Just reading the previous parts i als thought of almost the same solution. Nice to know how it works and that you can force the alternator to just output, but keep the system as intended for regular situations and only use this trick for emergencies.
Just as a sidenote, the remote on/off still needs you to set the engine shutdown detection correctly (or disable it) as well as the lockout voltages. The remote on/off does not overrule those, its not a force charge, its only a force stop.
To keep the system to its intended working principles not only saves me from all kind of alarms. But I’d suspect the yearly inspection (MOT) would like to see a car as much working as intended too. I can’t have the system producing all kind of weird alarms or interfering with the intended Euro6/7 settings while at the inspection!
I’ll keep you posted how it works…
Yes, the Orions need very special settings that indeed are not similar to the default settings in the specific case of a MAN TGE. The D+ signal in effect only serves to shut the units down. In my case that first Orion could have been a source of my starter battery (already at relative low capacity due its ‘smart’ alternator system) draining.
I found that the Orion was taking some 0,2-0,4 amps from the battery. Combined with some 0,2 -0,3 Amps from other systems (and an 11Amps load just after each shutdown of doors, or open!) it found my already in medium state starter was drained in just 6 hours to 11,9V, the shutdown voltage of my installed battery protector. (With remote control, so easy to start again to start the engine.)
I actually ordered a small 220V-12V Victron (with Bluetooth) battery charger that I am going to fit under my chair with another switch at reach. This one delivers 5A and I can then charge the starter while parked and having 220V available. (Although I now need to see how this interferes with the MAN battery monitor. Will it notice the amps going into the battery while the contact is off? hm, need to think of that…
Went for a ‘test’ drive yesterday after I had charged my starter battery for at least 24 hours. Still every time I opened the door the voltage from that starter battery jumped up and down between 12,4/5V to 13,1/2V ??
But anyway, decided to make a test run for an hour and a half yesterday, so definitely the battery had a good charge afterwards. (Although my OBD2 monitor showed only 12,6V, like my dedicated volt meter directly on the battery. )
Obviously after the start all possible alarms where showing in the dashboard console, so I logged in with a simple OBD2 monitor and saw one registered error; low system voltage. I erased it and all alarms were gone. Except the one of the airbag. But after reading-in I found that needs specialized OBD2 software (+ reader device) to have it erased since it is prohibited since 2020 by the VAG consortium to have it easily erased. I am still to try my reader device with that software if I can… )
Anyway, made an hour and a half trip in the mountains and could get both alternators to charge. The second one only after the ‘kick start’ with high engine revs.
But it worked. I was happy.
Today is another day so another story. Some 14 hours after my last trip, my starter battery was shut down by my protector at 11,9V! What the f*&k!
My starter is still draining! In only 14 hours! Not good… don’t know what to do about that…
Next, the leisure battery system: started with a 74% SOC system. I entered the Van at about 14 hours while the ambient temperature was 34 degrees, and thus inside the Van (Black coated) it was even a bit hotter, close to 40 degrees.
I started the Van (I can override the battery protector to ‘free’ the battery and start the engine.) and also had the 220V aircon running to help to bring the temp down, especially in de tech. cabinet. If was some 45 degrees inside while all ventilators were running.)
Started to drive and saw the first alternator working to charge. Voltages were running up and down according the motor’s power need but in general the Victron Orion showed a consistent close to 50Amp loading to the leisure batteries.
But that second alternator was not doing anything at all. Obviously, it needed its ‘rev. kick’ so I pushed my automatic gears down to get temporarily high revs and yes, the second Orion now kicked in as well.
Both Orion’s now working at some 50Amps which was fine. My solar was also delivering some 10 amps so all three together some 100-110 amps, just enough to keep up with the consumption of the 220V aircon.
Went for a half an hour drive to do some shopping and then went back for the same distance. This time the starter battery was obviously charged and the ECU decided not to charge it any longer, and thus deprived the connected Orion to most of its juice. After some up and down revs in the city this Orion started to work at some 5-15 amps only.
I needed that second Orion to work so gave it the ‘rev kick’ and that one charged at 50amps until the engine stopped at the next traffic light (‘start-stop’ functionality.) After every stop I needed to give it the ‘kick’ to get working, since meanwhile the first Orion wasn’t doing a lot but the aircon was now draining the leisure system. It went from 75 to 70 and lower (%SOC)
Only on the motorway I had now one Orion working at 50Amps were the ‘main’ was only doing something at times, but in general not too much.
I used the switch I made in the signal line from the starter battery monito (shunt) and yes, it made the main alternator work at full again, supplying 50A to the Orion too, but my dashboard filled with alarms! I quickly switched it back ‘on’ and after some minutes all alarms disappeared (the airbag signal is continuously there…). And that alternator kept producing some higher amps.. 20-30Amps. Not ideal…
So I have to consider to how to go on from here… the situation is still not to my liking…
Ok, the Rev Kick sounds there it is a Problem with the external field coil wiring. So the Field ist not active controlled with the usual regulator (that maybe needs 1-wire bus control). Contact a Service point for this kind of Generator maybe there are special regulator you can exchange.
Or buy an Aircraft main switch (2 rockerswitch mechanically interconnected to control the A/C Battery main solenoid and add generator loading with the second contactor which controls the field coil)
Again, contact a Bosch car service, the next manufacturer MAN servicepoint to discuss some reprogramming and other chained issues.
(for example last week we had problems at an aircraft with gear issues (on an test flight they had a gear failure and had to extract the gear with the manual pump). instead of fiddling around with components here or there we decided to swap the whole hydraulic powerpack after a leak test to be sure that no other components are faulty! Next step is checking the old PP out of the plane because they are rare due to shutdown of the manufacturing line some time ago. my suspicion is a faulty pump in the unit so the system pressure is too low).