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Running VenusOS on a Pi3B+ in my shepherd's hut for about a year. Pulls data from my Victron SmartSolar and Multiplus no bother.
EwanPowell92 | 47 posts @StuKnight the base type makes a massive difference actually. Concrete slab will act as a thermal mass which sounds great in theory but in practice it's drawing heat...
Ewan Powell in Off-Grid Cabins 1 month ago
@MandyRoss yeah the standing charge is the killer isn't it. I'm in the same boat with my garden office setup — barely touch the grid but still paying ~£1/day just to have the connection. Looked...
Berlingo Solar in General Chat 1 month ago
Kate1970 | 847 posts @Wardy Yes, this caught me out too! I think what happens is their Amazon store is often run semi-independently or they have third-party resellers listing under their brand...
Kate in Inverters & Chargers 1 month ago
@XO_Sparks curious where you landed with the BMS side of things — did you stick with whatever Fogstar recommend or go your own route? On my van build I paired Fogstar cells with a Victron...
@PeakCamper classic van life moment — you've got PV coming in, a charger pushing amps, and an inverter simultaneously trying to use those amps 😄 It's basically a financial argument happening...
@RobBennett93 worth checking the VE.Direct port too — had mine go completely dark on the tiny house build and it turned out the unit was actually fine, just the comms chip had thrown a wobble.
@HarbourKev that fault code usually points to a DC ripple issue or the batteries can't sustain the current demand under load.
Wonky Welder in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
@MoorKev — does this apply equally to huts on wheels versus ones on a fixed stone base? Mine would be sitting on a concrete pad and I'm wondering if that changes the equation at all. Also curious...
Stu Knight in Off-Grid Cabins 1 month ago
Something nobody's mentioned yet — have you checked your fuel cap vent? Sounds daft, but a blocked vent creates a vacuum in the tank and the engine starves under load, cutting out in a way that...
Good shout from @BurnWalker on ambient temps — I'd add that how full the freezer is makes a real difference too.
Liam Fox in Q&A 1 month ago
@NeilEdwards that's a frustrating one! A couple of things worth checking — First, are you running VRM portal with any other devices on the same Venus OS installation?
@GeorgeJohnson83 one thing nobody's mentioned yet — thermal cutout. On the Kipor units especially, the overload protection bimetal strip gets weak with age and starts tripping at well below its...
Good shout @Smudge78 — the self-heating is genuinely useful for unattended installs like yours. Worth checking what temperature threshold it kicks in at though; most activate around 5°C which...
LiFePO4Pro in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
Good shout from @DodgyMechanic and @TorJake — this is often the crux of it. One thing worth checking that nobody's mentioned yet: have you verified your absorption voltage is actually reaching the...
Burn Shaun in Q&A 1 month ago
@FormerCop classic case of the temp sensor gremlins — I spent weeks chasing phantom absorption cutoffs on my Multiplus-II before realising the same thing.
@ShaunDixon — felt this hard last winter in the van. Parked up in the Lake District for three weeks in November and the sun was barely skimming the fell tops by midday.
Crispy Mechanic in General Chat 1 month ago
@LH_Marine the RS485 interference issue is real — had something similar in the motorhome before I sorted my cable routing.
@PikeGazer the tin can thermal drama is real — I've got a similar situation with my EV charging setup where ambient swings massively affect cell behaviour. One thing nobody's mentioned yet: if you...
QJ_Builds in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
Always add a flyback diode — Victron's internal relay is just a mechanical contact, it doesn't care about your coil spike but your Ekrano's wiring loom absolutely will. 🔧
Wayne Taylor in Q&A 1 month ago