Hi @flintoid49, Now I have applied to upgrade your firmware.
Our IT department will push the latest version of firmware to your unit in 24 hours.
Please upgrade the firmware tomorrow. Please do not load any device when upgrading it.
During the upgrade process, please make sure to disconnect the B230 from the AC200MAX and upgrade the AC200MAX separately. Additionally, after completing the upgrade, we recommend performing a recalibration to restore optimal SOC performance.
I hope it does help.
Hi @bearcatcrazy1971, Now I have applied to upgrade your firmware.
Our IT department will push the latest version of firmware to your unit in 24 hours.
Please upgrade the firmware tomorrow. Please do not load any device when upgrading it.
During the upgrade process, please make sure to disconnect the B230 from the AC200MAX and upgrade the AC200MAX separately. Additionally, after completing the upgrade, we recommend performing a recalibration to restore optimal SOC performance.
I hope it does help.
Hi @Rocketgurl, We suggest you upgrade to the BMS 1017.07 first, if it works well, it is not necessary to push the BMS 1017.08.
Do you agree?
BMS 1017.07 does seem better. I’m not in a good place to recalibrate from the grid now, since I only have solar.
Currently using AC and DC and charging from solar, and AC200 is at 78 and B230 at 66.
I applied the firmware update and performed a recalibration. Now under normal loads with a bit of solar coming in I have the following values: Pack 1-76%, Pack 2-58%, Pack 3-96%. Pack 2 was always the odd one out before. After the update it looks like Pack 3 has gone rogue too.
Hi @Rocketgurl, Thank you for your feedback.
This appears to be within a reasonable range of variation.
If recalibration cannot be done using the grid, solar charging is also a viable option.
Hi @flintoid49, We’d like to understand how you performed the calibration. Please ensure each battery is discharged to 0%, and then charged individually to 100% before reconnecting them together.
Does this help?
I performed the calibration with all batteries connected so I suppose I need to do it all over again.
@BLUETTI_CARE, the B230 still seems to lag behind in charge numbers.
Is it possible for me to connect the D050s to the B230 while I have the solar input connected to the AC200?
I’m wondering if that might help boost charge to the B230 to compensate.
Currently percentages are AC200 78% B230 63%. So far today the AC200 has increased from 74%, yet the B230 has always been at 63%.
Hi @Rocketgurl, I agree with your suggestion, charging the B230 separately is an excellent approach.
Based on the current data, the SOC difference between the two is not significant and remains within an acceptable range.
Hi @flintoid49, Thank you for getting back to us so quickly.
Yes, please recalibrate them individually. Ensure they have the same charge level before reconnecting them. This will help maintain SOC balance.
By the way, please note that if you need my assistance, please @BLUETTI_CARE, otherwise, I might not see your message and be able to help you promptly.
@BLUETTI_CARE, can I keep the AC200 and B230 connected with the big cable, and plug the D050s into the B230 to boost charge to the B230?
Hi @Rocketgurl, Yes, you can connect the D050S to the B230 for DC charging to increase the overall capacity.
Do you have a set of solar panels to charge the B230 separately?
If so, please note that the DC input range is 12-60V. Make sure not to exceed this range.
While You, Bluetty, state that a certain difference between SOC should be acceptable, there is one major concern, also stated before, but not addressed:
IF B230 packs reach 0% and shutoff, then they will NEVER turn back on without user intervention. So if they would shut off during the night, then a connected PV-charger (or the 200Max) will never turn them back on. So without user intervention PV energy will not be stored, if the user does not intervene. Basically cuts the storable enery by 50%, even though the money was spent to increase capability by 100% (assuming one additional B230 per AC200Max). This issue - aside from SOC - makes the whole system much less usable, and probably most would not have bought if this issue would have been known prior a purchase.
While I appreciate the development of newer products, I can not justify to buy a new product, if the old one do not perform as promised, or expected. Keep in mind: The 200MAX, and the B230 are/were advertised as long lasting units (was it 10+ years), and not as a cheap throw away after a year product. So it’s hardly acceptable that one discards a rather new system due to a faulty SOC (and power off/on) handling.
I mean, if you would take the units back, and give a massive discount for a new product, yes, I see a point, but everything else is not acceptable from a customers perspective. And the discount really should be massive, because the customer did use time and had to spend effort trying to sort out issues, which should not have been present before. And then on top of that: My system is custom fit where it is installed, so even if a new unity would be given without additional cost by Bluetty, there still is the time and cost to install it for some of the customers…
Attached is my most current SOC picture, which I addressed in another thread:
Hi @Basti_D, We completely understand your concern about this issue. In fact, objective discrepancies do exist, but they have a limited impact on actual usage.
When you notice a significant SOC difference, you can manually reduce the discrepancy by pushing a firmware update and performing a recalibration.
As we mentioned before. From our perspective, the AC200MAX and the B230 battery pack are designed to function as a unified system. Therefore, we focus more on the overall performance of the system rather than on individual SOC discrepancies.
If the entire system can charge to 100% and discharge to 0%, we consider it to be functioning normally.
The SOC difference arises due to the inherent characteristics of the product. Our batteries use premium lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4), which exists the inconsistency among cells. This inconsistency stems from the high internal resistance of LiFePO4 batteries. Each cell’s internal resistance varies slightly, causing some energy to be consumed by internal resistance during charging and discharging. Over time, this leads to increasing discrepancies in the charge levels of individual cells.
Additionally, during the redox reactions, ferrous iron (Fe²⁺) may oxidize to ferric iron (Fe³⁺) or reduce to metallic iron, potentially altering the internal resistance of the battery.
Coupled with SOC measurement error, overcharging or over-discharging individual cells can further affect internal resistance. This may eventually result in varying SOC levels among the four cells in a battery, which is a common manifestation of LiFePO4 cell inconsistency.
Hello.
Would you not consider the imbalance I did show (48% to 80%) “significant”?
With these issues at hand, I see no substance for your expression:
Blockquote
If the entire system can charge to 100% and discharge to 0%, we consider it to be functioning normally.
Factually, if the discrepancy is in a way that the B230 will shutoff before the AC200MAX, and won’t turn back on automatically, then this has to be considered a faulty system and requires attention, no?
And if you state that:
Blockquote
Coupled with SOC measurement error, overcharging or over-discharging individual cells can further affect internal resistance.
This is another concern: The way you advertised your unites, there should not be a case, where cells are over-charged, or over-discharged on a functioning system. If this happens (damaging the cells), then logic says the system is faulty/was not build right.
Besides that everything has been said, I guess. I however am sad the way this is going. Terrible that a customer can not with certainty buy a product which works flawlessly, or in case there are flaws, have a manufacturer which takes care of it in a way which is easy and efficient for the customer. Where is the honor?
And in the meantime, there same issues occur on the larger units, like shown here?
Hi @Basti_D, I believe there might be some misunderstanding between us.
We agree with your concern and confirm that the SOC difference in your battery pack (48% to 80%) is relatively significant. We greatly respect our customers’ opinions and addressed this matter in our previous response.
“When you notice a significant SOC difference, you can manually reduce the discrepancy by pushing a firmware update and performing a recalibration.”
Please provide us with the SN code of your AC200MAX and the current firmware version. We will attempt to push a new firmware update to address the issue.
SOC discrepancies do objectively exist, and while we strive to reduce the gap, it is impossible to completely eliminate it. Additionally, even with a SOC difference, the device remains usable, though it may experience some impact. This challenge is not unique to us but is shared across other battery systems.
At present, overcharging issues are rare. Regarding over-discharge, this is an inherent battery characteristic. While we continuously work to mitigate this through firmware updates, proper maintenance from the user is also necessary. Regular charging can prevent such issues. Furthermore, if a problem does arise, we will do our utmost to find a solution.
Blockquote
[…]Regarding over-discharge, this is an inherent battery characteristic. While we continuously work to mitigate this through firmware updates, proper maintenance from the user is also necessary. Regular charging can prevent such issues.
If my B230 shuts off due to “empty”, while the AC200MAX shows 20-30% total charge status due to the differences in SOC, I as a user can not prevent (deep-)discharge to 0%, since the AC200MAX as still good SOC. And on top of that, the issue I stated multiple times:
IF the 230 turns itself off, it won’t even charge when the sun comes up. With that the AX200Max might be charged to 100%, and the B230 is offline and empty, if the user did not interfere. And the user might not always be available to interfere. All this is the reason while I am so dissatisfied with the product-combination. The AC200Max on it’s own is a fine product, but that’s hardly helping if one opted for additional battery capacity (e.g. with the B230).
And on top of that I also have to charge the AC200MMax to 100%, if I want to get the B230 up. So the B230 suffers on the low end (with deep discharge), and the AC200MAX suffers on the upper end - always charged to 100% much sooner than the B230)
SN and other info in the pictures attached.
