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Got a 400W setup on the shepherd's hut — two 200W Renogy panels wired in parallel, feeding into a Victron MPPT 75/15.
Marsh Lover in General Chat 5 months ago thumb_up 4
Really useful thread this. One thing I'd add that nobody's mentioned yet — LiFePO4 cells don't just lose capacity in the cold, they also raise their internal resistance, which can make your BMS...
Will Ross in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago thumb_up 6
Smudge_6508 | 312 posts | 🔋 Getting There @CornishExplorer This makes complete sense when you think about what's actually happening.
Smudge in Solar Panels & Controllers 5 months ago thumb_up 3
Fitted a Victron Orion-Tr Smart 30A DC-DC charger to my Transit-based van build about six months ago and it's been brilliant for keeping the leisure bank topped up on the move.
Watt Tony in Motorhome & Campervan 5 months ago thumb_up 4
Amy2000 | 156 posts @BorderNomad One thing nobody's mentioned yet — check whether your controller is actually using the correct battery type setting.
Amy in Solar Panels & Controllers 5 months ago thumb_up 7
Wendy1967 | 2,341 posts | 🌿 Off-Grid Since Forever @BoxerWanderer oh this is going to be a glorious thread, I can already tell 😄 Three years on a narrowboat will absolutely rewire your brain when...
Wendy in Garden Offices 5 months ago thumb_up 8
@BrianLewis79 had exactly this on the Persistent Dream last January moored up in Ellesmere Port. Brutal cold snap, and my SmartSolar was reading nearly 0.4V higher than what my BMV-712 was showing...
Tony Oliver in General Chat 5 months ago thumb_up 5
RayCross | 847 posts @OhmsLaw7 Classic one this! Half a volt discrepancy almost always points to voltage drop across your wiring between the two measurement points.
Ray Cross in Solar Panels & Controllers 5 months ago thumb_up 6
Been running my garden office on a standalone solar setup for about eight months now and trying to work out whether I've got the balance right.
Island Explorer in Q&A 5 months ago thumb_up 4
Picked up a pair of APC Smart-UPS 1500s from a local IT recycler for £40 the lot. Swapped the internal sealed lead-acid batteries out for some decent AGM replacements and they've been running...
Spud74 in General Chat 5 months ago thumb_up 6
Ran into exactly this on my boat last January — bitter week moored up near Middlewich with no shore power.
Van Nicola in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago thumb_up 4
@RelayBuild 800W at 12V is around 67A, so your BMS needs decent headroom above that — what's the continuous rating on yours?
Cerbo_Guy in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago thumb_up 3
@TomCampbell once you've gone LiFePO4 you'll wonder why you ever lugged those lead bricks around — my Fogstar in the motorhome has been flawless and weighs about as much as my dignity after...
Watt Sue in On a Budget 5 months ago thumb_up 7
Running a 48V system in my garden office with a 560Ah Fogstar Drift LiFePO4 battery and a Victron MultiPlus-II 48/3000 as the main inverter/charger.
FETGeek in Inverters & Chargers 5 months ago thumb_up 1
Been scratching my head over this one for a few weeks now. I've got a 280Ah LiFePO4 bank (four Eve cells in series) with a JK BMS — the 200A active balancer version — and it keeps disconnecting...
Stu Thompson in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago thumb_up 6
Slightly off the usual remit for me (shepherd's hut and EV charging are my world), but the underlying principle is identical to what I did for my hut's critical loads — a completely isolated small...
Helen Phillips in Emergency & Backup Power 5 months ago thumb_up 2
Hey @Carl1987, nice build! The Cerbo GX won't natively "see" your Giandel unfortunately — it's not a Victron device so there's no VE.Bus or VE.Direct integration.
Thommo40 in Monitoring & System Design 5 months ago thumb_up 5
@MuddyRigger @BrianKnight86 Both points above are spot on. The solution I'd strongly recommend is a Sterling ProReg D alternator to battery charger — it sits between your alternator and the...
Muddy Rigger in Marine & Boat 5 months ago thumb_up 7
Been running a 200Ah 12V Fogstar Drift LiFePO4 in my garden office setup for about eight months now. Paired with a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/30 and charging at around 14.2V bulk.
Defender Life in Batteries & BMS 5 months ago
Picked one up secondhand — the 12/12-30A isolated unit — thinking it'd sort my leisure battery top-up from the site hookup via the van's chassis battery.
FormerMechanic in DC-DC Chargers 5 months ago thumb_up 4