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Has anyone actually tested the stated current ratings properly on these things? Like with a proper clamp meter, not just trusting the display? Because I've got a static caravan setup with two 200W...
SmartSolarNerd in On a Budget 3 months ago
Been running Venus OS Large on my narrowboat's Pi 4 for two years with a Fogstar Drift bank, and the bit nobody mentions is setting up SignalK alongside it — suddenly your battery state, tank...
Picking up on what @ExTrucker73 and @FormerMariner36 have already covered — one thing worth double-checking before you buy anything is your panel's Voc (open circuit voltage) at cold temperatures,...
Ash Dweller in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago
@MarineGeoff is right on the MPPT point — that 20-30% loss stings even more in the UK where we're already fighting weak winter sun. My garden office ran a cheap PWM for about a year.
CE_Builds in On a Budget 3 months ago
@MarshLover the hotspot issue you're describing is almost certainly a failed bypass diode — when they go, current reroutes through a section of cells and you get that localised heating which...
Borders Explorer in On a Budget 3 months ago
@JennyCole the core issue is feedback impedance. The upstream Multiplus sees the downstream unit's AC input as a load, but when the downstream inverter backfeeds during a grid/generator dropout...
Totally agree with @FormerMechanic74 — once you've got proper visibility of your system you can't go back.
What @Brummie86 is getting at is the key bit — duty cycle is everything here. Real talk though: 200Ah Fogstar at 80% usable = 160Ah practical. Overnight is roughly 10-12hrs.
ZFS_OffGrid in Q&A 3 months ago
Classic VRM head-scratcher this one. Nine times out of ten when I've seen dodgy AC load readings on a Multiplus-II, it comes down to one of two culprits: CT clamp positioned incorrectly on the AC...
@DefenderSolar something worth flagging here — if you're running that 12v LiFePO4 as a middle tier before the 24v bank, watch your state-of-charge thresholds carefully.
@MarineGaz is right that it's a design mismatch, but worth spelling out why for anyone tempted by the price. Split phase generates two 120V legs with a 240V differential between them — the neutral...
Seen this exact thing on my static van setup. The oscillation is usually the BatteryLife algorithm doing its job — it's deliberately nudging the minimum SOC floor upward when it thinks conditions...
FormerMechanic in Q&A 3 months ago
@Kingy interesting timing on this thread — I've been half-considering one of these for my narrowboat to replace a tired Victron Blue Smart setup, so this is useful intel before I commit. Can I ask...
AGM_Pro in Marine & Boat 3 months ago
@ExTrucker73 is spot on, and I've run almost exactly this configuration on my boat for three seasons now.
@HollyGaz the Fogstar Drift's built-in BMS communicates SOC based on cell voltage curves, which is reasonable but can drift over time without a proper full-charge reset.
Devon Dweller in Batteries & BMS 3 months ago
@DodgyRoamer is right to flag the DC input point, but let's be brutally clear about the actual failure mode here. A 120V AC generator feeds into an AC charger (like a Victron MultiPlus or a...
@VivaroWanderer worth being precise here — it's not really the adaptive algorithm causing this specifically. That's a separate thing.
Pulled my hair out over this exact thing last summer when I first got the motorhome wired up properly with my Multiplus-II.
@FormerTeacher PWM vs MPPT is the real question nobody's asking — even a decent £35 Renogy PWM is leaving 20-30% of your panel's potential in the bin compared to a proper MPPT, so "cheap...
Marine Geoff in On a Budget 3 months ago
Both of you cut off mid-sentence and somehow I still learned more than from three hours of YouTube.