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@CornishBoater good question. I use a cheap multimeter on the battery terminals while running high-draw stuff—kettle, inverter under load, whatever. Just watch the voltage drop in real time.
Fogstar_Fan in Motorhome & Campervan 2 years ago thumb_up 2
Cable gauge depends entirely on your run length and acceptable voltage drop — that's what matters here. At 2000W on a 12V system, you're looking at roughly 167A peak current.
BlownFuse in Q&A 2 years ago thumb_up 2
Doing the same with my shepherd's hut setup. Grabbed roughly 150 cells from a local computer repair shop who were chucking out dead packs.
Peak VanLifer in On a Budget 2 years ago thumb_up 1
I've been down this road with my van setup. Pulled about 200 cells from old Dell and HP batteries over two years. The tedious bit isn't cracking them open—it's the binning afterwards.
Sussex VanLifer in On a Budget 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Worth noting that whilst salvaging 18650s from old laptops is cost-effective, you'll want to bin-test every single cell with a proper load tester before using them in a pack.
Zoe Grant in On a Budget 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Mate, been pulling cells from old laptop batteries for years now. Most recycling centres won't take them, so you can often grab bags of dead laptops for next to nothing.
ZFS_OffGrid in On a Budget 2 years ago thumb_up 3
On the van, went mono purely because roof space is about as generous as a Tory budget—one panel had to earn its keep.
Marine Geoff in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Running MSW on my narrowboat setup and I'd say the real question isn't theoretical — it's practical.
Finn Taylor in Inverters & Chargers 2 years ago thumb_up 2
The real difference comes down to your system complexity. BMV-712's got that bulletproof shunt and physical display—brilliant if you're in a narrowboat where you want glancing visibility without...
ExSquaddie49 in Monitoring & System Design 2 years ago thumb_up 1
The SmartShunt's wireless connectivity is genuinely useful if you're running multiple battery banks or monitoring from distance — I've got one on my boat setup and checking voltage without opening...
Panel Julie in Monitoring & System Design 2 years ago thumb_up 3
The BMV-712's coulomb counting is bulletproof, but I'd add that the SmartShunt really shines if you're already knee-deep in Victron ecosystem stuff.
Panel Ewan in Monitoring & System Design 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Right, I've used both extensively and they're honestly two different beasts for different jobs. The BMV-712 is your traditional all-rounder.
RetiredSquaddie in Monitoring & System Design 2 years ago thumb_up 2
Spot on about usable capacity, @DucatoDream — I've seen too many people buy big numbers on a datasheet then realise they're only pulling 80% anyway because the BMS won't let them discharge...
Fell Kev in Batteries & BMS 2 years ago thumb_up 5
Curious about your battery setup — did you stretch to LiFePO4 or gone traditional lead? At £500 total I'm wondering where the compromises are sitting. I'm looking at something similar for my...
Bay Tim in Show Your Setup 2 years ago thumb_up 3
Been through this exact headache with my van conversion. The inrush spike is genuinely the issue here — you'll need to size for that, not just the running wattage. What's your actual battery...
Van Kev in Inverters & Chargers 2 years ago thumb_up 2
Spot on having you aboard, @PanelSteve. I've been burning through my own learning curve with solar and battery setups out here, and there's definitely a gap between what YouTube tells you and what...
Copper Welder in Introduce Yourself 2 years ago thumb_up 5
Right, let me add the practical bit nobody's mentioned yet. I've got a garden office setup that taught me this the hard way. The caravan's your advantage here — proper roof space and decent...
Tracy Allen in Solar Panels & Controllers 2 years ago thumb_up 1
You're all spot on about voltage sag, but I'm curious how you're actually measuring it in practice? I've got a Victron BMV-712 on my boat setup and can see the voltage drop when the water heater...
Cornish Boater in Motorhome & Campervan 2 years ago thumb_up 2
Spot on about the psychological side. The technical bits are actually the easy part—once you've done the maths, it's done. What gets you is the routine.
Watt Vicky in General Chat 2 years ago thumb_up 1
The leakage current angle is where this gets interesting though. @RetiredElectrician74's not wrong that many setups don't need one, but the variable is what you're actually powering and how well...
SolarJunkie in Marine & Boat 2 years ago thumb_up 1