BMV Battery Monitor

Hi.

Thanks in advance!

I purchased a camper van with Victron solar system. The BMV-712 needs a new PW - I entered the PUK# but now it is asking me to "unbond" and the little video tutorial is no help to me. I appreciate any help!!!!

I have a Roadtrek Adventurous CS with an unusual battery bank setup. There are two banks of 6V AGM batteries, one set up for 24V and the other as 12V. They each have a separate solar charge controller and they are linked through a Cooper Bussmann battery balancer/equalizer.

Do I need two BMV-712 monitors (one for each bank)? Or can I set up one as the main monitor and the other as a second battery? As they are connected through the battery balancer, will that confuse the capacity calculation?

If I set it up as a second battery, where in the parallel series of batteries does the secondary monitor connect? (I'm guessing to the most positive battery end of the parallel series.) And is there a preference to use the 24V (which powers the AC) or 12V (which powers the all the other accessories) as the primary battery?

I'm attaching an image that was shown as an answer to another question because it shows both systems that are present (although I think that there are 6 batteries in the 12V bank).

[image]

Thanks for any advice you can provide!

as a new owner of a VictronEnergy solar system the app needs new password, I entered PUK - now asks me to "unBond" and little video attached makes no sense to me? HELP PLEASE

I am planning an install with LiFePO4, Victron and the REC BMS. The REC BMS will already hooked up with a shunt on the neg side and will be monitoring the battery. I then plan on having the REC hooked up to the Venus GX. I want to be able to monitor things remotely using the BMV-712. Will the BMV-712 be able to get all of it's info from the REC BMS, via the Venus GX or will I need a secondary shunt on it's neg side of the BMV-712 as well? Additionally, I want to be sure that I will be able to read all the data that the REC BMS is collecting about the bank (including temp) and each individual cell that the BMS is monitoring. Will all of this data be available on the BMV-712 or would I need to forget about the Venus GX and the BMV-712 and use the CCGX instead? Based on certain installation requirements, I'd much prefer the Venus GX/BMV-712 combo, unless my monitoring requirements could not be met.

Thank you.

Hi All,

So this has got me stumped :( I have tried everything else that could possibly cause this issue but think it may be my setup with the charging. So here’s a summary:

I have a 36v Ezgo golf card which previously ran on 6 x 6v Trojan Lead Acid batteries. As a company we have recently got into the solar field so wanted to "experiment" with converting the cart to Lithium batteries as a side project. After quite a bit research I settled on 3 x 12v 108Ah Blue Nova Mobile batteries in series (https://bluenova.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/BN13V-108-1.4k.pdf).

To cut a long story short we did the conversion and it works brilliantly. Then came the issue of charging. One option would have been to use the 36v charger I already had for the cart. However, my concern there was that the "charging algorithm" on the charger was for lead acid. I did some research on Lithium chargers and found one expensive 36v option. I then got chatting to my Local Victron dealer and he suggested I use 3 x Blue Smart 12v (25A) chargers and install them in the cart permanently wired up to the batteries. What I liked about this idea was that I would be certain that each battery would be charged equally and would never get a battery imbalance (and it worked out cheaper) 12 So I went this route….

Fast forward 2 weeks – cart is going great, no issue and then suddenly battery 2 & 3 turn off (being battery 1 connected to main positive and battery 3 connected to main negative) 1 i.e. the internal battery BMS shuts off… I have gone through COUNTLESS different theories on what could be the cause (from parasitic drain, to wiring etc) but at the moment I’m wondering if the following could be happening (but need someone VERY knowledgeable people to prove or disprove).

So could the following be happening?:

1. Battery 2 and 3 discharge just ever so slightly more than battery 1 during use (as battery one is connected to main positive and batter 3 to main negative).

2. Then during the charging “somehow” the three chargers pick up on when the first battery is full (battery 1 in this case) and then all three chargers move to the next charging phase (say from bulk to absorption).

3. This leads to battery 2 & 3 losing out on just a little of a full charge each charge cycle.

4. In my case the cart is used daily and uses about 30 % in a day. After about 2 weeks maybe that “ever so slight” loss on every charge cycle drops the battery to a low level and the BMS turn off the battery to protect itself?

5. It is a “theory in progress” as the batteries where turning off every few days until I separated the 3 batteries, charged them, put them back in series and then for the past 2 weeks it has been perfect (until yesterday when they shut off again). So last night I separated the batteries again, charged them up and ill see how long they last.

6. So in summary, I suppose what I’m asking:

a. Can you use three of the Blue Smart 12v (25A) charges on 3 x 12v batteries connected in series (i.e. one charger connected to each battery)?

b. In such a setup would they in any way affect the operation of each other?

As a last note, I did install a BMV-712 Smart BUT because of the way the chargers are connected directly to the battery the “input” from the chargers cannot go through the shunt. So its set to reset to a full state of charge at a certain voltage (approx. 42v). This has helps me see what the parastitic drain is (approx. 0.01A) which I think is acceptable. This was verified with a clamp meter.

Any other suggestions would be appreciated 12

Thanks,

Richard

Background:
I have an install where a customer wanted to charge their RV LiFePO4 batteries via solar panels mounted on their shed and also use the RV power for running fridges in the shed, but they did not want the solar regulator mounted in the RV. A SmartSolar MPPT 100/50 was mounted on the shed wall with a 10mm2 x 5m cable length (10m return) between the solar regulator and the batteries. I knew voltage drop under load was going to be an issue, so planned on using VE Smart Networking to resolve the issue.

The customer already had a BMV700 installed in their RV, so I added a Smart Dongle to provide the BT connectivity to the Smart Solar MPPT100/50, created the VE.Smart Network on the BMV700 and connected the 100/50 to the same network, and the displays on both devices verified the voltage and current were being used (apparently).

The absorption voltage was set to 14.2V and float to 13.5V.

Result:

The displayed battery voltage on the MPPT 100/50 was showing 14.21V almost immediately on switching on the charging, the displayed voltage on the BMV700 was 13.5V (13.88V on the captured image, but that still shows it as different). The 100/50 immediately went to absorption, ignoring the BMV voltage. I would have expected the MPPT to display the BMV voltage and stay in bulk until the absorption voltage was reached.

Firmware versions:

SmartSolar MPPT 100/50: v1.53 (latest) at the time (Oct 31 2020)
BMV: v3.10 - also latest at the time

I have included screen images to verify my testing and configuration.

There appears to be a bug in the software, if someone can have a look at this, please?

IMG_1572.PNGIMG_1574.PNGIMG_1578.PNGIMG_1581.PNGIMG_1582.PNGIMG_1583.PNGIMG_1584.PNG

I am in the process of setting up and going through an initial charge of my system

• 200Ah Victron Smart Lithium
• 500A Smart Shunt instead of BMV-712
• 100 |30 Smart Solar MPPT w 335w LG Solar Panel
• 12|2000|80-50 Compact Multiplus connected to Smart Dongle

I would like to know the proper setting for a couple paramaters that i am finding conflicting suggestions:

What should the Charged Voltage setting be for my configuration (Solar + Lithium).

The Smart Shunt manual Settings chapter states:

The “charged voltage” parameter should be set to 0.2V or 0.3V below the float voltage of the charger This is 13.3 or 13.2. Or alternatively, see the table below for the recommended setting which states 13.2 for a 12v battery.

The Victron Video for How to optimize the BMV-700 series sync paramaters for a solar system states the

Charged Voltage should be Absorption -.3 volts or 13.9 for Lithium.

This seems like a large range, but I am thinking it should be 13.9.

What is the suggested Discharge Floor for my configuration? Why is a range from 10%-20% typically given?

For my inital charge is it imporant to limit Max Charge Amps to 5A and extend the Absorption Time to 3 Hr. I have seen both suggested.

Finally a question on Zero Current Callibration. The manual states:

Ensure that there really is no current flowing into or out of the battery. Do this by disconnecting the cable between the load and the SmartShunt and press the “calibrate button” to perform a zero-current calibration.

How can this be done via Victron Connect via SmartShunt since SmartShunt is powered by the battery or is that so small as to being able to neglect? How important is this calibration anyway?

I hope this makes sense and appreciate any suggestions on other critical not standard settings.

Thanks and Cheers

Hello,

I have a system powered by a Li-Ion battery and I installed a BMV-712 to monitor the SOC, current consumption and voltage.

If I leave the battery always on, I have no problem - the monitor will detect everything, goes through charge cycles correctly, etc.

However, when I power the system down (i.e., turn off the battery) and power it up again, the voltage output of the battery is bellow the set "charged voltage" but the SOC reads 100%. If I uncheck the "battery starts synchronized" setting, it shows ---.

Via the manual, I know this is the default behavior, but is there a way to preserve SOC between resets? The load system has safety equipment that must be always on when in operation and must be connected directly to the power supply (sourced by the battery) and that consumes a lot of current, so leaving the battery always on is not an option.

Can I achieve this via VE.direct? I have an embedded controller that could store the SOC and be used to set last known SOC through the VE.direct port when powered up.

Thank you for your time

Hi,

I have installed a BMV712 and believe everything is wired correctly, we have a voltage reading and the current also registers values but when we tap the history tab there is next to nothing showing.

The shunt is wired with a single 95mm2 link cable to the negative of a 3x110ah battery bank. That is the only wire that side. The right of the shunt then links into the boat (its on a narrowboat) and has about 3 or 4 load wires coming off it. The battery bank has nothing but link cables going between the negative poles and the positive only has link cables except the most positive battery with the loads again.

Overnight our battery went too low, we inherited the system a few weeks ago when we purchased the boat so I'm not sure if we have a duff battery bank. I'm confused how current it flowing via the shunt yet there appears to be little to no history.

When installing the shunt we ensured all loads got switched off and clicked the calibrate button. Running some loads last night showed a negative current and running the generator this morning activating the built in charger showed a positive current.

The 12v wiring consists of a split charge relay from the starter, solar input and a Freedom 20 inverter and 12v circuits.

When we purchased the boat the previous owner had the first battery feeding the positive and negative loads and some other loads on the middle and end battery. We rewired the bank so all negatives were fed from most negative battery and positives from most positive. I'm not sure if they've damaged the batteries in the way they had it wired up.

I'll be installing a Multiplus and Cerbo GX on a boat. What battery monitor do I want? I want the data available on my phone and via N2K.

As I see it, the SmartShunt would work - has BT which I don't need (right?) and no dedicated display.

I think a 712 would work, but again has BT - unneeded?

A 702 or 700? Would they work? What is the difference between them?

Thanks.

I was required to select a topic, and BMV seemed most relevant, as my main question is about the SmartShunt - which should be included in that category.

I've been using a SmartSolar MPPT 100/30 for a couple years now, and have a good understanding of the normal electrical usage on our RV. I recently added a SmartShunt to be able to monitor battery power more closely, especially when charging from sources other than our solar panel - like shore power or a generator or from the tow vehicle. I've only used it a few days, so still figuring out the proper settings. I have a 210A-hr lead-acid battery bank. The default settings of 13.2V Charged Voltage and 4% Tail Current had the State of Charge resetting to 100% much too early - well before bulk charging was finished. So I tweaked both of those for the expected charged conditions from the MPPT charge controller, but then realized that when recharging from shore power, I'll never get over 14V, so the Tail Current will probably be the main thing which determines 100% charged. The second day I was watching the charging progress carefully, and the MPPT switched from Bulk to Absorption at 14.4V (about 92% indicated SoC with about 20A-hrs to go) and then switch to Float right as the SmartShunt indicated 100% SoC and 0A-hrs consumed. For networked devices - how come you don't have the charger tell the battery monitor (over the VE.Smart network) when the battery is fully charged? The charger switching into Float mode seems a more accurate indication of 100% charged than parameters in the battery monitor.

Now the main question I have is with the State of Charge calculation in the SmartShunt - which I assume works the same as all the BMV700 series monitors. The next morning when our SmartShunt showed -72.4A-hrs, the SoC indicated 72%. That doesn't work out - there seems to be some other factor in the SoC calculation -72A-hrs should be about 65% of my 210A-hr battery bank. And yes - the Battery Capacity is programmed to 210A-hrs. And usage of 70A-hrs is quite normal for us.

So far I'm liking the SmartShunt and hope the get the settings dialed in so I can keep closer tabs on our trailer batteries.

In trying to tease out the best way to set up my sailboat's battery system, its become obvious that there are numerous alternate ways to achieve many of the steps, but that the tend to "step" on each other. As a result I wanted to seek some input on the best means to achieve my system goals.

I have two Lithium 100Ah drop-in batteries (Relion), a Multiplus Compact 12/2000/80/120, a BMV-712 battery monitor, and a Cerbo-GX. I will be adding MPPV units (two) for solar panels, as well as a wind charger. I also have a shiny new Furuno MFD that I'd like to use to display the main energy stats. We are preparing for extended cruising (a couple of years, if Covid will ever let us leave!), mostly anchored out.

So, the questions:
1) starting with that I hope is an easy question, I can connect the battery monitor to the Cerbo unit by bluetooth or cable. If I understand correctly (no guarantee there), the Cerbo-GX can connect to only one thing at a time by bluetooth. In other words, if I connect the BMV to it the way, I won't be able to talk to the Cerbo with a laptop or phone by bluetooth. Is that correct? If so, then I'm assuming I'd be best off to use the cable connection for the BMV.

2) From a recent response, I now understand that I can't hook my Mk-3-USB connection to the Multiplus via the Cerbo GX's VE-bus ports. Is there a way I can I hook an ethernet cable to one of the Multiplus VE-bus ports to connect the Cerbo, and another ethernet cable to the second Multiplus port to connect to the Mk3 unit and my laptop? The Mk3 wouldn't be connected most of the time, but I need a more accessible place to connect the Mk3 unit to than the socket inside the Multiplus (which is in an awkward location).

3) There seem to be a bewildering array of ways to access, control, and program the various component in the system. Is there a single application that can be used on the boat (that is, NOT connected to the internet) that allows one to control/program/update/etc the various components I have (plus the pending Victron MPPT units)? I had thought that Victron Connect via the Cerbo GX would do this, but haven't had much success.

4) It seems like I frequently encounter problems with Victron Connect seeing the various pieces in my energy system. When I try on my laptop to access my equipment using either Bluetooth or wireless access, I don't see the units. I have more success via the internet apps, but I don't want to get used to them as they won't normally be available.

I guess I'll stop now and see if the groups joint expertise can help me wend my way through the maze. More question available! Watch this space!

Thanks in advance.

My BMV-700 seems to just be flashing rapidly. And then when i press some buttons it shows bL 1.02

Any idea what this message is? I saw another post about this but they fixed it by replacing the cable. Which in my case looks perfectly fine. All the wiring looks correct as well

Hello guys. Here are the details of my installation. Victron quattro 10000va, 8* 220AH ROLLS AGM batteries (two parallel banks), 5250Wp solar (5 strings on threes) sitting on a 150/85 bluesolar CAN MPPT. the installation if just 3 weeks old and just yesterday i noticed that no ac loads or input was displayed on the Ccgx. the inverter was off (toggle switch in on position). Upon removing the ve.bus cable from the inverter port , the float & inverter LEDs blink and cut out then the LOW battery alarm LED comes on. Surprisingly the bmv was showing a 100% SOC

I checked my wiring for any sign of reverse polarity on anything , intergrity of vebus cable , termination of can ports , correct orientation of BMV shunt and all seems fine . I disconnected the battery and checked the individual battery voltages and they ranged 13.91V to 14.03V. Top bank voltage was sitting on 55.3V & 55.4 for the bottom bank.

We had the pv charger kicking in the following morning and after some time the low battery alarm was cleared and the inverter LED came on, but still no show on the ac input and ac loads.

please assist on what could be happening to the system.

[image]

Hi, I have a BMV702 and BT dongle that broadcast Current info to two solar controllers. One is a Smartsolar and the current signal is taken into account in the charging algorithm, no problem here. The second is a BlueSolar with a brand new BT dongle, it seems I can't get the Current signal from BMV. (see pic). Is that normal, is there anything to do to fix this? Thanks

Hi,

I have 2 x 12V 240AH AGM batteries wired in parallel that are used to start my starboard engine and also double up as the house batteries on my boat.

One of the batteries recently started to become very hot and was constantly drawing 16amps from the charger, upon removing and testing, it still reported plenty of CCA, Voltage and current draw were still good but the casing was showing signs of deforming from heat stress.

I've since decided to replaced both batteries to be safe and now looking to add battery monitoring and solar charging as none currently exists in the boat.

In the picture attached/below is how I believe I should wire up 2 x BVM712 and a MPPT100/20 so I can monitor each battery independently.

I would expect I need to set each 712 up as 240AH and will each one report correct SOC, Current Draw/Charge for each battery rather than as a battery bank?

While I could monitor the bank with only 1 x BVM712, I want the ability to monitor each battery independently

It may be an overkill but am I going about this the right way?

Thanks Paul

[image]

Dear Victron,

I have installed an oversize PV System in relation to the battery in my car (Old VW T2), which I use to demonstrate PV opportunities in Indonesian rural areas. (https://www.instagram.com/pVwKombiWanderer_t2/). All installation is private financed by us and we try to promote renewable energy to rural places in Indonesia without any payback. But step by step the local media ask us for interviews and talks in the television and we start our blog in Indonesian on YouTube :D

1. The Panels can produce 1,16 kWp under STC. Size was chosen based on the maximal allowed space on the roof.

2. SmartSolar MPPT 150/85 charge my battery with an additional SmartBatterySense and BatteryProtect BP-100.

3. Just one Luminious SMF 12V 200h is installed due to weight and lack of space (I know this is not ideal, but it is an old car and 69 kg for each battery is just really heavy)

4. SUOER FPC D1000A Pure Sinus Wave Inverter (1000W continuous power/2000W peak power)

To increase the maximal life-cycle of the battery under tropical high temperature I reduce the maximal charge current to C10, which means 20A. When I demonstrate it to the people I put some big load to my Pure Sinus Wave Inverter. Since my PV System can easily produce more than 80 A on the 12V site at daylight, I need a device which can change the maximal charge current depends from the load.

The BMV 712 can easily read the current and direction of the current which going in and out of the battery and it can be easily connected via Bluetooth to the other devices.

Is there a possibility to drive the MPPT from the SmartSolar MPPT 150/85 with the measured current from BMV 712 so that the net current to the battery is limited to 20 A?

Or is there another device which can do this which is available in Indonesia, because Victron parts I bring directly from Germany? I didn't buy the BMV on those time due to lack of money, but now because of the response and the interest I need a solution.

It is so great to see the people step by step understanding renewable energy and with my background as a physicist i can explain them a lot :D

I am really happy for any advices or helps.

Thank very much.

Best regards,

Pelangi

I have a Victron Smart Solar charger (100/30) installed in a basement compartment in my RV and can connect my smart phone and tablet via Bluetooth anywhere in my RV and all around it.

Today I installed a Victron SmartShunt in a basement compartment and have trouble connecting via Bluetooth unless my device is very close to the shunt. In the RV I must be directly above that compartment and outside I must be at the door to the compartment where it's installed.

So, the bluetooth signal seems to be much weaker than the Smart Solar controller. Is this normal? Or so I have some other problem?

Hey,

Since August 20, the new Victron SmartShunt 500A / 50mA built into my caravan to gain more insight into my 12V circuit.

The first thing that strikes me is the bluetooth signal is quite weak, especially compared to the already built PeakPowerPack 40Ah with bluetooth dongle and a Bleu Smart charger 12/5

The Victron app also displays a voltage of -0.01V in the starter battery field while no starter battery is present.

Are these software errors in the app?

[image]

I installed a SmartShunt 500A/50mV in my system which consists of a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/30 charge controller and three OutBack 12V 200PLC batteries connected in parallel. Also installed in the system is a Victron Battery Sense. All three Victron products are connected via the Bluetooth network and are sharing data.

Because of the number of connections, all the positives are connected to a red 4 terminal Fastronix distribution block and all the negatives are connected to a black 4 terminal Fastronix distribution block.

The only load is a Renogy 1000W 12V inverter. Like the batteries, the inverter connections are also connected to the positive and negative distribution blocks.

The smartshunt was installed directly above the negative distribution block. The negative lead to the inverter was disconnected and connected to the Load Minus Connection. A new cable was used and connected to the Battery Minus Connection of the smartshunt and to the negative distribution block. Essentially, the SmartShunt was installed in the middle of the negative cable going from the negative distribution block and the negative terminal of the inverter.

The power wire of the smartshunt is connected to the positive distribution block. I know the quickstart guide said to connect the power wire directly to the positive terminal of the battery but the guide didn’t cover the situation of three batteries in parallel. Which battery do you choose?

The smartshunt always is showing a negative current. It doesn’t matter what state the charge controller is in (bulk, absorption or float).

My gut tells me that something is not right and that I should see a positive current going into the battery bank at least during the bulk or absorption phase.

Any help would be appreciated.

Hi All,

I have installed a solar-powered bore pump at my house for watering the garden vegetables. The water table is 2 metres down so it's just a 640w Ozito surface pump.There are 3 solar panels on the roof with the DC running through an MPPT battery controller charging a 250 a/h AGM battery. Off the battery, I have an Edecoa 240v pure sine wave inverter ( https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/EDECOA-2000W-4000W-12V-240V-Power-Inverter-Camping-Boat-Caravan-cables-LCD-USB/361746792693?epid=20035053209&hash=item5439ca00f5:g:qigAAOSw-qlduldy ). The inverter has a low voltage cut off at 10.5 volts which is too low for the AGM battery so I have been trying to use the BMV-712 relay. The inverter has a remote switch with an SPDT toggle on/off button. After lots of trial and error, I connected the NO / Comm to a 1-second timer relay ( https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-Trigger-Cycle-Delay-Timer-Switch-Turn-On-Off-Relay-Module-LED-Display-DC-12V/164397473608?hash=item2646da5f48:g:MUgAAOSwnTZdf0eh ) and the NC / Comm to another timer. Both timer outputs are soldered to the SPDT switch in the remote ( I had to use a ferrite core to prevent stray inductions on the cable as the electronics in the switch are sensitive. The low voltage is set at 11.6 volts and the relay clear is set to 13 volts. I tested this using a lab power supply to avoid the hours to run the battery down and charge it again.

The question is has anybody needed to start / stop something that used a toggle switch and is there a better way of doing it from the BMV-712 relay? My concern is that if the relays get out of sequence the remote switch won't care about the battery voltage it will just switch on relay input.

[image]

First - Sorry
I know it has been asked before, but I can’t seem to find a solution to the earlier posts from other users. So, therefore, I allowed myself to ask.

Setup: My battery is a DIY (Winston 200AHA) project, a 12V system. 8cells in total. Two parallel and series.

From the last cell, the negative terminal is connected to the shunt for the BMV-702 (on the battery side of the shunt), from the load side of the shunt there is a 100A copper bar connected with all the negative connections to loads.

So that must be correct.

Problem: The BMV-702 won’t do the regular automatic synchronization.

Settings of the BMV-702:
01. 400Ah
02. 13.90V (.30 under the absorptions as recommended)
03. 02.0%
04. 01

I know that 03 and 04 normally are 4% and 3 minutes, it didn’t work, so I tried to make them smaller.

Have tried to sync when the battery is fully charged manually, it hasn’t helped.

Here are some screenshots from the settings:

[image]

[image]

I connected my BMV-712 to my iPhone & it’s working fine. Now I’d like to add my iPad but the app won’t accept the PUK code. I enter the right code but it just keeps asking for it. Suggestions? I don’t want to lose the working connection on my iPhone but it would be handy to have both, if possible. Thanks

System was working well on October 14, 2020. I turned system off. Now October 30 I want system to be switched on. SBP100 does not light up. No charge is accepted from MPPT or Orionsmart. I did not find it on the device list.

I'm still optimistic This SBP will turn on. How to restart it?

All other VE devices look to be operable.

Hello all,

I am having issues with DC consumption on VRM when using a BMV-600. Consumption appears to work when using a BMV-712. Details of the setup can be seen at link below. Note consumption is recorded for yesterday when I had the 712 connected instead.

VRM View

https://vrm.victronenergy.com/installation/76057/share/ee8f298e

Any assistance much appreciated.

Cheers, Saff

We have a multiplus with ccgx as a backup power supply that is monitored by a bmv via ve direct cable , when battery capacity reaches 95% the bmv alarms and triggers a charge light.

Is it possible with programming that when the multiplus is turned on it will override the bmv alarm and relay?

I understand this can be done with extra wiring but am trying to avoid this.

Hi all

Can OR should I conect a ve direct cable from my pheonix 800 inverter to the ve direct port on a BMV-712 ?

Chrisb