Victron Orion-tr Smart 12/12 30a Isolated Dc-dc Battery To Battery Advice

[urga]

So I've managed to procure a fancy TN power Lifepo4 battery,Victron orion tr smart 12/12-30 dc to dc charger and Victron IP65 charger. Looking to install all this under the drivers seat and was hoping somebody could maybe keep me right on the install?

The plan is to run a protected 16mm feed from the + of the starter battery to the dc to dc charger ,run the - of the dc to dc charger to ground.Connect the leisure + to the dc to dc charger and the - of the leisure to ground. Both + cables will be protected(fused). I then plan to run a 240 feed to the IP65 charger and connect this directly to the leisure battery.

Now I know that this will charge the leisure battery when on hookup,but will it then go on to charge the starter battery via the dc to dc charger ? Does anyone know whether I need to add anything else to this setup? I see that the dc to dc charger also has a remote switch which I thought I could use to disable charging of the leisure battery in cold temps,as I believe they don't like being charged below 0 degrees. I thought mayeb just a manual switch rather than getting more complicated and introducing a low temp sensor relay etc

. Any shared knowledge/experience is most welcoms as ,as you can tell, it's only my chargers that are 'smart'

 

[Dellmassive]

So I've managed to procure a fancy TN power Lifepo4 battery,Victron orion tr smart 12/12-30 dc to dc charger and Victron IP65 charger. Looking to install all this under the drivers seat and was hoping somebody could maybe keep me right on the install?

The plan is to run a protected 16mm feed from the + of the starter battery to the dc to dc charger ,run the - of the dc to dc charger to ground.Connect the leisure + to the dc to dc charger and the - of the leisure to ground. Both + cables will be protected(fused). I then plan to run a 240 feed to the IP65 charger and connect this directly to the leisure battery.

- all correct as far as i can see.

*

Now I know that this will charge the leisure battery when on hookup,but will it then go on to charge the starter battery via the dc to dc charger ?

- No, the 12/12/30 works one way only - which is starter to leisure battery. the EHU will not charge the starter via the dc-dc.

But you could add a shunt switch to switch the charger over to the starter battery . . . or maybe use one of the small resistor/diode dropper trickle charger from the leisure battery back to the starter . . . .


or

use the EHU to charge the starter and have the DC-DC charge the leisure from that with an overide switch ? - never seen this done so its just an idea.

*

I see that the dc to dc charger also has a remote switch which I thought I could use to disable charging of the leisure battery in cold temps,as I believe they don't like being charged below 0 degrees. I thought mayeb just a manual switch rather than getting more complicated and introducing a low temp sensor relay etc

- correct, just use the vans ignition supply from the center fuse box to pickup a switched +12v . . . . you can then add an inline switch here to dissable the DC-DC from charging . . . . Connect it to the H+ connector.


more Victron info here > Dc-dc Charger (for Leisure Battery) -- How I Done It --

.

 

[urga]

Thanks for the reply! Glad to hear I have the basic layout right.
I'm intrigued by the idea of charging the starter battery first and then using it to 'slave' charge the leisure via the DC-DC. However,when on hookup on site,will this be able to keep up with any demands placed on the leisure battery ie fridge,lights,heater,tv ? Would the 30A charging rate of the DC-DC be sufficient? On a positive note(pun intended),I would never have to worry about a flat starter battery when on hookup,even if the DC -Dc were to fail.
My last van seemed so much simplier. It had a Trojan battery and solar panel hooked up to a Ctek 250 and Ctek MXS charger. It seemed to be fit and forget,from what I remember. The Ctek 'seemed' simple,schematically speaking. The Victron website schematics are vastly more complicated.
I'll give your thread a read,after I Google 'shunt switch' and 'resistor/diode dropper trickle charger'.

 

[Dellmassive]

Yeh, your first proposal can be used with one of these...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Votronic-b...ocphy=9045006&hvtargid=pla-563315308929&psc=1

Its just a diode and resistor in a box. . . . . . . . But will effectively act as a 2amp max trickle charge from your Leisure system back to the starter.....

@andys has one and runs it effectively.

 

[andys]

Yeh, your first proposal can be used with one of these...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Votronic-b...ocphy=9045006&hvtargid=pla-563315308929&psc=1

Its just a diode and resistor in a box. . . . . . . . But will effectively act as a 2amp max trickle charge from your Leisure system back to the starter.....

@andys has one and runs it effectively.

To answer your earlier question, no I still haven't taken it apart. I managed to fit my BM2 by just sliding the seat forward all the way rather than removing it so I've had no need to access it yet. I'll let you know when I do, but as you say, it's still working fine and was a cheap (but not at £40+!) and easy solution to the problem.

 

[urga]

Thanks again. I think I'll go down that route as it's unlikely I'll ever have so much draw on the leisure that the hookup/starter battery will suffer.
Loving your 'How I did it' posts.A nod to Young Frankestein ?Either way,really informative and useful.

 

[Dellmassive]

Lol.... thank you, glad they have helped....

But Young Frankinstein !!!

 

[Dellmassive]

Just another thing to point out seeing as you will be using TN Lithium.

Lithiums have a much higher resting voltage, they will be very happy resting at 13.5v,

So because you have a mixed battery set you need to be aware of any reverse charge or back feeding as the lithium will be at a much higher voltage than the AGM.

 

[urga]

Lol.... thank you, glad they have helped....

But Young Frankinstein !!!

One of my favourite films

 

[Dellmassive]

Love it . . . . =)

Well here is as much as you can take 》》》》

Dellmassive`s -- "how I Done It" -- Thread


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