a cable to connect to the pylontech manually and send that through to home assistant I guess. Thanks for the help, don't want to brick my inverter.
July 24, 20205 yr On 2020/07/23 at 6:08 PM, TBohnen said: anything I need to worry about? Just that you should probably do both the MCU (remote display) and the main firmwares. Flashing both should ease the concern that the problem may be firmware related. Note that most of the PyL direct to BMS firmware is in the MCU firmware.
July 25, 20205 yr 17 hours ago, ThatGuy said: They aren't hard-coded limits afterall! i am not sure that the equivalent 53.2V value in the Pylon can be modified, or if it even exists. Perhaps the value is retrieved from the battery where the BMS makes it available, hard-coded otherwise. Either way, if it cannot be modified in the Pylon BMS it IS hard-coded, just in a different place 🤣. Anybody have any insights?
July 26, 20205 yr On 2020/01/18 at 1:55 PM, Calvin said: OK, I have managed to fix it. Essentially, the USB OTG firmware update still worked, exactly as described in the manual. 1. Copy dsp.hex to FAT32 formatted USB. 2. Connect with OTG cable to USB port. 3. Start USB menu by holding down top left button for 3 secs. 4. Select Upgrade firmware, confirm, when it says "UPG YES" it takes about 10 minutes. All 3 now on 71.86😀 If I try this method I get a 03 error. Did you have all the downloaded files on the USB? (DDL included or just mcu.hex?
July 26, 20205 yr 8 hours ago, Plaashaas said: If I try this method I get a 03 error. Did you have all the downloaded files on the USB? (DDL included or just mcu.hex? @Plaashaas - I had only the dsp.hex, not mcu.hex file. MCU.hex is for the remote unit - apparently (as per @Coulomb - see post 19 July in this thread) it cannot be flashed this way.
July 26, 20205 yr 4 minutes ago, Calvin said: @Plaashaas - I had only the dsp.hex, not mcu.hex file. MCU.hex is for the remote unit - apparently (as per @Coulomb - see post 19 July in this thread) it cannot be flashed this way. Thank you for the Calvin. I will eloborate more tomorrow about the issues I encountered. I managed to upgrade both inverter display units using the "computer serial cable" method. But the firmware did not want to work. Litterly spend the whole day struggling with it. Will post some screenshots tomorrow.
July 27, 20205 yr 6 hours ago, Bloubul7 said: Hi, could you please share the latest firmware files. They're in the files section: https://powerforum.co.za/files
July 27, 20205 yr Good morning guys. I need help please. I installed a 2nd Kodak King Inverter but cant parallel yet because the firmware versions differ, 71.80 and 71.90. I managed to get the Remote display updated op both machines to 2.40 But encountered issues with the firmware 71.92 upgrade. Also tried 71.86. I changed the COM3 to COM1 and restarted my computer with no success. Using Windows 10 I tried the USB method as per page 23 but got the 03 error, "wrong format". The USB stick was formatted to FAT32. Please help. Edited July 27, 20205 yr by Plaashaas Insert "Using Windows 10"
July 27, 20205 yr Are you using a USB serial adapter? This looks just like the problem I have seen (almost always) with a USB adapter. It was solved by using a proper serial port on an old-fashioned desktop. I have also recently not had success with USB flashing (it used to work for me). Welcome to the King - some (most?) of it works, some (most?) of the time... To be fair, I have never had a problem when using a proper PC serial port. If you get an error 32, just start the flashing whilst the inverter boot countdown is happening.
July 27, 20205 yr 5 hours ago, Coulomb said: They're in the files section: https://powerforum.co.za/files Thanks, but I only see 71.92 in the download section and not 71.93
July 27, 20205 yr 1 hour ago, Calvin said: Are you using a USB serial adapter? This looks just like the problem I have seen (almost always) with a USB adapter. It was solved by using a proper serial port on an old-fashioned desktop. Yes it is an USB serial adapter. Ok so I have an old laptop with a serial port but would need a serial (Male) to RS232 cable? The cable that comes with the inverter is female and so is the serial port on the laptop. 1 hour ago, Calvin said: I have also recently not had success with USB flashing (it used to work for me). Imagine developers were building cars! I would just buy a bicycle. 1 hour ago, Calvin said: If you get an error 32, just start the flashing whilst the inverter boot countdown is happening. Cool tip thanks
July 27, 20205 yr 11 minutes ago, Plaashaas said: Yes it is an USB serial adapter. Ok so I have an old laptop with a serial port but would need a serial (Male) to RS232 cable? The cable that comes with the inverter is female and so is the serial port on the laptop. Unusual to have a female on the PC side - are you sure that it is a serial port? Anyway, you should be able to use something like this "Baobab DB9 Male To Male Serial Cable Gender Changer Coupler" (Takealot). Also, there are some USB-serial adapters that do work. Seach this forum or the AEVA Forums for "usb serial" and you may find something that works.
July 27, 20205 yr 2 hours ago, Bloubul7 said: Thanks, but I only see 71.92 in the download section and not 71.93 Yes. I haven't put up 71.93 as it seems to be experimental, to solve one particular customer's problems, and may not be successful at that.
July 31, 20205 yr On 2020/07/27 at 8:13 AM, Calvin said: Are you using a USB serial adapter? This looks just like the problem I have seen (almost always) with a USB adapter. It was solved by using a proper serial port on an old-fashioned desktop. I have also recently not had success with USB flashing (it used to work for me). Welcome to the King - some (most?) of it works, some (most?) of the time... To be fair, I have never had a problem when using a proper PC serial port. If you get an error 32, just start the flashing whilst the inverter boot countdown is happening. Ok I have now tried 2 laptops, Windows 7 and Windows 10, also 2 different USB>Serial cables with no success. My last resort this weekend is getting an actual old desktop from a museum and trying again. Can't believe that in 2020 we are resorting to 1980's technology! My worry is that the one inverter when switched on only has a blank (off) screen. I can hear it switching on and relays clicking. I also know that it took the 2.49 update. How long should I wait after starting inverter before I click in the Update firmware button. My procedure is: Utility and PV supply off. Close fuses from battery. Press ON button on Inverter. Wait 10 seconds (Counting Mississippily) Press Update. Please advise guys I am seriously frustrated with this issue have been excited for weeks to get the parallel going..... whaaap whaaap whaaaaap. If I have bricked it, how will I know? What needs to be replaced and what is the cost of that in SA?
July 31, 20205 yr 3 hours ago, Plaashaas said: How long should I wait after starting inverter before I click in the Update firmware button. Sorry to hear that you are still struggling - are the symptoms still the same (as in it hangs up partly done), or does it not start at all now? I have generally just had to switch off inverter and PV (then LCD goes blank). switch on inverter, as soon as countdown begins on LCD I click the update button. Always has worked when using real serial port. 3 hours ago, Plaashaas said: Can't believe that in 2020 we are resorting to 1980's technology! 🤣
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