With a big enough battery and a solar panel you won't even need to do that!
But agreed that having 50a DC-DC charging is handy, 30 mins gives a days worth of charge!
L/Battery - go large or go lithium?
- Thread starter Chris1983
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- dc - dc charger victron vsr
But agreed that having 50a DC-DC charging is handy, 30 mins gives a days worth of charge!
Absolutely agree if one is a heavy user (you use an inverter don’t you?) but Chris has similar usage to me and even with zero solar would easily get 4+ days from the 105ah LB. He has a decent solar panel so the reality is he will get much longer than this even in crap weather. Without the big draw of an inverter the recharge overhead is so much smaller. Granted, in the depths of winter the situation may be a bit worse with more heater and light use and less solar input, but even then a couple of hours drive every few days would keep everything topped up even with an 18a DC-DC. I understand the max recommended recharge rate is about 30% of LB capacity so a 30a charger in Chris’ case. Higher is possible but presumably at reduced long-term life to the LB.
We have an inverter but never use it, I probably won’t bother in the next van. We do a lot of off grid skiing, so heavy use of lights & heater (not so much the fridge) and solar tends to be minimal in the winter Alps, so after a day or 2 we end up running the engine for an hour or so. This is an extreme example, but real world. It’s nice to start the engine and see that 30A been fed into the LB.
Gotch, that will definitely test the LB and solar! Sounds fantastic but doubt I could convince SWMBO to stay in the van for skiing!!
Sorry I was on circumference estimate
Would it be best to take EVERYTHING OUT and start from there or try and understand what’s going on with existing and work with that. I note the two bigger wires into SCR aren’t massive (like the battery cables I see everyone on YouTube inserting into the Victron DC to DC. Would I just skip those ring terminals off and insert? Re: spade connectors on the SCR, what are they? They seem to run to the little three fuse jobbie.
Ah, we can see! First thoughts:
There may be room for the LB and Orion depending on play in the cables and the heater hose.
The larger cables to the SCR look like 6mm2 which is fine for the 18A Orion up to 3m (see previous diagram). Snip the ends off and bare the wire to go into the Orion. The 80A fuse is too large and needs to be changed as mentioned before.
The spade connectors to the SCR are an ignition trigger and negative. The negative is too small for the Orion but very easy to run a new cable to the vehicle ground point under the seat (bolt under floor covering approx in the middle of the front of seat base). The red trigger cable could be used for the Orion or you can use the auto sensing (I use that and it works perfectly).
I’d suggest identifying what each cable and fuse is connected to and draw a plan of the existing setup before you rip anything out. Ideally do this with a multimeter (£10 from Screwfix) or pull each fuse in turn and see what stops working. One of the fuse boxes will be for the heater.
The battery tray will need removing. You need a flat surface for the battery so it doesn’t get damaged. You will also need a method to secure it such as a webbing strap.
There may be room for the LB and Orion depending on play in the cables and the heater hose.
The larger cables to the SCR look like 6mm2 which is fine for the 18A Orion up to 3m (see previous diagram). Snip the ends off and bare the wire to go into the Orion. The 80A fuse is too large and needs to be changed as mentioned before.
The spade connectors to the SCR are an ignition trigger and negative. The negative is too small for the Orion but very easy to run a new cable to the vehicle ground point under the seat (bolt under floor covering approx in the middle of the front of seat base). The red trigger cable could be used for the Orion or you can use the auto sensing (I use that and it works perfectly).
I’d suggest identifying what each cable and fuse is connected to and draw a plan of the existing setup before you rip anything out. Ideally do this with a multimeter (£10 from Screwfix) or pull each fuse in turn and see what stops working. One of the fuse boxes will be for the heater.
The battery tray will need removing. You need a flat surface for the battery so it doesn’t get damaged. You will also need a method to secure it such as a webbing strap.
I'll take the SCR and guess that you can safely put your Victron 12/12/18 in its place.
I don't know what fuse you've got on the end of the feed coming into the SCR currently but those yellow crimp lugs are typically for 6.00 mm2 6491X conductors so normally good for about 30A, not the end of the world as 30A is a pretty good charge from the alternator bearing in mind it's trying to charge the starter battery first and foremost.Just make sure that feed into the SCR isn't backed up with an 80A fuse at the starter battery or leisure battery end if any part of the cable has been spliced into a thinner cable ie always fuse according to the weakest link.
The two thinner cables with spade lugs would typically be the live and neutral to the SCR coil that pulls the relay into play when your ignition is turned on, just find which of these two is live with your multimeter and that's what you'll use to trigger the Victron 12/22/18... you probably won't need the neutral conductor on the new B2B but check with the manual.
Looks like you've got an assortment of blade fuses there and I'll guess that they'll be for diesel heater and fridge or some combination of shizzle not covered yet, if it helps just about any of these installations always look a bit of a mess and when everything's covered in that poxy corrugated sleeving it becomes a nightmare cover up of splices and conductor colour changes etc... carry on!
I don't know what fuse you've got on the end of the feed coming into the SCR currently but those yellow crimp lugs are typically for 6.00 mm2 6491X conductors so normally good for about 30A, not the end of the world as 30A is a pretty good charge from the alternator bearing in mind it's trying to charge the starter battery first and foremost.Just make sure that feed into the SCR isn't backed up with an 80A fuse at the starter battery or leisure battery end if any part of the cable has been spliced into a thinner cable ie always fuse according to the weakest link.
The two thinner cables with spade lugs would typically be the live and neutral to the SCR coil that pulls the relay into play when your ignition is turned on, just find which of these two is live with your multimeter and that's what you'll use to trigger the Victron 12/22/18... you probably won't need the neutral conductor on the new B2B but check with the manual.
Looks like you've got an assortment of blade fuses there and I'll guess that they'll be for diesel heater and fridge or some combination of shizzle not covered yet, if it helps just about any of these installations always look a bit of a mess and when everything's covered in that poxy corrugated sleeving it becomes a nightmare cover up of splices and conductor colour changes etc... carry on!
Pulled the 5 and 25 fuses, couldn’t work out what they do, pulled the 15 fuse and heater control turned off.
Pulled the 40 and lights flickered, and then realised needed to disconnect solar, so the 40 is ‘all hab stuff’ it seems, but not sure what the 5 and 25 do.
Pulled the 40 and lights flickered, and then realised needed to disconnect solar, so the 40 is ‘all hab stuff’ it seems, but not sure what the 5 and 25 do.
You're spreading yourself way too thin by not breaking the job down into smaller chunks.
Get individual parts broken down, say concentrate on the SCR and figure out how that currently works as that's the main point with wanting to charge the new lithium leisure battery which your SCR can't do.
Stuff that runs off the existing leisure battery will run off the new leisure battery, whether it's wired or fused correctly is going to be exactly the same as it is presently and can be checked over at any point but not thrown into the mix until your brain explodes, it's not magic just concentrate on one bit at a time... in this case the SCR replacement.
Get individual parts broken down, say concentrate on the SCR and figure out how that currently works as that's the main point with wanting to charge the new lithium leisure battery which your SCR can't do.
Stuff that runs off the existing leisure battery will run off the new leisure battery, whether it's wired or fused correctly is going to be exactly the same as it is presently and can be checked over at any point but not thrown into the mix until your brain explodes, it's not magic just concentrate on one bit at a time... in this case the SCR replacement.
I’m just worried about doing something irreversible or blowing van up haha.
I think from what you all say, snipping out the two big’ish red wires from scr and wiring those into DC to DC is straightforward.
I understand then I don’t need one of spade connector wires (ignition) as Orion will ‘auto sense’. And a larger ground is fine ensure battery setup has a BIG ground from negative to seat base it seems, will that point suffice?)
I think from what you all say, snipping out the two big’ish red wires from scr and wiring those into DC to DC is straightforward.
I understand then I don’t need one of spade connector wires (ignition) as Orion will ‘auto sense’. And a larger ground is fine ensure battery setup has a BIG ground from negative to seat base it seems, will that point suffice?)
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