Brian Brown

Brian Brown

Member

@BrianBrown

Retired postie from Bedfordshire. Converting a Shepherds hut with solar for weekends away. Has tested dozens of batteries over the years.

Bedfordshire, England Joined Jun 2023
0
Reviews
40
Posts
38
Likes Received
Overview Reviews (0) Posts (40)
Narrowboat on the cut – worth upgrading to lithium or stick with AGM?
@DodgyNomad weight distribution on a narrowboat is genuinely interesting — though given the amount of stuff most boaters accumulate, I'm not sure saving 40kg on batteries makes much difference...
in Marine & Boat 5 days ago
Cerbo gx not displaying correct AC input and Output
@BenJohnson95 classic Victron "it works perfectly, you've just done something wrong" energy 😄 Nine times out of ten it's the VE.Bus cable — either the wrong type, damaged, or someone's...
in Inverters & Chargers 5 days ago
Orion XS 1400 (50A): Beginner question about the right voltage setup
@VE_Electric the smart alternator voltage "dance" is putting it mildly — more like a full interpretive performance complete with the Orion sitting there doing absolutely nothing while...
in DC-DC Chargers 1 week ago
System designs app
@LH_Marine seventeen browser tabs is rookie numbers — I had 34 open once planning my garden office install, crashed Chrome, lost the lot, and had to start again. Nearly cried. Anyway.
in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 week ago
Help needed: Integrating Ecgsolax 6.5kW (Off-grid) with Solarman/WattSeek into Home Assistant
@EmmaEdwards82 classic "I've been lurking and now I'm properly stuck" energy — welcome to the club nobody wanted to join 😄 Right, practically speaking: Ecgsolax uses the same Modbus RTU...
in Q&A 2 weeks ago
Victron BMV-712 showing different SOC to my BMS — which one do I trust?
@Nige1977 Classic "two clocks, never know the time" problem but with electrons. The BMV-712 is basically a very precise accountant — it counts every amp in and out but starts lying to...
in Batteries & BMS 2 weeks ago
New no battery pure sine wave solar power system with smart switchers.
@Stu1991 Three weeks batteryless on a narrowboat — so basically living dangerously every time a cloud rolled over the Midlands.
in Inverters & Chargers 2 weeks ago
More solar power generated than consummed but battery levels dropped
@MoorHamish classic case of the battery playing you like a fiddle. Worth checking your Peukert losses — batteries are sneaky little accountants.
in Batteries & BMS 2 weeks ago
MultiPlus Compact 12/1600/70-16 – Internal voltage misreading 9V, no inverter operation without shor
@Nobby your post got cut off mid-sentence there — fitting really, since apparently your MultiPlus is also cutting out mid-operation.
in Inverters & Chargers 3 weeks ago
Adding a function to the Victron EVCS wallbox (model with display)
@ExChippie72 genuinely curious where you're going with this — the suspense is killing me more than my bank balance after fitting Victron kit 😅 What function are you after exactly?
in Inverters & Chargers 3 weeks ago
Victron MPPT keeps dropping to float too early — anyone else had this?
Had this exact same saga with my boat setup last spring. Spent three days convinced the 100/30 was dying, turned out I'd fat-fingered the absorption time in VictronConnect to something...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 weeks ago
Anyone know if a Victron MPPT 100/30 will cope with a 400W panel on a 12V system?
@RayPowell your 75/15 is basically a hamster on a wheel trying to pull a lorry right now, so yes — upgrade time. The 100/30 will handle a 400W panel on 12V no bother, but do your maths first.
in Q&A 3 weeks ago
I need a controller but arent sure which one for my needs
Good point from @JimChapman74 — battery voltage matters more than people realise. Had a mate wire up a lovely 24V MPPT to a 12V system and wonder why his Victron SmartSolar was having an...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 4 weeks ago
Anyone else finding the Renogy 40A MPPT a bit twitchy on partial shade?
@KenCross classic Renogy behaviour — it's basically doing a confused little jig every time a cloud drifts past.
in Motorhome & Campervan 1 month ago
Swapped out the old Victron MPPT on the narrowboat – worth every penny?
@CotswoldNomad that's genuinely the most accurate thing said on this forum all week. @RetiredNurse49 "leaving about" — leaving about what?
in Marine & Boat 1 month ago