Did anybody tried Victron MPPT warranty?

Follow-up: let it sit disconnected for a few hours, now it works. Don't know what happened. Probably new firmware took time to settle down. (While disconnected? A mystery).

Turned it On, began increasing input V, it woke up - veeery slowly. Opened at 15-something, for a minute was running 0.1A current, then jumped to 10A (DC power supply can't do more). Victron opens at a higher voltage than a couple of other controllers, this isn't new, but it used to open up and jump at once to maximum possible current. Must be new firmware, fine with me. As before, once it opens, input V can go a bit lower, it will still charge. Love new firmware. They added "Adaptive absorption time" and "Tail current". Something akin Morningstar and (defunct) US-made Rogue. Too bad they didn't at the same time upload three-line display and on-board interface with buttons like in Rogue.

I'm glad it worked out!

Well, Don, it does behave weird.

Just to remind, this is a bench test with regulated 15A DC supply. I didn't pay attention to it in field, in summer.

It opens at 18.4V. I don't know why yesterday it opened at 15V - maybe it was after I cranked it up to 18, got scared that nominal 15V DC supply will blow up and lowered it to 15V. Once it opens, input can drop to 14.6V and it still pumps undetectable current, batter reads "On". Shuts down at 14.3V, says "goodnight", battery reads "Off" and won't wake up again until V input rises to 18.4.

When simulated "sun" goes down, controller is clinging to MPP curve very well. At 15V "evening" it outputs 6A, at 14.5V - 0.1 A (heavy rain?), and if "rain" stops and V input rises to 15 again, it outputs mere 0.2A - not 6A. Then it wakes "for real" at ~16V, at which point current jumps to 10A and V drops to 15-something - MPP tracking at work, but not as smooth as in the "evening".

Reached Absorb at 14.6V - as per my setting. Current tapered to zero. I pulled the plug, then decided to let Li batt fry a little more, plugged DC supply in - nothing. With charger disconnected and zero load my Li reads 14.3V fully charged, this isn't new, it drops by 0.3V from 14.6 observed at the end Absorb. Cranked input up to 18.5V - nothing. Isn't it supposed to re-start Bulk again, quickly rise to 14.6 and go to Float? My "Re-bulk" is set at 0.1V, this means it should start Bulk again if V drops to 14.5.

Somebody with Victron MPPT, please enlighten me. Maybe it's normal not to open until sun gets high and V input =18.5, and not to at least "try" to resume charging at 14.3 after 14.6 Absorb has been reached.

Hi Almot,

Odd for sure. I don't have a Victron. My Blue Sky behaves nothing like that. The input voltage is 33 from a series parallel. Charging starts in the winter time about 30 minutes after first light. Only 0.1 amps.

Dec 21 I get about 17 amp-hours from the day's charging total.

I do get 7 amps in leafy shade in June, and about 3 amps in rain.

I wonder if the battery management system on the LI is playing ducks and drakes?

I thought about battery BMS, will check it later with another controller.

But I think Victron gone crazy. Today it refuses to start at all, even at 18.5V. Battery is 13.5V, this corresponds to ~80% SOC.

It also refuses to switch to User Defined mode in the app (yesterday in attempts to revive it I switched the mode to one of factory presets, namely AGM. So I can now switch between AGM , Victron Smart Li (low 14.4 Absorb in this one), and a few Gel variations - but not User Defined. And it doesn't start charging. Uninstalled and reinstalled the app - didn't help.

Will call Canadian dealers after Christmas, don't have time for this now.

Almot wrote:
I thought about battery BMS, will check it later with another controller.

But I think Victron gone crazy. Today it refuses to start at all, even at 18.5V. Battery is 13.5V, this corresponds to ~80% SOC.

It also refuses to switch to User Defined mode in the app (yesterday in attempts to revive it I switched the mode to one of factory presets, namely AGM. So I can now switch between AGM , Victron Smart Li (low 14.4 Absorb in this one), and a few Gel variations - but not User Defined. And it doesn't start charging. Uninstalled and reinstalled the app - didn't help.

Will call Canadian dealers after Christmas, don't have time for this now.

I had an issue with Victron years ago, which is why I won't buy them anymore. everything can fail doesnt matter how much more they charge for the same thing as others.

Almot wrote:
But I think Victron gone crazy. Today it refuses to start at all, even at 18.5V. Battery is 13.5V, this corresponds to ~80% SOC.

The Victron will not initiate charging unless it detects that the PV voltage is at least 5v higher than the battery voltage. You state that the PV was 18.5v and the battery was 13.5v. If the Victron read that as only a 4.99v difference, it would not initiate charging. Those voltage readings you posted may not be precise.

Can you rewire to get series/parallel from the solar panels?

Victron has 5V "threshold"? Mid-tier Chinese boxes (meaning not a complete ju.nk) - Epever and Renogy, both open at the panel voltage 2-3 V above the battery voltage, frommy experience.

The fact that it no longer can switch to User Defined mode is still unexplained and inconvenient.

Almot wrote:
Victron has 5V "threshold"? Mid-tier Chinese boxes (meaning not a complete ju.nk) - Epever and Renogy, both open at the panel voltage 2-3 V above the battery voltage, frommy experience.

The fact that it no longer can switch to User Defined mode is still unexplained and inconvenient.

Yes, according to the Victron specs. That is one of the reasons why I wired my pair of PV panels in series. (The other is series gives better charging in low light/partial shade conditions.)