Most reacted posts

First, THANKS FOR REPLIES! Price is a big factor, but not frying things is an even bigger concern. QUESTION: wire size: I know I can’t drive the XS, or any 40a or 50a charger, anywhere near full power through my existing wiring. But if I were to limit the Orion XS (or Kisae, or Renogy...

This discussion appears to touch on my major concern of the following situation: A “high” voltage panel is feeding an MPPT controller. The controller is managing that high voltage and up-converting the amperage flowing into the battery. I assume while everything is working OK, the voltage...

I’ve been solar vanning for 4 years, which means I don’t know squat, seriously, but so far nothing has caught on fire, and only one melted wire. OP could provide a bit more info on what he is trying to power, and other aspects of his use case. I have no AC current, no inverter, no shorepower...

Just FYI, a year later. last spring, I did splurge for the 250w SunPower panel, and Battleborn (BB) 100ah LiFe, and scrimped on the controller: Victron 100/20. I upgraded a couple of switches to handle the higher voltage, but no change to topology. I retained the 2 “separate” string...

Newb answer probably worth less than $0.02: Isn’t there a toggle on the Bluetooth app to turn heat on or off? (Or is it just an indicator of on/off?) My 12v206ph is in transit from SOK, so what do I know. Typical me: buy first, then ask questions later.

I want someone with direct Renogy experience to answer Sea’s question. I don’t have direct Renogy experience. But what I “thought” was that there would be a “high” current positive wire, and maybe a “high” current neg (or chassis ground), which the actual charge current is passing through, but...

Gosh, I wish someone would reply (with an answer), unlike my reply with more questions. I have a single LiFePO on one string and 2x AGM’s on a second string. T-class has been a rat maze for me (I’m the rat)...with blade type, with at least 2 different physical sizes, and non-blade type, maybe...

Good food for thought, but let me dig deeper on 1 item…your “no” answer to the question about “small, cheap device” between ~48v solar panel and the CTEK. WHY couldn’t a Victron 48/12 (or 48/24) CONVERTER be inserted between the panel & the CTEK SOLAR input. These converters have adjustable...

i thought I mentioned I switched to my AGM string, and everything worked as normal. Phone call into Battleborn…LVM.

Bump. Between this and your subsequent KingSolar experience, it sounds like Amazon needs to police their sellers’ claims a bit better. I know these are old posts, but I was drawn to them because LenSun has a model with good form factor. Nonetheless, if their specs are bogus, why trust them…or...

Hmmm. I guess I will just have to see what happens when I get new panel and MPPT hooked up. Today: 160w (21.75 Voc) panel…~8.5a Imp Morningstar PWM controller (Prostar 15a) Proposed (to replace above): 250w (~52 Voc) panel….I just received but too cold outside to play with. ~6a Imp Victron...

I went down the wrong rabbit hole in a previous thread thinking my LiFePO battery had tanked in the cold, but then saw that a melted fuse/fuse holder might have caused the symptoms (It melted without completely blowing…allowing some current to pass….why I do not know, but it was a cheap...

Bump. I have a similar (or same???) question as Short Shot, and maybe I need the answer to be more blunt ?. I have a single 160w panel on roof of van. Vmmp is ~18.4, and Voc is 22.7. I just bought a 100ah battleborn to replace a 105ah AGM. My “older” Morningstar Prostar PWM does not have a...

Mike, I appreciate your responses. And Mr Sandal’s. Having some additional perspectives is invaluable!!! Any others?? Some advice will take time to sink in. I’ve been known to balk at certain advice, then agree later. One thing that has driven me toward 2 strings was the “advice” to not...

Mike said: “ Parallel all batteries , even lithium and AGM. This is a proven technique if you don't want to give up your AGM.” Mike, can you expand on this…or point to the discussion? This goes against what I’ve seen…in my limited research.

Thanks for reply. Um OK, sounds like you are OK with the general concept of MRBF’s at the batteries, and MIDI’s up near the controller (where I can easily check the fuse for “minor“ problems…leaving the MRBF’s for “catastrophic“ protection???) I was guessing at 80a, since it seemed that...

Thanks for reply. It just seemed most (or all) posts I‘d seen had bigger or more panels, meaning higher voltage, so no issue for them.

Thanks MrNatural. Is my scheme likely to blow the Victron MPPT? It seems like you are saying my loads would be safe.

This hits on one of my fundamental wiring questions: if I use the chassis as the return (negative “wire”), how does that affect this calculation? What “gauge” is the chassis? You used “round trip” distance (which I guess would be appropriate if both directions were via this wire size (isolated...

I spoke to BattleBorn, I have a few more tests to run tonight / tomorrow, but they seemed to acknowledge this could well be a problem with their battery.

Well, too much trouble to prove, but I think it does...or next best thing. There is a DPDT switch in my setup: either the BB is connected to the controller, or the AGM is…it’s one or the other. I’ve tested things on the battery side of that switch. At this point, I think the only thing I...

I had plans to include a diagram of my setup if/when I start a new thread, but got delayed (again). I’ve had it pencilled on paper for 5 years, but it needs cleanup before publishing, and a way to point to where I want to upgrade the fusing (the pencilled diagram didn’t note any of the original...

Hi Mike (& Mr Sandals). 1st thanks. For 6 yrs I’ve had solar in my camper van, and thought it was again time for some upgrades (it’s been “upgraded” 4 or more times…but this time may be more revolutionary vs evolutionary…or at least a major mutation. I live in this thing “full-time” for 3-...

I’m also trying to figure out what the real effect of a voltage drop is between starter battery/alternator and a DC-DC charger. Assuming enough voltage exists to keep the charger from going to sleep, is the downside merely less amperage on the output side of the charger? I could also relocate...

Well, remember, that was a “New question” just a day or so ago…it’s not like I’ve been thinking of doing that for weeks … it just popped into my brain as a possible workaround to ONE of the “negatives” to doing this high-voltage panel, so I thought I would ask. For all I knew, thousands of...

1st: apology. When I posted a response in a different thread, I mentioned the panel I was considering was the 3rd from the bottom: the SPR-X20-250-bulk. I failed to include that when I revised the text to create this thread. Mea Culpa. 2nd: apology. I just found the max solar input voltage...

well, I’ll delay things further researching T-class vs MRBF...both of which are far more robust than what I had before. Which brought me to this (attached). The question is, for 6ga wire, I’ve seen it is OK for ~100a, but @time2roll talked me down to 60a, OK, since I still never plan to get...

My first questions involve whether a high voltage panel makes sense in a 12v camper setup…whether it will provide the performance boost the numbers promise, or just cause new problems I don’t have today. I know there is another thread that seemed to focus on this, but my post there got no...

confused. I thought I was looking at quick trip, when I found these graphs. Wouldn’t slow-blo be even worse?

You asked about profiles: * Current Morningstar Prostar: see attached, note 3 modes for flooded, GEl, or sealed (AGM). I frequently see 14.3v +- occasionally 14.5 on the readout while in Absorption. My guess is this has to do with temp compensation. I’ve even seen higher when it tries to...

Is that a typo? +-41F ? I am close to buying 2x 100ah (+-41) 🤣

Maybe point me to a particular t-class brand/model/sku recommended for 6ga. I’ll probably get flamed for this too, most my wire is Home Depot THNN cable (Including the 6ga). I recently saw some Ancor marine, which appeared thicker/better. for fusing, we’re worried about ampacity, right? I...

@time2roll thanks for looking at previous diagram. Attached is a more “holistic” view, including load circuits and the “other“ charge controller…a CTEK d250s…older, no Lithium profile, but apparently the Battleborn BMS is able to handle it. apparently, once the BB is full, the BMS prevents...

Please point me to appropriate thread if this already discussed. I didn’t see it in cursory search. I have a camper van with single 100AH Battleborn LiFePO connected to things thru a Victron 100/20 MPPT Controller (which you can connect load through as well). It’s warm here now, but we’ve had...

I am revising my van setup. Without restarting the pizzing contest above, I could sure use some advice regarding a breaker / disconnect switch between the solar panel and the controller (“input” to the controller) BECAUSE I will be frequently switching the “output” from the controller between 2...

Sorry, I got “distracted“ by other “life” challenges. But, don't know if the battery healed itself, or if it’s just trying to fake me out, but installing a new fuse (on battery positive cable) has enabled/allowed battery to charge normally…I think. however, the controller showed solar voltage...

My takeaway from your advice (much appreciated) is that this “bigger”panel will help. Thank you. Hopefully there won’t be any huge gotchas when I contact the seller (these are “surplus,” or “closeout,” hopefully not worse than grade B”). If I could find them “new, grade A with SunPower...

Did some further testing. Resting voltage of the BattleBorn is ~13.3v, which is way too low, right? Turn on an incandescent bulb contained in the tire inflater (aka “compressor”), voltage drops to 12.0 or less, but light comes on. Turn the light off, attempt to start the inflater pump...

Is there a way to rectify? Or test? I might be able to discharge slowly (low draw), then recharge. Would that trick the BMS into allowing it to charge? I have assumed the BB BMS overrides anything the Victron tries to do to it (charge, discharge), but my switches disconnect the battery from...

unless advised otherwise, I am going to start a new thread…focused on getting help with proper fusing/circuit breaking. again, current thinking (no pun intended) is that the Battleborn battery did not fail. A cheapo eBay or Amazon inline fuse did. Why, I don’t know, but the fuse melted, along...

The “new” or at least “newer” DC-DC charger (RBC40D1U-US) sounds perfect for my need, except per the “1-star” and “3-Star” reviews, it doesn’t shut off appropriately, and drains the starter battery. Does anyone have experience with this particular model working properly or improperly? I sat...

I doubt that’s the problem. Everything (Victron included) worked fine today when the AGM batteries are “switched” in. The compressor may surge to 10-11a at startup, then settles into 5a. The Victron should be able to handle that. I’m sure I checked it’s load capacity when I bought the...

I hope this isn’t considered a highjack: currently I have a 160w Carmanah/GoPower panel on the roof of my van. 6 yrs old. It’s been great, though i now think it’s a bit “underpowered,” at least with my PWM controller. the panel was expensive in its day (as was the Morningstar p15m) but...

12vinstalls: could you expand on that? Sounds like you are saying there is no +5v requirement…but why is your panel v so low??? I thought panel voltage was supposed to be relatively high in all conditions, only current low in low light. What panel & controller are you talking about?

guys, this is a cheap little portable tire inflator you plug into a cigarette lighter. So maybe 130watt startup surge, followed by 60watt continuous. I guess I shouldn’t have called it a compressor. It presents a very small 12v load. I’ve used this “compressor“ 5-6 times this year off house...

Aww, the joys of living in a van. You haven’t told us what your power usages are. That might help… in case you are interested in a more “holistic” approach. But, thanks for starting this thread. It somewhat touches on my questions and concerns as well. I doubt anyone here thinks I have the...

1st, I should have reacted differently: could you re-affirm that reason the Victron DcDc CONVERTER wouldn’t be good is the variability of a solar input??? In case I do “try” this, is there a way to predict what the output current might be? But this experiment may never happen. I snubbed the...

Yeah. One side of me REALLY wants the IP67 TM version with 120A BMS for a 2P setup, but wondering if I should opt for 2x or 3x IP65 mini’s whose tops can be removed with screws…for BMS replacement. These will go on underside of camper van, exposed to grunge, occasional splash, with temp...

MrSandals, first off thank you for reply. let me look again at my current Morningstar. I saw the 60v max for the newer ProStar, but so far, not for the older (if current is Gen 3, I have at best Gen 2: gray, white & red.). Plus I read a MS white paper on why their MPPT was better than some...