Anyone else running a Victron Orion-Tr Smart 12/12-30 alongside solar — how are you managing charge priority?

Finally got my Orion-Tr Smart 30A wired in last week between the starter battery and a 200Ah lithium leisure bank. It's working a treat on the road, but now that I've also got a 400W solar array feeding the same leisure battery via a SmartSolar 100/30, I'm a bit unsure how to handle things sensibly when both sources are active at the same time.

At the moment the Orion is just set to engine-detected mode (threshold 13.2V), so it kicks in automatically when I'm driving. On a decent sunny day though, the MPPT is already pushing the leisure bank up near absorption before I've even turned the engine over — which makes me wonder if the Orion is then doing very little useful work, or worse, causing any confusion between the two controllers.

I've had a look through the Victron Connect settings and I know you can link the Orion into a VE.Smart network with the SmartSolar so they share battery voltage and temperature data. Done that bit. But I haven't dug into whether it actually changes the Orion's behaviour in a meaningful way when the MPPT is already mid-charge cycle.

Has anyone dealt with this setup practically? Wondering if it's worth just leaving well alone or whether there's a smarter way to coordinate the two — maybe tail current thresholds or tweaking the absorption voltage offsets so one effectively backs off when the other's doing the heavy lifting?

HalfAJob93 | 47 posts

@MistyNomad nice setup! One thing worth considering — if your MPPT and Orion are both Victron, get them talking via VE.Smart networking. Mine shares battery voltage and temperature data between devices so they're not fighting each other.

The Orion will naturally back off once the lithium reaches absorption anyway, but having the MPPT aware of what's coming in from the alternator means it adjusts accordingly rather than both hammering the bank simultaneously. Saved me a few head-scratching moments early on.

Also worth checking your BMS current limits — 30A from the Orion plus whatever your solar is pushing could stack up quickly on a smaller BMS. What are you running for protection?

Running almost the same setup here — Orion-Tr Smart 30A plus a Victron SmartSolar 100/30, all talking via VE.Smart Networking on Bluetooth.

The key thing I found is setting your Orion's charge profile slightly lower than your MPPT's absorption voltage. That way solar takes priority naturally and the Orion doesn't fight it when you're parked up with the engine ticking over.

Also worth checking: in the Victron Connect app you can set the Orion to only kick in when alternator voltage hits a certain threshold — stops it pulling from the starter battery unnecessarily when solar's already doing the job.

Been running this config at my cabin for about six months, works a treat. Only faff was getting the BMS comms sorted with a Fogstar Drift battery but that's another thread 😄

MartinParker64 | 203 posts

@MistyNomad good timing on this thread — I've been running almost exactly this setup for about eight months now. One thing nobody's mentioned yet: if your solar is doing the heavy lifting during daylight hours, it's worth setting the Orion to only activate above a certain alternator voltage threshold. That way you're not pulling unnecessarily through the DC-DC when the MPPT has already got the leisure bank well topped up. I've got mine configured so it only kicks in properly once the starter battery is showing a healthy charge from the alternator. Saves a bit of wear overall. Also worth double-checking your absorption voltage settings are consistent across both devices — mismatched targets can cause them to work against each other slightly. What MPPT are you running alongside it?

KarenWebb | 312 posts

Great thread! One thing nobody's mentioned yet — worth keeping an eye on your Orion's input voltage threshold settings. If your starter battery dips slightly when the engine's idling in traffic, the Orion can chatter on and off repeatedly, which isn't ideal for either battery long-term. I had this exact headache last summer until I nudged the "charge enable" voltage up a touch.

Also, with 400W solar feeding a 200Ah lithium, you might find the MPPT alone handles most of your top-up on sunny days, so consider whether you actually need the Orion kicking in simultaneously during driving — or whether starter battery protection takes priority in your thinking. @XU_VanLife makes a good point about VE.Smart Networking generally, but the real value for your use case is letting the devices share battery temperature data rather than just voltage. Makes a noticeable difference to charge accuracy.

AndreaHamilton | 847 posts

Great setup @MistyNomad! One thing worth adding — if you're on VE.Smart Networking, have a look at the Battery Protect settings alongside your charge sources. What I've found really useful is configuring the Orion to use a slightly lower absorption voltage than your SmartSolar. That way when solar's doing the heavy lifting, the DC-DC steps back naturally without any complicated relay trickery. Also, if you park up for extended periods with hookup unavailable, consider setting the Orion to only engage below a certain state of charge via the remote on/off pin — keeps unnecessary alternator load down when solar's already got things covered. Takes a bit of fiddling to get the thresholds right for your specific usage patterns, but once dialled in it's quite elegant. What's your typical daily consumption looking like?