eFlex Firmware Update Guide

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Fortress Power Canbus Tool / Firmware Update Procedure - eFlex

Use on every jobsite to

● update firmware

● balance battery voltages

● observe battery performance

● diagnose error codes

● Obtain serial numbers

Required Materials:

1) Canbus Tool. Fortress installers should request one from the distributor. The distributor

should include it in the next material purchase. If the distributor does not have any, email

techsupport@fortresspower.com and we will mail you one. Additional tools can be

purchased directly from Fortress Power.

2) Precision Flathead Screwdriver - A regular flathead will not fit. It needs to be a small

precision flathead screwdriver.

3) USB A-to-B Cable. This is included with the Canbus tool. It is a regular USB cable on

one end and the large square USB connector on the other, such as for powering a

printer.

4) Half an Ethernet RJ45 Cable. This is included with the Canbus tool but any ethernet

cable should work.

5) Cutting and Stripping Tool(s) - for cutting the ethernet RJ45 cable and stripping the

individual communication wires within the ethernet cable

6) Windows Laptop - Officially the software works with Windows 10 but windows 7 has also

been tested successfully.

Before visiting site - Pre-load the drivers and software to test CAN connection without a

battery, before visiting site to reduce time on site!

Mac Users - Either borrow a Windows laptop for firmware updates or attempt to run Windows

on a virtual machine on the MAC (virtual machine method has not been tested by Fortress).

A. Setting Up the Canbus Tool

1) Observe if the ethernet cable is “Type A” or Type “B” by looking on the underside

of the ethernet cable. Pins 1+2 will be used in either case.

Summary of content (6 pages)

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Fortress Power Canbus Tool / Firmware Update Procedure - eFlex Use on every jobsite to ● update firmware ● balance battery voltages ● observe battery performance ● diagnose error codes ● Obtain serial numbers Required Materials: 1) Canbus Tool. Fortress installers should request one from the distributor. The distributor should include it in the next material purchase. If the distributor does not have any, email techsupport@fortresspower.com and we will mail you one.
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) On one end of the ethernet cable, cut away the cable to reveal wires 1+2. The color of the cables will depend on the cable format above. In most cases, it will be the orange-white and orange cable (i.e. B format). 3) Take the wire strippers and strip the jacket off wires 1+2. It does not need to be precise, but only a small amount of cable needs to be stripped. 4) Wire 1 connects to port H on the Canbus tool. Wire 2 connects to port L on the Canbus tool. The ground (G) is not used.
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5. Update the drivers. 6. Go to the Downloads folder and install the CANTest software which contains additional drivers commonly needed to CANbus communication (CANTest_Setup_V2.70). a. When the windows message appears, select “More info” and then “Run Anyway”. b. You may need to respond to your anti-virus software alert, or even disable the anti-virus software for 10 minutes to install the software. c. After the software finishes installing, select “Y” to complete the process. d.
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C. Testing the Driver + Software before visiting Site 1. Go to the Downloads folder by clicking the “Folder” icon in the Windows menu and then selecting the Downloads folder. Find the battery software folder and open the appropriate software program. Here are the folder and software names for each battery. 2. Open the appropriate software and then connect to CAN software. You will see a CAN connection success message. See pictures below.
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2. Before updating any firmware, make sure there is no current flowing in or out of the battery. Turn off any solar charge controllers and inverter loads/disconnects relative to the battery bank. Avoid disconnecting a breaker under load, if at all possible. a. If the charge controllers or inverters do not have disconnects, uninstall the positive battery cable on the positive terminal of each battery. b.
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4. The updated firmware version can be confirmed within the software 5. Don’t forget to push button off the previous battery before applying the firmware update to the next battery. 6. You can also click “Detail” to get cell level information and read alarm messages. 7. Use the Canbus tool to help charge each eFlex individually to within 0.5V of each other (resting voltage) before commissioning or recommissioning the battery.