Victron Off Grid System for Van Life (Beginner Friendly) | Mercedes Sprinter Van Conversion #25

[@MattsVan]

Contrary to popular belief, the Van Conversion is not dead! I'm just struggling to find the time and money necessary to work on it. But this video represents a huge milestone that I've been wanting to complete for some time. I hope you get some use out of it! Many thanks to NOHMA.com for sponsoring this video. Links to their products, kits and services can be found in the description.

[@edwardleroux1259]

I like how you were able to add components to your video including Victron. What was it that you used to show us your layout before your build. It would be really helpful to see the layout before you start to build it. Unless it solid works or cad and it’s something we could all afford it would be nice to know how you did it in the video. Thank you for your video btw.

[@gonegliding2966]

As an Electronics Engineer, I'd say that's a good high level explanation of this system. Clear and concise. There is a lot of power involved that can do damage in a very short period of time. As Matt points out, contact someone in the know if you don't understand electrics. Thanks for sharing!

[@michealplater9007]

Voltage ripple is stopped when the cables are the same length?

[@sggr7708]

rubbish ! and you know it. !

[@gonegliding2966]

@@sggr7708 thank you for contributing to Matts algorithm

[@wb5mgr]

I can say having watched dozens of videos similar to this on KZbin… This is by far the cleanest wired Victron system that I have seen yet. Kudos to you for doing what other people are evidently not able to do and putting everything together with obvious care and neatness.

[@charlesfulcrum3170]

Great video and total respect for crediting Greg Virgo and his series of videos

[@davidpatrick1813]

One of the finest presentations I have seen.

[@MarkChivers-z1u]

Finally, an installation which has an AC breaker /fuse box/consumer unit in metal enclosures from the shore power/hook up AND from the inverter.

[@markpritchard3707]

Explained in it’s simplest form, even someone who has very limited knowledge in electrical matters would be greatly educated and enlightened after watching this video, Well done, brilliant 😊

[@PhilChern]

Well this is a great video! Wish this video released last month haha! My system looks very similar. I just bought all my victron components 3 weeks ago, and bought batteries 3 days ago. I did have the victron batteries spec'd out first but couldnt justify the price of them so went with RFK batteries (2x 300ah) after a bunch of research. I would recommend also getting Orion XS 50A as tests showed that it is more efficient, doesn't heat up as much, smaller in size, and you can charge quicker. I skimmed through the video but will watch it in full to make sure I didn't miss anything.

[@brentmanning]

I'd only add one additional thing. A super or ultra capacitor to the busbar. This will extend the life of your battery and assist with any large start-up current draws from pumps or fridges..

[@GlennInLaguna]

Does Victron make the super/ultra capacitor?

[@Jim_Kay.]

Just when I was feeling confident in my abilities to wing my way through the electrics...

[@Jim_Kay.]

That being said.. It is a sponsored post, so, of course they're gonna add a bit more spice to it.

[@clogwise]

You’ve done a nice install. I trust you insulated al the connection terminals after making this video. Cos if someone is to littaraly trow a spanner in the works, that would give an expensive fireworks. Other than that, well done!

[@mikefinkelstein7433]

Thank you! I am wiring my off-grid cottage and your explanation on the system has been very helpful! It is very clear and well explained!

[@Fridayone35]

So professional and clean.

[@randybecker7339]

Great, albeit very intimidating explanation. I understand why you've left out some information so I will re-watch it several times to learn more. Many thanks and hopefully your time/money issue improves soon so we get the next video soon. Thanks again for doing this!

[@TheWickerShireProject]

Well illustrated. Love your system. Ultra clean install.

[@negueba235689]

DC-DC 12-12-30 4.1. General • Mount vertically on a non-flammable surface, with the power terminals facing downwards. Observe a minimum clearance of 10 cm under and above the product for optimal cooling. But your video is good. :)

[@derekrobertson1548]

Brilliant explanation matt, found your breakdown and explanation very easy to follow and understand making a very intimidating diagram easier to understand..

[@rajenwilliams]

Great high- level explanatory video...well done!

[@SR-yv4ep]

Connecting bigger loads to the inverter side of the MultiPlus-II allows you to use their "PowerAssist" function. It allows you to limit the current taken from shore power and supply the rest from your battery. This can be useful if shore power can't supply enough, as you do quite often see on camping sites. Brew your coffee or tea with battery support and recharge it while you enjoy your beverage.

[@Bari_Khan_CEng_CMarEng]

Really nice walkthrough video. Much appreciated bud

[@terrysmith7740]

immaculately presented.

[@robertfrost5020]

The very first fuse from the battery - lots of new advice out there saying you should use a T-class or MGBF fuse instead of a Mega fuse. The shirt circuit current of a lithium battery is unbelievably high and above the specs of a Mega fuse. This can mean the fuse can fail then arc across the mega fuse and not cut the circuit if there is a short circuit. I may be wrong as I am not an electrician but I would double check this. Great build and video :)

[@MattsVan]

@@robertfrost5020 Crazy how fast these regulations change! Even if it’s not guaranteed to be correct advice, it’s still something that people should look into further now that you’ve bought it to light. Thanks for this Robert! 🙏

[@robertfrost5020]

@ I know it’s bonkers complicated - I think one of the benefits of the Victron inverters is they aren’t ‘centre tapped’ like most of the others. Centre tapped means 240v isn’t sent down the cables the Same way as in your home. Basically this means trip switches (residual circuit breakers - the things you find in your fuse box/ consumer unit) won’t work. That info isn’t at all clear even when you buy branded good quality ones. That’s why Victron is so expensive. It is different (better/ safer) technology.

[@SimonWad]

So for the project I'm working on, I found a UK company - Fogstar - just received one of their big batteries into my work - 560Ah, built-in BMS and battery heater, and plugs into the Cerbo via VE CAN and/or BMS CAN

[@truth3358]

Have ye had your van put onto a weighbridge as the payload is XLWB is 1124 kg ? DVSA are the people to worry about if you are . Great video being a long-distance lorry driver away from home months at a time living in the top of the range truck. Having all the facilities inside my truck. Apart from the obvious I think in this video it is a bit too much but I will say very well explained. You sound more clued up then your letting on

[@johnbofarullguix1499]

Thanks Matt. Really well presented system: 1. What about prices? a last 15 second slide with approximate figures on each module, plus a rounded total figure for the hardware would shurely help. 2. Also mentioning how many hours it took you to research, collect parts, assemble, and test/tune the system would be nice. Wonderful concise thanks.

[@Erik_The_Viking]

Great job! Nice to see the project is moving ahead. Electrics are serious business, you can easily cause a lot of issues without realizing it.

[@mictaylor9531]

Sensational video Matt 👌🏻 Brilliant explanations and edit 👌🏻🍺🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@Tangotop]

great video with good advice and direction to other sources. One thing, people will try and copy this (it the internet). Thought I should add in here the Solar MCB, should be a DC MCB and not a normal house AC MCB, as Matt said seek advice, and an AC one won't work the same.

[@MattsVan]

Yep good point! This nearly tripped me up too.

[@HybridBattery]

Your Truma could have been powered off the AC-out 2 connectors on the Multiplus. It is powered directly from the AC input and disconnects when shore power is unplugged. I suppose you still would have needed a fuse/breaaker/whatever you call them, so it would be a wash.

[@ElMoeMan]

I'm not qualified, I'm not qualified, I'm not qualified, Im not quailified, great informative video thank you!

[@michaelbury8940]

Great series Mat, I love your presentation style and great content, when are you going to post the next one in the series as I have watched them all so far? Look forward to hearing from you.. 😁👌🏻

[@kevinryan7649]

This was extremely helpful thank you

[@pkl88858]

GREAT video, but .... We've gone 3 summers aound the US with a propane stove, 2 wet cel Gp31 batteries, 200 w solar, Renogy DCC50s, Isotherm 130 AC/DC Refrigerator with Freezer, 200W cigarette lighter inverter, and a 12V water heater. IF we decide we need a toaster or coffee maker we'll add a 2000W Renogy inverter for $280.00. It's not for everyone but if your budget is tight electrics is where to save.

[@johnhoulihan4000]

Absolutely agree. Most campers do not need this level of complexity. Getting trips in is more important than buying toys.

[@stan1928]

Great video. Everybody says the same. I agree. I have been following your woodwork for several years. It´s just one thing. Maybe i am too old, but. Matt you have too breath. You might end up whit one of my friends at work. Be Cool, MD, Stan in Sweden

[@sunelsnn]

this is a great video as I'm researching about van life. I have electrical background. what confused me was the BMS system setup that disconnects multiplus and/or the 12v panel either in load mode or the charging mode. I'm coming from a perspective non victron batteries ($200 Vs $1100 for 100 amp-hour). those are not smart but comes with in built BMS to disconnect ( for temp and potentially if charging higher than the rating). for charging purposes the battery fuse will disconnect the circuit if charging at high currents say over 200 amp for 400 amp-hour battery bank.(assume 50 amp max charging) and for the load purposes the ac/dc distribution panel fuse setup will cause disconnect. Not sure what additional functionality we get out of BMS + smart battery protect. (per product spect it can disconnect non essential load), seems redundant for basic setup.

[@joecox7796]

Really good video, well explained and very useful

[@nasseral-momen1463]

great explanation. clear and precise. keep up the good work.

[@tom314]

Nicely done, it's good seeing the van coming along :) It should be ready for when you retire :P

[@88Spint]

As someone who is planning on building my own in april, I will rewatch this one 100 times :D Aiming for 30kwh worth of battery in mine, cus im a neard and need gaming on my 750w computer. Might try to add extra solar by custom making slide out shelfs if I don't get enough on my roof. No idea how well it's all gonna go but Imma give it a damn good try and videos like these are gonna help me massively.

[@dishcleaner2]

Trying to do the same thing. Dual layer/wing panels are a must have if you want your rays traced. You're also going to need a lot of roof. I'm getting a 37ft toy hauler for mine.

[@88Spint]

@dishcleaner2 Sick! :)

[@MrLasox]

I'm having a 4090 i don't think you will be needing 750 watt for a gaming computer? I'm currently spending 100 watt and about 25 watt from my computer screen in silence mode (when i'm watching movies etc), but if i'm playing PUBG at high end graphics then it could hit 330 watts for computer plus 25 watt for the screen. If you are spending 750 watt i have no idea what kinda monster you have. Do you have a double geforce 4090? That's simply overkill. Even with my one 4090 are overkill.

[@88Spint]

@@MrLasox I'm going after the wattage of my power supply (750w) and I only got a 3070. The idea is to make the system able to run at max draw, comfortably, even if I don't. After all if I ever do pull that much I don't wanna blow a fuse or suddenly find myself with much less playtime then expected. :D Less power draw then expected just means more time in front of a computer xD And looking at the price of the batteries for a 30k system, it's about 5k $. That's fully obtainable for me and part of my budget. In fact I feel like batteries are kind of cheap so why not go for more if you can? The plan is to live out of the van for 6 years so I shouldn't need to replace the batteries either. I'll just have to deal with the lower capacity in the end.

[@paulone-off7286]

That's an impressive system that. Good job mounting it all and wiring it up, nice tidy job. Would be interested in the cost of this system.

[@TundZ131185]

Cool explanation of a complicated topic - well done. I'm left with a simple product question - why the MultiPlus II instead of the cheaper MultiPlus with the same configureation. From what I know the only addition in the newer version is a functionality that is only used for household installation in which it prevents putting solar power from your roof back into the grid when the "GRID connection fails (e.g. for service reasons). I think it could save a couple hundred bucks for a functionality we don't need in our vans...please correct me if I'm wrong :) GREETINGS from Victrons home base - Germany!

[@bradlainson8051]

The Shunt is a coulomb meter and not used for measuring Voltage as such; it counts the amps that are transferred to and from the battery in order to determine the state of charge, the current being used by the loads or being input back into the battery. Voltage is not a good way to measure Lithium SOC, but is useful in viewing/setting the endpoints of the charge/discharge cycle to avoid damage to the battery. Great video though.

[@MW-fh8xh]

Extremely well done. Very helpful would be if you could present the tools and parts you used for preparing the cables

[@omer-kinali]

I believe you did a couple mistakes. You connected the mppt to the lynx distributor after the main battery disconnect switch. So whenever you disconnect your batteries from your loads, you'll end up disconnecting them from your solar array too. That is not good. As long as the panels are connected to the mppt, the mppt should stay connected to the batteries. And there should be a way for you to isolate your batteries from all your loads but at the same time keep them charging, which is not possible with this setup. Another mistake is you have the main fuse before the mppt as well. If for some reason the main fuse blows, it will disconnect the mppt from the batteries, while the solar panels are connected to the mppt. That is a potential hazard. The mppt should only be cut off from the batteries if its own fuse blows, which will only happen if there's a short. The correct way: Connect the output of your mppt directly to your batteries or to an unswitched busbar, before the main fuse. Install a fuse in between. Lastly, if you choose to cut off your panels from the mppt using the breakers you've installed, the mppt will not output anything. So there is no need to install a breaker or switch between your batteries and the mppt. You only need a fuse.

[@garethcurtis9354]

Smart. Love victron.

[@Geon-Harris]

that's really a good explanation and easy to understand. Great Video. Do you planning on doing the 'how to' do the sensor video soon? would love to see the sensor placement

[@nigelwest3430]

I used to build the wiring harnesses at Aston Martin (Newport Pagnell days) we used to get visitors looking at the 900+ wires laid on the bench, the regular question was "how on earth do you know when it's all there" 😂

[@colinday9117]

I had a rats nest of different wires coming off my battery. I tidied this up so so a single cable from the battery terminals to a bus bar via an isolator. This weekend I actually put the positive from the solar controller and the smart shunt back onto the battery. So I ca isolate the system but keep the solar charging and. The power to the smart shunt.

[@virtual812]

Constructive criticism... 1)The phrase "Connecting the positive and negative terminals together" is a fairly critical flaw. Better said "connecting the positive on each battery to each other and the negative one each battery to each other" or some other clear way the precludes anyone of thinking of connecting the positive and negative of a battery. 2) Equal length positive and negative in this context is not even remotely required. Ripple is rapid oscillations in voltage, and is solved best with a capacitor, not equal length cable. Equal length cable is typically for matched impedance and timing in data transmission, like at the scale of tracks on a computer motherboard. 3) With large enough cable over that short of a length it doesn't really matter how you connect to your batteries. 4) Solar panels, whilst off roaders an so on will colloquially call a panel "12v" in the context of this video this can be dangerous. The voltage of the panels is specified in 2 ways, Vmp and Voc. Vmp is the voltage of the panel at max power, Voc is Voltage open circuit. Using the datasheet for Victrons 175 watt panel Vmp is 19.4v and Voc is 23.7v 3 of these in series has the potential to reach 71.1v which is double the 36v you calculated, and can be a minor electrocution risk and risk to an improperly sized solar charger. - Wiring them in series means smaller cable required and means they will still generate useful power in lower light conditions (start generating earlier in the AM and continue until later in PM) 5) The MPPT150-35 is a bit undersized, but only slightly. It's good up to 35amps, but with 525w of solar you will hit that 35amp limit on a good day with low batteries. This is actually not a huge issue, as mentioned in a post i replied to below... 3 x 175w = 525w / 12.8v system nominal voltage = 41Amps Subtract that panels rarely actually generate specified power and the 2% loss in the MPPT and the 35amp unit chosen is about right, maybe a tad small. It will only be maxed out in certain circumstances... Victron controllers limit current safely, so going over is not a concern to the durability of the controller. 6) Should be more clearly defined - MCB = Miniature Circuit Breaker - and must be DC rated for this task. 7) The MultiPlus II could have been exchanged with the EasySolar-II GX, this brings the solar charging inside the inverter and simplifies some of the setup and monitoring, though it does dit 90mm taller. 8) The AC going direct to the heater could be omitted and run from the AC2 out of the inverter instead, this automatically disconnects when shore power is unavailable. This could have had the add on effect of simplifying the consumer unit install and wiring too. 9) While it would provide a path to ground i wouldnt rely on powering the BMS via the Inverter. Giving it a dedicated line to the battery would seem best practice. - I could be stand to be corrected on this. 10) On the output RCBOs would have saved more space again, eliminating the need for a dedicated RCD This combined with the tip above might have gotten you down to 1 consumer unit while increasing functionality by making the protection 'per circuit' thus having a fault on one doesn;t bring the whole AC output down. 11) The Lynx power distribution unit is huge, yet really all it's going is passing high current to the inverter. I'd have skipped the battery fuse, the main switch and the Lynx and just run a 250 or 300A DC breaker to both the Inverter and the fuse box, or seperate 250A and 100A breakers incase you wanted to isolate the inverter for power saving or maintainance. Looks like you got a good end result, but gee that's big setup and unnecessarily complicated. Still i hope it brings you some joy.

[@lobby1529]

Finally someone noticed what I noticed. Often I keep quiet and nod my head.

[@LarsKelloggStedman]

I have a question about the wiring here. You've got the various chargers connected directly to your 12V distribution bus, but a battery charger for 12v batteries typically outputs > 12V in order to properly charge the batteries (which means your 12V bus would be outputting something higher than 12V). Is this something you need to be concerned about? Should there be a DC/DC converter somewhere here to maintain a constant 12V output in the face of differing voltage levels from the batteries, the solar charger, the dc/dc charger, etc?

[@danielsuppes3948]

@MattsVan You don't need the double pole isolator if you have the MCB inline on the panels. You can just throw the switch on the MCB to cut off the panels, no?

[@rubikmonat6589]

Correct, the MCB can be switched off manually and is perfectly legal as an isolation point. However in some countries regulations require an isolator switch on the solar panels, just so it's really obvious I assume.

[@texaslonestarrider]

Awesome!

[@kierowik1]

cool video, would be nice to give more thought to space saving with is paramount in building rv vans. this whole system should take half the space you've used

[@Palinkat]

Fair play Matt, my brain is melting....

[@trieb]

Nice guide! Would be very interesting to get an estimate of cost of the setup you have here, with MPPT, DC2DC, Inverter batteries etc.

[@tiloalo]

I guess excluding the battery it's probably 1500€. Price of Victron equipment came down a lot in recent months

[@happy_hruuf]

Your links arent working :( love the video. Working on saving up 2-3 grand to do my system once and do it right. Would love to see the info behind your links though

[@Epanouissement]

Is it just me that has missed something... The 12 volts distribution panel is not regulated to a fix voltage of 12 volts. The 12 volt distribution output voltage will not only var according to state of charge of the batteries but also depending of weather 12v to 12v charger or mppt are actively charging. Also, I believe the MPPT should never be connected to solar panels when disconnected from the batteries (always connect the mppt to the batteries before connecting to the solar panels and always disconnect solar panels before disconnecting batteries) Therefore "The smart battery protect" for the mppt could potentially burn the mppt as it would have nowhere to dump the energy. The first switch you've installed that is cutting the live feed to the batteries could also cause damage to the mppt if the solar panels are not disconnected first. A warning label should be put up as a reminder or get proper switches for the application.

[@jrmayberry3536]

I don't think there's any reason to have both a solar on off switch as well as a fuse switch?

[@jackgoodacre98]

Hey Matt, another great video - your content has been invaluable for me as I plan my own build. A question (for anyone who may know): Instead of having the separate Battery Protects between the battery & MPPT and fuse/distribution board, would it be possible to have a single Battery Protect between the positive battery terminal and manual isolator (just before the Lynx distribution panel)? I figure that in the event of issues with the batteries, this would cut the whole circuit (both charges & loads) with only a single battery protect. Curious to hear anyones thoughts! 🙏

[@thernameschris]

I love Victron equipment but it is so expensive. I went with eg4 all in one system with the server rack battery and it’s much cheaper. Much easier to Install with less components and tons of energy. It is also expandable which is amazing.

[@jbregmen]

incredible. well done

[@dubious6718]

The shut off switch to the solar panels is redundant, since you installed a automatic fuse before the switch.

[@robertpeters9438]

Remember to derate your wiring for high temp! And put air space between wires carrying near capacity current!!! Especially in vehicles left in the sun.

[@mikeyfelley]

Brilliant informative video. what’s the total cost of the system

[@CDGMxRetreat]

Fair play thats beautiful!

[@steveallen1340]

Beautiful system. Just my humble opinion, if I needed to power a 3000 watt inverter I’d go 48 volts and not have to deal with such massive cables.

[@MattsVan]

Haha you're not wrong there! Some of these were like handling Pythons

[@eugen-m]

True , 48v is the best.

[@bellumCretatus]

48V is the way to go, but there are some things to consider. Solar would need to be higher voltage, 36V won‘t cut it. You also need a DC/DC charger that boosts to 48+V. And you need a DC/DC stepdown converter for your 12V loads. 24V could be the middle ground, there is tons of DC stuff that works on 24V and the 36V solar system would also work fine.

[@MarkChivers-z1u]

@@bellumCretatusthis tbf. Also stepping down from 48v to 12v would be hugely inefficient. 24V is a middle ground but there’s nothing wrong with 12V for smaller systems.

[@bellumCretatus]

@@MarkChivers-z1u why? I disagree. Just check the step-down converter datasheets, e.g. for Victrons (110W), the 48V to 12V version is even 2% more efficient over the 24V to 12V

[@TheRMUPs]

I like how you layed out all of your components but I wonder if there was a way to pack them in tight to take up less space. Would there be complication from having these parts closer together or even touching? Considering everything has a housing and the wires are insulated

[@timtravelnomad]

Wondering why using a resistive heater instead of an AC/heatpump?

[@carakalem]

Hi does anyone knows if we don’t have victron battery, I have lifepo4 batteries how to connect BMS to my batteries because there is no place to Link as victron as he linked

[@mwpaus]

@mattsvan Keeping the +ve and -ve cables equal length is an odd one... anyone care to explain why this is needed in detail?

[@mwpaus]

I've looked through the Victron manuals and they don't need to be. It's only needed for the cables if load sharing between multiple batteries. And you only need to have all the pos cables the same length, and all the neg cables the same length. The pos and neg don't need to be the same.

[@ykl_media]

@MattsVan - how do you build the little diagrams you're using to demonstrate the wiring and flow of components in this video? Are there bundles of vector elements you can download from somewhere?

[@kaiwuthenow827]

Amazing Video - thanks alot. I am a great fan of Victron myself and have used it amply, so know the amount of effort that would have gone into such a neat system would you mind elaborating to the shot of the 12V DB (14:25) - it seems like you are using an interesting mix of cable colours. is there reason behind this choice, would love to hear your thoughts on it.

[@LightweightUK2007]

Hey Matt, aren’t you doubling up on the solar isolator side? The MCB can be used as an isolator switch and fuse instead of having the additional PV isolator switch also.

[@hennnnerz]

I'm more interested in your cabinet/housing for it all!

[@karaborasenyai1069]

I am waiting for the answer and willing to pay for design specifications.

[@its_not_anna]

What software did you use to draw this? Thanks!

[@paolopetrozzi2213]

Thanks, Matt.

[@Z-add]

So the wiring diagram is in the nohma van conversion bible book?

[@VideoShowMeHow]

Nice vid, have never seen as many battery protects 😁 Surprised one was used on the mppt, you have most of the same options in software? Saves a bunch of components and wiring.

[@Min_Goose]

Are the kitchen appliances/area linked up to the 12v array?

[@laurentsosson1739]

Hello I would like you to give me your opinion (expert!) I have a multiplus 2 in (8000VA) in output + (2X on the 8000VA) should I put 1 or 2 disconnectors? since 2X50MM² are needed 2 disconnectors are better I think? the 2 50MM cables will not fit on a disconnector. What do you think? on the other hand for the - (2X) should I also have 1 or 2 disconnectors? or can the 2 - cables of the multi go directly to the P- of the BMS jk? thanks

[@matthewprice3658]

Maaaatttt when is the next video? pleeeaaassseeee 🙂

[@blackquintet]

Sponsoring of this video in extremely efficient. I am planning a very similar installation (although on my boat), so I vent directly to NOHMA, very decided to use their service. Unfortunately, they sell only in the UK and in the US! I would have gladly paid for the engineering advice only, but they don't do that. Additionally, they work only with vans, and not boats. I don't know any similar service that would be available in Europe. I might simply replicate your installation, but I have a problem with the BMS since the one you use is for Lithium batteries only, and I want to use gel batteries (not a preferences, but because I have 6 100 Ah brand new gel batteries.)Hence my question: does anyone knows what BMS to use for gel batteries?

[@SomeCrazyVids]

Are you not sharing the wiring guide?

[@DougStamper-rd3fn]

Great video and nice and clear. How did you do the drawing, I've been try to find a way to draw up my system I'm working on.

[@SimonWad]

Thank you very much for this video - I've watched a lot of the Explorist Life videos/tutorials, so it's nice to see you echoing much of the same wisdom. Quick question - why did you choose to place the battery isolator switch between the fuse and distributor, rather than at the battery terminal?

[@MattsVan]

@@SimonWad Cheers Simon :) The positive terminal is kinda hidden towards the back of the bank and is difficult to access. Otherwise it would have gone on the terminal itself. The cable run is only 300mm or so though and is massively overspecced so it should be fine

[@nick8418]

I have the same setup but with two orions and two mppt. I'm very confused why the mppt and the orion need to have the battery protect.

[@OhadooElectronics]

not vice versa, the inverter is only converting dc to ac and not the other way around, but u said this multiplus is also a charger so I'm not sure what that function is used for since you have an mppt charge controller in the system which should charge the batteries !!

[@OhadooElectronics]

12:23 I get it now, so the 12v from battery or solor gets converted to ac which is the inverter function, and also the incoming ac can be converted to 12v to charge the batteries which is the charger function, but you keep saying the inverter works both ways, which is wrong , the multiplus works both way, one way is the inverter part and the other is the charger part. anyway u keeps saying you're not qualified and this proves just that hhhh, no ofense just kidding, it's just the words or terms used are wrong but the meaning and actual thing correct hhh

[@guidurso]

What's the program that u used to make the diagram? Awesome video, BTW.

[@r7boatguy]

Nicely explained. Do you have any room left in the van?

[@youcanthide004]

GORGEOUS BUILD!!!! Clean & Sexy, well done mate / GREAT VIDEO!!!

[@XRPGOLD]

Thank you

[@yohannmumbach5197]

I dont understand why people alway put load disconect. When a make my batterie there is a integrated protection in the bms

[@dennisdickinson8337]

Looks really good but insurance won't cover of its mounted on wood

[@nigelgreenhouse]

very helpful

[@GudieveNing]

The guide on how to bring down big oil, the early days.

[@andrewford80]

Those older DCDC chargers de-rate really badly when they get warm. Any reason you didn't go for the newer Orion XS which doesn't seem to suffer this same shortcoming?

[@jiajunfan1995]

0:44 这个电路图线路画的有一些不符合图纸标识规则，在线路交叉的地方。

[@errolmagill1611]

Complex but intriguing setup. What about voltage regulation on the 12 volt side - components like the roof fans are sensitive to voltage, they don't like more than 12 volts.🤔

[@MattsVan]

@@errolmagill1611 ooo that’s an interesting one. I’m going to assume the BMS is the thing that handles that. But I may be wrong

[@virtual812]

Where did you hear this?? No... fans are not sensitive to voltage. Close enough is good enough. It's probably going to have a perfectly happy life anywhere from 9 to 15 volts.

[@virtual812]

@@MattsVan No, BMS does nothing. The DC side of your system is variable with the battery / charge voltage... and this is fine. 99.9% of 12v gear is happy to run anywhere between 10v and 15v Regulation not required. Where regulation is important the device has regs inside it. Your USB lamps/chargers for example will have 5v switch mode regs internally. Automotive systems are well known to be typically 12v to 14v. Lots of gear is actually specced @ 13.8v as that's close to your DC system voltage while the vehicle is running.

[@errolmagill1611]

@@virtual812 Maxxair fans are very voltage sensitive, there are examples of people having issues with this on KZbin. Personally I wouldn't chance it.

[@virtual812]

@@errolmagill1611 Just saw the videos and have seen some of their boards, does seem a legit issue. In light of this new information they are simply unfit for purpose. Voltage regulation for a "12v system accessory" should not be a thing, if i needs a specific voltage then the regulation should be in the fan itself. It's accepted and normal for automotive/ RV systems to operate through a range of voltage. Designing a device for those applications that cannot roll with this is bad business.

[@niffrig]

That Victron Charge Controller is over spec'd for that system. You could have used a 75|15

[@virtual812]

Actually it's under spec'd already. The panels can harvest over 40 amps at that battery voltage, so even the 35 is under. 3 x 175w = 525w / 12.8v system nominal voltage = 41Amps Subtract that panels rarely actually generate specified power and the 2% loss in the MPPT and the 35amp unit chosen is about right, maybe a tad small.

[@MarkChivers-z1u]

@@virtual812agreed. Victron (and others) have a calculator which you can use to determine which charge controller is best suited to the solar array (whether in series/parallel or combo). Such a controller would be underrated.

[@niffrig]

​@virtual812 the panels are wired in series. He says it himself, so with 3 175W panels, Voltage is 36 V nominal (probably 50 VOC) and the current 14.86 Amps. He might have wanted to go to a Victron 100/20 but a 150/35 is complete overkill

[@harrypalmer6228]

Needed a mortgage to pay for it! Good video though