Global shortages of electronic components
Over the past couple of months, just about every industry has been experiencing shortages of critical components, esp. electronic components like computer chips & industrial micro-controllers. The general consensus is that these shortages may last 2-3 years.
We have started experiencing the effects of these shortages. Our suppliers have advised us to plan for extremely long lead times for our parts; lead times have gone from 3 weeks to 36-42 weeks for assembled circuits boards. In addition, our suppliers have increased the prices by 30-50% on a few critical parts.
At Bogart Engineering, we have actively managed our costs by implementing a number of steps to improve manufacturing efficiencies & reduce waste. These steps have helped us keep the prices of our products unchanged since 2015. However, the combined effects of Covid-19 and the global chip shortages simply can’t be mitigated by internal processes. We are increasing the prices of our Trimetric TM-2030 Monitors and SC-2030 Solar Chargers beginning July 2021. We hope to keep the increases to a minimum, but expect it to be in the 10-15% range for these two items.
We hope our customers- current & potential – understand the issues we all face and continue to support us. Please email or call us if you have any questions.
Amp-hours based charging termination
We have added a brief explanation of Amp-hours based approach to terminating battery charging. This is a much superior method than the methods other charge controllers use. Please follow this link – https://www.bogartengineering.com/amp-hrs-based-charging-control.html
Bogart Brand Ambassador Program
If you have used our products and found them to be useful, why not share the experience with those you meet on the trails? Become a Bogart Brand Ambassador and spread the word and reap a reward from us. Read on for the details.
Send us a short email (bogart at bogartengineering dot com) introducing yourself, what products of ours you use, how long, etc. Feel free to include pictures of our products in your RV, cabin, sail boat, etc. We’ll send you a unique code that you can share with others. If those you refer purchase our products, we’ll reward you with gift certificates.
Firmware Update:
All product updates have been incorporated into present products unless otherwise noted.
Currently (as of Sept 2023) shipping firmware versions:
TM-2030 – ver. 3.0
SC-2030: ver. 11 and ver. 4
WF-2030: Requires TM-2030 version 2.5 or above and SC-2030 version 9 or above. Look for firmware version labels on circuit board or face-plates. – Jan 2020
Pentametric PM-5000-U Input Unit: Released version 2.4 of PMComm – Linux, MacOS, Windows. Fixed a bug that shows up in the automatic download of logged battery data – Jan 20, 2020
TM-2030 & SC-2030: Firmware as of August 2018 – ver 2.8 for TM-2030 and ver 11 for SC-2030. Refinements to PWM control algorithm in both units for faster improved performance.
For TM-2030, August 2016, firmware version 2.5: Allows for connection of 2 SC-2030s for up to 62 amps current. Connecting kit required. Firmware version 9 for SC-2030 also required.
For TM-2030, January 2015, firmware version 2.2: When using the TM-2030 Monitor to control the SC-2030 Solar charger, this update adds an option to deliver a manual equalization cycle (a higher voltage overcharge) to batteries. Also adds a display item: In addition to the “rPC” display that shows the amount of percent charge replaced compared to previous low discharge, it now allows viewing the amp hour value of the low discharge upon which “rPC” is based.
For TM-2030, October 2014: This update applies to people using the TM-2030 Monitor to control the SC-2030 Solar Charger. Proper charging sometimes results in battery voltage that goes higher than some components connected to the batteries can tolerate, particular in RV’s. As an expedient, this update allows you to set a maximum upper limit voltage that the SC-2030 charger is allowed to charge.
– New Program Mode for TM-2030 to Limit Maximum Voltage
SC-2030 Product Issue: We have found that a few installers have wired the Solar Input, or the Battery output with reversed connections to the SC-2030–for example with Solar input minus going to + , and + going to minus in. This instantly damages the SC-2030. We have added (2016) a minor change to the design that prevents this from happening. We still highly recommend checking carefully the + and – polarity before connecting…although we expect that with the modified design damage will not occur when connected with reversed polarity.
A note for customers experiencing issues that purchased our products from April to November of 2014:
A series of firmware issues were present in versions 1.0-2.0 of TriMetric TM-2030 meters made from April 2014 to November 2014. These were labelled with serial numbers up to 1657. Please follow the -Bugs in TM-2030 and SC-2030 link for more information. If you believe you have a product with a known firmware error, and have verified the version and serial number (located on the back of the unit’s panel), please contact us right away.
Product Bugs History:
Below is a history of known present and past bugs for each product, with information about when they were fixed. All products with these defects will be fixed at no charge if sent to us.