Is anyone using more than two units in parallel for more charge current? I will be installing two Victron Orion-Tr Smart 12/12/30 units in my van but may want more than 60A charge capability for my 500Ah lithium setup. Thanks in advance for any experience you can offer.
Yes and works. I have two 24/12-30 and a few times have pushed 60A, most of the time I am below 30A however. I have not put any clamp meters to see if teh current is split. Just works.
Thanks for responding. I'm assuming that you don't have an ignition live feed to manually switch the units on? I know that would solve any conflicts between units and is easily accomplished.
I did not. What I did find is that they worked individually, so one would go into float before the other or start absorption charge at different times.
Just want to point out for anyone else coming to this forum in the future. At this time AFAIK, non-networked Victron gear in parallel should be checked for identical charging settings! For instance make sure if you are using custom charge profiles that you set up all parallel chargers the same. Same with parallel MPPT solar charge controllers.
etc.
I've not networked my gear yet but I am guessing, if not already implemented in the software, that it will be something you can save and transfer over the network between charge devices to simplify the setup and reduce room for user errors.
Very good point. The Smart DC charger devices allow the user to save the settings profile on your phone and once I had the first one setup correctly it was a simple process of importing those settings into the second unit.
I have 2 outboard engines on my boat that output 70 amps (rated) per alternator.
I started with one Orion Smart 12-12 30amp on each alternator (2 total) and was getting about 25-30 amps per Orion!
I just purchased a 3rd Orion Smart to try and parallel on one of the alternators, but on my first test the usually steady voltage from the alternators 14.2v (actually, starter battery) dropped to the 13.5-13.8v range and both Orions locked out, rebooted, cycled, locked out, etc.
Noted, the engines were at idle for the test but I am a little uneasy about pursuing this route since I don’t want to harm the alternator or starter battery.
Has anyone tried setting different lock out voltages on parallel Orions? So if there’s enough juice, run both, if not, run one.
In my testing here with two units connected to a regulated power supply emulating my alternator output voltage, I needed to adjust the initial turn-on voltage to 13.9Vdc vice the default 14Vdc for my uses. The new firmware of the units is smarter and lockouts did not appear to be a problem, however it is necessary to set the alternator setting to 'normal' instead of 'smart alternator' as the turn-on/off and lock-out algorithm is completely different. I would also wonder in your case if a 70A alternator is truly rated for a continuous draw of 60A (2 x Victron units) and perhaps the alternator regulator is sagging under that much load. Just my guess at this point.
Hey! Thanks for the reply.
I fear it’s voltage sag (as you suggest). What would be the correct procedure for confirming this? If I were to further test it is there any potential harm to the alternator or starter battery?
I had imagined that the Smart Orions would have some sort of current limit setting. Wait ... do they?
Any tips for maximizing my charge profiles welcome ... Thanks a lot.
I think the question of voltage sag due to increased alternator load caused by 2 x Orion Tr units attached is evident in the voltage you are reading at idle. Generally, at least in the automotive world, an alternator will only output up to 70% of the rating so in your 70A case: only 49A continuous and that figure is probably not achievable at idle.
