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Tuya Smart Switches with Beken BK7231N & OpenBeken Stop Working After Months—Why?

krzakx 225 8
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Treść została przetłumaczona polish » english Zobacz oryginalną wersję tematu
  • #1 21656174
    krzakx
    Level 11  
    Hello.
    Somehow, since October 2024, I've been using a couple of devices (aftermarket switches) on a Beken BK7231N. I successfully uploaded OpenBeken, I even used LittleFS and scripts to send a double click event.
    This all worked for a long time, until about 2 months ago the devices disconnected from WiFi and switching with the built-in button stopped working. And so about 4 devices died.... today I've taken to trying to reprogram them, but it doesn't help anything trying to connect to other WiFi doesn't help.
    Did something important happen in the meantime that could have caused problems with my devices? After all, they were disconnected from the Tuya cloud.... so nothing remote I can suspect.... surges in the network?
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  • #2 21656187
    p.kaczmarek2
    Moderator Smart Home
    Maybe the PowerSave is missing and the capacitors are dead?
    How do I fix a smart device that crunches, squeaks and makes strange noises?
    Helpful post? Buy me a coffee.
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  • #3 21656616
    krzakx
    Level 11  
    Yes PowerSave was not activated and the capacitors actually died.
    Electronics module with capacitors, relay, and screw terminals on a PCB .

    However, most likely there is still a problem somewhere, because I took new unused pieces of similar switches off the shelf (admittedly they have been lying around for 1 year) i.e. https://www.elektroda.com/rtvforum/topic4026798.html, I zaflash them (Tuya config reading was successful) and they don't connect to my WiFi either :/.
    Could it be that the quality is so bad that even the recumbents are damaged?

    And oh this is the Realterm window on the newly sflashed pcs

    RealTerm window showing serial port data and connection configuration .

    If so, can you please recommend b.good quality aftermarket switches that will last for years - need to use them and not experiment ;)
  • #4 21656635
    p.kaczmarek2
    Moderator Smart Home
    Can you check the log on the correct pin - TX2 in Beken? There is information there about what the soft is doing and this will help diagnose what goes wrong. TX1 and RX1 is only for programming, you won't get a log from it.
    Helpful post? Buy me a coffee.
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  • #6 21656780
    p.kaczmarek2
    Moderator Smart Home
    There are two options. Either a weak power supply - I'd check with a reliable 3.3V LDO, or I'd try uploading the full 2MB of the original batch to this and then overwriting it with OpenBeken. I associate the problem with battery-powered devices, where if the voltage was too low, something internal to the BK SDK would get corrupted and the full 2MB had to be re-flashed.

    Uploading the OBK alone again will not help.
    Helpful post? Buy me a coffee.
  • #7 21656816
    divadiow
    Level 36  
    p.kaczmarek2 wrote:
    The issue with devices not booting is known, but we don't have final solution yet. Of course, restoring flash backup should work. Otherwise we might need to try to reproduce it ourselves, maybe with variable power supply and investigate which part of flash breaks, exactly. Do you have variable power supply, @divadiow ?


    i still mean to do this
  • #8 21658097
    krzakx
    Level 11  
    >>21656780 .

    Thank you for your continued support.
    So the reality seems to be quite sad because I encountered electro-smarts, I was affected not only by the problem of defective capacitors and something more because after replacing the capacitor the device works correctly powered from the UART converter it unfortunately does not work powered from the AC mains.
    The second problem that affected me was a poor quality UART converter, the converters I used ~1.5 years ago (I also bought a spare) also stopped working :=°.....

    Therefore, I repeat the question, are there any known good quality WiFi doped relays ?
    Or is the clue to use the PowerSave mode ?

    In the pictures, the low quality products I have experienced
    Close-up of a PCB with relay, capacitors, and a blue electronic module .
    Two USB-UART converters with visible damage on one of them
  • #9 21709992
    4711leow
    Level 2  
    i have another theory on your uart converters seems u sealed them in plastic maybe they got thermally damaged -as said just a theory

Topic summary

Several Tuya aftermarket smart switches based on the Beken BK7231N microcontroller and running OpenBeken firmware stopped functioning after months of use, losing WiFi connectivity and button control. Initial diagnosis revealed missing PowerSave mode activation and failed capacitors as hardware issues. Replacement capacitors restored UART-powered operation but devices still failed when powered from AC mains. Attempts to reflash devices, including unused units, did not restore WiFi connectivity, suggesting possible hardware degradation or poor quality components. Logs should be checked on the TX2 pin for accurate diagnostics, as TX1/RX1 are only for programming. A weak or unstable 3.3V power supply may cause firmware corruption, requiring a full 2MB original firmware flash before OpenBeken overwrite. Additionally, low-quality UART converters used for flashing may have failed, possibly due to thermal damage from plastic sealing. The discussion highlights the importance of enabling PowerSave mode, using reliable power supplies, and selecting high-quality aftermarket switches to ensure long-term stability.
Summary generated by the language model.
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