PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

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Re: PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

Post by coulomb »

swagner2018 wrote: Sun, 30 Dec 2018, 23:10I found an interessting Website which I would like to share.
https://github.com/lluisball/godenerg
Interesting. From the README.md section, under Charging, section 4:
They are some patched firmwares that try to address this problems, but the are patched firmwares by individuals and no source code is released. I could give them a try but I fear bricking the inverter since my only means of energy is the PV array.
It's no longer true that "no source code is released". All the patches since January 2018 (just after that website was created) have a file with a name like dsp_BF1_73.00d.txt, with all the information about all the patches, including source code at the end (in assembly language) for the major patches. Some of the minor patches (e.g. where a threshold constant is changed) are done purely in hex, but each of those has at least a sentence of comment explaining what the change is about.

Granted, there is no source code for the complete firmware, but we don't have that, and it's proprietary.
For me the interessting part is main.py which can be use to send commands and receive the output as json.

There is exactly the command I will need listed as example :-)

Change Utility MAX charge current to 10 amps for first paralel device
> python3 axpert/main.py --usb -d /dev/hidraw0 --cmd MCHGC -v 010 -s 8
(ACK
Alas, we tried that early on. The big problem with this command and others like it is that every time you send such a command, the SCC (Solar Charge Controller, or MPPT if you like) is completely reset. This results in forty seconds of no solar charging at all, while the SCC slowly and gently organises itself, checks everything, then gradually ramps up the charge current to the new limit. Weber and I spent a lot of time on this problem, and the result is Dynamic Charge Control. It allows you to change the charge current dynamically, every two seconds if you like, and the SCC won't reset. It also allows one amp resolution of the charge current, compared with ten amps. It's all documented in the Dynamic Charge and Load Control (DC&LC) manual, available from this topic's index in the first post. Of course, to use this, you need the most sophisticated patched firmware, which is only available for the most common models (see the index for details).

But if you can put up with the forty seconds of no-charge every time, sending MCHGC or similar commands to inverter-chargers with factory firmware could overcome the worst effects of the various bugs and flaws of the factory firmware, there would be no chance of bricking the machines, and it could be made to work with many models.


[ Edit: recent -> since January 2018. ]
[ Edit: about one minute -> forty seconds. ]
[ Added sentence about one amp resolution. ]
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Re: PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

Post by 6mdx »

6mdx wrote: Fri, 14 Dec 2018, 04:18 Regarding charging, I am not getting the charging I expected. I have 4.5kw of panels 3s3p per pair or strings (for total of 18 x 60 cell) but seldom see over 2.5kw going into the battery (have seen 53A charging for an hour two). 02 is set to 80A, and util charging is set to 10A
Hi guys thanks for your diagnostic help

I think that the problem with the max 53A max charging was due to a poor connection in the cable from the final breaker to the SCC input. I reterminated that and all other cables with compression thimbles and have not seen the problem again. At the same time I reflashed to 72.20c and chaging to 75 A with no problem.

So it seems the problem was mine all along. Thanks again
Cheers Robert
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Re: PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

Post by swagner2018 »

Thanks for this very interessing informations coulomb,

I found more and more interesstings things for this inverter and I am happy now to choose this one and not the one from Victron Energie.

First I have to finish the parts to controll the inverter and AC charging stuff once it's done and working I'll try the Firmware 73.00e :-) with the all the Improvements.

Many thanks to you and Weber for investing your time and sharing all this informations in the forum.

Best Regards, Stefan
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Re: PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

Post by daimyo »

First, Happy New Year to everyone! :)

In this year I have few questions for experts on this forum:

1. Currently my inverters are on 1.24 SCC firmware, so do I need to upgrade SCC firmware, and if Yes what will I benefit from it?

2. In Your current 73.00e firmware, under menu [12], can I adjust voltage below 1V division (currently I can adjust to 48V or 49V, but not 48.5V for example)?

Thank You and best regards
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Re: PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

Post by coulomb »

daimyo wrote: Wed, 02 Jan 2019, 00:46 1. Currently my inverters are on 1.24 SCC firmware, so do I need to upgrade SCC firmware, and if Yes what will I benefit from it?
We no longer recommend updating the SCC firmware. There is no benefit that we are aware of, and the patched firmware goes to some trouble to talk properly to the three known SCC firmware versions: 1.24 (as you have), 4.00, and 4.10. The large gap in version numbers doesn't translate to a large functionality change.
2. In Your current 73.00e firmware, under menu [12], can I adjust voltage below 1V division (currently I can adjust to 48V or 49V, but not 48.5V for example)?
That's right. Despite making large changes to for example the "user interface" (buttons and LC Display), we're very limited in what we can do, using patches, to the core functionality. The problem here is that CAN messages are used to send parameter (settings) changes from one machine to all the others. In the CAN messages, settings are compressed to often just a few bits. So while we can change the range of voltages (etc) that those bits represent, we can't change their number, and therefore the closeness of steps.

I agree that one volt steps for the back to utility and back to battery settings (settings 12 and 13 respectively) is a bit coarse, and it would be nice to have finer control, particularly with LiFePO₄ batteries. It's another limitation of the original design, which clearly had only lead acid batteries in mind.

[ Edit: added "for example". ]
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Re: PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

Post by daimyo »

All clear now. ;)

Thank You so much for clarification!

Best regards

Teo
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Re: PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

Post by coulomb »

Can I Update My Firmware?
And If So, To What?

This is becoming an increasingly vexed question, especially with the various resellers naming their products in confusing ways, the profusion of models available, and the fact that in certain circumstances, including an increasingly common one, it is possible to brick your inverter if you get it wrong.

Exclusions
First, I need to eliminate models that won't be covered in this post.
  • Any model with a rated apparent power other than 5 kVA.
  • Any model whose maximum PV voltage is greater than 145 V. Check the label on the side of your inverter.
  • Any model with a PWM Solar Charge Controller (SCC). See the zoo post for clues on whether you have a machine with a PWM SCC.
  • Any Economy/Value model, such as a PIP-xxxxMSE, or any of the Axpert VM series.
  • Any non-genuine clone or work-alike. Some clones don't seem to be firmware updateable, some are. See Do I Own a Clone?
genuineness clues 2.jpg
genuineness clues 2.jpg (75.09 KiB) Viewed 16795 times

The above has the wrong SCC maximum voltage to qualify for this post; it should state "145VDC" (or since 2019 115 V, either Voc (likely an error) or Vmp).

The starting point is the existing firmware version. You can find it on the front page of Watchpower:

Watchpower DSP firmware version.png
Watchpower DSP firmware version.png (69.11 KiB) Viewed 9203 times
Or find it by pressing the up button on your front panel, till you get to a screen like one of these:

U1 74.10.jpg
U1 74.10.jpg (31.12 KiB) Viewed 16795 times
Inverex DSP firmware version.jpg
Inverex DSP firmware version.jpg (25.41 KiB) Viewed 9203 times

There is an implied decimal point between the first and second groups of digits, so the above represent main (DSP) firmware version 74.10 (upper) and 72.10 (lower). The number before the implied decimal point (the digits in the middle group) I'll call the major version number. The number in the right or bottom group I'll call the minor version number (even if it includes a letter). If you've installed patched firmware, the minor version number will in fact end in a letter (e.g. 73.00e).

Now you can follow the decision tree below.

In what follows, the XX represents a pair of digits, and the represents a letter.
The "64 V option" refers to models that allow the float and absorb/bulk settings to be set as high as 64.0 V, and the battery-side circuitry is upgraded to allow this to happen safely. Do not assume that because you have the latest model, you'll automatically have this feature. It's up to the supplier whether they provide it or not, and whether they indicate this capability in their model numbering. As a special case, MPP Solar will only offer models with the 64 V option, if that model is manufactured at all.

If your current firmware has a major version number of:
52:
  • You are running early hardware, rated at 4 kW (PF0.8). NOTE: some 4 kVA / 3200 W models have major version numbers equal to 52, but those are not similar, and they should have been rejected by one of the exclusions above. Despite being an early model, you can update to the latest patched firmware version 73.00.
71:
  • This usually means you have a model with higher voltage SCCs, such as the PIP-4048MG, or the PIP-5048MK/Axpert King, which should already be excluded above. However, Weber received a replacement control card with 71.20, and it worked fine in a PIP-5048MS with 145 V SCC. He was able to reflash this to 72.20c, and it charged his battery from his 100 V panels just fine.
    If your SCC's maximum DC voltage is 145 V and it does not have a removable display, then
    • If setting 26 (Absorb/Bulk voltage) allows you to go to 64.0 V (not just 58.4 V) then
      • You should be able to update to the latest patched firmware 72.20.
    • Else (setting 26 goes to 58.4 V)
      • You should be able to update to the latest patched firmware 74.40.
72:
  • If you're currently running firmware in the range:
    • 72.00-72.19:
      • You are running a 5 kW (PF1) model with the 64 V option. You can update to the latest patched firmware 72.20.
      72.20:
      • You are running a 5 kW (PF1) model with the 64 V option. You're running the latest factory firmware I know of. You could update to the latest patched firmware 72.20.
      72.21-72.39:
      • You are presumably running a 5 kW (PF1) model with the 64 V option. This is a firmware I've never seen. If you want the features of our patched firmware, you can downgrade to the latest patched firmware version 72.20, but you will miss out on whatever improvements are in your version, compared to 72.20.
      72.40-72.89:
      • The version numbers overlap here. If your machine was manufactured after January 2018, you are presumably running a 5 kW (PF1) model with the 64 V option. If you want the features of our patched firmware, you can downgrade to the latest patched firmware version 72.20ℓ, but you will miss out on whatever improvements are in your version, compared to 72.20.
      • Otherwise, you are running older hardware, rated at 4 kW (PF0.8). You can update to the latest patched firmware 73.00.
      72.90-72.99:
      • You may have a clone, though it's possible that this is a legitimate firmware version that's rarely seen. Either way, you can (try to) reflash it to patched firmware version 73.00.
      72.20:
      • You can update to the latest patched firmware 72.20.
      72.60:
      • These are quite old and are not fixing one of the premature float bugs, so you should update to 73.00.
      72.70:
      • You can update to the latest patched firmware version 73.00.
73:
  • You are running a 4 kW model (PF0.8).
    If you're currently running firmware in the range:
    • 73.00:
      • You can update to the latest patched firmware 73.00. There is no later factory firmware for your inverter that I know of.
      73.00:
      • You can update to the latest patched firmware 73.00.
74:
  • You are running a 5 kW model (PF1), with the usual 58.4 V battery voltage limit (no 64 V option). You can update to patched firmware version 74.40.
    • EDIT: Weber and I no longer recommend the models with the 64 V option, unless you really need the extra voltage. See this post.
75:
  • You are running a dual- or triple-MPPT model. These are not parallelable with single MPPT models, and the firmware is not interchangeable. You can update to patched firmware 75.31a, which only has the premature float bugs fixed, there are no other features, not even the LiFePO₄ voltage threshold changes. Even though this patched firmware has the highest major version number, it only applies to these less popular models, and has the fewest features.

For any other major version number (e.g. 20.XX), this post does not apply, and there is no patched firmware available for your model.

If for some reason you don't trust our patched firmware, you could upgrade to the corresponding factory version (just drop the letter off the end of the version number), but you're guaranteed to get the premature float bugs and in the case of loading a factory 73.XX onto a model that didn't come with a 73.XX you are guaranteed to get error 90 after 60 days run time.

When you're ready to install your firmware, use the firmware section of the first post of this topic to find the appropriate update files, update instructions, and so on. Most versions come in two flavours: LF1 for lithium ferrous phosphate batteries, and LC1 for lead acid and all other chemistries.


If you find problems with the above guide, and the inverter-charger model concerned is relevant to this topic, please post a question about it in this topic.

[ Edit: Major formatting edit; should look better on phones too. ]
[ Edit: Added sentence about custom labels with container loads. ]
[ A big thanks to Weber, for proof-reading this, and offering many great suggestions, and even adding a new feature (the indent tag) to the forum software. ]

[ Edit: Replaced most of the clone related text with a link to the Do I Own a Clone? post. ]
[ Edit: 52.XX now has its own "You are running older hardware" section. ]
[ Edit June 2019: Implemented many great suggestions from Weber; thanks for those. ]
[ Edit August 2019: exclude Economy/Value models. ]
[ Edit March 2020: Added note re overlap of version numbers for the 72.40-72.89 range. ]
[ Edit July 2020: 58.4 V PF1 models can update to 74.40. Removed recommendation for 64 V PF1 models. ]
[ Edit July 2020: Removed 72.70c as a recommendation for PF0.8 models. It is superseded by 73.00e. ]
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Re: PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

Post by erland82 »

Teraterm...
Got QPIGS response from the inverter.
(000.0 00.0 019.0 49.9 0000 0000 000 332 47.90 000 057 0022 0000 000.0 00.00 00001 00010000 00 00 00000 010á4
I am testing with a 48v PSU

But
MNCHGC0497 and MNCHGC0498 how do i type the comands in teraterm?
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Re: PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

Post by coulomb »

erland82 wrote: Fri, 04 Jan 2019, 04:50 MNCHGC0497 and MNCHGC0498 how do i type the comands in teraterm?
The same way you sent the QPIGS command, except that it will require different CRC characters. Normally, commands would be sent from a program that can automatically calculate the CRCs, but you seem to be in the exploring phase where it's worth the effort to do this manually.

See the posts referenced from the first post of this topic (page 1), particularly the first two under "Commands". Both those commands have CRC characters with a sign bit set, so it's awkward to type them or to display here. Scott's CrcGen applet makes it easy to send commands, if you're using RealTerm.

But here they are for completeness, since you have TeraTerm set up, and it's sometimes tricky figuring out the key sequences from hex values. These are the commands to disconnect the master (machine 0) from loads, and to re-connect it, respectively:
MNCHGC0497 7 R-Alt+5 enter
MNCHGC0498 R-Alt+F Z enter
where R-Alt (usually the right Alt key) is the special key set up to send the sign bit with an ordinary character when running TeraTerm, and enter is the enter key (to send a carriage return). The corresponding commands for the slave (presuming you have just one) are as follows:
MNCHGC1497 A ctrl+a enter
MNCHGC1498 R-Alt+0 R-Alt+n enter

I hope I have the above correct; I don't have an easy way of testing them.

For other readers: these are extended commands, available only in patched firmware that have the Dynamic Load Control (DLC) feature. This allows an external program to almost but not quite turn off one or more paralleled machines to save power, and turn them back on when needed. Sending these commands to non-patched firmware, or patched firmware that doesn't have the DLC feature, will do no harm; the commands will merely respond with a NAK (negative acknowledge) instead of ACK (positive acknowledge).

[ Edit: added "when running TeraTerm". ]
[ Edit: Added text to say what the commands do. ]
[ Edit: had wrong CRC char (# instead of the correct 5) for first command.]
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Re: PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

Post by weber »

erland82 wrote: Fri, 04 Jan 2019, 04:50 MNCHGC0497 and MNCHGC0498 how do i type the comands in teraterm?
You can look up the CRC for any PIP/Axpert command by typing or pasting it into the Sunshine online CRC calculator and clicking the Calculate CRC! button. You first need to choose:
  • CRC width: CRC-16
    CRC Parametrization: CRC16_XMODEM
    CRC Input Data: String

For MNCHGC0497 it tells us the CRC is 0x37B5. But we can't simply type this into Tera Term. This is a hexadecimal value. We need to convert it to a pair of characters. We ignore the "0x" and split the rest into two parts: "37" and "B5". We need to find the ASCII characters that correspond to these.

We can use this ASCII converter. We first type "37" into the "Hexadecimal" box and click the Convert button below it. Then "7" appears in the "Text (ASCII/ANSI)" box. So "7" is the first character we will need to type after the command.

Then we replace "37" with "B5" in the "Hexadecimal" box and click the Convert button. This time the "Text (ASCII/ANSI)" box is blank. That's because the hexadecimal number "B5" doesn't actually correspond to any ASCII character. But that doesn't matter. TeraTerm still lets us type it by holding down the right-hand Alt key while typing a character. To find out what character, go to the "Binary" box and change the first "1" to a "0" and click the Convert button below it. Then "5" appears in the "Text (ASCII/ANSI)" box. So "5" is the second character we will need to type after the command. But we must hold down the right Alt key while doing so.

In total, we must type:
M N C H G C 0 4 9 7 7 right-Alt+5 Enter

It should be understood that you need to hold the shift key when typing characters such as "M" above.

But Tera Term must be set up correctly, for the right Alt key to work in this way. If you haven't already done so, you need to edit the file TERATERM.INI. To open this file, launch Tera Term and choose the menu item Setup->Setup directory… then click the top File button. Search within the file for "Meta" and ensure you have "MetaKey=right" and "Meta8Bit=raw". Save the file, then exit Tera Term and re-launch it, so these settings take effect.

Similarly, MNCHGC0498 has a CRC of 0xC65A, and we can type that in Tera Term as:
M N C H G C 0 4 9 8 right-Alt+F Z Enter

There is one more thing you need to know about PIP/Axpert CRCs. If the hexadecimal value of any CRC character is 0A, 0D or 28, you must add one to it before you do the hex to ASCII conversion. So these become 0B, 0E and 29 respectively. This is because 0A, 0D and 28 correspond to the ASCII characters <line-feed>, <carriage-return> and "(", which have special meanings in the PIP/Axpert serial protocol, and so must be avoided in its CRCs.

And there is one more thing you need to know about hex to ASCII conversion. Some hex values do not convert to a keyboard character, even after changing the first binary digit to 0. If the hex value is 20, type the space bar. If the hex value is 7F, type the Delete key. If the hex value is in the range 00 to 1F, you will need to hold down the Ctrl key while typing another key. To find the required key, you can look up the hex value in this Control Characters table.
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Re: PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

Post by weber »

We have just bumped patched firmware 73.00e (the first with kettle compensation) from beta to release.

Many thanks to all who tested the beta version.
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Re: PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

Post by erland82 »

Wow!
Thanks for your reply guys! :shock:
Going to test it out when I get back from work.

I have spent two days trying to get this to work :roll:
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Re: PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

Post by erland82 »

Sucsess!!

I am doing this via TeamWiever to the remote pc, i just had to use a ENG/USA screen keyboard.
Did not work with Norwegian keyboard layout! :mrgreen:

My total system use is 28-30w when the 5048ms inverter is disconnected from loads. VS 76w when on.
That is a intel nuc-pc, 13.3 Lilliput touchscreen monitor, Asus 4G-AC53U wifi router, , and a W1209 with 2 Noctua NF-A12x25 fans, all running from a 48v-12v DC reducer.
I am waiting for a 12v-5v dc reducer for my webcam and weather station.
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Re: PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

Post by ThomasHaller »

Hi all,
I have been searching for help with my inverter and found this forum with useful information thus registered and this is my first post:

I purchased an EASUN SM-5K inverter in July 2017 (Voltronik produced). The unit was modified by EASUN so that I could adjust charging voltage to 64V (since I need 58.8V for the BMS of my 14S lithium power wall).

All was running fine for more than a year.
2 month ago I changed the monitoring PC to a Windows 10 system and installed a newer version of whatchpower (but I hope this has nothing to do with my error).

One night something happened and the inverter was switched off in the morning.
On restart I get:
Error Code 90

Inverter beebs for 2 min and then switches off again.

Error 90 is not documented in my manual, but I found some mentuonings here referring to firmware issues.

There was never anything attached to the RJ45 serial so far ....

Any help how I can start debugging the unit would be highly appreciated !

Thx,
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Re: PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

Post by coulomb »

ThomasHaller wrote: Fri, 04 Jan 2019, 23:56 this is my first post
Welcome, Thomas.
I purchased an EASUN SM-5K inverter in July 2017 (Voltronik produced).
I'm not familiar with that brand. Are you sure it's a genuine Voltronic? Could you post a photo of the label on the side, including the small date of manufacture sticker if there is one?

I note that at the bottom of http://www.easunpower.com/, I find the words "Copyright © 2016 MUST EASUN INDUSTRIAL CO. LIMITED". "Must" is the brand of the original illegal clones. Maybe they are a legitimate reseller now, and the photos on the page look like genuine Voltronic Power models, but it's quite suspicious.
The unit was modified by EASUN so that I could adjust charging voltage to 64V
Are you saying that they made changes to it after manufacture, and that it came out of the factory as a 58.4 V model? I've never heard of that modification, and I wonder if they actually replaced a bunch of MOSFETs and capacitors, as well as whatever else would be needed.
(since I need 58.8V for the BMS of my 14S lithium power wall).
You really need to charge to 4.2 VPC, 4.1 VPC would not be enough? But that's all done now.
All was running fine for more than a year.
That's interesting, because fault code 90 (error 90) usually comes up after 60 days of running time. Does your machine spend a lot of time switched off?
2 month ago I changed the monitoring PC to a Windows 10 system and installed a newer version of whatchpower (but I hope this has nothing to do with my error).
I would think that it would have nothing do do with the error. But two months is 60 days, so it's suspicious.
Error 90 is not documented in my manual, but I found some mentionings here referring to firmware issues.
Presumably, you read the section in the index titled If you find your inverter charger stops with error 90. Since this is a firmware issue, please tell us your inverter main firmware. I hope that you can still use the up button to cycle through information screens, even in fault mode (before it switches off, so be swift), and report what comes after "U1".
There was never anything attached to the RJ45 serial so far ....
So you've never updated your firmware, though EASUN presumably did during their modification.
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Re: PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

Post by ThomasHaller »

Hi Coulomb,
Since I have 14S BMS with passive balancing per 168 LiIo cell blocks (14S12P) the main balancing happens close to 58.8V.
So I contacted EASUN what the max setting value is and they stated 58.4V but for 30$ extra they can provide me a 64V capable modified version of the inverter.
I had to wait a few weeks longer but the unit arrived and I could set Umax to 58.8 (and higher). I had the feeling up and down button was swapped, but everything was working nicely.

I have taken photos of the unit but still need to figure out how to post them (will do once I figure it out).

But most importantly: Yes, I can go up and down while error 90 is beeping!
Behind U1 it states 72 in the middle and a 00 on the right.
I can also cycle to all other display modes.
I can see my Batt voltage (currently 56.8V) but all other values are off/empty,

Thx for your help already now, pictures are coming!

Rgds,
Thomas
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Re: PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

Post by weber »

ThomasHaller wrote: Sat, 05 Jan 2019, 15:52 I have taken photos of the unit but still need to figure out how to post them (will do once I figure it out).
Just drag and drop them into your post, then scroll down and click the Place inline button.
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Re: PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

Post by ThomasHaller »

Thx Weber,
unfortunately does not work for me. Tried different Browsers … no attachment tab shows up.
When trying to drag and drop an Image, the red-circle "Not allowed" shows up.
Only thing I have is the IMG button to include a URL to an Image.
Red a few older posts and I beleive my account is not yet configured to be able to upload to the AEVA server.

Hope someone can enable me. In the meantime trying to find a public Picture upload possibility.

Rgds,
___
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Re: PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

Post by coulomb »

ThomasHaller wrote: Sun, 06 Jan 2019, 00:10 unfortunately does not work for me. Tried different Browsers … no attachment tab shows up.
When trying to drag and drop an Image, the red-circle "Not allowed" shows up.
There seems to be a glitch in the forum software. You should be able to add attachments including images now. Sorry about the hassle; I'll talk to the more experienced admins about this to try and get it sorted for all new users.
MG ZS EV 2021 April 2021. Nissan Leaf 2012 with new battery May 2019.
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Re: PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

Post by ThomasHaller »

Thx Coulomb!
Created a flickr account in the meantime, so here the first pics.

EASUN Isolar SM5K-64V product label:
Image

The unit:
Image

Internal view:
Image

The error:
Image

Firmware version:
Image

Can this be positively identified as a Voltronic version ?
Can I use the firmware update to get rid of error 90 ?
Any other check I should do ?

On a visual inspection all components look absolutely fine ... No smell, nothing ....
Any help appreciated !

Thomas
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Re: PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

Post by mariusvaida »

Hello everyone and a happy new year!

I own a hybrid charger/inverter sold in Romania as E-SOLARE 5KVA / 48V (+80A MPPT - max 4000 Wp - 60/72 cells). The device was new and it worked great for the first 3-4 months, after this the inverter randomly restarts even without any load and without any error code, not even in watchpower logs. In the device menu the error logging is enabled.
The first thing i tried was to check and clean all the connections, but this didn't changed anything. After reading about the capacitors problem in these devices, i'm worried that they could cause this and it's a matter of time until something worse will happen. I didn't managed to find any correlation between these restarts and SOC or inverter load.

Did anyone faced this issue?

Also i would try to update the software, but i'm not sure which one to choose. The device came with 72.40.

Thank you very very much,
Marius.
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Re: PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

Post by coulomb »

ThomasHaller wrote: Sun, 06 Jan 2019, 17:53 EASUN Isolar SM5K-64V product label:
That looks to be quite genuine. Is there a small sticker with 2017 and twelve squares with square 9 blacked out?
Internal view:
That looks genuine too.
Can this be positively identified as a Voltronic version ?
Not really, but it seems very likely it's genuine.
Can I use the firmware update to get rid of error 90 ?
I think you can. There is a special check in the fault mode firmware code that disables the switch-off after 30 seconds if the reflash sequence is seen. You'll still have to be quick, starting the reflash very soon after the unit is powered up. So I think you can update to factory firmware 72.20, or since you've opened your case and possibly voided the warranty, you could go for patched firmware version 72.20c (or wait a week or two for 72.20e). I think that maybe there is something wrong with factory firmware version 72.00, such that it doesn't avoid error 90 properly. I've heard of a purchaser who insisted that s/he update to version 72.20 as a priority. You would be within your rights to request a firmware update to fix this, it seems to me. See the index in the first post of this topic for upload instructions, links to the patched firmware download, and how to reflash with the factory firmware if that is your choice.
Any other check I should do ?

I can't think of any.
On a visual inspection all components look absolutely fine ... No smell, nothing ....
Yes, error 90 fortunately does not refer to a hardware issue.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.
MG ZS EV 2021 April 2021. Nissan Leaf 2012 with new battery May 2019.
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Patching PIP-4048/5048 inverter-chargers.
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Re: PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

Post by coulomb »

mariusvaida wrote: Sun, 06 Jan 2019, 19:26 Hello everyone and a happy new year!
Welcome, Marius.
I own a hybrid charger/inverter sold in Romania as E-SOLARE 5KVA / 48V
It appears to be a PIP-4048 or similar, with a different reseller. If so, that's not what we call a hybrid; it's an off-grid inverter-charger.
Did anyone faced this issue?
I've certainly never heard of it.
What does the small yellow sticker above the larger sticker with the bar-code say?
It's unusual to see an 80 A MPPT with the heat-sink on top. So I'm wondering if it's a genuine Voltronic Power model. Usually the capacitors drying out don't cause an issue in the first year or two, unless they are very cheap parts.
Also i would try to update the software, but i'm not sure which one to choose. The device came with 72.40.
I wrote a post specifically about that question: Can I update my firmware, and if so to what?
MG ZS EV 2021 April 2021. Nissan Leaf 2012 with new battery May 2019.
5650 W solar, 2xPIP-4048MS inverters, 16 kWh battery.
Patching PIP-4048/5048 inverter-chargers.
If you appreciate my work, you can buy me a coffee.
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Re: PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

Post by ThomasHaller »

coulomb wrote: Sun, 06 Jan 2019, 20:54 That looks to be quite genuine. Is there a small sticker with 2017 and twelve squares with square 9 blacked out?
Yes there is (was ... Since I opened the case I ripped it in half):
Image
I think you can. There is a special check in the fault mode firmware code that disables the switch-off after 30 seconds if the reflash sequence is seen. You'll still have to be quick, starting the reflash very soon after the unit is powered up. So I think you can update to factory firmware 72.20, or since you've opened your case and possibly voided the warranty, you could go for patched firmware version 72.20c (or wait a week or two for 72.20e). I think that maybe there is something wrong with factory firmware version 72.00, such that it doesn't avoid error 90 properly. I've heard of a purchaser who insisted that s/he update to version 72.20 as a priority. You would be within your rights to request a firmware update to fix this, it seems to me. See the index in the first post of this topic for upload instructions, links to the patched firmware download, and how to reflash with the factory firmware if that is your choice.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.
Thx a lot for all the very valuable information !
Ordered a PL1303 USB to DB9 cable now and when it arrives from China I will attempt to update to 72.20e.
Will let you know !

Rgds,
Thomas
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Re: PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS inverters

Post by ThomasHaller »

Another quick question:
To check the USB-RS232-RJ45 setup before updating firmware, can I simply run watch power on the PC and see if it finds the inverter via serial link ?

Rgds,
Thomas
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