Epoch Customer Service is Top Notch

[StogieMan]

I wanted to follow up on the two Epoch 460 Ah’s batteries with Victron Comms that we purchased and installed back in early November. I really like the batteries physical size, amperage, specs and they fit perfectly where I wanted them in our Sprinter Airstream Interstate. The Victron Comms were a major selling point as I wanted to take advantage of the DVCC function on the Cerbo GX.

Very early on I ran into charging issues that led me to search YouTube, Blogs and contact Epoch customer service. The three main issues that I was having are listed below:


1. The major issue that I and many others were having is that their manual suggests a 14.6 charging rate and a 13.5 float. If you set your parameters to these numbers - your Cerbo GX will start to throw high voltage alarms. Actually you’re going to start getting the alarms right around the 14.1 - 14.3 mark. Once you get these alarms it becomes a PITA to reset everything back mainly getting the batteries internal BMS out of the over voltage state. One battery might enter full charge protection or one battery may stay in this state longer. This causes some wonkiness when it comes to discharging etc. Either way it takes some work to get everything cleared up.

2. The Epoch battery app allows you to see both batteries along with their cell voltages etc. Overall pretty good app however, if you have two batteries or more in parallel connected to the Victron Cerbo GX - the app only shows one battery and you loose communication to the others. Again, this becomes a PITA especially if you triggered the high voltage alarm and you want to see if the batteries have reset and come out of the full charge protection mode. You’re unable to do this and it takes a while for the system to reset and get everything back on track.

3. Ok, so after some digging around and speaking with Epoch customer service, the solution is to set your charge voltage to either 13.8 or 13.9 for absorption and 13.4 or 13.5 for float. If you have the DVCC option checked on, you set the maximum charge voltage on the DVCC menu setting to 13.8 or 13.9 there. Ok, great so I did that and so have many others and the alarms stop going off. Easy enough to change the settings but this now leads to another problem. By doing this with the DVCC function enabled, your batteries now get stuck in absorption mode and won’t go into float. The Victron Comms for the Epoch 460 result in a single stage charge profile and don’t float and will just hold whatever voltage is set in the DVCC voltage limit. I contacted Epoch and they were aware and said to basically take it off DVCC mode and take off the Victron Comms cable to get it out of absorption mode. Well if you do that you no longer have Victron Comms and one of the main reasons why I bought them in the first place. I had to disconnect the Victron Comms and disable DVCC as I didn’t want them stuck in absorption mode. If you don’t use the Cerbo GX or care about Victron Comms then you should have no problems. Other than the Victron Comms issues - I’ve had no other problems with the batteries.


Now to be very honest, I’ve been ticked off regarding this situation and really blew my top when I saw on Epoch’s website the new and improved Epoch 460Ah V2 version with Victron Comms two months after purchasing the V1’s. Basically this one is suppose to solve all the issues that the V1’s had with Victron Comms, charging voltages charging and the bluetooth app. I contacted Epoch explaining my frustration and that the number one reason that I purchased them was for the Victron Comms that I now could not use. I explained my situation and asked if I would be able to either get these fixed with new BMS’ or trade these in for the new ones and pay for any difference. It wasn’t my fault that the V1’s were not ready for prime time with Victron Comms. To my surprise they were really cool about everything and said yes. They emailed me a labels to ship the old ones back for free, gave me a discount on the new ones for my troubles and free shipping on the new ones. I received my new batteries yesterday and I will be boxing up the first generation ones and drop them off at UPS.

Bottom line is that I’m glad that this worked out and very happy with Epoch’s understanding and customer service. They are standing behind their product as they should and did the right thing by their customer. If you’re looking to purchase the Epoch 460 batteries and want to incorporate them with a Victron Cerbo - make sure the you purchase the new V2 version. If not then you will fine with the V1 version if you just want more amp hours and simplicity. The new ones now have over the air firmware updates via the app for the BMS which is great to fix any future issues. The older ones don’t have this capability.

[os1r1s]

Spot on. I talked with them on Tuesday. I also have two V2s about ready to install. I'll be curious how yours works with the Cerbo and DVCC. He did mention setting the BMS to Epoch (as an option). That said, I'm following to watch your journey.

[StogieMan]

Originally Posted by os1r1s

Spot on. I talked with them on Tuesday. I also have two V2s about ready to install. I'll be curious how yours works with the Cerbo and DVCC. He did mention setting the BMS to Epoch (as an option). That said, I'm following to watch your journey.

Yup, if enabling the DVCC option I’m pretty sure that the Epoch’s BMS gets forced on as the controlling BMS by default as it should. Where you do have an option is to either use the Epoch’s internal shunt or if you have an additional Victron Shunt which I strongly recommend. I had my system set to Epoch’s BMS as the controlling BMS and the Victron Shunt BMV 712 as the default battery monitor. Another issue that’s not just specific to Epoch but most manufacturers internal battery shunts is the drifting of SOC. Specifically with the Epoch V1’s, the internal shunt did not detect amps in or out of less than 1 amp. This results in the Epoch SOC being off over time but the Victron shunt does a way better job at it and more reliable IMO. Attached is a screen shot of how bad the drift can get.

I do keep my mod thread updated and will post any info regarding this install there. Currently I have the new V2’s on a Victron charger slowly charging at 15 amps. With the V2’s they recommend 14.4 for absorption and 13.6 for float when using Victron Comms and this is how I set them up to charge. I’ve also attached a screenshot from their site. I usually let them sit on the charger for a few days to get all the cells balanced out. I have the V1’s discharging and trying to get them to about 25% so that I can box them up for shipping.

Right now I’ve started a twin bed conversion project along with a complete electrical rewire so these new batteries won’t be going in for hopefully a few weeks.

[os1r1s]

Thanks! I'll be using a Lynx setup for Distro/Shunt/Power-in. Are you using 4/0 from the batteries or 2/0? And are you relying on the built in t-class fuse or adding an MRBF?

[StogieMan]

I already have a Victron BMV 712 Shunt and a Lynx Distributor but since I’m redoing everything, I’ve decided to add a Lynx Power In, an additional Lynx Distributor and replace the BMV 712 Shunt with the Lynx Shunt. The Lynx Power in will get the 4/0 cables from the batteries and used as the batteries busbar as recommended by Epoch. The way that I had it setup before was that I installed an MRBF fuse on each battery + terminal and then went to the a 400 Class-T fuse that I had in place from my prior batteries. I didn’t want to rewire everything then so I just used it which was a bit of overkill. The plan this time is to still use an 300A MRBF fuse on each battery and remove the additional Class-T fuse. The Lynx Shunt also requires a 325A CNN fuse. Maybe a bit much with fusing but It helps me sleep better at night and it’s my money being spent.

The reason for the additional Lynx Distributor is that I have quite a few additional items that I’m installing and rewiring. Before I was pressed for space which I still am but by eliminating the jump seats will gain some space but prior had to install MRBF fuses at the end of the Lynx Distributor to gain additional connections. The Lynx Distributors will have two Victron MPPT 100/50’s (roof & ground arrays), two Victron 50A Orions XS’, Victron Multiplus Inverter 3K and two 12v fuse panels.

I was on the fence on converting to 24v but that would require additional equipment and replacement of the two Orion 50A XS’ that I already have. However, Victron is suppose to come out with an Orion XS 1400 watt soon during the 1st quarter. I’m also still on the fence and might swap out the Multiplus 3k for a 12V Quattro 5k if I can make the space work. I installed the prior system with 4/0 cable which is still in place and what the Quattro 5K would require. Again, they have a 24v 5k Multiplus II but will require buying additional equipment. Currently I have 6 AWG SOOW cable going from the inverter to the electrical panel. The Quattro 5K would require 2 AWG but I wouldn’t plan on enabling the Power Assist function on the Quattro so it would be limited to the 50A’s and keep the 6 AWG.

Another thing that I’m the fence about are master cutoff switches since these batteries already have on/off switches. If I do have the space, I might install one on each battery + cable going to the power in. Unlike the Lynx BMS the Lynx Shunt doesn’t have a way to shut off the system so If your batteries don’t have an on/off switch you need to figure out how to install one especially if you’re incorporating the Lynx Power In into a system.

For now these are just my initial plans and can/will change on demand depending on if I can make it work.



https://www.victronenergy.com/blog/2...msterdam-2024/



Pic of the prior setup fusing. The MRBF fuses are under the protectors.

[os1r1s]

I'm planning to add the 6006 cutoff switches at each battery. When I talked to Epoch, they talked about the BMS not liking activity on the circuit when its off. I don't have any more information than that. I also want to be able to remove one at will (warranty or service). The reason I am thinking about adding the MRBF fuse is to protect the 5ft run from the battery to the Lynx power-in. I could also just add the fuses to the Lynx power-in, but then the switch and 5ft run would only be protected by 400A. Also, Epoch suggested it would be much easier to replace an MRBF fuse than having to take apart the battery case. I am planning to fuse the Lynx Shunt at 325A like you. I can see a reason the draw (or charge) should be that high.


Can you tell me a bit more about your dual Orion setups? I'm considering one myself. My situation is a little different (Travel Trailer and Truck), but I'm sure I could learn from your experience with that.


Also, how many connections were you able to put on each of the distributor slots? I don't really want to add a second one, but it seems like it would make it very tidy. I have about 6 connections now.

[kb0zke]

StogieMan, I went with the 24V on my previous SOB. I was on the fence, too, and got talked into going the 24V route. Worked fine, but I suspect that it cost me a few hundred dollars over the 12V route. I'm going to go 12V this time around, partly for money and partly for space.

[StogieMan]

Originally Posted by os1r1s

I'm planning to add the 6006 cutoff switches at each battery. When I talked to Epoch, they talked about the BMS not liking activity on the circuit when its off. I don't have any more information than that. I also want to be able to remove one at will (warranty or service). The reason I am thinking about adding the MRBF fuse is to protect the 5ft run from the battery to the Lynx power-in. I could also just add the fuses to the Lynx power-in, but then the switch and 5ft run would only be protected by 400A. Also, Epoch suggested it would be much easier to replace an MRBF fuse than having to take apart the battery case. I am planning to fuse the Lynx Shunt at 325A like you. I can see a reason the draw (or charge) should be that high.


Can you tell me a bit more about your dual Orion setups? I'm considering one myself. My situation is a little different (Travel Trailer and Truck), but I'm sure I could learn from your experience with that.


Also, how many connections were you able to put on each of the distributor slots? I don't really want to add a second one, but it seems like it would make it very tidy. I have about 6 connections now.

The Orion XS setup story has been a work in progress. I first started out with one older Victron 50A Buck Boost and then went to two in parallel. Both worked great but the only PITA with the older buck boost was that you needed a PC to program it by connecting a cable to it. Tough to get to it to do any updating and no Victron communications whatsoever. I ended up adding a second Victron Smart Shunt programmed as a DC meter to be able to see the alternator info on our GX device. This worked out but not an ideal setup.

Of course they came out with the new 50A Orions XS with all the bells and whistles including easy programming and Victron Comms so I installed two. I already had the wiring in place so that it was pretty much a drop in replacement. One thing to note is that the Orion XS does produce some heat so I ended up adding some fans and Victron Battery Sense’s to them to monitor the temp. With a travel trailer I don’t think that yours will get that hot and require that but I run both a full throttle when on the road.

Victron Orion XS Install information here on posts #’s 199, 200 & 222
https://www.airforums.com/forums/f24...234941-10.html


As for the Lynx Distributor, I was able to add six connections to it with a double ended MRBF fuse holder. Yes, it won’t look that clean like with an additional distributor but it will work fine. Below is a an Explorist Life video on how to do it and I also linked on how I did mine.


My additional MRBF Install on post # 180 & 181
https://www.airforums.com/forums/f24...234941-10.html


Explorist Life MRBF Fuse Install:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9n01vuGDgM

[StogieMan]

Originally Posted by kb0zke

StogieMan, I went with the 24V on my previous SOB. I was on the fence, too, and got talked into going the 24V route. Worked fine, but I suspect that it cost me a few hundred dollars over the 12V route. I'm going to go 12V this time around, partly for money and partly for space.

Haha, it all depends on the day and how I’m feeling. I keep flip flopping on 12v vs 24v. I’m constantly going through all the pros and cons in my head and one day I’m good with the 24V and the other day I say 12V.

[StogieMan]

I need to follow up yet again on our Epoch 460 Ah V2’s. Epoch has great customer service but unfortunately their V2 implementation went the route of the V1’s.

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice and shame on me. These V2’s are not ready for prime time either and I now regret getting them altogether and would not recommend them. I would’ve thought that you would get all the quirks ironed before rolling out these V2’s. Unfortunately the info on your website claiming that the issues that the V1’s had have been fixed with the V2’s are simply not true.

I and several others on other forums are experiencing issues with trying to get these cells balanced out when getting them out of the box. Spec sheet calls for 14.4 absorption and float of 13.6. No shot of that as when you hit 14.3 you trigger the OVP which set off blinking red lights on top of the battery and shuts off the charging FET. It seems like the only way that the battery will sync to 100% is by triggering the OVP which is ridiculous. I’ve been in communication with several folks at Epoch trying to get this fixed but still not a fix in the works. The light at the end of the tunnel is that now you can do OTA updates for the BMS so let’s see if they can figure it out. I’ve had these batteries going on close to two months on my bench in the garage trying to get the issues ironed out and batteries properly balanced before putting them in the van. This has worked out as I have the rig apart anyway and not ready for them but I would’ve been really ticked off if I needed them.

When you set the charger to 14.2 the battery does not sync to 100%. It gets to 99% with 456/460 Ah’s. So at 14.2 it will not trigger the OVP but will also not sync 100%. Once the voltages spikes close to 3.6 on any one cell - it triggers the OVP and shuts down charging and balancing - so what gives?

What happens is that once you hit 14.3 you get the OVP and a red blinking light on the top of the battery. You then need to reset the battery by turning it off and back on to clear the OVP and reset the charge and discharge FETS. You can also put a heavy load on it and it will reset. Epoch has set their BMS to “balance only while charging” and this is the issue. You have no access to the BMS via the app to disabled this. There is an app called Overkill Solar that lets you connect via Bluetooth to batteries and then allows you to disable the “balance only while charging” option. I downloaded the app but it will not connect to the Epoch battery or BMS so you’re unable to fix the issue via this route - extremely frustrating.

This is now feeling like work messing around with these batteries. Again, I love the ampacity and the footprint but Epoch needs to get their stuff together as this is totally unacceptable on some very pricey batteries.

So far, I’ve done one update the has not fixed the issue but resolved some issues with some info that was missing on the Cerbo GX screen. There is a second update that I’m afraid to do as some folks have had their batteries bricked by the firmware update so I’m not willing to update them just yet until I know 100% sure that this issue has been resolved.

Anyone else having similar issues or know of a fix? I’ve tried a few but none has worked yet. If I had to do over again - I would not buy these batteries or recommend them to anyone at this point.

[os1r1s]

I have 2 installed in my GT and they are working well. Mine stay at 99%, but I'm not sure the 8AH is enough to discourage me from recommending the batteries. I do have them connected up to a CerboGX in a similar sounding setup to yours.


I have found that DVCC doesn't quite work like I would like, but I'm not sure if that is a Victron or an Epoch issue right now.

[StogieMan]

Originally Posted by os1r1s

I have 2 installed in my GT and they are working well. Mine stay at 99%, but I'm not sure the 8AH is enough to discourage me from recommending the batteries. I do have them connected up to a CerboGX in a similar sounding setup to yours.


I have found that DVCC doesn't quite work like I would like, but I'm not sure if that is a Victron or an Epoch issue right now.

Pretty sure that it’s an Epoch issue with the DVCC. I had DVCC issues with the V1’s too.

Have you changed the managed battery charge voltage to anything below 14.4 which is the Epoch’s BMS setting for DVCC?

If you have not changed that setting, have you looked at your batteries when they’ve reached 99% to see if the OVP triggered and the red blinking lights come on? Also take a look at your app to see if the charging FET turns off if the blinking red light come on.

Again, the main reason that we got these batteries was for the Victron Comms and this function is clearly not working for me and others. There are some software issues with these batteries that Epoch needs to resolve.

I’ve watched that darn GX display for a while and the behavior of charging is just not normal. Jumps from bulk to absorption and then back bulk charging after being charged up to 99%. I’ve been monitoring them through the Victron shunt, Epoch’s Shunt and the inverter. I can’t figure it out and neither can’t Epoch’s customer service.

[os1r1s]

So mine doesn't behave quite like yours. I am on firmware version 2.4 of the batteries. I had to unpair them to update. I also had to delete the app from my phone (with data) before it would update properly.



I have shared current, temp, and voltage disabled per the instructions. I've limited current in DVCC to 200A and limited voltage to 14.2. Mine will get to 99% and behave normally. Bulk charge up to 99% and then it goes to absorption. It never hits 100%. If I raise the voltage to 14.4, I will get the red blinking lights. With DVCC it never goes to storage mode where it will drop back down to 13.5. It holds it at 14.2 continuously which is why I said DVCC wasn't working quite right.


If I turn off DVCC, it behaves normally (up to 99%). I can see the cell voltages and alarms in the CerboGX, which is the primary reason I wanted the BMS integration.

Originally Posted by StogieMan

Pretty sure that it’s an Epoch issue with the DVCC. I had DVCC issues with the V1’s too.

Have you changed the managed battery charge voltage to anything below 14.4 which is the Epoch’s BMS setting for DVCC?

If you have not changed that setting, have you looked at your batteries when they’ve reached 99% to see if the OVP triggered and the red blinking lights come on? Also take a look at your app to see if the charging FET turns off if the blinking red light come on.

Again, the main reason that we got these batteries was for the Victron Comms and this function is clearly not working for me and others. There are some software issues with these batteries that Epoch needs to resolve.

I’ve watched that darn GX display for a while and the behavior of charging is just not normal. Jumps from bulk to absorption and then back bulk charging after being charged up to 99%. I’ve been monitoring them through the Victron shunt, Epoch’s Shunt and the inverter. I can’t figure it out and neither can’t Epoch’s customer service.

[StogieMan]

Originally Posted by os1r1s

So mine doesn't behave quite like yours. I am on firmware version 2.4 of the batteries. I had to unpair them to update. I also had to delete the app from my phone (with data) before it would update properly.



I have shared current, temp, and voltage disabled per the instructions. I've limited current in DVCC to 200A and limited voltage to 14.2. Mine will get to 99% and behave normally. Bulk charge up to 99% and then it goes to absorption. It never hits 100%. If I raise the voltage to 14.4, I will get the red blinking lights. With DVCC it never goes to storage mode where it will drop back down to 13.5. It holds it at 14.2 continuously which is why I said DVCC wasn't working quite right.


If I turn off DVCC, it behaves normally (up to 99%). I can see the cell voltages and alarms in the CerboGX, which is the primary reason I wanted the BMS integration.

Thanks for confirming and the feedback. In the pic I was trying to get them balanced one battery at a time and was able to do so without connecting them to the Cerbo. Actually, I was finally able to get them charging to 14.4 without triggering the alarms and lights. I did so by immediately turning on a load whenever the OVP triggered. By doing so, they would resume charging as the cell voltages were already elevated. It took about two weeks with several drawdowns down to about 10% to achieve this. Almost like they need to be broken in.

Now what got me is that once I connected them in parallel and to the Cerbo - all bets were off and the progress got back to square one with all the issues and alarms. I tried the same procedure that I did prior but that does not work with DVCC on. This makes sense as Cerbo is letting the Epoch’s BMS take control. Right know I’ve been able to get them to 14.3 with DVCC on and the limit charge voltage enabled but still do get some OVP alarms in between. Once there I’ve been drawing them down to about 87% and starting over trying to see if I can slowly get it to 14.4 with DVCC on. The goal is to set enable DVCC and not enable the limit charge current. I don’t want to enable the charge limit voltage indefinitely as I don’t trust it. Like I mentioned with the V1’s they just stood in absorption the whole time and never went into float.

I too did one battery at a time when I did the update to avoid any issues. However, that would be a PITA to do for every update after these batteries are installed. Some were successful doing the update when having them in parallel but it was recommended by the Epoch tech to do one at a time so I did.

BTW, I also ended ordering a Victron Lynx Class-T Power In. The first V1’s appeared to have a Class-T fuse but not the traditional sized ones but it appeared to be extremely close to a Class-T. On the V2’s they’re definitely not Class-T fuse.

Bottom line is that it’s ridiculous for consumers to be figuring all this out and doing beta testing for them. These quirks should have been worked out long before going live with these.

[SuperTrouper]

Hey StogieMan,

Bummer! I got my Epoch 460AH V1 so I'll be watching. Fortunately, I don't have any of my Victron gear connected (I put in my solar and upgraded my converter before Victron was popular) so I can't see all the detail you can. The EPOCH app is a bit wonky but I'm with os1r1s, a couple of AH doesn't bug me. My system is up all the time even in storage and the batteries hover between 98% and 100%. I can still dry camp 4 or 5 days with no problems. I was hoping EPOCH was the perfect specimen but as Will Prowse put it in his latest video "New Epoch Batteries! Yikes You were the chosen one!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6ssW6nMY-A

[StogieMan]

Originally Posted by SuperTrouper

Hey StogieMan,

Bummer! I got my Epoch 460AH V1 so I'll be watching. Fortunately, I don't have any of my Victron gear connected (I put in my solar and upgraded my converter before Victron was popular) so I can't see all the detail you can. The EPOCH app is a bit wonky but I'm with os1r1s, a couple of AH doesn't bug me. My system is up all the time even in storage and the batteries hover between 98% and 100%. I can still dry camp 4 or 5 days with no problems. I was hoping EPOCH was the perfect specimen but as Will Prowse put it in his latest video "New Epoch Batteries! Yikes You were the chosen one!"

Thanks for the video Brad. I agree with you and os1r1s and I really like these batteries and want them to work. They’re work horses and I know that I’m being a bit picky here but I dealt with Victron Comm issues the first time around and didn’t want to with these. A few Ah’s is not the issue for me but being able to sync to 100% is. You want that BMS to sync to 100% every so often to have accurate info.

I really hope that Epoch can get this figured out as their batteries have a lot of great features.

[os1r1s]

One of things I read from someone (I can't remember who) is that you should use the shunt (Lynx or SmartShunt) in CerboGX to monitor the 100%. I think it came down to the granularity of the current that it could measure. I've typically been using the Lynx as the battery monitor in Cerbo for that reason. It might also explain some of differences.

Originally Posted by StogieMan

Thanks for the video Brad. I agree with you and os1r1s and I really like these batteries and want them to work. They’re work horses and I know that I’m being a bit picky here but I dealt with Victron Comm issues the first time around and didn’t want to with these. A few Ah’s is not the issue for me but being able to sync to 100% is. You want that BMS to sync to 100% every so often to have accurate info.

I really hope that Epoch can get this figured out as their batteries have a lot of great features.

[StogieMan]

Ok, so I’ve come to the conclusion that Epoch’s Victron Comms on the V2’s simply do not work and neither do I trust enabling it so I’m going to go open loop and not use the the Victron Comms at all.

After close to three months of testing, these are some conclusions and observations that I have witnessed:

1. These batteries will not sync to 100% unless they hit 14.0 and trigger the OVP and red blinking lights point blank. I’ve set the charger all the way up to 14.39 and they will sit at 99% without syncing to 100% or triggering the OVP.

2. DVCC enabled will not work as is supposed to and advertised with these Epoch 460 Ah V2’s with Victron Comms. Epoch’s BMS is set to charge at 14.4 with DVCC enabled. If you do this - the battery will reset to 100% and shut off charging and the red blinking lights will come on. This is where I have a huge concern. We have two Orion 50A XS’ for alternator charging and whenever the Epoch BMS decides to shut off charging on a dime - where is all that 100A’s of charging going to go for a split second or two? Not good for your chargers, panels and loads. This can create a big issue and I’m not willing to take that chance or trust that on the Victron side it can prevent any issues. Bottom line is that stopping alternator charging like that is not good at all and you should avoid it as this can damage your alternator and equipment. Now if you decide to limit the charge current to anything under the 14.4 on Victron DVCC setting to avoid triggering the OVP and red blinking lights - your battery will stay at that elevated absorption state which is not good at all. It will not go into the float stage.


This what I have seen work after testing and what I’m going to do:

1. Disable DVCC on the Cerbo.
2. Set the charge limit on the Victron Multiplus II to 14.35 and float to 13.6 and absorption time to 1 hour.
3. Set up these same charging parameters on the Orions XS’ and Victron MPPT’s.
4. The batteries will charge to 99% and when the drift on the Epoch BMS gets too out of whack, I will force them to charge to 14.40 to trigger OVP and sync to 100%. I can then deal with resetting them.


I’ve been testing these batteries with DVCC disabled and these charging parameters. They have gone into bulk charging, absorption and float modes without any issues or triggering the OVP alarms and red blinking lights. I’m open to any feedback. I also contacted Epoch prior to this post and they have nothing new for me, updates or fixes. I also asked for either a refund for the difference of the 460 Essential batteries without Victron Comms (which is $500) or for them to ship me the Essentials and I’ll return these. They said that they’ll get back to me on that. Again, obviously, I really wanted for these batteries to work as intended with Victron Comms but they don’t just as the first generation V1’s didn’t either. Epoch has not yet figured this out which is a shame.

Again, customer service people are nice and understanding but in the end it’s the product that is not working as as intended.

[SuperTrouper]

Thanks for the detailed report StogieMan!

[os1r1s]

I'd agree with you that DVCC doesn't work properly as is, but I would not agree that Victron comms are broken. I'm having great success monitoring the BMS in my Cerbo and it helps me to manage the system. I know if they are cold, I know if they are in OVP, I know if they are unbalanced. These are the things that I could never see in my BB batteries. I would like DVCC to work properly, but just having the visibility is worth the increase in cost over the essential batteries.