Greetings all - have throughly read through the different threads before posting this to avoid wasting anyones time: purchased a new AC180 in May of 2025, arrived quickly and delivered as promised. Was working with solar charging for all of May and 3 weeks into June, then nothing. I have explored multiple different options for solutions, but without any success:
I tried changing out the DC7909 charge cord to a new one
tried charging via the DC7909 to cigarette plug charger
did the latest firmware update(IoT v9046.04, ARM v2107.03, DSP v2102.06, BMS v1052.03)
the digital display can see when I plug into solar (little solar panel icon appears on the display) - PV1(power 0W, Voltage 32.8, Current 0.0A) however no power actually flows into the AC180
tried charging via a different single solar panel, interchanging the two different DC to MC4 cords I have
the unit charges via grid power without issue
the unit works when I use either the AC or DC switch to power another item.
held both the AC & DC switches to look for service codes, with none being present
Looking any further suggestions that I may of overlooked. I want this to be any easy solution, and hopefully the community can help.
I’m so confident of the BLUETTI product lineup that I ordered an Apex 300 for scalable future expansion to eventually replace grid power and just rely on BLUETTI and solar to meet my needs.
You don’t mention what panels you were charging with, or how it was wired, but my first thought is you went over voltage and fried the solar controller. Another possibility is a fault in the solar panel(s), possibly the wiring or a connection. When you say you “tried charging via the DC7909 to cigarette plug charger”, what source were you using to charge it with?
For solar - I am using a single Renogy ShadowFlux 120w panel, and it had been working in the past quite well.
For the DC7909 to cigarette plug charger - I used the supplied factory cord and plugged it into the 12v cigarette plug in my Ram pickup.
Working through the Bluetti app - the AC180 can see when that something is plugged into the 7909 port, and it does wake up when something is plugged into it - as of this response it says that there is a solar panel plugged into it, with 32.6V at the plug, but the Current reads 0.0A and the Power reads 0W.
When you plug it into AC, are you at home when you do it? The reason I ask is when you tried charging from solar and you have the unit inside your hot car, it will refuse to charge if the internal temperature is too hot. Discharge temp is higher, but charging temp threshold is lower. (32-104F for charging). It wouldn’t matter if you used the 12V cigarette lighter plug or the solar if the internal temp rose above 104F in your truck. The BMS would kick in to protect battery damage. Keep in mind your outlets in your truck are likely run in parallel so if you have other things plugged in, you may be not pushing enough amps/volts to charge the unit. One thing you can try is turning on your A/C to cool down your unit, if indeed it was too hot from the sun. It’s been a HOT summer.
Do you have another solar panel to test with? Do you have a solar meter to test the panel? Have you contacted Bluetti? They will want to see a video clip of the issue, with both the car charger cable and the solar panel.
Hi @JP911, Thank you for providing the detailed information.
Please follow the suggestions from @SoulGen and @sealy1986 to check the solar panel and environmental temperature step by step. If both solar charging and DC charging don’t work, please contact us to arrange warranty service.
You don’t have to remind me about the hot summer. I farm full-time, and I’m out in EVERYDAY. Try hauling corn to the ethanol plant in a semi with non-functional A/C…super fun.
Anyhoo - to answer your questions, the AC180 is for indoor use only. It was intended to run a circulation fan all day, with recharge power supplied via solar. It was only tested in my Ram to check if the DC port was was functional or if it was the cord.