Why are Victron BMS's not used as much with their other components?

[harpo]

I have been researching LifePO4/solar components for some time now. One can get overload syndrome trying to nail down charging parameters, solar components etc. so I have tried to find common threads among the mountain of information, theories and personal preferences regarding this topic.

One such commonality I think I have found is that most feel the Victron products are of good quality. As such, I have pretty much decided on a Victron MPPT charge controller. However, I don't see many using the Victron BMS. Instead they choose REC, Orion, Overkill etc. and want it to "talk" to the Victron CC. I guess my question is; will the Victron BMS not "talk" to the Victron CC right out of the box? Is the Victron BMS somehow not thought of as highly as their other equipment?

What am I missing here? I see many, many battery builders using Victron CC but very few, if any, using their BMS. What is the reason for this? I would think if one put together an entire system (CC, BMS, Inverter) with Victron equipment it would all work flawlessly together. There has to be something I am missing. What is it?

 

[Freqz]

Does Victron make a BMS that works with non-Victron batteries? I’m not aware of one (and happy to be proven wrong).

I’d love a Victron BMS that provided cell level monitoring/protection and integrated into the blue box ecosystem without too much tinkering. You can get that but you have to pay their premium on batteries which is...exorbitant.

 

[Q-Dog]

As far as I know the Victron BMSs only work with their batteries.

 

[mikefitz]

There has to be something I am missing. What is it?

There are two types of Victron lithium batteries, Lithium Superpack, with fully integrated internal BMS, a drop in solution, and Lithium Energy Smart, with a two part BMS system, part inside the case and part external.

The Victron BMS communicates with the cables from the lithium smart battery shown in a typical application.

Mike

 

[harpo]

That is the missing piece! I must not have read ALL the information on the Victron BMS. I just saw they had one and couldn't figure out why no one was using it. Thanks for pointing that out. How unfortunate.