Victron confuses me

[JWLV]

I’ve been looking at Victron equipment but all their stuff just confuses me.

Cerbo, GX, GS, and everything else just doesn’t make any sense to me.

All I want is to replace my EG4 6500Ex with something comparable or greater.

So what I need is a charge controller that can handle 8000w PV. An inverter that can output 120VAC 6000w. Some kind of monitoring over WiFi. If it can do closed loop communications with my Ruixu battery rack, that’s even better.

 

[Bluedog225]

Mortals cannot know the ways of Victron. But if you pray and burn incense, the blue ones may take pity and speak to you in tongues. Sometimes it helps.

 

[chrisski]

Confirm you're not grid tied or grid zero? Victron is not the best choice for those.

One charge controller won't handle 8000 watts. Need at least two 450/100 to meet that.

For the inverter, seems like you want two of their 3000 VA or 5000 VA inverters to configure it in split phase.

Cerbo would be nice, but I don;t have one for the RV and don't miss it.

FWIW, I find Victron easy to understand, now. I just got a grid tied Inverter Charger installed at the house, and I'm having trouble tweaking the system.

 

[robbob2112]

Mortals cannot know the ways of Victron. But if you pray and burn incense, the blue ones may take pity and speak to you in tongues. Sometimes it helps.


View attachment 224335

And ask the Grand Daddy of them all @sunshine_eggo Pappa Smurf, may he be blue forever.

note - I am but a baby smurf with just a few blue devices, but I love how they all just talk and work.

 

[sunsurfer]

I run some victron SCC and inverters. I don't have the fancy stuff. I leave that for the city folk. My 24v system has 8 100/30 controllers for 240amps of charge capacity. I have lots of redundancy and shade protection with multiple strings. My 24v system also has two 3k victron inverters that are on independent circuits.. Only setting I ever changed was the switch on the SCCs to lifepo4 position 7. Other then that, I just plugged it in and it works. You can go simple if you want. Their inverters are very efficient for having an output transformer and that has some value to me.

If you don't care about having a transformer on the output, you could just get one of them AIOs with all the bells and whistles. "Plug and pray" (that you can program it) and weekly firmware updates or something like that........

 

[JWLV]

Confirm you're not grid tied or grid zero? Victron is not the best choice for those.

One charge controller won't handle 8000 watts. Need at least two 450/100 to meet that.

For the inverter, seems like you want two of their 3000 VA or 5000 VA inverters to configure it in split phase.

Cerbo would be nice, but I don;t have one for the RV and don't miss it.

FWIW, I find Victron easy to understand, now. I just got a grid tied Inverter Charger installed at the house, and I'm having trouble tweaking the system.

The system is to be completely off-grid. No connection to the grid at all. 100% dependent on PV charging.

 

[JWLV]

Mortals cannot know the ways of Victron. But if you pray and burn incense, the blue ones may take pity and speak to you in tongues. Sometimes it helps.


View attachment 224335

This picture is exactly what I see when I think Victron. And then my brain goes "What?"

 

[marionw]

Why not one of the 10KW AOI's with good to excellent reviews discussed in this forum combined with a couple (or more) server rack batteries that also have good reviews in this forum. Plan and build for the future

 

[Bluedog225]

They say you VE.can. But I VE.can’t.

 

[ricardocello]

They say you VE.can. But I VE.can’t.

I'm being totally VE.Direct with you that VE.Can is way better than VE.Bus.

 

[JRH]

They say you VE.can. But I VE.can’t.

If you adjust your goals low enough and still meet your needs , it’s easy to be a winner using complex gear…..

 

[Bluedog225]

If you adjust your goals low enough and still meet your needs , it’s easy to be a winner using complex gear…..

I’ll work on it, but my expectations of myself could not realistically be lower.

 

[marionw]

Just to make a point @JWLV.. Has the discussion so far been helpful or off-topic

 

[ShirBlackspots]

Mortals cannot know the ways of Victron. But if you pray and burn incense, the blue ones may take pity and speak to you in tongues. Sometimes it helps.


View attachment 224335

This diagram is simple enough to understand, since its just all communication and control lines.

 

[Brucey]

And ask the Grand Daddy of them all @sunshine_eggo Pappa Smurf, may he be blue forever.

note - I am but a baby smurf with just a few blue devices, but I love how they all just talk and work.

 

[sunsurfer]

They say you VE.can. But I VE.can’t.

lol...good one.

"cant BUS"

 

[Brucey]

I’ve been looking at Victron equipment but all their stuff just confuses me.

Cerbo, GX, GS, and everything else just doesn’t make any sense to me.

All I want is to replace my EG4 6500Ex with something comparable or greater.

So what I need is a charge controller that can handle 8000w PV. An inverter that can output 120VAC 6000w. Some kind of monitoring over WiFi. If it can do closed loop communications with my Ruixu battery rack, that’s even better.

Two 450/100s (two trackers each), four strings in total. Some redundancy over a 450/200.
One quattro 48/10000
Can use ve.bus smart dongle to view basic details on quattro via BT/Victron connect. 450/100 has BT integrated. For wifi connectivity need a cerbo or venus os device, and then wire each device via vedirect, ve.bus or ve.can as appropriate. smartshunt 500A to keep track of state of charge.

 

[OzSolar]

One charge controller won't handle 8000 watts. Need at least two 450/100 to meet that.

Actually you could probably do it with one 450/100. On annual basis there'd be almost no clipping. Of course stepping up to the 450/200 would never clip.

View attachment 224390

For the inverter, seems like you want two of their 3000 VA or 5000 VA inverters to configure it in split phase.

OP only mentioned 120v. A single Victron MultiPlus 48V 5kVA can surge to 9000VA so there's a chance it would work.

 

[JRH]

This picture is exactly what I see when I think Victron. And then my brain goes "What?"

Starting to look like the beginnings of a Borg…

 

[ricardocello]

Starting to look like the beginnings of a Borg…

Borg had a greenish tint. Blue is better.

 

[RyGuy]

I have a bit of experience with Victron and a tiny bit with the cerbo gx and touch screen. There is a lot you can do with it. Once its set up its pretty neat. I didn't spend enough time with the cerbo to really get it down. I am not as pc tech savvy as I was 20 years ago so the old-school looking programs you use while your computer is hooked to the system was frustrating especially for somebody that doesn't work with the stuff regularly.

Got rid of that system(cerbo and 2 multi plus 2). Went with a large all in one hybrid inverter, but use it with no grid connection. I am still wading through all the grid settings and trying to figure out what applies to me, but I still prefer it to the cerbo. On the other hand a simple setup, without the cerbo, and using blue tooth to check the charge controllers, battery monitor shunt and inverter is great for me on my portable 12v and 24v setups.

Options that come to mind would be:
1: 2x multiplus or phoenix inverter 3000 or 5000. 450V or 250v charge controllers that add up to 150-200amps and work with your desired string lengths. Shunt/battery monitor.

2: Get another all in one. If you can split the loads possibly get a 6000xp or any larger all in one. This is the option that I would suggest if it's workable as the wiring is a tad more straightforward. Also programming and screen all built into the unit. I could list a bunch of inverters that are out or coming that I've read about,but you probably have heard of them.

This situation brings up a point from another thread about people (including myself) wanting larger off grid specific inverters. Price and simplicity.

 

[Bluedog225]

 

[cdsolar]

If you adjust your goals low enough and still meet your needs , it’s easy to be a winner using complex gear…..

Buy an old school bus. Paint It blue. Put some solar panels on top with some batteries and other Victron gear inside. Then, you really would have a VE.Bus.