Victron Firmware Update Insanity

Out on the water this past week my phone dinged me with a high temperature alarm on my Victron DC/DC charger. So I opened the app to check out what was going on. I was greeted by a notification that there is a mandatory firmware update. I was unable to get past the update screen to see the charger to check out what was going on. Went and laid a hand on it and yes it was hot. Couldn't get past the update screen to turn it off. Having installed it myself I remembered that there is a jumper wire between two terminals used for wiring a remote on/off switch. So did have a way to physically shut it off to let it cool down. We were out on the water for a week with only occasional poor cell coverage and I wasn't about to attempt an update and potentially lose functionality of the charger. But I was pretty uncomfortable without access to control the charger through the app. Thankfully there is a summary screen that at least shows in/out voltage and amps and I had the means to a hard on/off switch. So was able to stay functional.

This kind of thing with technology makes me crazy. I'm convinced that most people who write software have no real world experience at all. Software developers write code nowadays assuming that we all have 24/7 access to high speed data connections. Apparently those guy don't understand that the whole face of the earth doesn't have the same access as they do in Silicone Valley.

Having been in the industry for decades, yes, I can confirm, most of us don’t have any real understanding of how things work in the real world, and don’t know or understand any of the people who actually use the products. Google, interestingly enough, has about 20 different WiFi networks on their campuses, representing different “real world” connectivity scenarios. The theory is that people should use those to be able to test products in real world scenarios. The reality seems to be that few people use them, although a few of the development groups are good at testing with poor connectivity. However, Google is the only company I’ve ever seen that does anything like that. The people who work in places like Victron are generally not provided that kind of support and resources.

I’d contact Victron support. What you’re seeing is really unacceptable.

We're just back from Alaska, average fuel price a little over $5/gallon. Better than I expected.

While on that trip we had a problem with the batteries not charging fully while underway. Our R43 has two VIctron TR-Smart DC-DC chargers, one for each engine. When operating normally they each put out 30 amps, for a combined charging capacity of 60 amps.

After being on the hook one day we had our battery state of charge decline to about 50%. We then ran for 6 hours and when we got to our next anchorage it was still at 50%. Hmmm, why didn't the engines recharge the batteries?

We found that the charger on the port engine was not working. The starboard engine charger however, was working and delivering 30 amps. This more or less balanced our normal battery drain due to refrigerators, Starlink, etc. So we were just breaking even.

The chargers have two LED lights, a blue status light and a green on/off light. On the port engine charger the status light was blinking and the on/off LED was not on. My Google search on this condition suggested a bluetooth connectivity problem. I thought, well sometimes smart devices can be reset by turning them on then off again. There is not a switch to do that but I figured I could detach the input and output wires to the charger and that would disconnect the power. I did this and after a minute or two the status light went off (maybe some capacitors needed to discharge?). After reconnecting the wires, the charger started working and on our next run we had the full 60 amps.

This is the charger. When operating correctly, with the engine running, the status light is a solid blue and the On/Off light is blinking green




The chargers are mounted on the wall in the engine compartment.

NorthernFocus said:

Out on the water this past week my phone dinged me with a high temperature alarm on my Victron DC/DC charger. So I opened the app to check out what was going on. I was greeted by a notification that there is a mandatory firmware update. I was unable to get past the update screen to see the charger to check out what was going on.

This kind of thing with technology makes me crazy. I'm convinced that most people who write software have no real world experience at all. Software developers write code nowadays assuming that we all have 24/7 access to high speed data connections. Apparently those guy don't understand that the whole face of the earth doesn't have the same access as they do in Silicone Valley.

Click to expand...

Victron does this with all their products. If there's a firmware update available, it continues to work. But to make changes to the configuration they require the new firmware be applied.
I have (2) Orion-TR's, BMV-712, MPPT Solar controller, (2) Battery Sense, they all require updates before modifying the configuration if an update is available.

As a result, I check for updates periodically throughout the year, when everything is working well, and keep up to date software.

I work in IT, by the way.

Maggie Anne said:

We're just back from Alaska, average fuel price a little over $5/gallon. Better than I expected.

While on that trip we had a problem with the batteries not charging fully while underway. Our R43 has two VIctron TR-Smart DC-DC chargers, one for each engine. When operating normally they each put out 30 amps, for a combined charging capacity of 60 amps.

After being on the hook one day we had our battery state of charge decline to about 50%. We then ran for 6 hours and when we got to our next anchorage it was still at 50%. Hmmm, why didn't the engines recharge the batteries?

We found that the charger on the port engine was not working. The starboard engine charger however, was working and delivering 30 amps. This more or less balanced our normal battery drain due to refrigerators, Starlink, etc. So we were just breaking even.

The chargers have two LED lights, a blue status light and a green on/off light. On the port engine charger the status light was blinking and the on/off LED was not on. My Google search on this condition suggested a bluetooth connectivity problem. I thought, well sometimes smart devices can be reset by turning them on then off again. There is not a switch to do that but I figured I could detach the input and output wires to the charger and that would disconnect the power. I did this and after a minute or two the status light went off (maybe some capacitors needed to discharge?). After reconnecting the wires, the charger started working and on our next run we had the full 60 amps.

This is the charger. When operating correctly, with the engine running, the status light is a solid blue and the On/Off light is blinking green
View attachment 27938



The chargers are mounted on the wall in the engine compartment.

Click to expand...

The little wire loop at bottom left is the jumper that I mentioned above. No need to unscrew the terminal to remove the wire. The whole fitting is a plug that can simply be pulled out to shut the system down. No idea if that would cause a hard reset like pulling the power cable as you did. But it certainly kills the charger.

Submariner said:

Victron does this with all their products. If there's a firmware update available, it continues to work. But to make changes to the configuration they require the new firmware be applied.
I have (2) Orion-TR's, BMV-712, MPPT Solar controller, (2) Battery Sense, they all require updates before modifying the configuration if an update is available.

As a result, I check for updates periodically throughout the year, when everything is working well, and keep up to date software.

I work in IT, by the way.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately it not only bars you changing configuration but prevents you even being able to see what's going on with the charger and/or shut it down. Per my OP it's an assinine philosophy. Or maybe their devices just aren't intended to be used in critical service.

I worked designing, programming, and operating machinery control systems on the user end. Back then we still had a handle on who owned/controlled the equipment. Or seemed to at least.

NorthernFocus said:

Unfortunately it not only bars you changing configuration but prevents you even being able to see what's going on with the charger and/or shut it down. Per my OP it's an assinine philosophy. Or maybe their devices just aren't intended to be used in critical service.

I worked designing, programming, and operating machinery control systems on the user end. Back then we still had a handle on who owned/controlled the equipment. Or seemed to at least.

Click to expand...

Not all of their updates behave that way, only their mandatory updates.

"Firmware updates can be done offline, an internet connection is not required. The latest version of VictronConnect includes the most recent product firmware files available at the time of its release."

"Some firmware versions are mandatory. When you connect to the product, VictronConnect will prompt to update immediately in case there is a mandatory version available."

Victron's documentation