18. Reset to factory defaults and Venus OS reinstall
18.1. Reset to factory defaults procedure
A GX device factory reset is performed by inserting a USB stick or SD card with the specific reset file on it.
Factory reset requires Venus firmware version 2.12 or higher. It does not require any buttons or a screen to perform.
How to reset a GX device to factory default settings:
Download the venus-data-90-reset-all.tgz file.
Copy the file onto a blank, freshly formatted FAT32 USB-drive/SD card (don't unpack or unzip that file, don't rename it ).
If the GX device is running firmware between versions 2.12 and 3.10, only executing a single file is supported. Either update the firmware on the GX device first or rename the downloaded file to venus-data.tgz before putting it on the removable media.
Boot with the USB-drive/SD card inserted and wait until the GX device has fully started up.
Remove the USB-drive/SD card from the GX device.
Power cycle the device, or, alternatively and when available, use the Reboot function in the Settings → General menu.
This will reset the settings on the GX device to their factory defaults.
There are several technical reasons to do this, such as:
If the device has been locked out by setting and then forgetting the Remote Console password on a model which doesn’t have a screen.
Customer has no issue but wants to have a clean start.
A GX device has been used in a testing environment, and the service technician wants to remove the residual memory of that (such as discovered AC PV inverters).
The GX device is performing strangely, and a reset to default may eliminate the possibility of a misconfigured setting.
Data partition is full; this should only occur when someone has modified their device.
Some unexpected bug, most likely only occurring in beta testing versions.
Note
Previously saved Wifi access credentials will be reset - for devices without a physical interface and using WiFi to connect, consider how you will get access again to reconfigure.
You may also need to reset the VRM authorisation token after performing a factory reset. After the reset, open the site in VRM - if a token reset is required, there will be a notification in VRM and you can follow the instructions provided in there.
The factory reset does NOT modify the VRM site ID, or data that is stored on the VRM. If you wish to sell your GX device to someone else, or install it into another system and want to clear the history, you can do this in the VRM Portal by selecting the Site settings -> General -> Delete this installation.
18.2. Venus OS reinstall
Use this when the procedure described in Reset to factory defaults procedure doesn't work.
WARNINGS:
Before performing this procedure, first try the standard factory reset procedure as described in the previous section.
Only perform this procedure as a last resort: to fix a bricked device. A device that boots fine but has some strange behaviour in some features will not benefit from executing this procedure.
This procedure will wipe all data on the data partition, which means all settings and so forth.
Unlike the common reset to factory default instructions, this procedure does not rely on a properly booting device.
When executed on a Cerbo GX before HQ2026, the WiFi access point and some other (non-crucial) features won’t work anymore since some factory-installed data is missing. Per HQ2026, that data is stored in a more secure place (EEPROM instead of data partition).
On the VRM Portal you’ll have to reset the Device token. The portal will accept no new data until that is done.
Ensure you have the appropriate manual for your GX device, as the procedures may vary slightly depending on the GX model.
PROCEDURE:
Download the installer image here: https://updates.victronenergy.com/feeds/venus/release/images/einstein/ (venus-install-sdcard-einstein-*.img.zip)
Flash the image to a microSD card using the Balena Etcher application (https://etcher.balena.io/). The Etcher application automatically unzips the archive.
Insert the microSD card into the Cerbo GX device.
Power up the device.
Wait for the installation process to finish. When connected to GX touch, you will be asked to remove the installation medium (Micro SD card) and power-cycle the system. If not connected to GX touch, wait for 2 minutes for the installation process to finish.
Remove the microSD card and power-cycle the device.