Add SOK or ECO-WORTHY 48v batteries to existing system with SOK and Victron gear?

[Ton618]

I currently have one SOK 48v 100Ah Pro battery, a 48v Multiplus-II UL1741 3kVA and a Cerbo-GX. Currently used primarily as a UPS. The SOK battery has very few (<20) cycles on it.

I have about $4k to spend on my next upgrade.

Three more SOK batteries from Current Connected will cost almost exactly $4k with tax and shipping.

Four ECO-WORTHY 100 Ah server rack batteries delivered is about $350 less.


Obviously, the ECO-WORTHY batteries are less expensive and shorter (3U versus 4U for the SOK).

I’m strongly leaning towards the SOK because of CC customer service, build quality and the simplicity of adding three more of the same battery to the system.

I am tight on space. The bank will be in my house, so overall safety is very important to me as well.

Has anyone mixed and matched the SOK and ECO-WORTHY server rack batteries with closed loop communication and a CERBO-GX? If so, I’ve love to hear your lessons learned.

Other thoughts?

 

[robby]

Both SOK and EW use telecom batteries of similar quality.
I would go for the Four EW batteries and get more power while saving money.

 

[Jere Harnish]

I've run both brands with Victron gear. Here's the quick breakdown:

1. ECO-WORTHY includes a free 4-tier rack with four 100Ah batteries - saves space and keeps things secure. Their 3U height helps if you're tight on room.
2. Don't mix SOK & ECO-WORTHY - their BMS systems won't communicate, causing voltage drift and SOC issues. Stick to one brand per bank.
3. ECO-WORTHY works with Victron (CAN protocol: Victron-CAN-V1.00-210107). Set the communication protocol of the CAN interface to Victron through the APP and disable 'Advanced Battery Monitoring' in Cerbo for stable SOC readings.

*(Just sharing my experience - verify with specs before buying!)*

 

[Threadtalkpodcast]

I’ve run both brands with Victron gear. Here’s the quick breakdown:

1. ECO-WORTHY includes a free 4-tier rack with four 100Ah batteries—saves space and keeps things secure. Their 3U height helps if you’re tight on room.
2. Don’t mix SOK & ECO-WORTHY—their BMS systems won’t communicate, causing voltage drift and SOC issues. Stick to one brand per bank.
3. ECO-WORTHY works with Victron (CAN protocol: Victron-CAN-V1.00-210107). Just set the DIP switch to Victron mode and disable ‘Advanced Battery Monitoring’ in Cerbo for stable SOC readings.

(Just sharing my experience—verify with specs before buying!)

Thank you for this! I am looking to build the dual Victron multi plus 48v 5000 system with the eco-worthy batteries, it is nice to know that someone has plugged the batteries into the cerbo Gx and it worked!

 

[Paid2travel]

I’ve run both brands with Victron gear. Here’s the quick breakdown:

1. ECO-WORTHY includes a free 4-tier rack with four 100Ah batteries—saves space and keeps things secure. Their 3U height helps if you’re tight on room.
2. Don’t mix SOK & ECO-WORTHY—their BMS systems won’t communicate, causing voltage drift and SOC issues. Stick to one brand per bank.
3. ECO-WORTHY works with Victron (CAN protocol: Victron-CAN-V1.00-210107). Just set the DIP switch to Victron mode and disable ‘Advanced Battery Monitoring’ in Cerbo for stable SOC readings.

(Just sharing my experience—verify with specs before buying!)

I am not finding anything in my manual that discusses victron mode in regards to dip switches .. can you advise on exactly how that is set please?

 

[Jere Harnish]

Apologies for the confusion earlier. EW batteries actually configure Victron protocol through their BMS app, not DIP switches. I've corrected my original post.

I am not finding anything in my manual that discusses victron mode in regards to dip switches .. can you advise on exactly how that is set please?

 

[Threadtalkpodcast]

Apologies for the confusion earlier. EW batteries actually configure Victron protocol through their BMS app, not DIP switches. I've corrected my original post.

Thanks for this. So it should work with my planned setup of dual 48/5000 multiplus 2 inverters for my RV. with the communication I shouldnt need the smart shunt or lynx shunt will I?

 

[Jere Harnish]

Thanks for this. So it should work with my planned setup of dual 48/5000 multiplus 2 inverters for my RV. with the communication I shouldnt need the smart shunt or lynx shunt will I?

Yep, with communication in place, you won't need a shunt to get battery data anymore.

 

[Brucey]

Yep, with communication in place, you won't need a shunt to get battery data anymore.

You will be giving up the accuracy of the smart shunt when you switch to battery bms control. If you don't regularly get to full charge, and have small base loads, you could get bms soc drift.

 

[Jere Harnish]

You will be giving up the accuracy of the smart shunt when you switch to battery bms control. If you don't regularly get to full charge, and have small base loads, you could get bms soc drift.

Exactly — that’s why I make sure to fully charge the batteries regularly to recalibrate the BMS. It’s something that happens with all batteries over time.

 

[Ottox]

I've run both brands with Victron gear. Here's the quick breakdown:

1. ECO-WORTHY includes a free 4-tier rack with four 100Ah batteries - saves space and keeps things secure. Their 3U height helps if you're tight on room.
2. Don't mix SOK & ECO-WORTHY - their BMS systems won't communicate, causing voltage drift and SOC issues. Stick to one brand per bank.
3. ECO-WORTHY works with Victron (CAN protocol: Victron-CAN-V1.00-210107). Set the communication protocol of the CAN interface to Victron through the APP and disable 'Advanced Battery Monitoring' in Cerbo for stable SOC readings.

*(Just sharing my experience - verify with specs before buying!)*

What cable did you use for the EW battery to cerbo? I’ll be doing a similar setup and want to order the correct one. Thanks!

 

[Threadtalkpodcast]

What cable did you use for the EW battery to cerbo? I’ll be doing a similar setup and want to order the correct one. Thanks!

On another thread someone told me to use this(search on amazon):

DSD TECH SH-RJ12C USB to RJ12 6P4C RS232 Serial Cable for APC PDU ATS(5.9FT/1.8M).​

 

[Threadtalkpodcast]

You will be giving up the accuracy of the smart shunt when you switch to battery bms control. If you don't regularly get to full charge, and have small base loads, you could get bms soc drift.

Oh,thank you. I have no idea what that actually means tbh. So is it better to use the smart shunt and not the direct CAN communication in my setup? I will using it in an RV so i have no idea how the solar system will perform and if it will always get to full charge every day. I saw one person who had four eg4 server rack batteries for there setup and they did not plug the CAN cable into the inverter system(that was the eg4 6000xp not victron though), but he just linked the batteries together and then used a smart shunt. Is that the better way to have the setup?

 

[Brucey]

Oh,thank you. I have no idea what that actually means tbh. So is it better to use the smart shunt and not the direct CAN communication in my setup? I will using it in an RV so i have no idea how the solar system will perform and if it will always get to full charge every day. I saw one person who had four eg4 server rack batteries for there setup and they did not plug the CAN cable into the inverter system(that was the eg4 6000xp not victron though), but he just linked the batteries together and then used a smart shunt. Is that the better way to have the setup?

There's two trains of thought. One is to use battery comms and rely on bms accuracy, which is garbage. This can work if you are grid tied and can regularly charge up to 100% to reset the bms.

If you are off grid and more reliant on solar, imo the smartshunt is the way to go. Because it can detect very small current draw that a battery bms will not. It can still drift but nothing like the battery bms units.

Then you can set your inverter to shutdown at 48V, and use voltage based control which doesnt require any comms.

 

[Threadtalkpodcast]

Thank you for your advice! I think I will add the smart shunt back into my system plans.

 

[Jere Harnish]

What cable did you use for the EW battery to cerbo? I’ll be doing a similar setup and want to order the correct one. Thanks!

You can try the Victron VE.Can to CAN-bus BMS type B cable.