Victron Multiplus not showing shore power correctly and the power assist function is not working.

[Alway Swilby]

I have a Victron Multiplus 24/3000/70, a BMV700, an MPPT 100/30 all connected to a Venus GX. The “Power Control” feature of the Multiplus seems to not be doing its job. The AC in and AC out is showing 0 watts most of the time even if I run a 2kw kettle. If the batteries are on charge the shore power shows a negative number round about -25 watts even though the 24v lithium batteries are charging at about 60 amps. If I set the input current limit to 3 amps it still draws what it needs from the shore power, way over the 3 amps (and the power assist doesn’t kick in). In this screen shot the batteries are charging at 60 amps, the shore power is limited to 3 amps. Any ideas? See the screenshot.

[IanD]

Either the Multiplus (or BMV700?) is faulty, or the system is misconfigured somehow. Has it always behaved like this, or has something changed?

 

P.S. Saw you posted the same question on the Victron Community, you might get more helpful answers there... 😉 

Edited March 12 by IanD

[Gybe Ho]

Is this due to a data exchange failure between your boat and the Victron web site or is the screen shot from a local in-boat local view of the data?

[IanD]

3 minutes ago, Gybe Ho said:

Is this due to a data exchange failure between your boat and the Victron web site or is the screen shot from a local in-boat local view of the data?

Doesn't make sense -- if there's any data problem VRM doesn't show a realtime view, which is what this is.

[Gybe Ho]

9 minutes ago, IanD said:

Either the Multiplus (or BMV700?) is faulty, or the system is misconfigured somehow. Has it always behaved like this, or has something changed?

 

P.S. Saw you posted the same question on the Victron Community, you might get more helpful answers there... 😉 

 

The timestamp in the -23W shore power display is dated 6 days ago hence my thought the data shown is an historic value. Could it be that some data is not flowing to the onscreen widget. 

[IanD]

7 minutes ago, Gybe Ho said:

 

The timestamp in the -23W shore power display is dated 6 days ago hence my thought the data shown is an historic value. Could it be that some data is not flowing to the onscreen widget. 

No, because it comes up with a "last connected xx mins/hours ago" warning instead of saying "realtime", like this. It's off the top of that snapshot, which is just showing selected data.

 

 

Edited March 12 by IanD

[cheesegas]

18 minutes ago, Gybe Ho said:

Is this due to a data exchange failure between your boat and the Victron web site or is the screen shot from a local in-boat local view of the data?

That's a screenshot from VRM, the online portal. As it's showing the rest of the data fine, there's no reason why it would simply miss out a bit of the data going from boat to Victon's servers, and show the rest correctly.

 

This sounds like a comms error between the Cerbo and the Multiplus. Has anything been changed in the system recently? On a laptop/phone connected to the boat's wifi, can you put in Venus.local into a web browser and get to the Cerbo's config page? 

 

From there, you can click Devices and then your Multiplus. If it's not there, that's your issue.

[Alway Swilby]

24 minutes ago, IanD said:

Either the Multiplus (or BMV700?) is faulty, or the system is misconfigured somehow. Has it always behaved like this, or has something changed?

 

P.S. Saw you posted the same question on the Victron Community, you might get more helpful answers there... 😉 

It was good for 7 years. Stopped working properly a couple of weeks ago. The Victron Community haven't come up with anything yet.

[IanD]

2 minutes ago, cheesegas said:

That's a screenshot from VRM, the online portal. As it's showing the rest of the data fine, there's no reason why it would simply miss out a bit of the data going from boat to Victon's servers, and show the rest correctly.

 

This sounds like a comms error between the Cerbo and the Multiplus. Has anything been changed in the system recently? On a laptop/phone connected to the boat's wifi, can you put in Venus.local into a web browser and get to the Cerbo's config page? 

 

From there, you can click Devices and then your Multiplus. If it's not there, that's your issue.

If there was a comms error with the Multiplus then VRM wouldn't show any reading/graph for shore power (since this comes from the MP) or its state (Absorption).

[Gybe Ho]

Does anything in the OPs screenshot make sense?

 

Weather = 17(c)

Time = 8:30

SOC = 100%

Charging Watts = 1822w

4 minutes ago, Alway Swilby said:

It was good for 7 years. Stopped working properly a couple of weeks ago. The Victron Community haven't come up with anything yet.

 

The 6th of March perhaps or was that when you took the screenshot?

[IanD]

15 minutes ago, Alway Swilby said:

It was good for 7 years. Stopped working properly a couple of weeks ago. The Victron Community haven't come up with anything yet.

Sounds like it's faulty then, or perhaps it's hung up in some strange state. Usual Windows suggestion -- have to tried turning it (the Multiplus) off and on again, and also rebooting the Venus GX?

 

P.S. That Community post was only about ago, give people a chance! Unlike some other forums with lower SNR*** it seems that posters there are less prone to diving in to have their say based on little or no knowledge, I've found it can take a few hours or even longer before someone knowledgeable answers... 😉 

 

*** SNR = Signal to Noise Ratio

 

13 minutes ago, Gybe Ho said:

Does anything in the OPs screenshot make sense?

 

Weather = 17(c)

Time = 8:30

SOC = 100%

Charging Watts = 1822w

 

The 6th of March perhaps or was that when you took the screenshot?

Yes if it's charging from shoreline, which is what the OP said was happening.

Edited March 12 by IanD

[Alway Swilby]

34 minutes ago, Gybe Ho said:

Is this due to a data exchange failure between your boat and the Victron web site or is the screen shot from a local in-boat local view of the data?

This is from the VRM website but the same readings occur when connected to the Venus GX locally.

22 minutes ago, Gybe Ho said:

 

The timestamp in the -23W shore power display is dated 6 days ago hence my thought the data shown is an historic value. Could it be that some data is not flowing to the onscreen widget. 

I took the screenshot 6 days ago, but when I took it it was live data.

14 minutes ago, cheesegas said:

That's a screenshot from VRM, the online portal. As it's showing the rest of the data fine, there's no reason why it would simply miss out a bit of the data going from boat to Victon's servers, and show the rest correctly.

 

This sounds like a comms error between the Cerbo and the Multiplus. Has anything been changed in the system recently? On a laptop/phone connected to the boat's wifi, can you put in Venus.local into a web browser and get to the Cerbo's config page? 

 

From there, you can click Devices and then your Multiplus. If it's not there, that's your issue.

When I am connected locally the readings are the same. The VRM can connect to the Multiplus so the connection is there.

[cheesegas]

6 minutes ago, Alway Swilby said:

When I am connected locally the readings are the same. The VRM can connect to the Multiplus so the connection is there.

Thanks for the clarification - if the readings are the same locally on the Cerbo and not going via VRM then it's a local issue.

 

Were any changes made to the system recently, before the fault occurred? Even small things which may not seem relevant.

[IanD]

5 minutes ago, cheesegas said:

Thanks for the clarification - if the readings are the same locally on the Cerbo and not going via VRM then it's a local issue.

 

Were any changes made to the system recently, before the fault occurred? Even small things which may not seem relevant.

Have you tried restarting everything? (Multiplus and Venus GX)

 

In VRM, if you open up the Remote Console and navigate to the Multiplus settings page, what do you see?

Edited March 12 by IanD

[Alway Swilby]

14 minutes ago, Gybe Ho said:

Does anything in the OPs screenshot make sense?

 

Weather = 17(c)

Time = 8:30

SOC = 100%

Charging Watts = 1822w

 

The 6th of March perhaps or was that when you took the screenshot?

The weather when the screenshot was taken last week was good hence 17 degrees.

6th March at 0830 is when I took the screenshot. I went faulty about a week before that.

The SOC happens to state 100%. It's not always correct as any SOC isn't.

It is charging at 60 amps. It really is charging at 60 amps, the battery BMS confirms this but I haven't got a screenshot of that.

[cheesegas]

Just now, IanD said:

And did you try restarting everything? (Multiplus and Venus GX)

To add to this, on the Cerbo, it's also worth doing a ve.bus restart and then redetect. Assuming you're on the latest Cerbo software version, the path is settings (bottom right), Device List, Multiplus, Advanced.

 

You can do this locally or via Remote Console on VRM.

[Alway Swilby]

5 minutes ago, cheesegas said:

Thanks for the clarification - if the readings are the same locally on the Cerbo and not going via VRM then it's a local issue.

 

Were any changes made to the system recently, before the fault occurred? Even small things which may not seem relevant.

 

The readings are the same locally so yes it's a local issue.

I've been trying to think of such little things but can't think of anything.

[IanD]

Just now, cheesegas said:

To add to this, on the Cerbo, it's also worth doing a ve.bus restart and then redetect. Assuming you're on the latest Cerbo software version, the path is settings (bottom right), Device List, Multiplus, Advanced.

 

You can do this locally or via Remote Console on VRM.

He's got a Venus GX not a Cerbo...

 

But remote console should still work -- the settings page for the Multiplus may reveal something.

[cheesegas]

Just now, IanD said:

He's got a Venus GX not a Cerbo...

 

But remote console should still work -- the settings page for the Multiplus may reveal something.

Ah, missed that bit about the Venus GX. Shouldn't make a difference though...

[IanD]

Just now, Alway Swilby said:

 

The readings are the same locally so yes it's a local issue.

I've been trying to think of such little things but can't think of anything.

Which version of Remote Console are you running -- the new one (GUI v2, fast and web-based) or the old one (GUI v1, slow and direct-graphics based)?

[Alway Swilby]

2 minutes ago, cheesegas said:

To add to this, on the Cerbo, it's also worth doing a ve.bus restart and then redetect. Assuming you're on the latest Cerbo software version, the path is settings (bottom right), Device List, Multiplus, Advanced.

 

You can do this locally or via Remote Console on VRM.

I have rebooted everything including turning off the battery isolators.

It is an older Venus GX but running the latest firmware available.

 

2 minutes ago, IanD said:

Which version of Remote Console are you running -- the new one (GUI v2, fast and web-based) or the old one (GUI v1, slow and direct-graphics based)?

V2

[IanD]

Just now, Alway Swilby said:

I have rebooted everything including turning off the battery isolators.

It is an older Venus GX but running the latest firmware available.

 

So what does the settings page for the Multiplus in Remote Console show?

[Alway Swilby]

I will try the ve.bus restart if it's available on the GX. I'm going to the boat tomorrow so I'll do it then. I prefer doing things on site!

[IanD]

4 minutes ago, Alway Swilby said:

I will try the ve.bus restart if it's available on the GX. I'm going to the boat tomorrow so I'll do it then. I prefer doing things on site!

You can look at the remote console from where you are, dig down into the Multiplus settings, and post a snapshot. These might give a clue as to what is going on.

 

It is looking more like a Multiplus fault though... 😞

Edited March 12 by IanD

[nicknorman]

I dont have any of that fancy stuff but I think we can say that the only fault is the mis-reading of the ac current on the Multiplus? If the MP doesn't know how much current is flowing through it, obviously it can't limit the current or know to invoke the power assist. Probably the Mutiplus uses a current transformer to measure the current, failing that some hall effect thing. Probably it is this that has failed within the Mutiplus. But that is mostly a guess!