Follow me ( synchronized charging)

[mahendra]

I wish midnite or someone who have experienced this issue advise accordingly.

My system consist of two classics functioning with follow me.However they don't seem to follow each other .infact my classic lite seems to have a mind of it's own. As a result charging is not synchronized.i done many factory restore ,updating to latest firmware and reboot yet the problem persist.I even put separate temp sensors just to verify it not the temperature sensor.

Is there something I am missing?

[ClassicCrazy]

What firmware is on them ?
Have you tried doing a VMM or jumper reset on both of them and then restore the settings ?
I think I have heard that will put them back to running correctly in follow me  - like they need to get their brains cleared once in awhile.

Larry

[KyleM]

Taking this directly from the latest manual:

“Follow-ME” Charging coordination
Follow-Me will allow Classics to share charge stages, as well as Battery temperature info and Ground
fault coordination. Follow-Me also allows you to program a single Classic for Equalize charging and it
will instruct all the others to Equalize as well. You do need to set the Equalize parameters in each Classic.
For the Battery Temp sensor you will need one BTS only and it can be on any of the Classics.

The Follow Me function basically is just what it is called. The Classic will simply ask the Classic to its
right ―What do I do now‖ and this propagates around the loop continually. Whoever goes to Float first for
instance will simply tell everyone else it is time to go to float.
NOTE: Follow Me coordinates charge stage but the Classics will still vary in the amount of power
processed, Follow Me was not intended to make them all produce the same amount of current just
coordinate the stages

To be clear are you saying that one Classic will be in float and one will be in bulk for extended times?
Or is this a case where one charger will make a little bit more power than the other, yet they are mostly in the same charging stage?

-Kyle

[ClassicCrazy]

Thanks Kyle for explaining the Follow Me mode  so well. I have never used it but now I know how it works.
That makes sense that when in Charging modes that each Classic will do it's own thing which could vary due to individual wiring, etc.

Larry

[mahendra]

Yes exactly,one classic is in float while the other is in bulk .both has been set up for follow me since commissioning of my system like four years ago.it use to function well but now it don't.

[Westbranch]

I would check ALL the settings and confirm that they are the same.... if they used to cooperate and now don't there is a doing  ? so that they don't sync anymore.   Could also be a bad connection or wire / cable that isn't snug...?

[ClassicCrazy]

Yes exactly,one classic is in float while the other is in bulk .both has been set up for follow me since commissioning of my system like four years ago.it use to function well but now it don't.

Did you try the hard reset on both of them  and see if that fixes the issues ?

Larry

[mahendra]

Yes ,but not the version using the jumpers.

[ClassicCrazy]

Yes ,but not the version using the jumpers.

Well if you do the VMM of holding the left and right arrows in while powering it up - I thought that does the same thing .  Guess it couldn't hurt to try the jumpers too but I understand that is a lot more difficult since the Classic covers need to be removed. I have thought in the past of bringing a switch outside the case so I wouldn't have to open it up . I have my MNGP remote and my arms are not long enough to reach 30 feet while powering up the Classic - ha ha .  And it seems like I do enough firmware updates and beta testing stuff that it would be handy to just be able to push a button to get  reset.

Larry

[boB]

You should not have to reset (VMM) the Classics but you will have to set them both up to be in Follow-Me mode in the tweaks menu.

This means you will have to take the MNGP remote display and plug it into the LITE temporarily to set it up that way (if you haven't already)

Then, you should check the Classic's  BLUE LED inside the Classic through the vertical air vents and make sure they are flashing a
very short "BLIP" and not staying on for 1 or so seconds.  They may blink and stay on for about 1 seconds once in a while but
if they always stay blue for a second or 2 then it may be that there is a problem with your Follow-Me cables.

What can make the cables wrong is if one or both of them have their end plugs installed backwards.

You can check a single Classic by itself by connecting its Slave jack to its Master jack  (the two bottom connectors in the
row of 3 phone jacks) and if its BLUE LED does a short blip, then that classic and the cable are good.
This way, you can make it easier to test the classic's setup for Follow-Me as well as the cable itself.

Lettuce know how it goes !   

boB

[Vic]

You should not have to reset (VMM) the Classics but you will have to set them both up to be in Follow-Me mode in the tweaks menu.

This means you will have to take the MNGP remote display and plug it into the LITE temporarily to set it up that way (if you haven't already)

Then, you should check the Classic's  BLUE LED inside the Classic through the vertical air vents and make sure they are flashing a
very short "BLIP" and not staying on for 1 or so seconds.  They may blink and stay on for about 1 seconds once in a while but
if they always stay blue for a second or 2 then it may be that there is a problem with your Follow-Me cables.

What can make the cables wrong is if one or both of them have their end plugs installed backwards.

You can check a single Classic by itself by connecting its Slave jack to its Master jack  (the two bottom connectors in the
row of 3 phone jacks) and if its BLUE LED does a short blip, then that classic and the cable are good.
This way, you can make it easier to test the classic's setup for Follow-Me as well as the cable itself.

Lettuce know how it goes !   

boB

Great tips,  boB,   as always.   Thanks!

[Westbranch]

For that tip alone this thread should be a STICKY.... don't know if Tom is still moderator or not..?

[boB]

For that tip alone this thread should be a STICKY.... don't know if Tom is still moderator or not..?

Thanks WB and Vic...

Isn't all this mentioned somewhere else on the forum ?   Yeah, this one might have more info in one place so it
might be worth keeping somewhere.

KyleM or whoever may very well be able to put this in one of our FAQs or something ?

boB

[mahendra]

Thanks for the info Bob .I tried all except the testing of the cables I was beginning to suspect the cables.Will try that out this weekend and post my findings