Outback Power Flexmax 80 stuck in "Charged mode.

offgridcabin2015

Hello fellow experts. 

My issue is : Outback Power Flexmax  80 stuck in "Charged mode FOR hrs and this is the 3rd time i've noticed it / / Glad i did for the batts were dropping in voltage as i was using power / watching tv.

so after a quick google search i see i'm not alone with this.  I"m a single / stand alone flex user. So based on this. what can i do.
to fix this. I feel it's outback's issue really. Am i wrong here?

some say: the fix is firmware (factory only) ugh not sure if true.
some say to fix is to force float mode: (not sure even how to do that)

I'm really concerned as it happened to me 3 times . 
Any advice plz. 

Neil. 

boB

What does "charged mode"  mean ?  What does the manual say ?  Is the display messed up ?  Is the FM80 NOT charging ?  Or is it just giving the wrong information on the LCD ?

gicamuci

I set my FM80 to auto restart each 90 minutes.
Enter the settings and go to Advanced -> Auto restart -> Mode and set it to 2 (default is 0).

mcgivor

There is information in the manual which covers this, it describes that when the transition from absorption to float occurs! the display will state  "charged" until the voltage drops from the absorption value to the float value programed. This is from memory, the wording in the manual may differ, but essentially it's normal to see this, the time it is displayed would correspond directly to the battery capacity and the loads present at the time.

offgridcabin2015

so i wanted to share with you guys. Something is broken of off here. 
when the screen displays charged , that mean my batts are full charged and that the solar array should be holding back .
Thus when it says charged for hrs on end  it really NOT, for when i put meter on i'm only reading 24.xx volts on my  24v bank. Meaning i'm using power and the solar array not bringing in power for the flex max is saying batts are charged.

Google it. it's a known issue. something is wrong here. I hope this is coming across as an serious issue . Thankyou..
note folks who belive it 's charged and dont' do anything will completly drain batts and not even know it. Batts are not cheap to replace
and i'lll do everything i can to protect em.

PLz google this condition anD plz advice.

BB.

Here is an Outback thread or two from last year--Did not see any resolution--Just some questions so far:

https://forum.outbackpower.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=8601
https://forum.outbackpower.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=8584
https://forum.outbackpower.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=14948 (may be related???)

-Bill

petertearai

What level firmware are you ?

mcgivor

The first thing I would do is a cold reboot, disconnect PV  then disconnect battery, wait a few minutes then connect battery then PV. There may have been an error in the EPROM preventing the normal operating sequence, can't do harm and may resolve the issue, so worth a try.

offgridcabin2015

Thanks for the reply Bill and Mcgivor. 
petertearai .... uknown to me / had this for 4 years , so no warranty i'm sure and not in a financial position to send away to guees if firmware tho aNd be without solar for mths. 
What i wish is that outback would address the issue as it's all over thier forum. 'im not alone with this symtum.
People are chalking it up to guesses and software bug. 

I caN tell you that : it's not heat or external source of power. I will Take Mcgivor's advice aNd control the contriliblesaNd disconnect all of it and clean as ai go and reassemble and see from there.

Question. Is there a good way to haVe a disconnect between CC and comibiner box. ( i curretnly dont have one)

Thanks EVERYONE. 

BB.

A DC circuit breaker, DC rated switch, or a large Knife type disconnect would work (DC arcs sustain much "better" than AC arcs--So DC switches are heavier duty/rated for (typically) lower voltages than their AC counterparts). At night, you can disconnect the solar array without fear of sparks at night (as Mcgivor says--Always make DC battery power first, then solar... And disconnect solar first, then battery power. Most solar charge controllers get their computer power--And 12/24/48 volt bus voltage setting--from the battery bus. If solar side is powered first, can confuse the computer during boot and on some controllers, even cause damage to the controller).

Besides the disconnect power (you can do this at night and not worry about the solar array), and let the controller sit for 5 minutes and restart--The other thing I would try--Write down all of your settings, and then do a factory reset (if the Outback has a restore factory defaults function) and then reprogram... Sometimes, the setup memory can get corrupted (on any computer) and reset to defaults (clear configuration) and starting over can "fix" these strange problems (not directly referring to Outback controllers--Just computers in general, and have been seen on the occasional solar charge controller).

-Bill

offgridcabin2015

ThaNks bill for the feedback.
What i haVe done is....as soon as it when into chared mode: i immediatly turned off ALL combiner solar breakers and watched the outback CC forced into float mode. Soooooooooooo so far so good.

I  haVe been disconecting wires at night time / playing it safe and always makings sure it the CC sees the batt volatage / 24v) first. 
But i feel i will need to find a dc shut off. I know princess auto sells a knife switch, not sure if dc or not. i'll have to ask
I do love it , for it reminds me of the one in the old tv series " the munsters" where grandpa has one in his lab down stairs.
I feel it has a cool factor.

Ty all. your are SOLAR rock stars. 

I love solar so much and i am really anxious to get to  48volts one day.
I"m trying to decide between magum inverters ( for they allow parallel stacking ( up to 4 units) 
or SCHNEIDER XW Series (im told i can parallel stack these as well) not sure how many tho.
 My goal here is to have both 120 /240 for my wood working shop. to power all my tools.

compressor big draw, / 110v   (2 hp) 
table saw,  (currently is  1.2 hp)  but i want to upgrade to 3hp- 5hp  240v. biggest tool i own.

I was wondering tho if cheaper if i keep to 120 inverter  that has a huge surge like evo 24v/4000 / has 3x the surge
and thenuse a 110 -240 up scale . 
Your thoughts?

ps. Have a great day guy/ gals. and continue to be SAFE. 
Neil 

petertearai

 My firmware is 2.0.0  . I remember seeing charged some years ago . But can't remember the fix .  I did increase the input  voltage from 44 bolts to 88  .  I think that may have helped.   My place is primarily a holiday home    albeit it has had extended periods of continual use . So i don't gef to see  on a regular basis the charge controller.
My system  is 24 volts also. 

robdecker

Has a fix for this “stuck in charged mode” ever been published? I have a flexmate 80 with the problem and tried the force float and resets mentioned above with no resolve to the issue. The issue has been around now for a few years.
appreciate any help.
Rob
june 2024

Dave Angelini

It probably is your settings. Look for something weird like 2 stage charge or one of the advanced settings being enabled.
 You have done a complete DC disconnect on solar and battery? Unit needs to go to zero VDC measured on battery connection.

 I can't remember if it has a reset to factory but you should do all of these things. Do not bother calling Outback as they are between owners now and not answering the phone. Good Luck!