ecotap EVC4.x Controller Configuration Lite Edition User Guide

ecotap EVC4.x Controller Configuration Lite Edition User Guide

Version History

History of changes:

• Version 0:
  • Creation
  • Chapters 5 to 10 are based in Tijn Lax’s content in the original ECC Manager manual, adapted and made relevant to ECClite, by Ludo Stanziani (in a Product Owner Role).

Version 1.1:

• Add three table references, out of Jack de Veer’s full EVC4 and EVC5 R&D Manuals to the JSON Parameters. By Ludo Stanziani (in a Product Owner Role).

Introduction

This document serves as a guide for updating firmware and modifying configuration via the ECClite.

With the lite version you can configure settings regarding; Power, Load- management/Grid and internet connectivity.

The lite version also protects you from changing any configuration on the station that could permanently damage it. If you still use the full ECC Manager instead of the lite version, you will do that at your own risk of voiding warranty.

Using ECClite is described step by step and can be applied to the EVC4.x, EVC5.x and the ECC.x controller that run the V32Rx software.

The following topics are addressed in this manual:

• Required hardware, software and related
• Updating Firmware via the ECClite
• Sending selected parameters to the

Important!

A) Standard Factory settings .JSON files with selected parameters should always be supplied by Ecotap!

1. If the ECClite software is used in a way other than indicated in the manual, Ecotap cannot guarantee that the controller will work
2. Primary information- Ecotap Controller Configuration – Lite Edition

ECClite is an application dedicated for owners, installers and operators of charging stations. Everything that can be done on this software tool, must in principle be done via remote commands from your selected backend. As the Ecotap stations are made for convenient remote control, in batch by using OCPP compatible backend platforms. That is especially the case for all parameters needed to determine the power and grid settings that match your charging infrastructure.

In most cases Ecotap manufacturing will have preset all communication data as such the station will automatically make connection to the backend determined in the purchasing process. If you need to check, correct or modify the backend connectivity, or if you can’t access the backend to configure power and grid settings. You will need to use ECClite.

This software toolkit works only on the windows platform and only if the firmware on supported controllers is on version V32RXX and up.

To download the latest version & the manual, click here: https://www.ecotap.nl/ecclite/

Generic information about Updating your Firmware:

To update the firmware, you will need the manufacturer advised .BIN file. You can find the latest published firmware and their release notes on the web page: https://www.ecotap.nl/ecclite/

Mind that you should always check the release notes to evaluate if that firmware file is compatible to your type of controller module.

An update of the firmware of your station is best done remotely and in batch by the charge point operator via his OCPP-backend access.

In cases you need to do it manually, you can use this software toolkit ‘ECClite’.

WARNING: a firmware update is different from commonly known software updates. If you update the firmware in technical terms, you flash the chip memory. That means that it completely rewrites itself. If you interrupt

this process by removing power or data cable. Your controller module can brick itself. And become useless. You lose your warranty and need to swap the controller module. If you don’t know what you are doing, always first consult the manufacturer Ecotap/Legrand.

Unlike with OTA (over-the-air) software updates. With firmware, you as owner of the device decide wetter or not you want to update your device to the manufacturer advised version.

If you have a stable version running on your charger, it is not advised to update. Only update if you read in the release notes that the update solves a problem hampers your charger operations. MIND that IT IS NOT possible to DOWNGRADE the firmware anymore. Project specific firmware on custom product should thus NEVER be upgraded!

OCPP Connectivity :

Because Ecotap Charging Stations are infrastructure objects, the OCPP connectivity to the selected backend platform is pre-configured in the factory. If connectivity is lost or connectivity settings are accidentally wiped and/or contracts with the backend provider are terminated and a switch to a new party is needed. You will need to reconfigure connectivity yourself.

To connect an OCPP backend platform, you will need receive information from the platform provider. Namely, the link to the backend. Called an Endpoint.

In most cases it will look like this:

Endpoint URL:

“wss://devices.ecotap.com/registry/ocpp/NLECO1000”

The [ NLECO1000 ] part is unique to a singular charging station and it’s backend page, called the OCPP-ID. Sometimes, if the backend has a kind of security lair. You receive one Token per charging station as well. That will match it’s unique charging station OCPP-ID. It will look like here below;

Token: “53Umkk1q7rEM”

The above information for the Endpoint and OCPPID will be split in the following fields.

In this case the [ wss:// ] in the endpoint link you receive from the CPO is removed. If the link was [ ws s :// ] you place in [ com_Options ] the value UseTLS=1.

If the link was [ ws:// ] you place in [ com_Options ] the value UseTLS=0. As you can see after the [ .com ] part, a port number is added.

• Port :80 is WS
• Port :443 is WSS

The [ NLECO1000 ] part is replaced by [ #OSN# ], that will mean that now the endpoint to this backend is not anymore unique per charger, but is applicable to every charging station connected to this backend.

The unique OCPPID is then filled in after [ com_OCPPID ]. And this is the parameter unique to every charging station.

If in the cases this charging station and OCPPID need an [ authorizationKey ] you will add that after the parameter. In that value field you start with the OCPPID, and [ : ] an after that the per charger unique key. In this example after [ authorizationKey ] it will look like this;

[ NLECO1000:53Umkk1q7rEM ].

Mind that you can set this parameter and after that you can’t read it again. This is for safety.

Required Setup

In order to use ECClite and its functionalities, there are several supplies that are required. Make sure these are present before proceeding.

Required Hardware

proprietary to Ecotap).Article number: 3510019Supplied by Ecotap.
Ecotap controller (EVC4.x / EVC5.x / ECC.x)| The controller inside the charging station to be programmed / configured.
12V DC power supply| Properly working power supply to power on the controller module inside the charging station.

Required Software

on the EVC4.x / EVC5.x / ECC.x controllers that at least have the V32 Firmware.
This can be downloaded from the Ecotap Website:https://www.ecotap.nl/ecclite/

Required Files

containing all (correct) standard settings for selected parameters.To fall back on if you want to go back to factory settings.This should be requested from Ecotap. Depending on the model of
| | station you are using.
---|---|---
“.bin” file (optional)| –| A file containing the (new) firmware. Required for updating firmware.
This should be requested from Ecotap.
Only the latest release can be downloaded from the website: https://www.ecotap.nl/ecclite/
Older version / ‘Legacy firmwares’, can be requested at your technical advisors at Ecotap.

Preparing The Setup

The first step is to unzip the ECClite.EXE, to a folder on your PC or to a USB Stick.

Download the ECClite.zip file and save it to your computer. When doing so, choose a location that is easy to find on your PC.

Figure 5.1 – ECC manager .zip file.

(The zip-file icon may look different)

__ Right-click on the file and select Extract All.

**** An additional screen will now open, click extract again.

In the same location as the .zip file, there will now be a folder created with the same name.

Figure 5.2 – ECCmanager folder after unzipping zip file.

Open this folder and then double-click ECClite.exe to open the application.

Figure 5.3 – ECClite application.

__ ECClite will now start up and is ready to use.

As you can notice there is no installer needed. This software toolkit works as a pocket ‘lite’ version.

Note: when opening the application, it could occur that Microsoft Defender prevents the starting of it. If this is the case, see Chapter 9 on how to solve this easily.

__ _Do not power on the module yet , during the following steps!_

Connect the USB to TTL cable with the controller.

Attach the USB side of the cable to one of the computer’s USB ports. At the other end of the cable, attach the green connector (to which the black, orange and yellow wires are connected) directly to the module. When doing so, make sure the connector is attached to the pins of the RFID2 reader, see the sticker with I/O layout on the controller:

**For the EVC4.x controller:
![controller:

For the EVC4.x controller](https://manuals.plus/wp- content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot_7-146.png)
**

Figure 5.4 – Connecting the USB to TTL cable to the controller (EVC 4.x). __

For the EVC5.x/ECC.x controller:
_
Figure 5.5 – Connecting the USB to TTL cable to the controller (EVC 5.x)._

Establish Communication with the Module.

Before changing the configuration, find out which COM port is used for serial communication. If the USB is not already connected to the computer and/or to the controller, do so first (see chapter 5).

Once the USB to TTL cable is connected to the computer, use the following key combination on the keyboard :

**** This will reveal the following screen.

Figure 6.1 – Pop-up window after clicking [Windows + X] key combination.

Next, click on Device Manager.

Look for the Ports (COM & LPT) heading and ‘double-click’ on it (or once on the arrow to the left of the name).

_The visual representation of the menu’s depends on the operating system that is used, and therefore can differ.

_ Figure 6.3 – Display active ports on the PC. _
Figure 6.2 – Device manager overview
_

__In case more than one “USB Serial Port (COMx)” are displayed, you can check which port is used for the controller. Simply disconnect the USB to TTL cable from your PC, and re- connect it: the COM port that disappears and appears again is the correct one.

In the example above, only one USB to TTL cable has been connected to the computer. So here, the COM port we are looking for is COM8. Note that the COM port may vary depending on the following (so always check the COM port first):

• The USB to TTL cable (with controller) is connected to another
• A different USB to TTL cable is

Open ECClite.

Figure 6.4 – ECClite.

Enter the COM number, which we looked up earlier, in the field next to USB port. So, in the case of this example, we enter 10 here.

Figure 6.5 – Entering the correct COM port.

Now click on the Connect button at the bottom right of the ECC Manager, and then make sure the checkmark for Debug is checked (at the bottom left of the ECC Manager).

Figure 6.6 – Connect to the controller & check debug.

Connect the 12V+ pin of the controller, to the 12V+ of the DC power supply. Connect the

“DC power GND pin” on the controller to the ground of the DC power supply.

Next, power on the controller.

After a couple of seconds, logging will appear in the lower display of the ECClite (lines of blue text).
Figure 6.7 – Communication with the controller on similar software ECCManager (heavy version).

If you don’t see blue text, remove power from the module, wait 10 seconds, and turn the power back on. Now the blue text should still become visible.

Firmware Update

This section describes how to update the controller’s firmware via ECClite.

It is important that, during the update process, the USB to TTL cable remains connected to the PC and/or controller and that the controller is continuously powered-on (provided by the 12V DC supply)!

__Pre-requisites:

A. Download the “.bin” file and save it to an easily retrievable place on the

B. Make sure there is communication with the module, see chapter 6 (blue log text).

Only continue when the pre-requisites are met.

1. Open ECClite Click the “Update” tab and then “Open Firmware file”.
   Figure 7.1 – Open firmware file (picture is from the heavy program but looks the same on the portable version ‘ECClite’).

2. Look-up the .bin file and open

3. Check that the software version name matches the name of the .bin file, as now displayed in ECClite (see image below). In this example, the module will be updated to the V32R16 firmware.
   
   Figure 7.2 – Check the name of the opened bin file.

4. Click on “Program firmware”.
   Now software info (in green) will appear in the logging. Also, a progress bar at the bottom of ECClite will start running. This indicates how far the update has progressed. Wait for it to fill up. Figure 7.3 – Firmware update in progress.
   When the progress bar is completed, green text is displayed again followed by a piece of red text. This is internal info of the module, characterized by ‘copy flash’ and ‘erase’ remarks in the logging.
   Figure 7.4 – Firmware update is complete.

5. Verify the controller’s firmware
   It can be found in the application’s startup information (blue text), after about 20 lines. See image below (based on an EVC 4.31 controller).
   
   Figure 7.5 – Check that the controller boots with the correct firmware.

During boot of the application, the V32R16 is shown in the logging; it has been successfully installed.
It is important that, during the update process, the USB to TTL cable remains connected to the PC and/or controller and that the controller is continuously powered-on (provided by the 12V DC

supply).

Load and Send Configuration to the Module.

A configuration that is incorrect or incorrectly set, can permanently damage the controller and Ecotap cannot be held responsible for this. When in doubt, always contact Ecotap up front.

Download the factory standard .json file provided by Ecotap, for the exact station model you have at hand. Save it somewhere on the PC, where the file can be found easily. As an example in this manual, we will use “test.json”. **Again, only use the factory standard .json file provided by Ecotap specifically for that station model!

**Figure 8.1 – .json file (provided by Ecotap)

(The icon of the .json file may look different)

In ECClite, go to the Settings tab, and then click the button.

Figure 8.2 – Loading the configuration.

Now the explorer will open. On your PC, search for the location where the .json file was placed earlier.

Next, click on the file and click Open.
Figure 8.3 – Loading the .json file.

It will show a selection of parameters that Ecotap has specified for you within the Json file. For these selected configuration keys, you can adjust the values. Below an example is given with dummy values.
Figure 8.4 – Entering parameter values

Adjust the values of these parameters, if applicable. When in doubt, always contact Ecotap!

When the values are entered correctly, click the Select All button.

This selects the parameters, identified by the checked box to the left of the parameter names.

Then click the Send selected button, which sends these parameters with their values to the module.
Figure 8.6 – Sending parameters to controller.

Now check the logging again, for the specific code line “SV CFG() ”. This indicates that the configuration change has successfully been accepted.
Figure 8.7 – SV CFG(): message to verify the configuration changes.

Next, to validate if the configuration has changed. Reboot the controller. Wait a couple of seconds, then proceed to Select all , again and Receive config.

If the parameters are set correctly, the correct values will be read out of the controller module.

Under chapter 11 you will find a dictionary of parameters available for you to modify based on your chargers differing installation situations. Any other parameters that need to be changed should be done remotely from the connected OCPP Back-Office platform.

Troubleshooting

Should any problems arise while following the manual, a possible solution to fix the problem can be found in this section.

‘Windows protected your PC’ message.

It is possible that you might end up with this screen when trying to open ECClite software. This is a message from Microsoft Defender to protect your computer from malicious software. In this case the software is not malicious but unknown to Microsoft Defender.

To go further with this, click on More info.

Figure 7.1 – Microsoft Defender window.

This will show you more info about the application that you want to run. Because we know this software is not malicious you can click on the Run anyway button. After this, the application will start as expected.

JSON Configuration OCPP Dictionary

ECClite supports JSON Get and Set configuration. The configuration items consist of OCPP parameters and Ecotap proprietary parameters and can be set via OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol). The OCPP parameters can be found in the appropriate OCPP standard. Below you will find Ecotap’s

implementation of these parameters.

Mind that in the input value of these parameters, if you have a comma “ , ”. That means that after that comma will be the next input value. So, with the _chgRatedCurrent = [16 , 16]. That means left channel is on 16 amps and the right channel is on 16 amps as well. Keep that in mind.

be entered.The key can only be written to and cannot be read out for security reasons.The option ‘useTLS’ must be set to use the key.
The firmware uses Basic Authentication for HTTPS connections and hence the key must be entered as follows:
Format: :