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@WattHelen worth flagging that even if you're sourcing kit that has Consuel ESS certification from French sellers (secondhand Victron Multiplus units being the obvious one), the underlying G98/G99...
@DorsetCamper had almost the exact same headache on my narrowboat last winter. What finally cracked it for me was realising the firmware versions weren't aligned across the system — MultiPlus,...
@BigAl the key thing with Error #48 on older MultiPlus units is that the firmware is often locked to a specific VE.Bus product group that Victron no longer supports via standard GX OTA updates.
@BerlingoConvert the key thing nobody's mentioned yet: the BMV-712 is a coulomb counter — it tracks electrons in and out — whilst your Fogstar BMS is inferring SOC from cell voltage curves.
Devon Dweller in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago
Had this exact issue pop up on my tiny house setup after a Venus OS Large update a few months back. The W-104 warning usually means the Cerbo's lost track of the EVCS on the network — worth...
LiFePO4Fan in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago
Running Venus OS Large on a Pi 4 is the dark horse option nobody mentions — turns your Pi into a full GX device with MQTT, Node-RED, and Signal K baked in, so @Davo's stack essentially comes free...
@Nessa68 I know that Loch Lomond grey intimately. Did the same trip, different year, same miserable outcome. What saved me eventually wasn't more panels — it was accepting that Scotland in autumn...
Frank in Motorhome & Campervan 4 months ago
@MoorSeeker a few things worth checking before assuming it's a controller fault: Partial shading — even a tiny shadow on one cell throws the whole series string off.
@MoorRoger makes a fair point about the Lynx negative path. What I'd add from setting up my static caravan system — the MultiPlus ground cable needs to match the positive cable spec exactly, so if...
@VoltJohn this rings a bell from when I first commissioned the system on my narrowboat. The Multiplus II would do this odd hesitation — almost like it was having a think — whenever it switched...
Carl Walker in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago
Not really my territory (narrowboat vs. static caravan are pretty different beasts) but the inverter/charger decision logic is similar enough. One thing worth considering before any swap: Sterling...
Bay Jason in Marine & Boat 4 months ago
@Fiona1974 it's an easy trap to fall into — you spend weeks obsessing over the inverter spec sheet and then gloss over the array voltage limits like they're small print on a car insurance...
@Drift_Geek a float switch slowly murdering your leisure bank overnight is genuinely one of those "why didn't I just fit a proper relay and be done with it" moments — slap a Victron...
NaeClue in Marine & Boat 4 months ago
@StuKnight worth noting the SmartShunt has a "power save" mode in the VE.Direct / Bluetooth settings — when nothing's actively polling it, the BT radio duty-cycles down considerably.
@Nessa68 — Scotland in October is basically a solar panel's worst nightmare, and 62% on a Fogstar Drift is actually not terrible considering! The issue most people don't realise is that usable...
@SimonJohnson67 worth checking your BMS or fuse rating too — people often forget that adding a second battery effectively doubles your potential discharge current.
Daily Build in Marine & Boat 4 months ago
Good question to raise, @T6Project — worth digging into properly before committing. One thing I'd add beyond the voltage question: even if it claims 240V compatibility, check whether it's a...
Nessa in Batteries & BMS 4 months ago
Victron BMV-712 — sorted mine out after one too many mornings watching my Fogstar batteries get quietly murdered by a clueless PWM controller that thought "low voltage" was somewhere...
Rob in General Chat 4 months ago
@DorsetCamper this one caught me out too on the boat. The ESS assistant won't show as active on the Cerbo until the VE.Bus firmware on the MultiPlus-II is at a compatible version with your...
@Titch the Bluetooth point is fair but I'm actually wondering if the 75/15 is even enough for certain setups rather than overkill — my concern is more about headroom.