midnite classic 150 - newest firmware link required

[allan]

I had a classic 150 running with no issues for 4 years charging 24v 400ah lifePo4 battery bank
I am now upgrading my solar input and bought another classic 150 for the new array.
I never upgraded firmware on the old one... it worked out of box and I was kind of afraid doing so since everything seemed to be working.

So now I'm thinking I should have both these controllers in sync with new firmware.  To my dismay I went to the midnite website only to see the firmware hasnt been updated on the website since Feb 6, 2018
Is this the last stable version (2193Classic_2186MNGP)?
when searching the web I found a link to a "Classic_MNGP_Update_3798-3800_8-9-2024.zip" dated aug 9 2024 from a guy named BOB... should this be avoided?

[ClassicCrazy]

boB was main Classic designer and most active developer of firmware. He recently passed away and a lot of us really miss him ! boB always listened to suggestions on the forums here and would experiment and add new features or improvements. Some of the beta firmwares worked great though some had bugs under certain circumstances. To make a long story short you should stick with the stable and known firmware on the Midnite site .
If you want to try the other firmwares that might still be linked - you will do so at your own risk - usually they did not destroy anything . If you look at the past forum topics you will find many discussions and some of us testing out the new firmware versions. I just looked at my Classic and I have one that is numbered 2197 MNGP and    2245 Classic for my lead acid system. There are two parts of the firmware update - one of MNGP and one for Classic. Make sure you do both of them. All the instructions on are the Midnite firmware download section.
So stick with the one on the Midnite site - it should work fine though it sounds like you didn't have any issues with charging lithium , I always had to tweak my voltages a bit to get it to do exactly what I wanted it to do. boB had been working on a newer lithium firmware . One of those had some real bugs when I tested it , then he fixed that and the newer one worked better ( tighter regulation around Absorb) but other people had some issues I think with the SOC readings. So avoid the newer firmware you saw because it is unknown which version it is.
The main thing about the regular stable Classic lithium version is that for some systems it would go to Float a bit too early on some lithium systems. I always just adjusted my voltage setpoints to compensate for that . Also it is important to use the voltage offset to adjust for the voltage drop in cables when the charge is at the highest point ( Absorb ) . Then you tweak the voltage setpoint for Float to be whatever is best for your particular system  ( usually between 53.6 to 54v range for 48v system).
Larry

[allan]

Thanks for bringing me up to date:
oh WOW!  That definitely will leave a hole in development. I think the Classic is the BEST charge controller on the market.  High voltage in and high amps out. Simple out of the box setup that works with a questionnaire.  And many options to tweek because every setup can be different.  I had to tweek the arc fault setting to 12 because to sensitive, however I dont suggest turning it off.  The feature did catch a loose battery connection in the DC switchgear (I swear I torqued it to spec but it came loose).  I am so happy with this charge controller I bought the 2nd one.
Im sure Bob will be missed.  Wisdom is hard to pass on.. I hope he had an apprentice to keep moving the development further or will this be the end of a classic era?

My original classic 150 firmware is  2054 MNGP and 2079 classic (the OG lol)
The 2nd one Im not sure yet, It just arrived and still in the box.

Im still wondering if I should upgrade the original if its working good now? and just try the 2nd one out of box before upgrading that one.  wonder if someone can tip my scale one way or the other.  if there are added options maybe its worth it? 
If I do upgrade ... I will stay with your suggestion and upgrade them to the firmware on the midnite website (2193Classic_2186MNGP) as it is suggested as last stable version.
I laughed at your line when upgrading "you will do so at your own risk - 'usually' they did not destroy anything" 
Im not willing to risk it.

My next step after upgrade will be copy the setting to the 2nd one and turn on follow me in both settings, using the 1st one as the master.  This leads me to another question.  I read somewhere to not connect the slave back to the master like described in the user manual.  This makes the master a true master and does not listen to the slave.  Just need to set the slave absorb time to 10min more than the master.  In case anything goes wrong the slave just stays in absorb for 10min longer.  In theory this sounds good, is there a problem doing this?

My classic setting are:
absorb 28.8 for 15min.
float 27.9
rebulk 27.7
equalize: off
wizbang jr: 8 end amps
its the efficiency I had to play with to get SOC correct. I now have it set to 84% I have 3rd party software confirm SOC @ 100% after absorb time.  It all appears ok, but since I am not handy with a meter Im relying on the shunt.

The batteries seem happy.

my set up:
(2) combined arrays = totals:    3,642.12 W
(2) classic 150 charge controllers (1) for each array
(1) wizbang jr and shunt
(1) Schneider Conext 4024 w/ AC&DC switchgear
(1) 24 V / 400 AH - lithium LifePO4 battery bank (upgrading to 800ah)
      - the 400ah charges to 100% from 50% in 1.7hrs of sunlight
(1) 30amp generator back up
(2) MNSPD-300DC (1) on each PV array
(1) MNSPD-115DC on battery bank
(2) MNSPD-300AC (1) on each leg L1 & L2
(1) MNSPD-300AC on generator AC in breaker
(1) MNSPD-300AC on the main breaker distribution panel

[ClassicCrazy]

Some people say if it works don't upgrade , but I always did because there were either new features or fixed some older bugs.
Somewhere there is a list of what changes were in firmware update.
One of the newer features are the voice talking . Maybe it could be helpful to some but I turned it off on mine . There are time limits you can put in so it will be quiet between certain times.
The efficiency on lithium is more like 98% . Lead acid was down around 88% or lower.
Of course those whizbang settings don't effect charging and if you have it dialed into something that works for you that is great.
You can get details of the Follow me set up on Knowledge base
https://www.midniteftp.com/support/kb/faq.php?cid=1
When you wire your second controller you will have to decide if you want to be able to see the total power from both Classics on one whizbang shunt and if so you will wire the  load side negative to that shunt . I think that is how I did it but it has been awhile since I have been using that lead acid system.
The advantage to having a newer high voltage controller is that you can put lots of pv on one string for higher voltage which means less combined strings and smaller wire if the pv is farther away.
The Classic is pretty much going to stay where it is because Midnite has their new line of controllers and inverter now and that is where the development is happening.
Larry