Connect a Victron MPPT to a Lynx Distributor

[@IamMotorHomeless]

Thanks for sharing, I am just starting. my Multiplus-II 48/5000 should arrive next week, and it really helps to see it all layed out like that. as I don't have the space to do that here.

[@VanTransitions]

Have fun!

[@JeffreyFay]

Tip for anyone watching: if you use a 6 AWG with ferrule, make sure your ferrule crimper is square, not hex. Hex will not fit.

[@VanTransitions]

great tip!

[@snoobler]

Better to not use ferrules at all when manual requires fine strand wire.

[@JeffreyFay]

​@@snooblergenerally I would have to agree. I will say that the square crimp ferrel wire is a very snug fit and the contact patch is excellent.

[@edwyn_pyron]

Thank you for these videos. They have helped me very much.

[@VanTransitions]

Glad you like them!

[@gonzaloburgos8642]

👍 yes 👏 great video

[@VanTransitions]

thank you!

[@MichielvanderHorst]

I would have never combined a red colored wire to the minus (massa) of the Lynx. Always stick to the same colour is safer. What if in the future a mechanic takes it apart and than it as really easy to make a mistake in putting them back in the wrong bay (minus cable with red color) Anyway, that’s the way I work in Europe. Maybe this sounds stupid for USA mechanics. Love your video style, greetings

[@VanTransitions]

hey, and thanks! I understand what you are saying, my attention to detail usually agrees. Red is +, Black is -, same in USA. Good eye, the short piece of 2 AWG for the combined ground of the two MPPT is red. I did put black heat shrink on it to help distinguish it and I hope it is otherwise clear it is DC neg/ground based on what it is connected to. I have another use for 2 AWG red on a positive connection related to connecting the Ford Transit CCP to the 80A breaker for the 2 Orion-Tr units, so for 8" of wire, the only piece of 2 AWG black I would need, I didn't want to buy 2 colors and have unused black wire laying around.

[@anthonymiller3933]

What size wire is the PV wire? And where did you get the ring terminals for it? I will be running 10awg but can't find ring terminals

[@VanTransitions]

The wire from the solar disconnect to the MPPT units is 10/2 ancor marine wire. There are no ring terminals used for the 10awg wires on either side of the solar disconnect.

[@markwolovetz]

How do you hook battery bank up to it.

[@VanTransitions]

Hi, see if this video helps you answer that: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6qvoaihgsZma6c

[@laurentsosson1739]

hello I had a question to connect the mptt on lynx separator Each mptt regulator must be connected by 1 space of the lynx 1 space for an mptt? I have 5 mptt I need 2 lynx? not possible to put 3 MPTT on 1 lynx space and 2 mptt on another lynx space? the current coming from the mptt is 40A max per mptt

[@VanTransitions]

Hi. You can fill one Lynx up with 4 MPPT and put 1 MPPT on another Lynx, or you can do 3 and 2 between them. There is no requirement to fill one Lynx before using slots on another. Fuse each one appropriately to your needs.

[@laurentsosson1739]

HELLO Thanks for the info, yes 3 MPTT (wired in 6MM2 on a 25MM² terminal) and 2 MPTT (wired on 16MM²) each mptt will have its 40A fuse upstream what fuse should I put on the lynx on the 3MPTT going to the lynx? 150A? and 100A on the other? so no risk of assembling 3 mptt on a lynx location? thanks laurent

[@VanTransitions]

I'm not sure I follow you here. Each Lynx Distributor has 4 locations (pairs of pos/neg with place for fuse) for a potential connection. One MPPT per pair of pos/neg lugs with your 40A fuse there if that is the correct fuse rating for your MPPT. You should be able to see this in the video. Each MPPT has its own location on the Lynx Distributor. I presume your wire measurement is the same as 6 AWG (I am in the USA). What or where are you suggesting a 150A or 100A fuse and why? What model MPPT are you implementing? As mine is the 100/30, this is why I chose a 40A fuse. If you have the same model, don't forget the ground.

[@laurentsosson1739]

hello so yes the 5 mptt that I have have their 40A fuse they have a wire gauge of 10AWG (6MM² europe) i asked you the question to know if 3 MPTT gathered could fit on a lynx place? if it is possible to do that I would crimp the 3 10AWG cables on a 25MM² eyelet terminal that will go on a lynx place do you understand?

[@VanTransitions]

You didn't say what model MPPT you have. If you have a Victron Energy 100/30 like I do, you need 6 AWG. Wire at 10 AWG cannot handle 40A. Do not bundle your MPPTs pos/neg together. 1 MPPT per pos/neg pair with fuse on the Lynx Distributor as the video shows. I do believe it is OK to bundle the ground as I have done with proper wire gauge, please verify with an Electrical Engineer for your specific setup.

[@jws3925]

I know 6 ga will work fine but isn't that a bit of overkill for a max of 30A? Or is you controller a long distance from the Lynx Distributor? I have the same set up and the controller is only 2.5ft from the Lynx and according to the DC wire charts I am ok with 10ga. for 30A at that distance. Never any problem with over wiring but just wondering why you went with gauge wire you did.

[@VanTransitions]

My MPPT is not far from the Lynx D at all, less than 2.5 ft. It was more for efficiency/upgrade capacity I suppose, plus a 6awg with ferrule fits perfectly in the slot. With my 2 solar arrays, 1 pair of 100W and 1 pair of 200W, and 2x MPPT of 100/30 I don't suppose I "need" 6awg.

[@bigredinfinity3126]

why the red cable for ground ?

[@VanTransitions]

If I didn't explain it anywhere else, I didn't want to buy black for this one little spot in the build so I bent the rules a bit for myself b/c the copper inside is the same, and I used black shrink at the lugs to identify the neg. I don't recommend it necessarily, but it did save me some money and when traced by an expert, easily identified as on the negative with maybe a facepalm for the color.

[@bigredinfinity3126]

@@VanTransitions sorry i have satellite data so it lowers the thing to 360p and doesn't show many comments i thought you were maybe wiring in series

[@scottvallie4495]

Are you powering a rear air conditioner with that battery system? if so how many amp draw is the AC? for our setup auxiliary batteries will power a rear AC system, 12 Volt Refrigerator and one 110 outlet for laptop and that's about it. Ford tells me one of our packages we selected will come with a 110 outlet however they don't tell me where it's going to be we definitely want it up front. so with that information all the people I've talked to also tell me four batteries, preferably 4 solar panels, alternator connections and shore power just seems like overkill to me?

[@VanTransitions]

I will have a Dometic RTX 2000 AC in the furthest rear bay on the roof of my extended Transit. I have fused according to their documentation: an 80A megafuse in my Lynx Distributor. I will also power everything else with this Victron system (no propane). Eventually my build and videos will cover this in more detail. In my 2021, the Ford inverter is under the passenger seat, max 400W. Battery power isn't determined by the number of batteries, but the Ah (Amp hours). If you are doing 12V AC, you probably need 400Ah and 400W solar minimum, but you need to calculate your own electric needs. There are spreadsheets on the internet. Why not have shore power available or DC to DC charging while driving? Next video on Sunday speaks to the Victron Orion-Tr. What if it rains for 3 straight days? Options.

[@scottvallie4495]

@@VanTransitions Our van use we'll be pet transportation so yes it alternator will be supplying power to the batteries to power the rear air conditioning, The only time solar will come into play will be as a backup for air conditioning if we break down As for shore connection my intended use is to plug in at home prior to a trip so that the refrigerator would be cold for pet insulin or other items.

[@VanTransitions]

I presume you have researched the Transit CCP, customer connection point?

[@scottvallie4495]

@@VanTransitions yes I opted for the lines install with no controller, my first thought was to go with Webasto system but I lose the backup of breakdown AC.. The whole project is very flexible at this point since were a year out from receiving the van. The first couple of Builds I did on Fords page I was just going to buy a passenger van with seat delete, that was until I saw the measurements with Fords rear ac, it just took up to much room.

[@VanTransitions]

You can't run the rear AC from Ford without the vehicle running. Definitely take this time you have to research research research.

[@Alaska1969]

Why did you need two distributors? Curious. Nice video.

[@VanTransitions]

Thanks. I need 2 for the number of items I am connecting to the system. You can get a solid idea on what all of them are in this video series.

[@UKsystems]

On the negative connection put the crimp from the lynx distributor above it or if the equipment negative has high current it will melt.

[@VanTransitions]

Hi. Can you be more specific about a time stamp and what you are suggesting? I'm not following you here. thanks.

[@UKsystems]

3:11 ish@@VanTransitions

[@VanTransitions]

@@UKsystemsGood catch. I agree, I missed that. It is best to have the 2 AWG LUG against the BUS BAR of the Lynx Distributor, then the ring terminal on top before the washers and nut. Thank you.

[@marcksavoievoyer6424]

Nice video! Just wondering with that Lynx distributor and having a minimum fuse size (Mega) at 60A. This is quite big for the Victron 100/30. I was planning in doing the same but can't wrap my head around putting a 60A fuse on a device that is 30A. What's your thought on this ?

[@VanTransitions]

Thanks. I've been going back and forth on this as well. Another channel Explorist.life has some drawings with 60A. I have currently changed to 40A in place and on my drawing and no complaints from my Victron Dealer. And the spec sheet clearly says the max charge current is 30A, which makes 40A seem a lot more reasonable and it will still protect 6 AWG wire as well. I won't change my wire gauge here.

[@marcksavoievoyer6424]

@@VanTransitions Yeah, Explorist.life just sent me his generic link to buy the parts. I did ask the logic behind the 60A fuse though... I'm on the same side as you though: The fuse should be there to protect the wire (awg6 will be fine) AND the device. The device part, not sure the logic behind putting the 60A fuse... Where did you find the 40A mega fuse? :)

[@VanTransitions]

I was able to find all my mega fuses on Amazon. Here is the 40A a.co/d/hLAQkG2

[@mattwalker534]

I think 40A is a better fit, as suggested below, but if you could not source that part for whatever reason, increase the wire gauge to match the 60A fuse (yes 6awg should be fine)

[@marcksavoievoyer6424]

@@mattwalker534 this is exactly what I did in the end! Awg6 and a 60A fuse. 👍🏻

[@johnlarkins5664]

is that Romex that is connected to your MPPT?

[@VanTransitions]

No. It is Ancor Marine 10/2 wire.

[@boldibbb]

U cant use romex?

[@VanTransitions]

Romex is not recommended for van/RV installations. You want stranded wire.

[@robertmuckle2985]

Never mix your +/- color codes...this will bite you in the arse one day. If you must...spiral electricians tape on your +red just to remind yourself...temporary or not!

[@VanTransitions]

Overall sound advice. As I explained, I had the wire so I used it with black heat shrink - and it's my system ultimately, so I know and that's what matters. If it were building this for someone else, yes, stick with the correct color at all times.

[@Ramjet7777]

Victron states to not use ferrules on their MPPT's!

[@VanTransitions]

Which manual and page please?

[@Ramjet7777]

@VanTransitions I don't think I can paste a link here. I found it in a victron community forum. It was a reply from victron stating not to use ferrules on mppt's. Google search and you should find it, it's even referenced in the diysolar forum also.

[@DOUBLEDEFENSE]

Yeah black and red don’t jive 😂😂😂 best of luck

[@VanTransitions]

The electricity doesn't care what color the shielding is. In most cases keep your positive red and your negative black to keep with standards. I made an exception for my own project. I can do that.