There are 48V LiFePO4 batteries, with 15 3.2V cells, and 51.2V, with 16 cells. In the Victron equipment settings there is only one default option for LiFePO4 batteries, without specifying whether it is for a 48V or 51.2V battery, but the default parameters are for a 51.2V battery. In the documentation they call the battery 48V, but they put values that are for a 51.2V battery. It would be good if the equipment settings had both options to select. And in the documents too.
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No, it does not work like that. The settings you see are for Victron batteries. You set up these batteries with DVCC, and the BMS sets all the settings. If you run without communication, you will need to set your own. Here is some information you can read through about 15s pylontech.
No, the option in the equipment is not for Victron batteries, it is for LiFePO4 batteries in general, but for 51.2V batteries and not for 48V batteries. It could have the information of which battery it is and have both options. And there is no need to configure the DVCC for the BMS to control the system, what is needed is compatibility between the BMS and the GX equipment. But even if the BMS is communicating and controlling the parameters, it is good to have the correct configuration in the inverter/charger in case of a communication failure.
For example, this table in the “Solar & Wind Priority” document is wrong. The value given, 52V (which is 16x3.25V), is the setting for 51.2V batteries, not for 48V batteries, for which the correct value is 48.75V (15x3.25V).
No, that’s not correct. When you access the preset menu, you can select (Smart Lithium) LiFePO4 - this preset is specifically designed for Victron’s own smart lithium batteries, such as the Victron Lithium LiFePO4 Battery 12.8V 200Ah Smart (BAT512120610).
If you’re using a different manufacturer’s battery, you’ll need to configure the settings manually according to that manufacturer’s specifications. You’re absolutely right that when using an MPPT under external control, the battery parameters must be programmed to match your specific battery’s requirements in case you lose communication.
Regarding preset options: Having dropdown menus with thousands of different manufacturers would be impractical from both a user interface and maintenance perspective. Victron focuses on optimizing their presets for their own products while providing the flexibility to manually configure settings for third-party batteries.
Key takeaway: Use the Smart Lithium preset only for Victron smart batteries - for all other LiFePO4 batteries, refer to the manufacturer’s charging specifications and input those parameters manually.
You are mistaken. See in the print of the document above that it says “for lithium batteries” in the text, and it says LiFePO4 in the table, it does not say “Smart Lithium”. See the option that appears in VE Configure: “Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries”, in general, without specifying whether it is for 48V or 51.2V battery (but the default values in this option are for 51.2V battery). In this menu there is another option just below that is, yes, specific to Victron Smart Lithium.
Trust me, they are identical settings for the Victron smart battery. The only difference is one check box. This is where you need to put the manufacturer’s settings based on the chemistry and number of cells.
It’s not a matter of trusting you. What you’re saying simply doesn’t make sense. The fact is that the information in the document I showed you is wrong, and the description of the option in VE Configure is incomplete (it should say it’s for 51.2V batteries and there should be an option for 48V batteries). You saying “trust me” doesn’t make the information correct and complete.
Trust the information I am giving you. Victron have settings for their 16S configuration. There is no setting for a 15S.
Again, it’s not a matter of “trusting you”. If it were, there should be a warning in the documents: “to know what this actually means, ask Owen and trust him”! 
Yes, the fact that the default parameter option that Victron provides is for 16s batteries is obvious, I also don’t need to trust you to see that, and that’s what I’ve been saying all along. Problem 1 is that it doesn’t inform that the option is for 51.2V (16s) batteries. Problem 2 is that it doesn’t give a default parameter option for 48V (15s) batteries. Problem 3 is that it gives parameters that are for 51.2V batteries calling them 48V. This is my last message about this nonsensical “argument” of yours.
The 48V MultiPlus has a wide operating range of 38-66 VDC, which gives you significant flexibility in battery configuration choices. The approach should be straightforward: select your battery, then configure the charge controller settings to match that specific battery’s requirements.
The “48V nominal” designation is just a system classification - you’re not locked into any specific cell configuration. Within the 38-66V operating window, you could use:
14S LiFePO4 (~44.8V nominal)
15S LiFePO4 (~48V nominal)
16S LiFePO4 (~51.2V nominal)
13S Li-ion (~48V nominal)
Any other chemistry/configuration that operates within the voltage range
The key principle: Match your charge parameters to your actual battery specifications, regardless of what the system is labeled. The MultiPlus doesn’t care about cell count - it only cares that the voltage stays within its operating parameters and that the charging profile matches what your specific battery chemistry and BMS require.
Bottom line: Choose the battery that best fits your application requirements, then program the appropriate charging parameters. The wide voltage tolerance gives you the freedom to optimize for capacity, cost, or other factors rather than being constrained by arbitrary voltage classifications.
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Well, as I said, I won’t respond to these meaningless comments anymore. Just to get back to the purpose of creating this topic and not let it get lost in meaningless comments: this topic was not created to answer any questions or to know how to configure something, but it was to point out a problem and suggest/request a correction and improvement, a correction and improvement that is very simple to make and that would greatly facilitate the correct configuration for those who do not yet have knowledge of certain technical details. Correct information would avoid misleading and would already make clear the existence of important technical details that the person needs to know.
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You select the default and then edit the values for a custom profile using the lithium charge algorithm.
You can even save the new profile as your own. (Also possible in ve config shown by the save on your screenshot)
With so many different batteries out there and then the diy or custom banks being made, it is impossible to make presets for all. Even some 16s batteries those defaults are too low.
The documentation already covers whose responsibility it is to make sure programming is correct and an accomodation for those who have non standard set up.
Even ve config when you open it has a clear warning screen.
If you are installing something different it now becomes your own obligation to make and check the settings right based on guidelines and the guidlines of the battery bms set up etc you have chosen to use.
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Yes, I know that, that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m not saying that it’s not possible to configure it correctly, I’m saying that the information is wrong and therefore misleading. The way it’s done, it would be better to have no default option than to have one without specifying exactly what type of battery it can be used for, naming it as if it were for LiFePO4 batteries in general, implying that LiFePO4 batteries in general should have parameters close to those.
Yes, I know that too, and it doesn’t change the fact that the default option available is misnamed and therefore misleading. And that could easily be corrected and improved, just add in the description that that option is for 51.2V LIFePO4 batteries, and add an option for 48V LiFe PO4 batteries. Simple. Easier than trying to justify the unjustifiable.
There may be many different LiFePO4 batteries, but the number of cells in the battery is a fundamental characteristic that divides 48V batteries into just two fundamentally different groups, the 15S/48V and the 16S/51.2V. If you are going to have a generic default option, which is not for any specific battery, it is essential to at least specify which of these two large groups each default configuration should apply to. If not, I repeat, it is better not to have any default option, because the way it is done, having the default option hinders more than it helps.
So, I repeat, it is better not to have any recommendation of values, if it is to provide incorrect information that leads to errors. The way it is written in the document is the way I would have done it when I thought that batteries called 48V were actually 51.2V, just as batteries called 12V are actually 12.8V. I did not know that in the case of 48V batteries there were actually 48V batteries. So the way it is written in the document I mentioned is the way I would have written it when I did not have this knowledge. It is an incorrect, misinformative way that leads to errors. A company with the size and reputation of Victron cannot write a document in the way that an ignorant layman like me would write it. Even more so after having been alerted to the error! It costs nothing to correct the document to include the values of the basic types of batteries, the 15S/48V and the 16S/51.2V! Why call a 51.2V battery a 48V battery when there is a battery that is actually 48V? It would be better to not have that line in the table and just have the general recommendation of 3.25V per cell!
The warning you have does not justify having incorrect information that leads to errors! If it were so, the warning should be: "be careful with what is written in the options and with what is stated in the official Victron documents, the information may be wrong and may lead to errors, do not think that we make an effort to present the options and information as clearly and completely as possible!
I’m not installing anything “different”. I’m talking about two basic types of LiFePO4 batteries. And Victron refers to them as if there was only one type, without saying which type they are referring to.
That’s why every manual includes a clear warning: you need to know what you’re doing. Ignoring those warnings doesn’t shift responsibility—it still lies with the person taking the action.
The lithium battery profile removes equalization, adds a low-temperature cutoff, adjusts absorption time, and makes other relevant changes. These settings form the base profile for lithium batteries, making it appropriate for many common lithium chemistries. While the voltage settings are widely applicable, they are not universally correct for all lithium batteries. This is why installers must understand the specific requirements of the batteries they’re using.
Ultimately, the person physically connecting the system and turning it on is responsible. Even if you’re a DIY user with limited knowledge, that responsibility doesn’t fall on Victron. The company provides extensive documentation and open resources to help users make informed decisions. So they have done more than most to help out in that regard.
When you choose to take on a task that would typically be handled by a qualified professional, you’re also accepting the responsibilities that come with it.
The arguement that uninformed users might be misled is not valid - the software itself displays clear warnings upon opening, stating that you must know what you’re doing.
I do hear what you are saying but again the warning is there - for professional use. If you want to operate it you take the time to learn what a professional should know.
Also wiring unlimited is a document aimed at laymen?
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The defaults always aligned with the required settings for the matching Victron product.
This made it seamless for a pure Victron environment.
It is also why there are documents jointly created between Victron and the battery maker listed which have all of the required customisations.
The manuals are sufficiently detailed to cover this, and correct answers have been provided above.
This equipment has always been for trained, experienced people to use, or sufficiently experienced and capable DIY users.
It is not a consumer device and should not be installed by anyone without the right background, who has chosen not to study the training materials and many guides that are available.
A layman can buy an aeroplane, but without the right training it will not end well, and none of the flight manuals will be sufficient to change that.
And 12S Li-ion but with a caveat that a MultiPlus will not allow low enough minimum voltage settings to discharge the bottom 20% when grid connected:
‘DC input low restart voltage must be >=41.20V’
Off grid it will work down to 37.2V
A warning that someone needs to know what they are doing does not justify presenting options or information in an incorrect or irresponsibly incomplete manner.
Voltages are a fundamental part of the setup and are very different between a 48V battery and a 51.2V battery. Giving an option with parameters appropriate for 51.2V batteries in general without saying that it is for 51.2V batteries, and not also giving an option for 48V batteries, is a very bad and completely unnecessary way of doing things. There is no reason not to fix and improve this.
And Victron’s materials are not just for professionals, they are also for DIY, which is actually one of the tags in this topic.
What I expect is that a company like Victron is interested in providing the materials about its products and tools in the clearest and most accurate way possible. It is in Victron’s interest that its products are used properly and that it does not mislead anyone by providing incorrect or unnecessarily incomplete information. When a customer points out a very basic and simple problem to solve, what I expect from a company with Victron’s reputation is that it is grateful for the problem being pointed out and that Victron makes an effort to correct the problem and improve the documents and tools provided, especially when dealing with something so simple to solve and so basic and important for the correct functioning of the system. The last thing I expect from a company with Victron’s reputation when faced with criticism is that it becomes defensive, tries to justify the unjustifiable and places all responsibility on the customers for not being fooled by misleading options and information.
And what the customer expects in assuming this responsibility is that the materials and tools provided by Victron do not contain incorrect information, and that Victron has made every effort to provide the tools and information as clear and complete as possible. It does not expect there to be incorrect or incomplete basic information about key parts.
Having a warning that the person should know what they are doing does not mean being able to place options and information incorrectly and incompletely at key points.
Before it is for professional use, it is made by professionals, who are expected to be more qualified on the subject than the professionals for whom the material is intended. And what I was saying is that the way the point I am criticizing is made is the way I, a layman, would have made it, before I knew what I now know and discovered on my own, which I discovered in spite of Victron’s misleading material, when I could have discovered it through Victron’s material if it had been well made.
You appear here as a “Victron expert”. Does this mean that you are a Victron employee, or that you are a professional who works with Victron products? Just so I can better understand your stance.
Please keep the tone cordial and respectful, at the point the topic ceases to be constructive and polite, it will be closed.
The questions have been asked and answered by people qualified and experienced to do so, this subject is now going around in circles.
If formal complaints or answers are required, please follow the support process via your in-country supplier or regional manager.
The community can only help so much and if the answers aren’t satisfactory, there is little we can do about that.
Thank you.
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I agree with @Valdson. At first i was also following the default recommended victron settings. Luckily for me i had pylontech batteries and read the dvcc setting at the right time. Even not knowing at that time what dvcc means. Later, when installed and fine tuning i understand the settings better.
The peak shaving and power factor settings are still a bit unclear despite trying to understand it extensively but the lacking firmware from 3.42 to beta 3.60~25 where not working properly on peak shaving so that makes it even harder to understand.
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