diy solar

diy solar

Victron DC-DC charger, and feedback before purchase?

LVLAaron said:
Anyone use one of these Victron DC-DC chargers?
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I installed one in a friends Transit van. There was a fused 70A access location behind the passenger seat which was really handy. We bought the 30A Victon Orion, thinking it could be programmed to charge at fewer than 30A but it is not configurable in charging current.
So, if you're pulling power from pin 7, take this into consideration. I know there is also an 18A model on Amazon that for some reason is a little hard to find in a search. Maybe that size is better for trailer wiring harness power?

Also, the smart sensing works REALLY well. It senses the alternator making 14 volts and starts after a 20 or 30 second delay. So nice not having to find and IGN source that many of the other DC-DC units have.

The unit was only in my driveway for a day and its been out on the road working as far as i know without issues.

I'd be happy to answer any specific questions or clarify anything.
 
Thanks for the info - The manuals for these are terrible and don't say anything other than "Plug it in" - So the auto sense thing is new to me, is that the "remote" switch?
 
LVLAaron said:
So the auto sense thing is new to me, is that the "remote" switch?
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No, its the "smart" part of the name. It just senses when the source voltage is above 14V, presumably when an alternator starts running.
The IGN wire necessary to start most of the other DC-DC chargers is the remove switch. Apply 12V to the IGN wire port and it starts. You'd connect a wire to something that gets energized when the engine is running like a cigarette lighter plug.

But yea, other than specifying battery type being charged, you just hook it up.
 
Yea, I guess that “Smart” is used as you say. I did find the download for “The engine on detection mechanism” which I recall now.
 
Ah, I was originally looking at the isolated "non smart" version.

Do you know if the smart versions can adjust the charging current? Reading through the manual it doesn't look like an option
 
The smart version can limit current based on input voltage. I have a 20A one between a FLA and LFP battery. FLA gets charged by alternator or AC charger (15A) and when the voltage is high enough (14V) it will start to charge until it reaches V_shutdown (mine at 13.1V) on the input side.

This means it will only charge the LFP when the FLA is being charged and will limit current to stay above V_shutdown. I do see the Orion limiting itself at 15A when my AC charger is running.
 
constant.kata said:
The smart version can limit current based on input voltage. I have a 20A one between a FLA and LFP battery. FLA gets charged by alternator or AC charger (15A) and when the voltage is high enough (14V) it will start to charge until it reaches V_shutdown (mine at 13.1V) on the input side.

This means it will only charge the LFP when the FLA is being charged and will limit current to stay above V_shutdown. I do see the Orion limiting itself at 15A when my AC charger is running.
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But nothing programmable? Say, 10a max charge?
 
MisterSandals said:
I wanted to but did not find a way to limit charge current in the app. I saw not mention of it anywhere.
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Thanks. I'll have to play around with the truck and figure out what the 7 pin can deliver safely. Might just stick with the 9amp "non smart" version.
 
LVLAaron said:
Yeah, I think the little 9 amp victron job is the right part for me. Simple, small, cheap, effective. I don't need to fully charge a battery bank. I'm generally pulling the trailer for several hours, so I have solar, and the 7 pin, and a generator w/ a 75 amp charger if I need it.
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@HRTKD does something like this and always has good input on using the 7 pin. Maybe he'll see this incantation and have something to add.
 
I'd install a 6 if not 4 AWG wire from your trucks battery directly to the trailer socket in the rear, to minimize voltage drop / resistance. The Victron chargers expect to be closer to the source, and they can take 6 AWG. If your alternator sits at a lower voltage and you have a long truck with rather thin OEM wiring going to the rear bumper, a connector that is prone to weather and corrosion issues, and even more wiring in the trailer, the charger may not come on at all.
 
Good point. I have the charger in hand and will have to play with it today.
 
Update here for future generations and the curious.


Totally empty 400ah 12v battery. Attached to 12v 7 pin trailer plug. Pulls about 8 amps max. As some others have said... No real need for a DC-DC converter, unless you want to raise/limit the voltage going to your batteries. I think my truck hits 14.1 at the most, which is more than adequate for the purpose.
 
The orion TR is just a DC-DC converter.

It's not a full charger (for LFP)! It can be used as a charger due to its CC limiting capabilities, but it does lack actual charging profiles!

So when set to eg 14.2V, it will provide 14.2V, any time. So eventually it will overcharge a LFP inless you manually shut it off once the battery is full.

LFP should never be left at high voltages for long periods. Once full, charge should stop or go to (low enough) float.
For lead-acid? No problem. It just fixes the smart-alternator issues if you have them. Lead acid doesn't mind (actually likes) to be as high SOC as possible continously.

The Orion TR Smart has bluetooth, but not only that: It's a fully functional charger. you can set the appropiate charging curves as you would for LFP.

So unless you're using it as an occasional charger, which you disconnect once the battery is full, I won't recommend the non-smart (unless you have lead-acid)
 
DJSmiley said:
The orion TR is just a DC-DC converter.

It's not a full charger (for LFP)! It can be used as a charger due to its CC limiting capabilities, but it does lack actual charging profiles!

So when set to eg 14.2V, it will provide 14.2V, any time. So eventually it will overcharge a LFP inless you manually shut it off once the battery is full.

LFP should never be left at high voltages for long periods. Once full, charge should stop or go to (low enough) float.
For lead-acid? No problem. It just fixes the smart-alternator issues if you have them. Lead acid doesn't mind (actually likes) to be as high SOC as possible continously.

The Orion TR Smart has bluetooth, but not only that: It's a fully functional charger. you can set the appropiate charging curves as you would for LFP.

So unless you're using it as an occasional charger, which you disconnect once the battery is full, I won't recommend the non-smart (unless you have lead-acid)
Click to expand...

Good to know about the smart model. I didn't realize it had those features.

I assume the same deal about overcharging is true if lifepo4 is just connected directly to the 7-pin?

In which case... I can just unplug the lithium. I have it in the rear of the trailer on an anderson connector.
 
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