Feature Req: MultiPlus Set Equalization Voltage

Q&A and troubleshooting
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1

Hi Folks;

For the life of me I cannot understand why a system as configurable, and as excellent as Victron’s, will not allow me to set the equalization voltage.

To me, this is ridiculous. I have the Multiplus 2x120, a Cerbo GX, and a shunt all on an RV with 4 wet batteries. It’s basically flawless, and able to do anything I need right now, and everything I might need in the future. So it’s excellent - and then some.

But the fact that I cannot set the equalization voltage really annoys me. I mean, it’s ridiculous. One of the biggest features I looked forward to when upgrading my inverter was to finally have the ability to equalize the batteries.

I can change everything, on every other level, to a level of minutiae that is astounding, but yet, this one simple thing cannot be done. This one most basic aspect of charging settings is not able to be set.

I can go into the Cerbo and tell it to equalize the batteries, but it’s a worthless endeavor because it will never reach the equalization voltage. How can it? I cannot tell the Multiplus what voltage to equalize them at. Is it really that hard to just roll in a new text box to enter in the equalization voltage and then add temperature compensation to the number entered there?

For reference, these are Trojan T105’s and they should be equalized at 16.20v - it never reaches this. You can tell it to equalize, it will equalize, but it’s a waste of time because it will never reach the correct voltage because….it does not know the correct voltage because it will not allow me to enter it !!!

But the question remains, how is it that such a sophisticated system will allow me to change every aspect of everything, but not allow me to set the equalization voltage?

Why are you intentionally preventing me from being able to equalize my batteries, but allowing me to change every other aspect of every other thing, except for this one, foundationally important setting??

Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses of unequalized batteries, and we will give them life!

Give me equalization, or give me death!!

3

Pretty sure Bob is not having trouble to configure the MP in terms of how to do that in general, but rather that theres just no equalization voltage setpoint. Which to be honest is actually rather interesting, since the first MPs came out quite some time ago (for sure before 2004, thats the oldest i can remember), so lead acid was the battery chemistry at the time

1 Like
4

This is exactly it. It really surprises me that you cannot set the equalization voltage.

So, as it stands, the Multiplus cannot equalize a wet cell battery at the manufacturer’s set point unlike every other inverter on the market for more than a decade.

Yet, you can tell it to equalize through the Cerbo GUI - just at the wrong voltage level. Which is of no value other than in time wasted - because you cannot tell it what voltage to use.

How does that go unnoticed all these years?

5

Got it, I avoid that with lithium.

6

Not everyone has lithium. Yet you can configure every voltage on the inverter, even the frequencies, you name it, but the one thing you cannot set is the equalization voltage. This is a very basic setting, and why they have not exposed it is beyond me.

When I look at the changelog for the Cerbo on the latest firmware it’s unreal how many features and functionality have been added. And yet, you cannot even set a basic foundational setting in the inverter such as the equalization voltage.

It should be a seemingly 5-minute job. Add in a box for equalization voltage, hook it into the battery temperature curve, and away we go. I can then go into the Cerbo and tell it to equalize the batteries and it will use the manufacturer provided voltage. Bam - maintenance done.

Every solar controller Victron makes does equalization - and yet, their flagship inverter does not support equalization. Or, more accurately, it does support equalization, the Cerbo has all the code in place to support equalization, it’s just missing one small detail, the ability for the end-user to input the equalization voltage!!! How dumb is that? Everything else is already in place!

7

No, I get not everyone has lithium. It’s just that I do, so I haven’t spent a lot of time looking at it and I’m careful NOT to equalize.

It looks like they do equalization, you just can’t modify the voltage level. It appears to be fixed at 1V over the bulk value? It does appear that it would be a fairly easy add.

8

For me, it just does not make sense. You can adjust everything beyond comparison to any other product on the market, but they will not allow you to set the equalization voltage, which means that the Victron Multiplus inverter does NOT support battery equalization - unless you have a ‘traction’ battery.

It’s just silly. Every inexpensive solar controller, including the entire Victron lineup of them, supports equalization. But not their flagship inverter/charger. Every other competing inverter/charger does. But not the Multiplus.