Victron SmartShunt for load?

[dmkjr]

Good evening. I have a mobile setup that has Victron equipment, MPPT controller, Cerbo GX and a SmartShunt on the batteries.

I, however, do not have a Victron inverter, but instead have a Ampvint inverter. I want my VRM to show me loads though. Is it possible to install another SmartShunt and program it to show as "load" so the Cerbo GX will show me what is being utilized through the inverter or at least the draw to the inverter?

 

[richard cabesa]

I cannot answer your question directly. But, I have a bunch of Victron SCC , BtoB, and BMV712. My inverter is a Zantrex Freedom 2k. Its consumption shows up on the BMV 712. I would think it would show on the Cerbo

 

[dmkjr]

@richard cabesa Thanks for the reply. I realized after I asked the question that it should not only show SOC but should show it as DC load as well. I guess what I was looking for was "AC load" but that's not going to be possible without taking account for the draw of the inverter as well. May just be overthinking it. I'm not sure if I missed it in the documentation somewhere, but I was a little surprised that the GX wasn't able to connect to the SmartShunt and my MPPT controller via bluetooth similar to how my GlobalLink 520 does. Was kinda disappointed. So now, I'm waiting on my VE Direct cables to arrive (should be Saturday).

 

[HRTKD]

Yeah, you're not going to get an AC load number from an inverter that doesn't communicate with the Cerbo GX. You'll get the DC number of course.

I agree that it would be nice if the Cerbo GX did all the communication through Bluetooth. That would make the connections and layout a lot easier.

 

[dmkjr]

Yeah, you're not going to get an AC load number from an inverter that doesn't communicate with the Cerbo GX. You'll get the DC number of course.

I agree that it would be nice if the Cerbo GX did all the communication through Bluetooth. That would make the connections and layout a lot easier.

Definitely a good business decision though. It's making me want to go with Victron all out for my new home project. My RV has Victron in it, but I replaced the stock inverter with an Ampvint inverter so I could put it on SBU instead of just UPS mode from the stock unit. I like Victron, but was trying to keep the footprint smaller with a direct inverter replacement.

 

[justinm001]

Yeah, you're not going to get an AC load number from an inverter that doesn't communicate with the Cerbo GX. You'll get the DC number of course.

I agree that it would be nice if the Cerbo GX did all the communication through Bluetooth. That would make the connections and layout a lot easier.

Some victron devices do communicate with eachother through Bluetooth. The problem is Bluetooth isn't very stable and usually inverters and batteries and stuff are in metal bays so bt comms are a lot harder.

It would be nice if they used a better cable than those veconnect cables. I ended up having to superglue both ends because they keep coming off. I like how most other victron gear uses regular network cables.

 

[HRTKD]

It would be nice if they used a better cable than those veconnect cables. I ended up having to superglue both ends because they keep coming off. I like how most other victron gear uses regular network cables.

I'm in complete agreement with you there. My two cables didn't want to stay in my Cerbo GX. I had to get the cables inserted and then use strain relief to keep them in there. It's not a very robust connector.

 

[JRH]

Some victron devices do communicate with eachother through Bluetooth. The problem is Bluetooth isn't very stable and usually inverters and batteries and stuff are in metal bays so bt comms are a lot harder.

It would be nice if they used a better cable than those veconnect cables. I ended up having to superglue both ends because they keep coming off. I like how most other victron gear uses regular network cables.

Jus for the record, all of my Victron devices with blue tooth are located 25 ft away from where I am in a thick totally enclosed “aluminum “trailer… with the door closed I can pick them up sitting at my desk in the RV by the window and are very solid.. when in the bedroom at 40 ft away it’s weaker but it’s still mostly usable …..if the trailer door is open it has full bars on everything and useable within about 50 ft .I haven’t tried further than that…
the Victron stuff works better than several other devices I have under similar conditions. Also The iPhone picks up the BT further than the iPad .….don’t know why…
The BMV 712 seems to have the strongest signal of them all…??? but the Victron units all pick up further than other devices I have At this time, although The Hughes Watchdog SPD is pretty darn strong and is about equal to the Victron stuff…

 

[justinm001]

Jus for the record, all of my Victron devices with blue tooth are located 25 ft away from where I am in a thick totally enclosed “aluminum “trailer… with the door closed I can pick them up sitting at my desk in the RV by the window and are very solid.. when in the bedroom at 40 ft away it’s weaker but it’s still mostly usable …..if the trailer door is open it has full bars on everything and useable within about 50 ft .I haven’t tried further than that…
the Victron stuff works better than several other devices I have under similar conditions. Also The iPhone picks up the BT further than the iPad .….don’t know why…
The BMV 712 seems to have the strongest signal of them all…??? but the Victron units all pick up further than other devices I have At this time, although The Hughes Watchdog SPD is pretty darn strong and is about equal to the Victron stuff…

I agree the victron bt is very solid. But the issue is I believe only the cerbo has any form of storage so if the connection isn't 100% then the devices might not send all the information so the data in cerbo could be wildly off. Having only 80% of solar output data makes you think there's a huge issue with your arrays but in reality it's just bt not being rock solid.

But for example I believe my smartphone communicates with my mppt over bt so the mppt can see the battery voltages in real-time and use that to run its charging profiles. If it doesn't receive the shunt voltage then it just uses the output voltage it reads itself. This gives me better quality measurements so it can work better than competitors but doesn't risk quality. All this happens even when they're both connected to my cerbo (mppt is vecan)

 

[JRH]

I agree the victron bt is very solid. But the issue is I believe only the cerbo has any form of storage so if the connection isn't 100% then the devices might not send all the information so the data in cerbo could be wildly off. Having only 80% of solar output data makes you think there's a huge issue with your arrays but in reality it's just bt not being rock solid.

But for example I believe my smartphone communicates with my mppt over bt so the mppt can see the battery voltages in real-time and use that to run its charging profiles. If it doesn't receive the shunt voltage then it just uses the output voltage it reads itself. This gives me better quality measurements so it can work better than competitors but doesn't risk quality. All this happens even when they're both connected to my cerbo (mppt is vecan)

I will defer to you and others about any of the Cerbo attributes as I don’t have one yet.. I have alot of devices in life that use BT . Some do well and some are awful at 10 ft and was simply saying that of all of them , the several Victron and Hughes devices I own seem to be a step above in BT performance. Good luck with your system , I’m sure I will experience similar issues when I get the further into it. ?…J.

 

[JoeHam]

The SmartShunt does not have great range unlike most of the other Victron stuff FWIW.

Here are a couple threads about it :

Victron Smart Shunt - what next

I purchased and installed a Victron 500a smart shunt nearly a year ago. It works great, if I stand within 10 ft of it. Its bluetooth range leaves a lot to be desired. My off-grid batteries, and all the electronics... and panels are 100ft + from the hours. I want to be able to view the shunt...

diysolarforum.com

Victron smartshunt bt antenna

Hi. I have the Victron SmartShunt monitoring my batteries. All of my stuff is mounted inside a metal cabinet. That's so the mice don't get in.. it's in a cabin in the woods.. But,- then , I get a very poor bt signal from the smartshunt! The whole idea was that i could read the monitor from...

diysolarforum.com

 

[JRH]

The SmartShunt does not have great range unlike most of the other Victron stuff FWIW.

Here are a couple threads about it :

Victron Smart Shunt - what next

I purchased and installed a Victron 500a smart shunt nearly a year ago. It works great, if I stand within 10 ft of it. Its bluetooth range leaves a lot to be desired. My off-grid batteries, and all the electronics... and panels are 100ft + from the hours. I want to be able to view the shunt...

diysolarforum.com

Victron smartshunt bt antenna

Hi. I have the Victron SmartShunt monitoring my batteries. All of my stuff is mounted inside a metal cabinet. That's so the mice don't get in.. it's in a cabin in the woods.. But,- then , I get a very poor bt signal from the smartshunt! The whole idea was that i could read the monitor from...

diysolarforum.com

I was made aware of this awhile back ,That’s why I went with the BMV 712…. its BT is better that the other stuff I have for some reason… probably depends on where one puts the little round display with 30+ ft of cable there are many options as to placement.….small price difference in the two , big difference in reception from what everyone says …but I have never had or tried a smart shunt personally…
I thank the forum members for the advice on equipment.. it has saved me a lot of issues .. J.