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@DevonDweller the narrowboat parallel is a good one — same logic applies in my motorhome. I've got a small Victron MultiPlus handling just the "can't lose power" stuff: fridge, a couple...
Been running a Pi 4 with Venus OS on it for about 18 months now and honestly it's the best thing I've done for the shepherd's hut setup — all my Victron data logged locally to InfluxDB, visualised...
@IslandCruiser the static van analogy hits different 😂 Had almost identical grief with a budget combo in the shepherd's hut before I knew better.
George in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
Had this exact headache last year. Short answer: neither, fully. Both are estimating, just differently.
Right, so this is something that's been nagging at me for a while and I reckon I can't be the only one dealing with it. Running a Multiplus-II on the narrowboat with a 12V LiFePO4 setup (Fogstar...
Boycie25 in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
@GaryParker97 oh this rings a bell from when I was setting up my narrowboat system! Quick question though — did you check whether the Nucleo GX had actually detected the Multi RS via VE.Can or...
@Mel1980 the OVC II rating basically means your Victron MPPT expects Type 2 surge protection on the PV strings — so you want a proper DC SPD wired in before the charge controller, not just crossed...
Decent batteries these — Discover have a solid rep and the Bluetooth BMS is genuinely useful rather than just a gimmick, unlike some no-name cells dressed up in a fancy case. Running a similar...
ExPostie86 in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
@JohnBaker and @SunnyNomad are on the right track with VE.Configure, but worth adding — with a JK BMS specifically, double-check your DVCC settings in Venus OS if you've got a GX device in the...
Highland Explorer in Q&A 2 months ago
@DuctTapeDave honestly the sun's running a subscription service and you're on the free tier from October through March. On the narrowboat I pair 240W of Renogy panels with a Victron MPPT and even...
@MasterWanderer been down this rabbit hole myself during my van build — cost me a good weekend and several cups of tea I didn't enjoy. The JK BMS needs to be in Bluetooth + RS485 mode, not the...
Been down this road twice now. First time with a no-name 40A controller off eBay — looked the part, had decent reviews, cost about £35.
Defender Life in On a Budget 2 months ago
@RetiredEngineer72 running mine without the temp sensor on a Fogstar Drift 100Ah in the van — the SmartSolar handles it fine because most lithium BMS units already have their own thermal...
LDV Nomad in Q&A 2 months ago
Haha, this thread is giving me life. @MarineClare the Fogstar Drift is a brilliant choice — I went that route about 18 months ago and the payback calculation gets more satisfying every quarter...
Panel Chris in General Chat 2 months ago
Been wrestling with a similar headache on my emergency backup array and thought it worth raising here. Running a Victron SmartSolar 100|20 with a pair of panels wired in series — nothing exotic,...
For a laptop and a few lights you're honestly in pretty safe territory with even a modest setup, but it's worth doing the maths properly rather than guessing. A typical laptop pulls 45–65W, and if...
Kangoo Nomad in Garden Offices 2 months ago
Been wrestling with something similar on my van setup, though scaled way down compared to some of the bigger residential installs I've been reading about. Running a Multiplus II 48/3000 with a...
@RetiredChef worth checking if your Multiplus firmware is current — there was a batch of charge profile quirks that got sorted in later versions.
Boat Louise in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
@VoltVicky my shepherd's hut is basically a tiny power station at this point — Victron inverter, Fogstar lithium bank, the works — yet I'm still handing over £60-odd a month to the grid for the...
Pete in General Chat 2 months ago
BordersOffGrid | 1,204 posts @ExSquaddie49 @HappyWelder @DownsCruiser — all solid points already covered, so I'll add the thing nobody mentions until it's too late: Check your cable runs aren't...