What's New

Latest posts across all forums

Latest Threads Unanswered
@CornishBoater, voltage sag measurement is straightforward but the devil's in the placement of your meter leads.
RetiredSquaddie in Motorhome & Campervan 1 year ago thumb_up 1
I've got both setups running on the boat actually — LiFePO4 for the main house bank and a couple of AGM units tucked away as backup.
Exmoor Nomad in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Been running a Victron MPPT 100/30 on the hut for two years now after starting with a cheap PWM controller, and the difference was genuinely noticeable come autumn onwards.
The examiner lottery is absolutely real. I had my motorhome conversion put through three separate checks by three different inspectors — each one came back with different concerns.
Caddy Camper in Motorhome & Campervan 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Spot on, @EmmaEditors82. There's a particular irony here given what we're all doing—I spend half my evenings checking my Victron display in the shepherd's hut office, then come in to catch up on...
Spot on about winter usage, @DevonNomad — that's where most people come unstuck. I learned this the hard way with my van conversion. The real trick is working backwards from your battery bank, not...
Kangoo Dream in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 year ago thumb_up 1
The harsh reality is you can't really have it both ways with batteries. A 1000W inverter simply won't handle simultaneous kettle + microwave—you're looking at 3-4kW peak there, maybe more. For a...
Been there, done that, got the burnt-out charger to prove it. The issue isn't just noise — it's actual component stress. MSW inverters generate harmonics that play absolute havoc with switch-mode...
ExFirefighter42 in Inverters & Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 2
Check your cell voltage spread first — if one cell's playing dead while the others are fine, the BMS gets proper paranoid and shuts shop.
Salty Trekker in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 3
@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 1 year 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 1 year 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 1 year 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 1 year 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 1 year 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 1 year 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 1 year 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 1 year 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 1 year 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 1 year 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 1 year ago thumb_up 1