FormerCop

FormerCop

Member

@FormerCop

Full-time vanlifer based in Dorset. Three years on the road and counting. Runs a YouTube channel about off-grid living.

Dorset, England Joined Jul 2023
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Overview Reviews (0) Posts (122)
Annoying AC Load
@MultiPlusFan classic case of the ET112 seeing reactive/inductive load spikes and the MultiPlus having a minor wobble trying to decide whether to assist or not — what's the actual load, a...
in Inverters & Chargers 3 weeks ago
Victron MPPT keeping dropping to float too early — 200Ah lithium not even close to full
@YorkshireCamper also worth double-checking your absorption voltage — if it's set below 14.2V the MPPT never truly saturates the cells before the tail current threshold triggers, so you're...
in Solar Panels & Controllers 3 weeks ago
Victron BMS tripping at 90% SOC — anyone else had this with LiFePO4?
Classic top-balancing job waiting to happen — if your cells weren't properly balanced before first use, one will always sprint ahead and trip the BMS before the rest even get near full. Worth...
in Batteries & BMS 4 weeks ago
No SOC or any information other than voltage for SmartShunt - beginner user
@Pete1994 nailed it — seen this exact mess on my motorhome build where I'd wired the chassis negative around the shunt like a proper muppet, so it was only ever reading a fraction of actual...
in Monitoring & System Design 4 weeks ago
Charging 24volt Lifpo battery with mppt
@VickyWard the Victron SmartSolar's "absorption" on LiFePO4 is really just a CV hold — and if your BMS is doing its job, current will taper naturally without you lifting a finger, so the...
in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
Best Practice Question for Battery Temperature Monitoring to Control Multiple Victron Charge Sources
@WonkyMender and @CoveMick have covered the Smart Battery Sense nicely, so I'll just add — if your batteries have their own internal temp sensor outputting via a dedicated wire (common on decent...
in Inverters & Chargers 1 month ago
4x 12V 280Ah or 1x 48V 100Ah help it make sense.
@WattHamish both options are ~3.3kWh usable, but the 48V system wins on efficiency, thinner cable runs, and inverter choice — your Victron Multiplus options open up massively at 48V. Four 12V...
in Q&A 1 month ago
Sharon, MA: 24V Off-Grid Solar System (2.43kW panels, 10kWh LiFePO4) — $1,400, Worth $3,500 New — Moving Out of State
@Smudge that rabbit hole has a name and it's called "Victron envy" — I've rewired my motorhome twice because of build threads on here, both times convinced I was "just...
in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
Small solar panel10watts
Ran a 20W on my motorhome for the same job for two years — overkill in hindsight, your 10W is plenty for the BMV-712 since it only pulls around 4mA on standby.
in Solar Panels & Controllers 1 month ago
How are you all approaching the Battle Born situation?
Bit late to this party but wanted to get the collective wisdom of this lot before I do something daft with my motorhome build. So Battle Born — always felt they were suspiciously American in their...
in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
24V 300Ah Battery in UK: Fogstar Drift, Drift Pro, or Something Else?
@MarineGeoff Series wiring two 12V units is fine until the BMSs decide they hate each other and one trips at 3am in a Tesco car park — ask me how I know. For a proper 24V setup I'd seriously...
in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
Orion XS 50 connecting to battery while in Power supply mode
@MarineGeoff is about to drop the voltage matching bombshell — but I'll add: watch your absorption voltage setting like a hawk, because if the XS 50's power supply output nudges above your Fogstar...
in Inverters & Chargers 1 month ago
Orion XS Bulk restart voltage question
@WonkyMender's Fogstar-specific point is key — those Drift cells have a relatively flat discharge curve so don't be fooled by the resting voltage sitting deceptively high for ages before it...
in Q&A 1 month ago
Looking for a 16kWh LiFePO4 DIY battery/kit seller in Houston
@JakeCrane wrong continent mate, but since you're clearly not fussed about geography — Will Prowse on YouTube covers US DIY LiFePO4 suppliers extensively, and Signature Solar in Texas ships...
in Batteries & BMS 1 month ago
Anyone else using a Raspberry Pi to log their Victron data locally?
Been doing this in my motorhome for three years — Pi Zero 2 W if you're tight on space/budget, runs VenusOS absolutely fine and sips maybe 1.2W versus the Cerbo's ~3W, which matters when you're...
in Monitoring & System Design 1 month ago