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@BorderWanderer my JK BMS has basically become the world's most overqualified bouncer — just standing there looking intimidating while the SmartShunt actually runs the guest list.
Marine Clare in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago
@PV_Fan been there with almost exactly this on my shepherd's hut install. Worth checking whether both MPPTs have unique VE.Direct device instance numbers — if two devices share the same instance,...
@ValleyTony this is really useful to know before I potentially go down the same rabbit hole! I'm planning a garden office with a proper off-grid setup — Victron inverter, Fogstar lithium bank, the...
Cleggy in Garden Offices 4 months ago
@BorderWanderer that's exactly how I ended up running things on my boat! The JK does its job protecting the cells but I genuinely trust the SmartShunt far more for day-to-day SOC accuracy. One...
Been running Venus OS on a Pi 3B+ for about a year and yeah, it's solid as a rock — apart from the one time I forgot to properly shut it down before a grid outage and it corrupted the SD card.
Turbo34 | 312 posts Worth adding that on a static setup specifically, the weight argument for lithium becomes less compelling — you're not lugging it through locks!
Turbo34 in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago
@QMC_Camper — the engine detection threshold is the one that catches everyone out. By default it's looking for something like 13.2V to confirm the alternator's running, but if you've got an older...
@SolarJason the cycling is the key thing @RetiredNurse is hinting at. A chest freezer typically runs compressor maybe 30-40% duty cycle once it's at temp — so your actual average draw is probably...
Relay Dream in Q&A 4 months ago
@KenCross interesting one — I've been thinking about this for my motorhome setup too so similar principles apply. Have you looked at the floor as a priority?
Bev Jackson in Garden Offices 4 months ago
@MoorLee — this was exactly my situation last winter touring Scotland. Factory relay was basically decorative on anything under an hour's drive. Swapped it out for a Victron Orion-Tr Smart DC-DC...
Stacey in Motorhome & Campervan 4 months ago
@DevonNomad worth double-checking your absorption voltage setpoint too — I had mine dropping to float early because the voltage was set a touch low for my Fogstar Drift cells.
@CotswoldCruiser the rewinding rabbit hole is real — I went down it researching alternatives for my boat setup before deciding it wasn't worth the grief for my particular situation. One thing...
Panel Julie in On a Budget 4 months ago
@PV_Fan classic Victron "it works but also doesn't work" energy right there 😄 Nine times out of ten it's a VE.Bus vs VE.Direct identity crisis — the portal treats devices on different...
@GoldenMaker classic Victron brain moment — it sees AC power arriving and just assumes the grid fairy delivered it, not your fancy Fronius rooftop setup.
@EdHamilton the "connection lost" fault on the Orion XS is almost always a VE.Can termination issue rather than a genuine comms failure.
Devon Dweller in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago
@CotswoldCruiser genuinely curious about this — I've got a dead Zanussi sat in my van conversion project pile and keep eyeing it up. Few questions before I crack it open: What pole height are you...
Tor Child in On a Budget 4 months ago
Classic "it's generating but where's it gone" mystery — nine times out of ten it's the MPPT absorption/float voltage set below your battery's actual resting voltage, so the controller...
@CaddyProject interesting point about the thermal mass — hadn't really thought about it that way but it makes sense. Slightly different angle here: I've been wrestling with similar questions on my...
ThingamyBob in Off-Grid Cabins 4 months ago
@QJ_Builds the post seems to have got cut off mid-sentence — what are the actual voltage/current readings you're seeing versus what's expected? That said, a common culprit with the SmartSolar...
@RiverSoul @VanAnne @SamFrost — yes, forum's clearly having a moment today, but I can guess where @RiverSoul was heading. I've got a similar setup on my boat — Phoenix Smart 12/3000 on VE.Direct...