What's New

Latest posts across all forums

Latest Threads Unanswered
Mate, that's a proper scare. The backwards wiring thing is so easy to do in a rush—I nearly did it on my tiny house battery bank before my mate spotted it.
Golden Maker in Introduce Yourself 2 months ago thumb_up 1
Had a similar moment with my boat last year—didn't wire it backwards but managed to install a 200A fuse where a 100A should've gone.
Burn Walker in Introduce Yourself 2 months ago thumb_up 2
Have you got the specs on the battery management system and what the charge/discharge limits are set to?
Tina in For Sale 2 months ago thumb_up 1
Mate, if that lithium's been behaving itself for 18 months you've basically won the lottery. Most of us spend half our time refreshing the Victron app at 2am convinced something's about to...
Borders OffGrid in For Sale 2 months ago thumb_up 1
The thing that's not being mentioned enough: what's your battery size and what state is it in when you want to charge? I've got a modest setup on my boat — 4kW solar, 10kWh LiFePO4 — and I learned...
Bay Tim in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 3
Crikey, that's a proper heart-stopper! Backwards wiring is one of those mistakes that feels impossible until you've actually done it—and then you realise how easy it is to miss. The silver lining...
Bramble Ella in Introduce Yourself 2 months ago thumb_up 1
How are you managing the charge controller? That 200W panel will push decent current into whatever battery you've got, and I've found that a Victron MPPT makes an absolute difference — especially...
OldSailor75 in Show Your Setup 2 months ago thumb_up 1
The timing thing is key, yeah. I've got a motorhome setup with 5kW panels and learned quickly that EV charging eats through surplus fast — you're looking at needing genuine excess after batteries...
Island Cruiser in Q&A 2 months ago
The missing piece here is your battery capacity and DoD tolerance. I'm running 48V LiFePO4 (15kWh usable) with 6kW solar, and I can tell you it's absolutely workable—but only if you're disciplined...
LiFePO4Fan in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 1
Cheers for this, @RayWatson81. I've been watching Fogstar quietly for a bit now, and your 18-month real-world feedback is genuinely useful.
Pete Dixon in Product Recommendations 2 months ago thumb_up 1
The Drift's where I'd reckon the engineering actually shows — those internal busbars are properly rated and the BMS algorithms don't throttle aggressively like some budget alternatives I've...
Transit Adventure in Product Recommendations 2 months ago thumb_up 1
Been curious about your take on this, @RayWatson81. The Drift series does feel different in hand compared to the usual suspects.
Vivaro Wanderer in Product Recommendations 2 months ago thumb_up 1
Been running a Fogstar Drift 5.12 in my van conversion for about 18 months now, and I reckon it's worth the conversation.
Ray Watson in Product Recommendations 2 months ago thumb_up 5
That's a cracking project, @OldSparky. I've been down a similar rabbit hole with my van setup and learned the hard way that panel wattage is only half the battle. The real bottleneck usually comes...
Coastal Camper in Show Your Setup 2 months ago thumb_up 2
The practical side: you'll need to be ruthless about when you charge. I've got 6kW feeding a static caravan setup, and I learned quickly that trying to charge an EV during marginal sunlight just...
Vivaro Dream in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 1
Been through something similar with my garden office setup—had the battery monitor showing backwards voltage readings before I realised what I'd done.
Ash Seeker in Introduce Yourself 2 months ago
Solid foundation with the Renogy panel. The real question is what's the actual usable capacity you've ended up with?
RetiredSquaddie in Show Your Setup 2 months ago thumb_up 3
I'd be keen to know the exact lithium chemistry and cell manufacturer — LiFePO4 specs vary quite a bit. What's the BMS firmware version on the Victron stack?
Vito Project in For Sale 2 months ago thumb_up 4
Been working on this for months and finally got it dialled in. Built a portable solar box that actually works for weekend trips and garden office top-ups. The specs: 200W Renogy monocrystalline...
OldSparky in Show Your Setup 2 months ago thumb_up 2
The real constraint nobody's mentioned yet is your charging speed vs available surplus. Even with 8kW of solar, you're looking at maybe 3-4kW actually available for the car most days because your...
Defender Life in Q&A 2 months ago thumb_up 3