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alferz asked

Orion DC-DC Converter Current Limiting

I'm looking at the 70 amp DC-DC converter (Victron Energy Orion IP20 24/12-Volt 70 amp DC-DC Converter). Does this unit do any sort of current limiting? I wanted to use it to charge a 12v 230Ah battery from a 24v 230Ah battery. The smaller battery can easily take more than 70a so I'm curious just how this limits current (if it does so at all).


Other question I had is on idle current consumption when 0 amps are passing to the 12V load side. Is this spec published anywhere? I see "Off Load Current" of < 20mA, is it wrong to assume that is the same thing?

Orion DC-DC Converters not smartorion dc-dc
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1 Answer
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kevgermany answered ·

The datasheet shows a max current of 85A. Usually this is a temporary max to cover startup currents but may be longer. Work on the official 70A.

Current limiting will occur within the controller if temperature rises too much. But in the situation you describe, current will be limited by the battery SOC. Note that this is not a multi stage battery charger, but an adjustable fixed voltage output. So set voltage no higher than battery absorption level.

If you want higher output current (at the expense of battery life) another unit can be connected in parallel. There's also no way to monitor battery temperature during charging and charging at high rate risks cooking the battery


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