Advice on shunts

[JDH]

Hi Im new here, 1st post. I've searched the forum and haven't been able to find an answer to what I'm seeking. I've recently purchased a caravan that has a 12v system that is underwhelming and would like to make some updates. Currently I'm tossing up between Victron equipment and Enerdrive equipment. Both seem to be excellent gear. I love the Victron Cerbo screen and the ability to see what's what very easy the depth of information is something I would really like to have. The geek in me loves it!!! On the Enerdrive side they own Simarine and as close as I can work out their PICO system with a SCQ25, SCQ50 or SCQ25T with a SC303 or SC503.

I suppose I have three questions to start.

Does anyone know if Simarine have a Victron Cerbo equivalent that can present the depth of data in a fashion similar to the Cerbo

Alternatively, does anyone know if Victron Cerbo can provide for lack of a better word mini-shunts, or a board / box that has multiple shunts (like the Simarine SCQ25 type devices) for monitoring a few circuits energy usage like the Simarine PICO using a SCQ25T.
The ability to see how much power the fridge is drawing, or the lighting circuit, pump, or whatever is something that I am chasing and to have it in a nice interface like either the PICO or Cerbo (a page on the Victron Cerbo would be preferable)

The third question; Is there a major brand that I haven't thought of, like Victron / Enerdrive that I can base a whole off-grid caravan setup on that would have a data information system better than the two listed above? The system I'm planning on building will be something in the realm of;
4-6 x 190-225W solar Panel (roof space dependant)
Solar controllers expect 2 or 3
3000va Inverter auto switching grid/shore
600-900ah of lithium battery
And most importantly the ability to monitor and see what's what's with the system and where the energy is coming from and going to.

Thanks for your time.
Cheers
JDH

 

[Rocketman]

I have a Victron system (all except batteries) setup in my MotorHome (we full time).

So I will try to answer your questions about Victron. I have not looked into Enerdrive - so no help there.

I only have one shunt (Bmv712) on the battery. But when I have wondered how much power certain lights use this is what I do: at night- so no solar. I will look at my DC watts usage- then turn it on and look again (repeat a few times) the difference is what that light uses.

Also with the Cerbo you can get some additional smartshunts or BMV712’s and have them connected at a certain spot and they will give their reading on the Cerbo or VictronConnect. I think you can add three more (but I could be wrong). There is an extra screen for that info. This section is just from my memory as I watch different things.

I have not seen anything as good as Victron for quality of equipment and data (for the geek in all of us - and don’t forget VRM). I really like the VictronConnect app, how it puts voltages of all my equipment on one screen. This really helps me because I have Victron equipment in four different places in my MotorHome and because I used OEM wires when possible, I tend to have a lot more voltage drop than desired. The DVCC in the Cerbo is a really great feature.

On the inverter, the PowerAssist feature has been awesome these last few days. I am currently in Baja, and the incoming power varies a lot. We are plugged into a 30a connection, but anytime I pull 15amps the voltage drops below 106v - so our Power Watchdog shuts off. So I have set the incoming amps at 7.5a (the minimum) and whenever we need more - the inverter pulls from the battery, then it recharges the battery when the load drops. Awesome feature!

Good Luck with your project

 

[Reed Cole]

Sounds a little overkill for a camper, at least 95% of the time you don't need to know exactly how many amp hours your fridge used today. It would be nice to know, but unless you have some super critical systems in your caravan it's definitely a luxury and probably not something you need to base your decision of which components to buy on.

I would go with Victron and then see how it goes with just one shunt. It's pretty easy to tell what's what just by turning things on and off.

 

[JDH]

I have a Victron system (all except batteries) setup in my MotorHome (we full time).

So I will try to answer your questions about Victron. I have not looked into Enerdrive - so no help there.

I only have one shunt (Bmv712) on the battery. But when I have wondered how much power certain lights use this is what I do: at night- so no solar. I will look at my DC watts usage- then turn it on and look again (repeat a few times) the difference is what that light uses.

Also with the Cerbo you can get some additional smartshunts or BMV712’s and have them connected at a certain spot and they will give their reading on the Cerbo or VictronConnect. I think you can add three more (but I could be wrong). There is an extra screen for that info. This section is just from my memory as I watch different things.

I have not seen anything as good as Victron for quality of equipment and data (for the geek in all of us - and don’t forget VRM). I really like the VictronConnect app, how it puts voltages of all my equipment on one screen. This really helps me because I have Victron equipment in four different places in my MotorHome and because I used OEM wires when possible, I tend to have a lot more voltage drop than desired. The DVCC in the Cerbo is a really great feature.

On the inverter, the PowerAssist feature has been awesome these last few days. I am currently in Baja, and the incoming power varies a lot. We are plugged into a 30a connection, but anytime I pull 15amps the voltage drops below 106v - so our Power Watchdog shuts off. So I have set the incoming amps at 7.5a (the minimum) and whenever we need more - the inverter pulls from the battery, then it recharges the battery when the load drops. Awesome feature!

Good Luck with your project

GDay Rocketman thanks for the detailed response. Yeah from what I can see the Victron gear is pretty hard to beat on quality. Cheers