Orion-Tr 12/12 18Amp or 30Amp for 4x4 Offroad Lithium or Lead Acid Charging

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bradraut asked Feb 21, '22

Orion-Tr 12/12 18Amp or 30Amp for 4x4 Offroad Lithium or Lead Acid Charging

Good Day All

I am looking at purchasing a Smart Orion-Tr 12/12, either the 18 or the 30Amp.

I currently have a 80Amp Alternator with a Lead Acid Starter Battery in my Land Rover Defender. I want to primarily charge using the DC DC charger and then I will have a separate MPPT for backup Portable Solar Charging.

I am just going to power some basic items like a small fridge and lights.

I want my Auxiliary battery to be 100Ah and I want to be able to use either a Lead Acid or Lithium in the future. I prefer the idea of the Lithium Battery but sometimes when you are in the middle of no where, it can be good to have a secondary starter battery. My concern is that the 30Amp is too much current for charging100Ah lead acid and that the 18Amp is not efficient enough for the Lithium Battery. Which unit would be the best?

Also I do not see a profile for lead acid on the VictronConnect App, how would one start to setup a profile for this?

Kind Regards

Bradley

Lithium Battery VictronConnect orion-tr smart orion dc-dc lead-acid

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Answer 1 · 2022-02-22T09:52:14Z

wkirby answered · Feb 22, 2022 at 09:52 AM

I think the 18A model would be the best for you.
As you said, the maximum charge current is more suited to a 100Ah lead acid battery.
There is a pre-defined profiles for AGM batteries which is a good starting point. If your battery manufacturer specifies different settings, then a user defined charge profile can be set up.

18A would still be a good charge current for a Lithium battery. If you are thinking about using a 100Ah lead acid battery, then a 60Ah lithium battery would provide the same sort of usable storage capacity for your needs and so 18A would be plenty for a lithium battery of that size.

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Answer 2 · 2022-02-22T10:28:48Z

bradraut answered · Feb 22, 2022 at 10:28 AM

Thank You for your answer. My optimal battery would be to use a 100Ah Lithium Battery, would this still charge fine on the 18A model?

In terms of getting the battery manufacturers data. If it says the following:
Charge Voltage 14.6 +/-0.2V
Charge Mode 0.2C to 14.6V then 14.6V, charge current to 0.02C
Charge Current 20Amps

Would this then be the following in the app:

Absorption Voltage: 14.6V

Float Voltage: 14.6V

Bulk Time Limit: ?

Rebulk Voltage: ?

Fixed Absorption Time: 2h

I also have some concerns of the durability of these units in a 4x4 environment, what are your thoughts?

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kevgermany ♦♦ commented · Mar 02, 2022 at 09:47 AM

Guessing these are the specs of the battery you're considering. Your proposals look good. If the charge/float can't be set the same, maybe put float down a little. Note the charge amp limit, the 30A is not suitable.

Rebulk 0.1V, as it's lithium set bulk time as low as you can.

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Answer 3 · 2022-03-01T21:25:16Z

sirdreadly answered · Mar 01, 2022 at 09:25 PM

I am NOT an expert, but of the options you have listed, I would go for the 30 amp unit.

It can be deregulated to 15 amps, and it would be a better choice for your 100 Ah Lithium battery, which probably has a recommended charge level of 50 amps. So, 15 amp charge while you are still using lead acid, then 30 amps when you switch to Lithium. (which would be my recommendation)

By the way, do not use a float voltage of 14.6, especially not with lithium - check battery specs.

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kevgermany ♦♦ commented · Mar 02, 2022 at 10:27 AM

As far as I know there is no user control on the output current of these chargers.

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