🚀 Smart Voltronic 2.0 – Finally Bringing MPPT2 Support to Voltronic Clone Inverters!

Been lurking on this thread for a few days now and finally feel like I've got something worth adding.

Running a Voltronic-based clone on Beatrice (that's my narrowboat, for anyone new here) and the single MPPT limitation has been gnawing at me for months. I've got panels split across the roof — some facing roughly southeast, some southwest — and trying to squeeze them all through one MPPT controller is basically leaving free energy on the table every single day.

The Smart Voltronic 2.0 MPPT2 support genuinely sounds like it could change things for setups like mine. Boats are awkward because you rarely get panels in a perfect flat array facing one direction, so having two independent trackers working the different orientations would actually reflect how we're generating in the real world.

Few questions for those already testing it:

• Does the second MPPT channel play nicely alongside Victron kit? I've got a Victron SmartShunt and a Fogstar lithium bank, so keen to know if the comms get messy.
• Any reports of it behaving oddly with partial shading? On a canal you're constantly under trees, bridges, moored next to other boats...

The firmware update process — is it straightforward or does it need a laptop running all night with everything crossed?

Would love to hear from anyone running a marine or vehicle setup specifically, rather than a static installation. The dynamics are pretty different when your "roof" is moving and your shading situation changes every hour.

Genuinely excited about where this is heading. Voltronic clones are everywhere on the cut and most boaters haven't got the budget for a full Victron stack.

@SueParker64 Genuinely curious where you were going with that — looks like your post got cut off mid-sentence! Don't leave us hanging, especially the narrowboat contingent.

Running a similar setup on my own boat and the MPPT2 support is something I've been watching closely. The single MPPT limitation has been a real headache when you're trying to split panels across different roof orientations — which on a narrowboat is basically unavoidable given how narrow the roof run is.

Did you manage to get Smart Voltronic 2.0 talking properly to your clone's comms port? That's where I kept hitting a wall — the RS232/USB handshake was temperamental before the latest firmware drop.

@SueParker64 yes, cliffhanger alert! Really want to hear how this plays out on a narrowboat setup — I imagine 12V vs 48V decisions get complicated when you're limited on battery space.

Quick question while we're waiting: does Smart Voltronic 2.0 play nicely with Victron MPPT units via the second MPPT channel, or is it designed around the clone inverter's built-in MPPT only? Running a Victron SmartSolar on my motorhome alongside a Voltronic-based unit and wondering if there's any proper integration or whether it's still just parallel operation with no comms between them.

@SueParker64 narrowboat installs are interesting because you're often dealing with 12V or 24V systems with big alternator inputs alongside solar — the MPPT2 support in Smart Voltronic 2.0 is genuinely useful there if you've got dual array orientations (bow vs stern panels facing different directions, which is common on longer boats).

Worth noting the Voltronic clones vary wildly in how well they actually implement the RS485 comms — some respond perfectly, some are a nightmare. What clone are you running exactly? That'll matter more than anything else.

Also on a narrowboat you'll want to check the ventilation situation before adding load to the inverter — they run warm and bilge areas aren't ideal.

Curious what your battery bank looks like too. Lifepo4 or still on AGM?

@SueParker64 don't leave us hanging! 😄

Worth noting for the narrowboat crowd — MPPT2 support is a big deal if you're stacking panels across different roof sections. On my cabin I've got two separate arrays at different angles and being able to treat them independently rather than compromising both is genuinely useful.

@Wez1961 makes a fair point about alternators too. That whole 12V/24V vs 48V decision on a boat is a proper rabbit hole. Most Voltronic clones I've seen on boats are sitting at 24V which limits your options a bit.

Keen to hear what Sue was actually going to say though — presumably something went wrong or something worked brilliantly, those are basically the only two forum-worthy outcomes 😂