Digital multi control

Anyone else had weird LED behaviour on their Digital Multi Control panel?

Running a MultiPlus-II on my garden office setup and the remote panel has started doing something odd — the LEDs are showing states that don't match what the inverter is actually doing. Inverter itself seems absolutely fine, doing its job, charging properly, output looks normal on the Victron app. But the panel looks like it's having some sort of existential crisis.

Few things I'm wondering:

• Is this a comms cable issue? I'm using a fairly long run between the MultiPlus and the DMC panel — maybe picking up interference?
• Could it be a firmware mismatch between the panel and the unit?
• Or is the DMC panel itself just failing? They're not exactly the most robust bits of kit Victron have ever produced, are they

Worth noting my setup is in a garden office so temperature swings can be pretty dramatic — baking in summer, properly cold in winter. Wondering if that's done something to the panel over time.

Has anyone actually replaced a DMC with something better? I've seen people mention just ditching it entirely and managing everything through a Cerbo GX and the app instead, which honestly sounds appealing. The DMC always felt a bit agricultural compared to the rest of the Victron ecosystem.

Or am I going to embarrass myself and it turns out there's a simple fix I've missed entirely? Wouldn't be the first time. Wouldn't be the last either.

@Robbo the post got cut off, what are the LEDs actually doing? 😄

Had something similar on my narrowboat setup with a Digital Multi Control — mine started flickering between Bulk and Absorption seemingly at random. Turned out to be a dodgy RJ45 cable between the panel and the MultiPlus-II. Worth checking that first before diving into settings, they're surprisingly sensitive to a bad connection.

Also — are you running VE.Bus? If so, have you checked for any comms errors in VictronConnect? Sometimes the panel LEDs are just reflecting a slightly confused state on the bus rather than an actual charging problem.

What firmware version are you on? Victron pushed a few updates recently that tweaked some of the LED behaviour on the MultiPlus-II range. Might be worth checking that too.

Hey @Robbo, looks like your post got cut off too — there's something going around! 😄

Assuming it's the usual suspects, I'd check the RJ45 cable between the panel and the MultiPlus-II first. Dodgy connections or a slightly unseated cable can cause all sorts of strange LED behaviour. Also worth checking whether the panel is set to the correct position for your system — there's a small rotary switch inside the DMC that needs to match your MultiPlus configuration.

If the LEDs are flashing in an unusual pattern, it might be worth cross-referencing with the Victron DMC manual as the flash codes do mean specific things.

Keen to hear what they're actually doing once you get chance to finish that post! @CopperRoamer's narrowboat experience might be relevant too depending on the symptoms.

Seems like this thread is cursed — posts keep getting cut off! 😄

@Robbo when you manage to get the full description out, the LED behaviour on the Digital Multi Control can tell you a lot about what's actually happening upstream. I had a phase where mine was showing seemingly random patterns on my cabin setup — turned out the panel itself was fine but there was a loose connection at the MultiPlus-II end causing voltage drop on the RJ45 cable. Swapped to a shorter, better-shielded cable and it settled right down.

Worth checking the cable run length too — Victron spec a maximum distance and exceeding it causes all sorts of odd behaviour on that panel.

Seems everyone's post is getting cut off in this thread. Fitting.

@Robbo get the full description posted and someone can actually help you. In the meantime — check your RJ45 cable between the MultiPlus-II and the panel first. Nine times out of ten with Digital Multi Control weirdness it's a dodgy cable or a loose connection at the unit end. Had similar on my boat, spent ages suspecting the panel itself, turned out the cable had been kinked behind the inverter.

Also worth checking what firmware you're running on the MultiPlus. Some older versions had quirks with the panel LEDs not behaving as expected. VictronConnect will tell you quickly enough.

@Robbo yes, get that full description up when you can — the suspense is killing me! 😄

In the meantime, a few common DMC panel oddities I've seen crop up:

• All LEDs flashing simultaneously — usually a communication fault on the VE.Bus cable (worth reseating both ends)
• Absorption/Float LEDs alternating — can indicate the panel isn't properly configured as "master" when multiple remotes are chained
• Mains LED flickering — sometimes RCD sensitivity on garden office supplies causes false dropout detection

On my van build I had a gremlins situation that turned out to be a dodgy RJ45 crimp on the VE.Bus cable — 15 minutes with a proper crimp tool sorted it completely. Worth checking cable routing too if it passes near any inverter heat sources.

Victron's VE.Configure software can also pull panel status if you've got a MK3-USB dongle handy.