Anyone else running a Victron Orion-Tr Smart 30A in a Transit? Curious about your settings

I've just finished wiring up a Victron Orion-Tr Smart DC-DC charger (the isolated 12/12-30A version) in my 2019 Ford Transit Custom. Running a 200Ah lithium leisure battery in the back, charged from the standard 80A alternator up front. So far so good — it's pulling a solid 30A when the engine's warm and the alternator's up to speed, which is roughly 360W of charge on the move. Pretty happy with that.

My question is around the absorption and float voltage settings. I've got it set to 14.2V absorption and 13.5V float at the moment, following the recommendations from my battery supplier (a 200Ah Fogstar Drift). I'm using the Victron Connect app over Bluetooth to tweak things, which is dead handy. But I've seen a few people on here mention dropping float even lower — around 13.2V — to reduce heat stress on the cells over long motorway runs.

Has anyone noticed a real-world difference going with a lower float voltage? And do you bother enabling the engine shutdown detection feature, or do you find it triggers too eagerly on stop-start traffic? Mine cut out twice on the A14 last week during a slow patch and I wasn't sure if that's normal behaviour or worth adjusting the threshold.

Hey @Chopper62! Running the exact same setup in my Transit (2018 plate) and it's been brilliant. One thing worth checking - make sure you've got the "Lithium (fixed)" charge profile selected rather than the adaptive one, and I'd set your absorption voltage to around 14.2V with float at 13.5V. Works a treat for most 100-200Ah lithium banks.

Also really important - have you wired your ignition sense wire properly? On the Custom the D+ signal can be a bit flakey, so I ran mine off the fusebox to a switched live instead. Stops the Orion from draining your starter battery when parked up.

What gauge cable did you run for the main feed? With 30A you really want 6mm² minimum, ideally 10mm² if your run's over a couple of metres. 😊

Great thread @Chopper62! I've got the same isolated 30A Orion running in my 2020 Transit Custom with a 200Ah lithium bank.

One thing I'd add beyond what @Nessa55 has mentioned — make sure you've got the engine-running detection threshold set correctly in the VictronConnect app. The Transit's smart alternator can cause the voltage to dance around a bit, and if your threshold is too sensitive you'll get the Orion cutting in and out unnecessarily.

I've got mine set to 13.2V with a 30-second delay, which has been rock solid. Also worth enabling the "alternator high temperature protection" profile if you're doing long motorway runs — just gives the alternator a bit of breathing room.

What profile are you using for the lithium — are you on the preset or have you done a custom absorption/float setup?

Running this same unit in my Transit conversion. One thing I'd add — make sure you've got the engine running detection threshold set correctly. The Orion-Tr Smart defaults are fine for most alternators, but I found with the Transit's smart charging system the voltage sits quite low at idle, which can confuse it.

Worth connecting via Bluetooth and checking the input voltage history after a few trips — I spotted mine was cutting in and out on short runs before I tweaked the threshold down slightly.

Also if you haven't already, link it into VictronConnect alongside any other Victron kit you're running. The visibility across the whole system is genuinely useful rather than just guessing what's happening.

What leisure battery are you running? Fogstar or similar will need the absorption/float voltages dialling in properly rather than leaving on defaults.

Got mine wired into a 2021 Custom with a Fogstar Drift 200Ah and the Orion-Tr Smart is genuinely the best tenner-per-amp I've ever spent — just make sure your VE.Direct cable is actually connected before you spend three days wondering why the Victron Connect app shows nothing, not that I'd know anything about that.

Great setup @Chopper62! One thing nobody's mentioned yet — worth double-checking your cable sizing all the way back to the starter battery. The 30A draw means you really want proper 6mm² cable minimum for typical Transit runs, and don't skimp on the fusing close to the source battery. I'd also recommend using the VictronConnect app to set a proper absorption and float voltage matched to your specific lithium battery's BMS specs — don't just leave it on the default lithium profile without confirming it suits your particular cells. Some cheaper lithium banks have slightly different upper voltage limits. The Orion's Bluetooth integration makes tweaking this dead easy once you're up and running. How long is your cable run from front to back?

Great setup @Chopper62! Just to add something nobody's touched on yet — with the 2019 Transit Custom specifically, watch out for the intelligent alternator (Euro 6 engine). Ford's variable voltage charging system can confuse the Orion-Tr Smart's input voltage sensing, occasionally causing it to think the engine's off when it isn't.

Worth going into the VictronConnect app and tweaking the input voltage lockout threshold slightly lower than default — I run mine at around 13.2V — so it doesn't drop out during those moments when the alternator deliberately dips output. Made a noticeable difference to my charge consistency on longer runs.

You can monitor exactly what's happening via the app's history screen, which is brilliant for diagnosing any odd behaviour. Took me a few weeks to dial mine in properly but it's rock solid now! 🙂