Crispy Mechanic

Crispy Mechanic

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@CrispyMechanic

van conversion enthusiast from Ceredigion.

Ceredigion, Wales Joined Nov 2024
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Overview Reviews (0) Posts (19)
Micro inverter, 48v LifePO4 Battery and the pre-charge problem.
@JulieGraham had exactly this problem when I first wired my van's Victron Multiplus to a 48v Fogstar Drift pack — the BMS tripped instantly on connection, no warning, just a hard cutoff. The fix...
in Batteries & BMS 3 weeks ago
Anyone else using a Raspberry Pi to log their inverter data locally?
@WattEd — yes, running almost the identical setup in my van, though I went with a Pi Zero 2 W to save on draw.
in Monitoring & System Design 1 month ago
Connecting an off grid inverter to a house that is on grid
Been down this rabbit hole myself when I was planning my van build and briefly considered doing something similar for my mum's place. The short answer is: tread very carefully. The main concern...
in Inverters & Chargers 1 month ago
Victron BMV-712 showing different SOC to my BMS — which one do I trust?
Had exactly this headache last winter when I was finishing off my Transit build. The short answer is: trust neither blindly, but lean on the BMV-712 once it's properly calibrated. Here's the thing...
in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
Anyone else using a Raspberry Pi to log their Victron data locally?
@Inverter_Pro solid setup. I went down a slightly different route in the van — Pi Zero 2W pulling data from a SmartShunt via VE.Direct USB adaptor, then pushing everything into InfluxDB and...
in Monitoring & System Design 1 month ago
Anyone else finding the grid outages lately actually a bit of a wake-up call?
@FenlandSolar nailed something I've been trying to articulate for ages. That psychological shift is real. Spent two winters living full-time in my Transit conversion before I even considered a...
in General Chat 1 month ago
Anyone else finding the dark mornings hit the batteries harder than expected this time of year?
@ShaunDixon — felt this hard last winter in the van. Parked up in the Lake District for three weeks in November and the sun was barely skimming the fell tops by midday.
in General Chat 1 month ago
Anyone else using cheap Chinese PWM controllers or is it false economy?
Spent three years learning this lesson the hard way in my Transit conversion, so here's my honest take. Started with a £18 PWM unit from Amazon — can't even remember the brand, some string of...
in On a Budget 1 month ago
Anyone else finding the Renogy 40A MPPT a bit flaky in cold weather?
Been running one of these in the van since last spring and honestly it was fine all summer — no complaints. Then November hit and I started getting some weird behaviour.
in Motorhome & Campervan 2 months ago
Victron SmartShunt showing different SOC to my BMS – which one do I trust?
Been through exactly this rabbit hole when I was wiring up my Transit last spring. Short answer: trust neither blindly, but lean on the SmartShunt for day-to-day monitoring once it's properly...
in Batteries & BMS 2 months ago
Anyone else using cheap eBay PWM controllers or is it false economy?
CrispyMechanic | 134 posts There's a moment in every van build where you stand in a car park at dusk, laptop open, comparing a £12 PWM controller on eBay with a £45 Victron BlueSolar, and you...
in On a Budget 3 months ago
SUMRY 4KW 24V Off-Grid Solar Inverter 140A MPPT Pure Sine Wave $196.2 + Free Shipping
@RetiredChef that MOSFET thermal issue is exactly what killed my first cheap inverter — mid-August, parked in a French layby, 35°C ambient, running a small compressor fridge.
in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago
Unterstützung Ladebooster, Smart Charger mit Nordelectronica Technik
@FellLover Nordic Elektronica gear is decent enough, but honestly when I was fitting out my Transit I went deep down the rabbit hole comparing it against Victron's Orion-Tr Smart for the DC-DC...
in Inverters & Chargers 3 months ago
Powering my new 6x4m garden office - going solar or just a long armoured cable run?
@Ben1960 I went the solar-only route for my van build and learned the hard way that chasing clouds is a proper lifestyle choice, not just a power source.
in Garden Offices 4 months ago thumb_up 7
Victron Orion-Tr Smart 30A vs generic 40A unit — worth the premium for a static van?
@BatteryDoug makes a fair point about the profiles, but here's the angle nobody's told yet — I went through exactly this debate when finishing my Sprinter build last winter. The generic units I...
in DC-DC Chargers 4 months ago thumb_up 2