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seanhiace avatar image
seanhiace asked

Orion-TR Smart & Solar

Hi all,


I have a van with 3 x 100W fixed solar panels in series charging a 150ah lithium battery via the Victron 100/20 SmartSolar MPPT charger. I am considering adding the ability to charge whilst driving, so looking at adding the Orion-TR Smart 12/12-30A DC-DC charger.


I am a bit confused on the logistics of these two units working together however, with the solar fixed to the roof and potentally giving full output when driving in good sun. Is it fine to wire these two in parallel and let them run simultaneously when driving?

Anything I might be missing here?


Thanks,

Sean

MPPT Controllersorion-tr smartcampervan
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3 Answers
Justin Cook avatar image
Justin Cook answered ·

@seanhiace, so long as you are not ever exceeding the battery manufacturer's recommended maximum charge rate, you can have as many parallel charging sources connected as you like. In your case, assuming that your MPPT is at full-bore output and the Orion-Tr Smart is as well, you're looking at ~50A of charge current; so long as this is at or below the manufacturer's recommended charge current, then you're golden.

...and of course, make sure to fuse/breaker each input/output with known-brand fuses or breakers as appropriate for the wiring and the current.

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seanhiace avatar image seanhiace commented ·

@Justin Cook - Bay Marine Supply USA

Hi Justin,


Thanks for reaching out. The battery is rated to a max charge of 100A, so there should be no issues there. Fuses/breakers will be in place according to Victron's recommended sizing.


Cheers!

Sean

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tappazee avatar image tappazee commented ·

Hello, I'm looking at a similar problem. I'm intending on purchasing a Victron 100/30 MPPT to go with a 360w single solar panel input and 2x115aH AGM leisure batteries output, and I want to add an Orion to add b2b capability when driving.

I would like to add the 60amp Orion rather than 30amp to get a faster charge. This would probably be fine in winter, but driving on a sunny summer's day the current would probably go above the 30% charge current you're supposed to stick within for charging AGM batteries.

Is there a solution so that the charge current is limited to what the battery bank can handle?

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alex-rhys-hurn avatar image
alex-rhys-hurn answered ·

I read somewhere here the following (sorry cant remember who wrote it, so cant give credit):

"Both the mppt and Orion can charge the house batts together, but you might consider setting the Orion's charge V(s) to just slightly lower than the mppt's Float, so the mppt will have priority, and the Orion only contributing in a bulk charge situation."

I have the same setup as you, and I have configured the Orion as per above statement, and it has worked well for me.

Alex


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tex260z avatar image
tex260z answered ·

Ok, just to clarify, does the Victron Orion-Tr Smart have capacity for a solar input like the Redarc BCDC1225D or not? and also is the Victron Orion-Tr compatible with Smart Alternators like the Redarc?

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kevgermany avatar image kevgermany ♦♦ commented ·
Orion tr smart connects two DC circuits. Can act as a battery charger is smart alternator compatible. Current flows in one direction only. No idea what the BCDC1225D is. If it's a standard MPPT, yes, connect it to the battery and the Orion is happy.
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deenie avatar image deenie kevgermany ♦♦ commented ·

Hi Guys,

Can I please ask?-
how is it possible to configure a solar input to the Orion-Tr Smart ?
[need to find a way to keep leisure battery topped up, when NOT driving]

any ideas would be appreciated..

Cheers

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Tien avatar image Tien commented ·
The Orion-Tr Smart does not have Solar Input like the Redarc BCDC1225D.

However if you use the Redarc BCDC1225D even with Alternator and Solar. You can only get 25A as the output. I also did read somewhere that Redarc is Green priority now so will try to use solar first and make up the difference with alternator power.

Using the Orion-Tr Smart and a MPPT will result in both outputs of power.

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