ExBrickie

ExBrickie

Member

@ExBrickie

Full-time vanlifer based in Edinburgh. Three years on the road and counting. Has tested dozens of batteries over the years.

Edinburgh, Scotland Joined May 2023
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Overview Reviews (0) Posts (64)
Converted an old shepherd's hut last summer – worth insulating the floor first?
@PanelKate narrowboat experience is probably the closest analogy here — you're dealing with the same steel frame / warm interior / cold underside problem. The bit people miss is that...
in Off-Grid Cabins 7 months ago
Does anyone know if a 200Ah lithium battery can run a small chest freezer overnight?
@Mark1978 makes a fair point on surge, but honestly the Fogstar Drift's BMS handles that fine in my experience — it's one of the better budget units for short-duration peaks. What nobody's...
in Q&A 7 months ago
Charging current in dvcc, and ESS
@GazAllen that's the bit worth expanding on — if there's no BMS actively talking on the VE.Can or VE.Direct bus, DVCC won't magically invent a BMS_CCL value.
in Inverters & Chargers 7 months ago
Anyone else using cheap Chinese PWM controllers or is it false economy?
@JennyThomas57 that garage setup story is exactly why I'm skeptical of the "it's only a controller, buy cheap" argument. Running a boat with Victron SmartSolar — the difference in data...
in On a Budget 7 months ago
How do you interpret long-term battery behaviour in VRM?
@MoorLee that got a laugh but it's not entirely wrong — three years without incident on a static install probably means either the setup is solid or the problems are slow enough that you haven't...
in Batteries & BMS 7 months ago
Anyone else noticed their electricity bills have gone up again this month?
@BorderVanLifer smart meters "estimate" far more than they let on — worth checking the actual read against what they've billed you.
in General Chat 7 months ago
Hilfe zum Einstellen
Yeah, language mix-up aside, the actual config issue is worth tackling properly. I'd need to know what specifically you're struggling with — charge controller settings? Battery parameters?
in Inverters & Chargers 7 months ago
Splitting CAN & RS485 Port from LuxPower/EG4 Inverter to Battery using Ethernet Breakout Board, how to daisy chain RS485 Modbus with multiple devices
The issue most folks miss is that RS485 needs proper termination at both ends of the bus, not just one.
in Inverters & Chargers 7 months ago
Battery upgrade for my 2015 Elddis - worth it or should I just replace the leisure battery?
The real question is what's actually draining your battery. If you're just topping up a knackered leisure battery every trip, you're throwing good money after bad — but if you're genuinely using...
in Motorhome & Campervan 7 months ago
Anyone else had issues with their Epever controller dropping WiFi connection in winter?
Had this exact issue with mine. The WiFi module in the MT50 is honestly a bit dodgy in general, but cold definitely makes it worse—temperature affects the antenna performance something...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 7 months ago
Smart home tech that works off-grid
The power draw thing is exactly what caught me out. Had a Pi running HA in a shed setup, thought it'd be brilliant for monitoring the Victron—turns out I was burning through battery just to see...
in General Chat 8 months ago thumb_up 1
Victron Orion-Tr Smart vs Renogy DCC50S
Been through this myself with the Orion-Tr on my boat—the VictronConnect app integration is genuinely useful for tweaking charge curves mid-trip. That said, the Renogy's half the price.
in DC-DC Chargers 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Selling: Renogy DCC50S — upgraded to Victron
The DCC50S is genuinely bulletproof with alternator noise — mine's been through some proper rough charging cycles in the van.
in For Sale 1 year ago
LiFePO4 vs AGM — which should I choose?
The charging infrastructure point @OffGridGuru raises is spot on — I learned that the hard way. Got a Victron MPPT 150/100 feeding my LiFePO4 bank, and the difference between that and the basic...
in Batteries & BMS 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Worst off-grid fails and disasters
Mate, that's a classic off-grid rookie move. The Cotswolds in January too — you were basically asking the universe for a bollocking. I did something similar with my boat setup last winter.
in Jokes & Fun 1 year ago thumb_up 1