Troubleshooting
Step-by-step fixes.
Common issues, diagnosed from first principles. If you've gone through these steps and something still isn't right, we're on Discord and email.
Unit won't power on
- 1Confirm the battery is not fully depleted - connect AC and wait 60 seconds before pressing power.
- 2Hold the power button for 3 full seconds. A brief press only activates standby.
- 3Check the internal fuse (rear panel, single M3 screw). If blown, replace with a 30 A ATO blade fuse.
- 4If the display flickers and dies, the BMS may have tripped on an over-discharge condition. Leave on charge for 2 hours and retry.
AC outlets have no output
- 1On the touchscreen, confirm the AC rail is enabled - tap the AC button to toggle it on (LED should be amber).
- 2Check that you're not in ECO mode with no load - ECO mode disables AC until draw exceeds 3 W.
- 3Verify the unit is above 5% battery state of charge - AC output is disabled below this threshold.
- 4If a large surge load caused a trip, the inverter will auto-reset after 30 seconds. Try again.
USB-C won't fast-charge my device
- 1Confirm you're using a USB-C cable rated for 5 A (20 V × 5 A = 100 W+). Cheap cables cap at 3 A.
- 2PD negotiation can take 2–3 seconds after plug-in before switching to high wattage.
- 3Some older devices don't support PD 3.0 - they'll charge at 5 V / 3 A regardless.
- 4Check the touchscreen: the USB-C live watt reading will show what's actually being drawn.
Fan is louder than expected
- 1Confirm the unit is not in a high-ambient environment. At > 35 °C ambient, fans will run faster.
- 2Check the air path: intake (left side) and exhaust (rear) must not be blocked.
- 3If the noise is a rattle rather than airflow noise, a fan blade may have debris on it - swap is straightforward (see mod guide).
- 4ECO mode runs fans at minimum speed. Enable ECO via the touchscreen if noise is a priority over performance.
Capacity reads lower than rated
- 1State of charge estimation is calibrated over full charge-discharge cycles. New units can read slightly low for the first 5–10 cycles.
- 2Run one full charge (to 100%) followed by a full discharge (to auto-shutoff) to recalibrate the coulomb counter.
- 3Capacity at cold temperatures (< 5 °C) will appear lower - this is normal. Capacity recovers at room temp.
- 4If capacity has dropped below 80% after fewer than 1,000 cycles, this is covered under warranty.
Touchscreen is unresponsive or shows garbled display
- 1Hold the power button for 10 seconds to force a hard reset.
- 2If the issue persists after reboot, check the display ribbon cable at the board (rear panel access, 4× M3 screws).
- 3A firmware update may be available - check the changelog at voltpak.com/support/manuals.
- 4If hard reset and cable check don't resolve it, contact support for a warranty replacement.
Expansion battery not recognised
- 1Power off the host station before connecting or disconnecting the expansion battery.
- 2Press the SB50 connector firmly until it clicks - a partial seat will prevent BMS communication.
- 3After connecting, boot the station and wait 10 seconds. The display should show combined capacity.
- 4If still not recognised, check the BMS UART passthrough connection on the expansion battery side (see technical manual for connector pinout).
Still stuck?
Post in the Discord #support channel - someone who's already dug into their VoltPak probably has the answer. Or email us and we'll work through it together.