question

dandenson avatar image
dandenson asked

multiplus 500va output

Hello all. I have a question on how the Multiplus 500VA model outputs 230V. Is this single phase center ground (ie 'US' style) were I can split it to 2x 115V legs?

Multiplus-II
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4 Answers
abrahamsolar avatar image
abrahamsolar answered ·

Hi from CO, @dandenson & the other 62 people who are following this question. Victron being based in Europe, all their inverter product lines begin with 230v 50 hertz architecture. Only the biggest sellers are spun off as "US" versions. At least 64 of us are interested in a 120v version of this tiny "multi"...but Victron might need a hundred times more prospective buyers before they could justify the cost of rolling out a new version.

One can easily change the frequency on this unit using Victron Connect. Changing the voltage (with transformers on the input & output), however, seems not worth the trouble unless one is powerfully motivated.

Sunny days...

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dandenson avatar image
dandenson answered ·

We can't switch them to 120v, only 230V and that's no split phase like the US power grid. Lots of 120v stuff that would need an additional step down.

The number of people that post to a forum vs the interest in a product is very hard to estimate. It could be that only the sqeeky wheels come to post, or it could be that those that install/sell know this isn't available so buy outback power. Sure seems like there are a LOT of similar products sold in the US w/ 120+240 output so I think the market is suggesting there's demand.

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abrahamsolar avatar image
abrahamsolar answered ·

Hi again, @dandenson & other interested parties. The Outback Radian (US version) does have 120/240 in a single box & other mfrs have followed suit with their US product lines. The biggest selling Radian stateside is rated for 8000 watts, however, which is ~16 times bigger than the 500VA unit with which you began this thread.

Outback also shows a 4000 watt version which may be still in the lineup but that was not as big a seller. I don't know of any brands off the top of my head that do 120/240 "natively" in anything smaller than 4000 watt rating. When the hardware adds up to multiple thousands of dollars, electrical code inspections are usually in the picture (so the underlying real estate can be insured, financed, etc.) US Radians are listed to UL1741SA so they're legal to install across the whole USA. Someone at Victron could fact check me, but the last time I checked, there's only one Victron inverter/charger that meets the UL standard which American inspectors would look for.

Victron inverters can work in a 120/240 architecture only by stacking identical pairs of Multi's (or Quattro's). Using a computer to configure the Victron stacking works great. For years, the Outback "black" inverters have also handled 120/240 the same way. Other brands, too.

My worst times of "jonesing" for a 500VA US Multi is when the project is tight on cubic inches and the energy ambitions are appropriately small on wattage--and if there are no code inspections such as for an RV or a boat. I keep checking to see if the "mini-multi" has been ported over, and I keep being disappointed, but I know the Victron team is as busy as it needs to be with the product line as it is. "Sunny days..."

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dandenson avatar image
dandenson answered ·

I wasn't meaning to use Outback as the primary alternative, but that without products that suit the US market we have to use other products. Lots of people are piecing together chinese/non-name products.

The 500VA unit with 120 or 120/240 output would suit a TON of use cases. RV's for example, must have 120v and need a compact system. I'm doing these with a pile of components. Cerbo + MPPT + inverter + shunt and a mess of cables and so forth.


I would potentially even buy these EU models if they were available and put a step down stransformer in but not much for availability.

Bottom line for me is that Victron has the best monitoring 'suite' in my opinion. Other products are more piece meal and less easy to grasp at a glance. And for RVs, adding a global connect or an LTE radio with a cerbo gx for monitoring is the cherry on top.

I build my mothers RV with all victron gear and cerbo gx + gx LTE and the people around her at the camps in arizona she goes to love her system. I wish I had a ve.direct charger option so I could see generator/shore power input, a small multiplus US version would provider all this and be compact and clean.

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