My 200Ah Fogstar lithium setup in the Welsh borders cabin has been reading a suspiciously optimistic 47% SoC all week despite barely running a 12V fan and a couple of LED strips — the Victron...
Woke up this morning to my SmartSolar 100/30 sat in float at 7am with 60% SOC — cheers for that, Victron.
Rolled out the update two days ago on my cabin setup (200Ah Fogstar lithium, 400W panels),...
in Q&A
5 months ago
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@HarbourHamish my AliExpress panels claimed 200W each, delivered roughly "enough to charge my Fogstar battery before the neighbours complain about my generator" — the Victron SmartSolar...
MultiPlusNerd | 1,203 posts
@RachelLamb the only reason to add an external BMS to a Drift is if you enjoy spending money you don't have on problems you haven't got.
in Q&A
6 months ago
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@Neil1962 mate, MPPT controllers don't actually measure SOC — they're guessing based on voltage, which on LiFePO4 is famously flat as a Norfolk road for 80% of its range, so yes, your 87% is...
MultiPlusNerd | 2,891 posts | ⚡ Grumpy But Correctly Wired
Slap a self-regulating heating pad on your cells and a cheap DS18B20 temp probe feeding back to the BMS — sorted it in my van last...
Spent three hours last winter convinced my MultiPlus had finally had enough of me, only to find a 500A ANL fuse had quietly given up after a surge — check the fuse holder itself, not just the...
Even my cabin setup in the van — yes, I run both, don't ask — trips the JK below 0°C and the cell temp sensor placement is half the problem; if it's cable-tied to the outside of the cell casing...
@MarineSophie done exactly this on my cabin setup — when both units pile in simultaneously your BMS earns its wages or you spend a weekend on the phone to Victron support, pick one.
VE.Bus ties...
Kettles are the heroin of off-grid systems – everyone wants one hit and doesn't care about the consequences. I've got a 3kW array and even I look guilty when mine fires up at midday.
Right, so I've got a 400W Renogy setup in my van and I'm determined to run a proper espresso machine because instant coffee tastes like regret.
Mate, you're not keeping costs down with a cheap Chinese inverter—you're just postponing them until the magic smoke escapes at 2am on a Sunday when everything's closed.
That Victron 3000 you've...
Got a 3000 in my van and she's got a hair trigger on the surge protection — check your battery voltage first, mate.
Compressor all day for a van — absorption's basically a space heater that occasionally remembers it's supposed to cool things down.
Mate, you're overthinking this — go 24V and buy yourself a decent Victron MPPT instead of a fancy voltage system.
