This thread is not for repairs or hardware modifications, but is about other aspects of the 5 kVA 48 Vdc 230 Vac standalone inverter/charger with max 145 V MPPT and non-removable display, designed (in Taiwan) and manufactured (in China) by Voltronic Power, and sold under various names and model numbers.
Other model numbers:
-
PIP-4048MS and PIP-5048MS (from MPPSolar)
Axpert MKS 5K
Mecer (rhymes with "spacer") MKS 5K (from Mustek)
Mecer SOL-I-AX-5M, SOL-I-AX-5P and SOL-I-AX-5P64
IPS-4000WM (from Giant Power)
Effekta AX-M 5 kVA
Flinslim MPPT 5kVA
OPTI-Solar SP5000 Brilliant
MAXIC5000-48
Pro Power 48V 4000W Integrated Power System
SP5000-48MPPT80
Proline Energy inverter 5kVA 48V w/MPPT SCC
Inverex MKS 5KVA
SOLARIX PLI 5000-48 (from Steca Electronik GMBH)
Voltex MKS 5KVA
RCT Axpert 5000VA
SolarPower24 Primo MKS 5K-48, Primo MKS(PF1) 5K-48, Primo MKS(PF1) 5K-48H
There are other topics for the
PIP-5048MK inverter (also called the Axpert King 5K), and for the
PIP-5048GE/GK/MG/MGX/MAX inverters (also called the Axpert VM II 5000-48, Axpert VM III 5000-48, Axpert MKS II 5K, Axpert MKS III 5K, and Axpert MAX 7.2 or 8.0), and for
PIP inverter repairs and hardware modifications, and for the
Voltronic InfiniSolar inverters.
Please use them when relevant. We're trying to keep this topic to a reasonable size. It's already over 100 pages (2500 posts).
Index
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Documentation
- PIP-5048MS user manual (pf 1.0, 5 kW/5 kVA) with settings, specifications, installation etc.
PIP-4048MS user manual (pf 0.8, 4 kW/5 kVA). The earlier model.
Weber's table about parameter 1, Output Source Priority.
Parallel guide for multiple inverters in parallel and/or with three phase.
MSD/MST (Dual/Triple SCC model) manual (pf 1.0, 5 kW/5 kVA) inc. parallel guide.
Post with Axpert User Manual V2.1 mentioning new settings 32 and 38.
The main serial communications protocol manual- Another version of the protocol manual with commands for multiple MPPTs, and showing the additional QPIGS response fields.
Another version of the protocol manual with equalisation commands.
Another version of the protocol manual that explains the model numbers returned by the QGMN command (pages 26 & 27).
Rinaldo's post with the 2015 service manual.
Manuals for Coulomb and Weber's patched firmware:- AussieView™ and KettleKomp™ manual (pf0.8)
AussieView™ and KettleKomp™ manual (pf1)
AussieView™ and KettleKomp™ manual (pf1 64V)
Dynamic Charge and Load Control (DC&LC) manual.
- Another version of the protocol manual with commands for multiple MPPTs, and showing the additional QPIGS response fields.
Firmware
- Note: We do not have firmware for inverters rated at less than 5 kVA or less than 48 V, or having a PWM (non-MPPT) solar charge controller.
Nor do we have firmware for grid-feed or hybrid inverters or inverters not made by Voltronic Power.
Can I update my firmware, and if so, to what?
What Axpert firmware is that?
Do I Own a Clone?
The known-good USB to serial adapters use a PL2303 chip.- For South African readers: a USB to serial adapter recommendation (Communica) and another recommendation (Mecer).
Nico1281's link to factory firmware 73.00.
Firmware upload instructions (upgrade or update firmware).
Coulomb and Weber's patched firmware:- Unless otherwise noted, all versions come in two flavours:
- LF1 for lithium ferrous phosphate = LiFePO₄ = LFP, and
LC1 for lead acid and other chemistries.
For beta versions, those flavours are designated BF1 and BC1.
The difference between the two flavours
Coulomb's discussion of the first version.
Superseded 72.70b patched firmware: Discussion and instructions/download
Reverting to factory firmware. More concise answer in FAQ 6.
The two premature-float bugs are fixed in all patched firmware below, and some have additional features as listed:
Superseded 72.70c patched firmware. It has Dynamic Charge Control and AussieView™. Weber's brief implementation description.
Superseded 73.00c patched firmware for 4 kW / 5 kVA / PF0.8 models. It has Dynamic Charge Control and AussieView™.
Superseded 73.00d patched firmware for 4 kW / 5 kVA / PF0.8 models. It has Dynamic Charge and Load Control (DC&LC) and AussieView™.
Superseded 72.20c patched firmware for some 5 kW / 5 kVA / PF1 models with 64 V option. It has DC&LC and AussieView™. There was no 72.20d.
The latest 75.31a patched firmware for dual and triple SCC 5 kVA models. LC1 (non-LFP) flavour only. Fixes only the premature-float bugs. Does not have setting 38 (neutral to earth relay function).- Patched firmware version 75.21a for dual and triple SCC 5 kVA models. Also not fully patched, but with some LFP accommodations.
The latest 72.20e patched firmware for some 5 kW / 5 kVA / PF1 models with 64 V option. It has DC&LC, AussieView™ and KettleKomp™.
The latest 74.40e patched firmware for some 5 kW / 5 kVA / PF1 models without the 64 V option. It has DC&LC, AussieView™ and KettleKomp™.
- LF1 for lithium ferrous phosphate = LiFePO₄ = LFP, and
If your firmware update fails, it might be the communications board.
Later models still contain the charge bugs.
If you think your inverter may be bricked, as described in this post , see If you think your inverter is bricked. Also if your display is bricked.
McMajen able to re-flash again by replacing opto-isolators.
EEPROM wear and saving parameters.
If you find your inverter charger stops with error 90 (fault code 90).
The post with a link to factory firmware 72.40, for 5 kW PF1 64 V models with the 145 V max SCC. Also on PowerForum.
- See the index for the topic PIP inverter repairs and hardware modifications.
That's where you need to go if you have a bus soft start error (error code 09, fault code 09).
Do I Own a Clone?
Serial Communications boards
- See the index for the topic PIP inverter repairs and hardware modifications.
Commands
- Coulomb's instructions for using the command protocol directly. This also has instructions for turning on the Tera Term meta key.
Scott's neat Windows applet to calculate CRCs and paste the command to the clipboard.
Access Port for sending repeated commands.
The undocumented Q1 command
Changing the output voltage with the POPV command.
Accessing recorded fault data with QFS and QFAULT.
Calibrating your inverter's battery voltage reading.
Sending long commands via USB on embedded platform: first post, the variable length PE command, and final resolution.
Sending commands from Arduinos: videos, sample code.
Performance / problems
- The two premature-float bugs that are present in all factory firmware (so far).
Loads that affect voltage stability
Hiccup when charging from generator at high currents
Separate topic on the generator starting issue.
If you find your inverter charger stops with error 90 (fault code 90).
Error 51 (fault code 51, Over current or surge): JvdSpoel, Coulomb, ejb, and Savage1ZA. Also some discussion on the Power Forum (several posts, in fact the whole topic), suggesting it is heat related. Coulomb's guess that error 51 (fault code 51) may involve MOVs. MOV part numbers.
Clipping of the output waveform with low battery voltage; worse with 64 V models.
Black monoliths
- Introduction. This was the first design of our complete solar power system: inverter, battery, contactors, etc.
First frame, DC box, AC box, AC box and PV box.
Dimensions and photos
Black Monolith #1.
Final design and Construction, though there is a lot of it spread over page 12.
Costing.
Operating instructions for the Black Monolith (direct link)
Monitoring software
- Jdp's AICC (Axpert Inverter Control Centre) monitoring and reporting software. Now called ICC.
Fotosettore's LUCIBUS software
SolPipLog (open source, link is to another topic)
Edmundp's SolarMon software (seems discontinued now).
Solar Assistant
See also Monitoring & control software: what are you using and why?
Off-topic discussions
-
Power and energy meters, eventually continued
in its own thread.
Inexpensive coulomb counting battery monitor.
Weber's method for estimating the open circuit voltage of LFP cells while in use, for the purpose of protecting them.
Other
-
Coulomb's discussion of 2S verses 3S for PV panels, and the voltage setpoints in the SCC firmware.
Coulomb's post on the real manufacturer of these units (Voltronic Power).
Coulomb's recommended Pylontech battery settings, when not using the direct-to-bms cable.
What's inside Vision battery modules.
[ Edited Coulomb 1/May/2020: changed most internal links to https:// (except off-topic section). Hopefully works around the "remember me" problem. ]
END MODERATOR NOTES
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[Post by coulomb]
OffgridQLD found the following 4000 W combination inverter/charger/MPPT from MPP Solar, as he describes here:
http://forums.aeva.asn.au/viewtopic.php?title=new-to-the-forum-new-imiev&p=52606&t=3714#p52606
Weber decided to buy one of these for an offgrid solar job (now known as Black Monolith #1). One of the problems, as OffgridQLD has noted, is that despite advertising to the contrary, it doesn't charge LiFePO4 batteries properly, and also doesn't support a BMS properly. Most of this would be solved if we were able to change some charge parameters on the fly. For example, to stop it charging when a single cell starts getting too high in voltage, we could increase the Bulk and Float voltage settings. Hopefully, we can get the last Cell Management Unit (CMU) to send a short command to the unit to effect the change.
The unit comes with PC software to talk to it over a serial port. We thought we'd try and sniff the commands from the PC software to the unit when the voltage was adjusted. There is a password associated with the PC software, presumably to prevent unauthorised or accidental changes, and we didn't know how this would affect things.
The first surprise was that the serial communications are at 2400 bps; we were expecting 19.2 kbps because there is a setting (for ModBus) that mentioned this figure. Perhaps it has cheap opto-isolators, like the Elcon/TC chargers.
We found mostly ascii commands from the PC software to the unit, e.g.
QSIDx
QMODIx
The "x" characters above were actually graphic characters. Aha! These could be checksums. But when we tried to figure out what the checksum algorithm was, it made no sense. On closer looking, there were actually two random-looking characters at the end of each line, before a carriage return to terminate it. In the first example above there was an invisible control character and in the second example the "I" was apparently part of the checksum. Oh-oh: these could be 16-bit CRCs (Cyclic Redundancy Check bytes).
Well, fortunately Weber and I had "cracked" the CRC algorithm for some Nissan Leaf CAN bus messages. In fact, some Leaf enthusiasts referred to our post on this as the "golden post" that enabled future work to proceed: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=18120&start=10#p392323 (original post here). All we had to do was dig up the details, modify the algorithm for 16-bit CRCs (the Leaf uses 8-bit CRCs)...
To cut a long story short... we found it! The CRC polynomial is 0x1021, using left shifts, and processing the bytes in the order transmitted (not reversed). As with the Leaf CRC, there is no initial or final XOR value. We used a spreadsheet to confirm the polynomial, using a bitwise XOR function written in Visual Basic, "iterating" by repeating lines on the spreadsheet (80 rows with the same formulae). We had a huge amount of help from a paper by Greg Ewing of New Zealand.
The commands are as follows:
PCVV56.5<crc1><crc2><cr> Set the bulk charge voltage to 56.5 V
PBFT54.1<crc1><crc2><cr> Set the float voltage to 54.1 V
PSDV42.1<crc1><crc2><cr> Set the inverter low voltage cutoff to 42.1 V
What about the password? It turns out that the password seems only to be used to authenticate the user to the PC software, not to the unit itself. (Though there are some mysterious commands that come across at about the time that the password is entered). In any case, the unit doesn't seem to care whether the password is entered or not; it still responds to the same commands to change the setpoints.
So it looks good for getting this unit to respond appropriately to commands from our battery management system, and Weber may not even need a battery management master unit (i.e. the cell-top units should be enough to do the battery management on their own).
This may also be useful for people like OffgridQLD, using a simple BMS. A simple Arduino or similar may be able to detect the end of bulk charging, and change the bulk/absorb voltage setting to be the same as the float setting.