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goon326 avatar image
goon326 asked

Victron Orion TR DC-DC switches on and off

Dear all,

I started testing my Orion DC DC charger. Which is located in the back of my van and connected to a 200ah lithium battery with internal BMS system. However, when I start my car, it keeps shutting on and off. What am I doing wrong?

The voltage will increase when I start my car, then the Orion will start charging, and the voltage will drop, after this it will switch off, and the voltage starts to rise again and the Orion switches on again ect ect.

I am using the standard settings for lithium batteries.

Thanks for your help!

orion-tr smartOrion DC-DC Converters not smart
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2 Answers
prein avatar image
prein answered ·

Is it the orion smart? The voltage drop is likely too high. So when you start drawing current, the voltage drops and the orion thinks the battery is low.


Check cable thickness and low battery voltage setting.

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goon326 avatar image goon326 commented ·
Thanks!


Yes it is the orion smart. The cables that where used are standard cables that are in my california from factory. (T4) They used to charge a lead battery. Don’t know how many amps a lead battery usually asks for. But my alternator is 80A, for the whole car.

The ground cable goes from the orion to the frame of the car.

What thickness of cable should I use If I install new cables? And is grounding to the frame sufficient or should I also make a ground to the alternator from the back of the car? Distance between battery and alternator is around 4 meters.

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tstd avatar image
tstd answered ·

I am having the same issue and it is definitely not due to cable diameter (running 3B&S most of the way then 6B&S for about 20cm). Interesting to hear that you have earthed to the chassis and still having the same issue. Is the chassis earth from the Orion large enough?

I was thinking that my issue may be a poor earth (have it through a large bolted that is screwed into a section of the chassis but possibly not to the main chassis rail which may be providing a poor return path that could be restricting voltage once the Orion starts to draw??

I have another DCDC charger in our caravan that draws more than the Orion and doesn't have an issue. It has its own independent earth to the chassis so this could allude that the earth/return path quality to the Orion could be the issue.

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goon326 avatar image goon326 commented ·

I renewed the cable, I have a 16 mm2 cable which is 5 meters long now installed. Which goes directly from the starter battery to the orion. I have a voltage drop of 0.7 volt. Which goes from 13.40 to 12.70. But maybe the alternator is not strong enough? When I put on big lights, and interior cooling fan to maximum the voltages drops to 12.3 at the orion side. So I set my lock out voltage now on 12.2, or is that way to low? My shunt says that the battery is being charged with 35A.


The only thing I did not replace is the earthing on the chassis, so maybe I will connect an extra cable there.


Another question, I used a wire that gets 12 volt when the engine is running, it is the old cable that was running to my old switch relay, as a switch wire, but when I switch off the enige it does not switch off with when I turn my key, how does this work?


I disconnected the battery and then looked if it switched on and off with the voltage on the wire and it does not. Sometimes when I turn the key, it switches itself very fast off and then on again. See picture. And it gives this weird 10volt output. ( This was without battery) I used wiring diagram a) out of the manual, so the cable with the voltage in the left port, together with the standard cable that bridges the two ports.img-5847.png


And another question, I still not understand the difference between the lock out voltage and the engine detection system. Especially the two shutdown voltages. So the shutdown voltage of the enige detect is 13.5, but I am always under this, how does this work and why does the charger does not switch off? It only switches off when it goes below the lock out voltage.

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