Max! Cube loses all settings with OpenHab

Is using the MAX Cube the only way it is possible to communicate with the radiator valve controllers? I ask because I have several valve controllers also made by ELV with the model number FHT8V-3 which are controlled by a separate room thermostat with the model number FHT80B-3. These aren’t available any longer but the OH1 FHT binding can communicate with the room thermostat via a USB CUL device on 868MHz.

If the MAX devices and the FHT devices are similar (maybe they are similar since they were made by the same manufacturer) is it possible that the MAX valve controllers can be controller by a USB CUL device directly and therefore remove the need for a MAX cube? It seems that the binding is robust, the valve controllers are robust but the Cube is the weak link.

I have the MAX Cube and the Button. Nothing else

My valves serial number are
KHAxxxxx 4 valves
JHAxxxxx 4 valves
IHAxxxx 3 valves
KEQxxxx 1 valve

Flashing the firmware of the Cube it transforms into a USB CUL? (Have no idea about it all)

Is that something that can be done? Convert the MAX Cube to a USB CUL? I have no idea. My post earlier was for @marcel_verpaalen really, I should have tagged him. Maybe he has some knowledge of any possible similarities between the MAX radiator controllers and the older ones I have that use the FHT binding?

Yes I saw a tutorial. But it’s irreversible.

Then command it with a pi3 or something

@higgers unfortunately I don’t know if that is possible.
In the software I did not find any suggestion that other devices are possible.
I think you have more chance with the CUL device, but indeed that is a one way street… once you flash it you can’t go back anymore.

No did not work, still the same

Dear all,

I can also confirm that the MAX! Cube looses its settings. (exclusive mode or not)
Kind of repoducible only if it is connected to the OH2 binding.

Any ideas to go forward here?.
Something like: slower requests…
Reboot the cube every night…

I am not using OpenHab, but I also see the same issue with the MAX! Cube loosing all of its settings every few months. I have a Python program polling it every 60 seconds in order to turn my central heating boiler on or off as appropriate and suspect this is triggering some bug in the Cube.

The only “solution” I have is to write another script to re-add the thermostats and valves more quickly than using the web UI. It’s still a pain because I have to press a button on each device I need to add.

I can confirm once more, since I’m using “exclusive mode” ( for 6 month now!) , MaxCube NEVER lost its configuration.

I had this issue too (twice), in non-exclusive mode. After changing a power supply to one from branded phone and reducing request frequency by OH to every 5 minutes, the issue seems to be gone. 1 month of trouble-free operation so far.

I’m watching the Max! Cube going offline - more or less frequent depending on the poll interval.

With these adjustments it drops offline approx. once per day:
exclusive mode = true, poll interval = 60 sec,
The gateway reports: freemem = 50, duty cycle = 1…10

Does anybody have the same?
Is there a workarround ?

I did the monitoring like this:

rule "MaxGatewayOffline"
when
    Thing 'max:bridge:NEQ0022515' changed from ONLINE to OFFLINE
then
	Notification_Silent.sendCommand("Max Gateway is offline, free mem: " + MaxBridgeFreeMem.state.toString + " duty: " + MaxBridgeDuty.state.toString)
end

Hi, what is the “exclusive mode”?

@claudioita

Exclusive Mode: Only Openhab connection to Max!Cube is allowed!
Non-Exclusive Mode: Other connections to Max!Cube (like other APPs, eQ-3 PC Software,…) are allowed in parallel.

Remark: in exclusive mode you are not able to reach the cube with the Max! software. Therefore you have to stop openhab.

@BigMountainSki
If your dutycycle is getting low, typically too many ‘air commands’ are being send. (commands send to themostats, e.g. changing the set temp or the mode). You can check if you are sending many at the same time, and perhaps schedule them bit more spread over time

The other reason could be if you have the experimental ‘update actuals’ feature enabled. As that is generating also quite a lot of commands send esp if you have many thermostats (the way it works it by changing the set temp for short moment and switch it back.)

1 Like

Thanks @marcel_verpaalen , I believe it’s the update of the actual values.
Because there is no command at the moment the gateway goes offline.
And also it seems to depend on the parameter “update interval”

By the way, does the “update interval” enabling the:

What actually is a bit pity, because we can’t make an extensive use of the window sensors.
(I got them in a package with the thermostats.)
But never mind the thermostats are great and affordable.

Another thing: low dutycycle = heavy load? The dytycycle is nearly allways about 1…
(so far 5 thermostats and 2 window sensors)

[Solved]
To let all others know that there is no “Max! cube offline issue” on my site.
I experienced random network breakdowns through a bad switch.

guys

have we gotten to the bottom of why the cube looses its config? Im not using OH but Home Assistant+a custom python program and this is causing me to reconfigure everything every month or so… :frowning:

We believe that it does not happen with exclusive mode, but noone can be sure as we cannot 'look`into the maxcube, we would need the EQ-3 programmers to cooperate.

Hi All,

Stumbled across this post - though not a HAB user.

I have been using the Max! system for 6 years. it works well IF you don’t try to connect it using third party software. I wrote some code to connect to homeseer back then and started having the issues.

Back in the day there was a software called Max! Buddy that allowed you to download the config, save it and restore it whenever you needed. ELV did an update and the software stopped working and the author never updated Max Buddy!.

I spoke to ELV but they were not much help. Eventually I replaced the cube but to no avail. It is not hardware, my feeling is that it has something to do with how one disconnects from the cube. I had homeseer polling the status every minute or so and after a few weeks it would lose the config. I moved to every 15 mins but that did not help much. Eventually gave up about a year ago and don’t poll any more :frowning_face:

When it worked I had homeseer triggering valves etc but the hastle of reprogramming made it not worth it.

If anyone has any further insights I am open as would love to get it going again (is probably the best heating system I have found)!.

W

BTW, did consider putting a packetsniffer onto the cube port to see what the original software sends - just never found the time!