@BLUETTI_CARE,
I’d like to draw your attention to this topic.
I would appreciate both recommendations and feedback on this topic. Below are my thoughts on the matter.
I also use this station, but because the station was displaying inaccurate current power, I switched to the AC180 model and put the Elite 100 v2 in reserve and have barely used it for the past couple of weeks.
Indeed, many users on sales platforms report that the station has turned off and won’t turn on.
Analyzing these messages, we see the following in common:
The station has discharged close to zero, or in several cases it has charged to 100% and then stopped turning on.
Most often, people mention that the station was used in UPS mode.
The problem mainly affects those who have used them for three or more weeks.
The main symptom is that the station won’t turn on. For some, it refused to turn off a couple of times and then refused to turn on.
To summarize, a very common problem is the BMS going into cell imbalance protection mode This is my opinion based on reviews and user reports of problems.
There could be many reasons for this:
Hardware issues – bad (unstable) battery cells.
Low balancing current due to incorrect balancing resistor components, etc.
Software errors – the balancing circuit’s start threshold is incorrectly selected, etc.
But these are just assumptions. Only a service technician can know the true cause
I’d like to point out the volume of complaints, and Bluetti should quickly address this and release new firmware, which, if not completely solves the problem, would at least reduce the likelihood of the station dying.
Until I have a clearer understanding of the problem and possible solutions, I’ve decided to proceed as follows:
Minimize use of UPS mode and use the charger in discharge/charge mode.
Charge at a low current – set the manual charging current to 1A in the settings, which corresponds to a charging power of approximately 230W. This will double the charging time compared to the Standard setting, but will also allow more time for balancing.
Do not discharge the battery below 10% or charge it above 95%.
I hope this will help me wait for a solution from Bluetti.
I would like to ask for your comment on the situation with the widespread failure of the chargers.
For confirmation, I’m providing a link to one of the stores that has reviews for this model, where you can read how many people have written about the problem in recent days.
If by any chance some Bluetti higher-ups are reading this, your entire R&D department should be fired.
If it’s not a colossal failure, I don’t know what is.
No, no one needs to be fired. We need to figure out and fix the problem first.
Regarding the differences between the models. I think the only difference is the color of the lettering. )))) Most likely, the Premium is the same as the Elite.
So until there’s more clarification, I recommend switching to manual charging current setting at 1A. To do this, click Custom at the bottom of the charging setup program tab and set the current to 1A. If you still need faster charging, then charge the Standard model to 80%, and then manually set the charging current to 1A.
If my assumptions are correct, firmware will soon be released that will slow down any charging process at the end and charge slowly to balance the battery at the end.
@lavash_bluetti As far as I’ve seen, with standard charging, starting at 98%, it switches to a lower charging power 200-300W. The Elite 30 V2 behaves the same way.
A reduction in charging speed is almost always present. But to increase balancing time, you need to reduce the charging rate (charge current) earlier.
So, in your example, starting with 98%, you could, for example, start with 90%, and the balancing time will increase fivefold in the range from 90% to 100%, resulting in a more balanced charge across the cells.
Passive balancing is most likely used. The current for this type of balancing is clearly less than 1 A.
If we’re talking about the Elite 100 V2 model, it has a standard charging current of 10 A (0.5 C) per cell.
In other words, the balancing current is at least 10 times lower than the charging current. Therefore, rebalancing requires more time.
If the cells and battery assembly are of high quality, a low balancing current is sufficient, but if something is not right, either an active balancer and/or a higher passive balancing current and/or a longer balancing time are required. The first two options are not our case, so we need to increase the balancing time.
@lavash_bluetti OK. But even if the batteries are unbalanced, that’s no reason not to turn on the power station. The power station should turn on and display an error message indicating the batteries are unbalanced. In any case, this is just a guess. We need to hear from the @BLUETTI_CARE why the power station isn’t turning on.
It works a little differently. This is the case with all stations, including other manufacturers. If the BMS board detects an imbalance greater than the threshold, it disconnects the battery.
Perhaps in the future they’ll change the logic and use boards with an active balancer and different blocking logic, especially since we have Lifepo4.
Judging by the number of requests, many units have been sent to service, and the root cause needs to be determined. Determine whether this is a limited edition model or a general issue, and then issue recommendations and possibly a firmware update for the entire model or a specific batch of serial numbers.
I’ll repeat: regarding a possible balancing issue, these are my personal assumptions, and only the service department can determine the root cause, provide recommendations, and make corrections. In the meantime, as a precaution, I’ll be charging my stations at minimum power.
@Mitaps writes that “I turned it off through the app.” It’s unclear whether the power station was in charging or discharging mode, or whether it was connected to the grid? If it was connected to the grid, there may have been a power surge?
Anything is possible. But most likely, an external power surge in a powered-down station could have damaged only the input components, and not the battery on the other side of the inverter.
If a service technician has disassembled the station, they can easily determine the cause. Simply measure the current at the battery output after the BMS. If there’s no nominal voltage (approximately less than 40 volts), the BMS is protected.
I received additional information about the Elite 100 v2 architecture. It turns out that when the station is turned off, the BMS completely cuts off battery power to the inverter board, and the inverter board voltage drops to zero a few minutes after the power is turned off.
This means that complaints about the station not turning on may be related to a firmware failure or a component error in the station’s startup algorithm.
This is the second possible explanation for the problem.
We are awaiting information from Bluetti and a solution.
The service center took it apart—the battery cells are normal in terms of voltage, probably a malfunction of the control module, BMS, possibly a software glitch.
I have to wait about a month for spare parts.
I have already found about 15 reviews in just two stores from people with the same problem as me. For some, it started turning on intermittently and then stopped turning on altogether, while for others, it simply stopped turning on even when pressed.
There was even a review where, after the 220V power supply appeared, it turned off after a couple of minutes and that was it.
I will also note that before it broke, I began to notice a strange sound even in operating mode, not charging mode, a wave-like sound, and a very long charge (about 1 hour) from 99% to 100%, although it showed that it was charging at 200+ watts.
I have a protective voltage relay in front of it, so a voltage surge can be ruled out as a possible cause.
Hi @lavash_bluetti, Thank you for contacting us—we take your feedback very seriously.
We would like to confirm if your Elite 100 V2 is experiencing the same issue?
We have already escalated this matter to the Technical Department and R&D Department for review, and we will get back to you as soon as we receive a response.
@BLUETTI_CARE thanks!
The first station has firmware
ARM v2186.15
DSP v2200.16
BMS v1083.10
no issues have been noticed, but I should point out that it’s rarely used right now. Since there were inaccuracies with the power and runtime estimates, I switched it to backup mode and am currently using the AC180. I also switched it to 1 A charging current, which corresponds to 230 watts.
The station number I sent today is for a new station , and I want to update it with improved firmware.
Regarding the issues with Elite 100 V 2 stations sold in Ukraine, judging by reviews on seller forums, the number of problematic stations has increased, and there are about 15-20 users reporting that their stations have stopped turning on and that they have sent them to a service center. I’ve written about this so that we can better understand the problem and expedite its escalation…
Do you know anything about investigating mass outages?
I hope you understand and resolve these issues, as I, as a user of this model, don’t want to run into any problems.
Hi @lavash_bluetti, Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention. After reviewing these reviews, we noticed a common pattern: all these Elite 100 V2 units were previously unable to power off via the power button and could only be shut down through the app. Additionally, they failed to power on despite having remaining battery after being turned off.
We had not received any similar feedback prior to this. We have now discussed the matter internally and are attempting to reproduce the issue.
We will keep you updated as soon as we have new information.
Hi @BLUETTI_CARE ! As far as I understand, several of these failed stations are being repaired at the service center. Therefore, it would be a good idea to contact the service center and obtain information about these stations. If the cause of the stations’ failure is unclear and a software glitch is suspected, the service center has contact information for all customers and can clarify the details of each station’s failure.
Not all of them, according to the description, were last disabled from the app. Some were, but not all. Therefore, if the failed stations themselves don’t answer the question of what failed and why, it’s necessary to interview all customers and determine the cause of the failure.
Hi. @BLUETTI_CARE
The website I mentioned above reported the results of a service center visit. This customer received a decommissioning certificate for the station. The service center’s explanation sounds something like this: a BMS failure. Since the BMS is a single unit with the battery itself, it needs to be replaced entirely, and there are no replacement parts.
No further details are available.
I looked at an earlier message from this customer.
Here’s the text:
“It worked as a UPS for a refrigerator, an aquarium gadget, a modem, and a laptop for distance learning during power outages. I monitored the indicators remotely via WiFi using the app. When the battery discharged to 10%, I turned off the AC remotely, and the discharge was 350-400W. When the power came back on, the connection with the station was lost. I came home from work, and the station showed no signs of life. The charging current was set to 2A from the very beginning, to ensure normal battery operation.”
We can obtain information about:
whether other stations are at risk of similar failures?
We can obtain recommendations or solutions, as well as timelines, to avoid similar problems.?
Hi @lavash_bluetti, Thank you for your continued attention to this issue. We have indeed contacted the local service center, but they have not yet provided specific updates.
We have also received similar feedback from a customer recently: His Elite 100 V2 cannot be turned off via the physical power button, but shutdown is possible through the app. He has provided the SN number, video, and other relevant information, and we are currently attempting to reproduce the issue. Once successfully reproduced, we will conduct a thorough analysis and develop a solution.
Regarding the comment you mentioned, does it refer to the scenario where the Elite 100 V2 fails to power on after a grid power outage? We consider that this may be caused by over-discharging. In such cases, using a car charger or solar charging (instead of grid charging) may help resolve the issue. If we receive more similar feedback, we will develop a targeted firmware fix to prevent this problem from recurring.
We need to figure out and fix the problem first. 