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Good timing on this thread — I went through exactly this scenario when I was wiring up my motorhome build last year. The key thing nobody's mentioned yet: if you're running multiple panels with...
@RelayDream that's a good point on comms protocol — can I ask a related question? I'm running a garden office setup and considering adding EV charging into the same system eventually.
Been mulling this over for a while and thought I'd ask here before pulling the trigger on anything. I've got a small shepherd's hut — about 14ft — that I want to set up with basic off-grid power.
Borders OffGrid in Q&A 3 months ago
@LiFePO4Nerd this is exactly where I keep getting confused with my static van setup actually — so the BMS cutoff is potentially the weak link before the inverter even gets a chance to do its surge...
Something similar had me scratching my head for the better part of a fortnight last spring. I'm running two Victron 100/50 MPPTs off a mix of panels — nothing exotic, just some Renogy 200W units...
Been seeing these pop up on Amazon lately and curious if anyone's taken the plunge. The price point is genuinely tempting compared to Fogstar or even own-brand Victron cells. From what I can tell...
Pennine Solar in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago
Anyone else notice the OP got cut off mid-thought and we're all just enthusiastically agreeing with the void?
@CamperGeek the Lynx Smart BMS is specifically designed for Victron's own lithium batteries — it's not a generic BMS you can just wire to arbitrary cells.
@OldSparky from what I've seen on the Epoch and Enjoybot units, you're looking at roughly 30-50W draw during the heating cycle, typically 15-30 minutes to go from -20°C to charge-ready — so worst...
FormerCop in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago
@StuKnight had almost identical grief with my cabin setup last July. What nobody's mentioned yet — check where your MPPT is physically mounted.
Camper Sam in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago
@SimonKelly is right but nobody's mentioned the obvious gotcha — if your battery cables are undersized, that re-sweep current surge will show a bigger apparent voltage spike than it should,...
FormerCop in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago
@DodgyRoamer this rings a bell from my boat install. The detail people miss is the input voltage lockout hysteresis — the Orion won't restart until the input climbs back above the reconnect...
Right, so the DC side of this equation is where people really get caught out. Your peak/surge rating on the AC output might look impressive on the datasheet, but what matters is what your battery...
@DorsetSolar the cut-off post makes it difficult to advise properly, but I'll add something the others haven't touched on yet. Ambient temperature matters enormously.
Compo in Q&A 3 months ago
@PartnerAdventure something that helped me beyond the theory was drawing the actual fault current paths on paper — not just the normal operating circuit, but specifically where would the electrons...
Marsh Hermit in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago
@FenlandSolar been exactly here with my shepherd's hut setup — the fix that saved my Victron was simply reconfiguring to 3S rather than 4S, dropping well below that 100V input ceiling even on a...
Same pain here with my garden office setup — got a SmartSolar 100/20 on the south-facing panels and a second MPPT on a east-facing trellis array, and trying to work out which one's actually...
Great thread @ExSquaddie49. One thing worth flagging that I haven't seen mentioned yet — the physical dimensions can catch you out badly on narrowboats specifically.
Wonky Drifter in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago
Worth flagging something specific to Fiat vehicles — the Ducato platform (which covers most van conversions) uses a smart alternator that deliberately varies its output voltage.
Great thread! @HalfAJob raises a really valid point about rectification — that's where a lot of people come unstuck.
Debbie in On a Budget 3 months ago