I needed to change from a Votronic to a Victron charging booster. Now I never have a full battery… If I am lucky, I get to about 80 percent battery charge, before the booster switches into float. The details for the battery are configured based on the manufacturers recommendations.
My setup is as follows: I have one fusebox, where all the “red” cables arrive. The box itself is directly connected to the battery (a 200-Ah-Lifepo4). Both my solar paneels (well the MPTT) and the Victron charging booster arrive into the box. My thinking right now is, that the fact that solar arrives in the box as well, disturbs the readings of the charging booster (it did not though for my Votronic).
Can I teach the Victron about the solar? I.e. change the values in a way it makes sense? I would hate to turn off the solar during driving? If that’s the only way though, are there any proposals on how I can to this automated based on the D±signal?
I have a hard time imagining that I am the only one with this setup. If I am missing something else, please let me know!
Sitting here in the dark with no solar, the charger still jumps straight into absorption mode. It never stays in bulk. The voltage entry lock is turned off.
The battery reports a voltage of 13.1. and the charger an exist voltage of 14.2.
If I would have bad wiring I would expext it to never jump out of bulk, but it stays in absorption and the 13.1. is well below the rebulk valie of 13.4.
Shouldn’t the Orion jump into Absorption when the voltage is higher? A bad cable / connection would lead to a drop in voltage, right? Hence, it would never get out of bulk?
Nope. Bulk is a state where it’s delivering Current. If, due to bad wiring, that Current can’t actually be delivered, then it will go straight to Absorb and complete it’s cycle there. The Orion can only see the V on it’s own output terminals. And if that V is different to Battery V then there’s a disconnect between them.
Assuming of course that the V measurements aren’t faulty.