BMV Battery Monitor

I'm an off-grid camper, and bought the following victron components from a distributor that only works monday through friday. I'm 400 miles from the camp location during the week, and due Covid-19, I'm lucky if I get a Saturday to drive there, let alone a weekday. This creates a support problem, I can't get any when I'm at the site :(

Here's what I have:

Multiplus 12/3000 with MK3 USB

BMV-712 with VE Direct USB

SmartSolar 100/30 with VE Direct USB

RaspberryPi 3b with Venus firmware v2.60

2 x 100w Renogy Solar Panels

1 x 100Ah AGM Battery (3 more are awaiting delivery)

Smart Sense (not going to be used now that I have the BMV-712)

I have the MK3 cable on the Multiplus, and VE Direct USB cables connecting the BMV and SmartSolar charger to the Raspberry Pi. The remote display works nicely, I can see the state of the system, do basic adjustments to input amps, etc, track solar generation and AC / Load off the generator.

I used VictronConnect to configure the Smart Solar VE network, which is receiving info from the BMV.

Here's where I get confused.

Question 1:

The VE Smart Network in VictronConnect shows the connection between the BMV and the Solar Charger, but why does Venus report?

[image]

Question 2:

Why is the SOC always reported as -- on the Multiplus screen in the Venus:

[image]

Question 3:

How can I shut the inverter down when the SOC reaches 50% to save the batteries? There's got to be a simple reference to show how to hook up the bmv to the multiplus, but I can't find it.

Question 4:

Would the BMV feed data to a second Smart Solar charger if I add one in order to expand to 600w of Solar?

Thanks in advance for any guidance!

Dave

My BMV-712 is set to 200ah of batteries. I have used all the recommendations for the settings from this community, Victron, and Battleborn. At night when we are only on battery power it will show for example, 14ah used and 86% energy left. That says to me it is only using 100ah.

Has anyone else had this problem?

Should I reset the battery monitor?

Or reset the BMS?

Please help

My BMV 712 shows e.g. 80%, this is realitic after using coffee machine and hair dryer in the morning. After sun raise, solar starts charing, early in the morning certainly just with a few watts.

If I close the app an reopen it a few minutes later, the BMV shows 100% although solar is charging.
This misbehaviour happened now a few times.

Jumping from 80 to 100% is quite bad, I need to know my remaining capacity more exactly....

Has anyone an idea, what wents wrong?

Thanks and best regards

Dirk

Just so I'm getting this Correct the "L" pin Supplies a 3.3v Live, When the "H" pin Receives a voltage of 3v or higher it turns the device on, and less the 3V it turns the device off? If this is the case could I Ignore the "L" pin on the devices and Wire a 12V live from the Battery into the COM port of the Relay and then just Parallel the "H" pins from the NC relay port. when the Relay in the BMW is normally closed the charger & MPPT would be ON, when the low temperature triggers ( or any other trigger ) , it will open the relay which would turn off the Charger and MPPT ( and prevent my lithium battery is charging when cold and my Batteries internal BMS doesn't have low temperature charge cut off ) 

I get the VictronConnect Screen below when i go to Settings fo Multiplus 12|2000|80-50 connected with VE.Bus Smart Dongle. I have not gone to VE Configures to setup as I was hoping to not need to purchase a MK3 and simply use my iPhone as i am doing for everything else. All devices have the latest firmware according to VE Connect.

I am guessing there is a setting I must set to enable mobile to make settings? Or, what am I missing?

Thanks!

[image]

Kann mir jemand sagen was die Einstellung „Entladungsboden“ (Standardwert 50%) zu bedeuten hat bzw. und wie ich den richtigen Wert für meine Batterien ermittle?

Ich habe zwei nagelneue AGM 120 Ah C100 bzw. 105 Ah c20 Batterien (2x Ective DC 120 deep cycle AGM) parrelelgeschaltet im Einsatz.

Danke schonmal für die Hilfe

Grüße Kai

Hello, I am running a Victron Battery Monitor BMV-700 with Bluetooth dongle and a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/50 charge controller on my campervan solar system. I have a Dometic electric cooler and I would like to have a better understanding of how low the battery charge gets over the course of the night while running the cooler on battery before the sun comes up and starts to charge it back up again so I can see how close I'm coming to 50% charge. The Victron app has a History tab that shows me the number of synchronizations and things like that but when I click over the the graph that shows the state of charge over time, it only shows starting at the moment I connected via my phone, rather than going back 30 days or whatever an appropriate history would be. If I close the app and a minute later reconnect, it resets the history again, rendering it essentially useless. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Is there any way to see a historical (ie hourly/daily) power consumption on the battery monitor? I'm a bit disappointed so far that I see only a "deepest discharge", which doesn't help me understand what by power usage was the evening before.

I woke up this morning at 4am with my 48V lithium batteries dead and I have no idea why. A graph of hourly power usage would have been able to explain things. The Trends tab unfortunately only shows info based on when I most recently opened the app (ie usually no more than a few minutes prior), rather than for the hours before.

Is there a way to interface with raw data on the device so I can write my own software to monitor things? I have a raspberry pi with bluetooth and would love being able to collect data from the monitor, which I can then customize.

For example, it would be helpful for me to get notified that the power is getting low (and could be dead before morning), so I can unplug items before I go to sleep. It would be helpful to customize this notification, ie based upon if there's a genuine risk to the batteries being dead.

People have suggested getting the battery disconnect but I honestly need to have fair warning before it's too late. So I know to unplug my computer, TV, etc (less essential items) so my fridge can keep running.

If there was some programmable interface I can gather data, that would be really useful and I'd consider keeping the device. Otherwise, I'm just going to return it and look elsewhere, because it's definitely not worth the $200 when there's no historical logging (unlike their charge controllers).

Also, now the battery monitor says "100%" even though it's nowhere near that, so it's a bit useless at this point. I had to shut off my batteries so the monitor turned on via my panels, which might explain the issue.

Most of the time the reading is right. But erratically the BMV displays an auxiliary battery voltage in the 5 volts range. When the problem occurs, the actual voltage at the B2 input is ok (ex.: 12,43V) (Measurement made with a handheld voltmeter). All other values including house battery are ok.

Last time this occurred, it lasted 20 minutes, then came back to wright values,

Connections are perfect. Firmware is up to date.

Any clues?

[image]

Based on this basic diagram am I correct or mistaken in thinking that on a sunny day a fridge in the 12V loads would not be registered by the shunt monitor?

Do you have a situation whereby some loads are recorded by the mppt unit and some by the BMV shunt monitor?

Am I thinking of the BMV/smart shunt as a system monitor when it's a battery monitor?

Thanks!

[image]

Hi Everyone,

Have asked a few questions in the past with my ugly DIY install, have gotten lots of constructive feedback and finally got home so that I could rip it all apart and start over. Looks a bit less like kabalsalat, the worst of it that's left is the original Airstream wiring. For anyone that's curious, prior thread is here:

https://community.victronenergy.com/questions/58000/fighting-gremlins-electrical-cutoff-at-130-am.html

Here's a snapshot of the system today, completely reconfigured and rewired, upgraded the battery leads to 1/0 as recommended. Got rid of the massive industrial bus block, I think that was the main source of issues based on the condition it's in when I pulled it out, looks like two of the positive leads had worked themselves a bit loose. Added the battery disconnect per guidance, no-brainer that should've been there from the beginning. Lots of folks appear to put a disconnect between the MPPT and the batteries as well, but this seems redundant with the circuit breakers as you can manually trip the breaker and achieve the same goal.

[image]

Couple of known items are to re-run shore power (no shore power included in this photo) and hook up two existing air circulation fans.

One more thing - hard to get a gauge from the photo, but all of the battery leads are the same length, 20". Tried to be efficient with the length, but it was a bit tricky since I have them in two different orientations to save as much space as possible. The negative lead is pulled off the top left battery, through the CSL, then the BMV shunt, then runs to the inverter. The positive lead is taken from the bottom left battery, straight into the battery disconnect, then to the inverter & BGA together, then positive bus bar for the DC loads.

Specific wrap-up questions:

1. Am I missing any other disconnects? Various schematics seem to include one from the MPPT & tow vehicle trickle charger, but I don't see a point if the MPPT is protected by breakers and I don't have a trickle charger.
2. Do I have the order correct on the negative side? Should it be CSL then shunt as I currently have it, or do I need to flip that? I know the shunt should be the first thing load-wise, but my reasoning was that the CSL doesn't draw anything on a stable basis.
3. As I slim down my DIY'd and over-engineered system, I review the Multiplus specs and it looks like my Go Power automatic transfer switch is redundant with the built-in capability of the Multiplus. Is there any reason I should still include the Go Power automatic transfer switch when I re-run the shore power? I'm re-running a completely new lead & replacing the inlet, so it would be a convenient time to remove the transfer switch if it is unnecessary.

A bit about my system overall:

2003 Airstream
960W renogy panels, 6 x 160W each hooked up in Series-parallel configuration (two sets of 3 panels in series, then paralleled into the MPPT)
800 Ah BattleBorn batteries, 8 x 100 Ah each

BGA-225 battery guard
Victron Multiplus 12/3000/120-50 120v VE Bus

Victron SmartSolar Charge Controller (150V 45A Tr)

Victron BMV-712

Current Surge Limiter (CSL for short) (https://battlebornbatteries.com/product/current-surge-limiter/)

Go Power! TS-30 30 Amp Automatic Transfer Switch (likely to be deleted)

I have a Multiplus Compact and a BMV 702 monitor. When I’m connected to shorepower or while my generator is running my monitor registers amperage output and battery percentage increase. When disconnected from shore power and while engine is running, the BMV detects voltage (13-14v) from the alternator but it does record any amperage or percentage increase in battery capacity. Any suggestions for Why this might be?
cheers

Brian

In the interest of furthering the knowledge base this Community provides, I'm asking a question here -and will post the answer below- that I receive not infrequently when assisting Victron (and other) customers with troubleshooting their various devices and ask them to check the fuse to ensure that it's not blown or half-blown:

"Is it really possible for a fuse to half-blow? I've never heard of that!"

Hello.

With the Cerbo GX (and Display/App options), the classical BMV-products with their own display seem not to be the preferred solution, if I want to monitor enercy flow.

The 500A/50mV SmartShunt (with Bluetooth) does seem to be overkill in regards to the capabilities (with Bluetooth, since this is already available trough the CerboGX).

I am wondering: What options do I have to connect enery-flow measuring equipment (Shunt) to the Gerbo? There is/used to be a Victron Shunt SHU500050100. Reasonable priced, same specs as the SmartShunt. Question is: Can the CerboGX utilize the data? Or in this regards: Can I buy any 500A/50mV Shunt (at a fraction of the SmartShunt cost) and somehow get the CerboGX read the data?

Not sure if I wired up my battery monitor wrong or my shunt is faulty. I want to measure the voltage of the starter battery. I have the postive cable on my starter battery and it's plugged into the B2 of the shunt. The negative of the starter battery is connected to my mppt then goes to my shunt on the load side. On my display it shows 0.03V (pretty much zero). I have checked the settings and it's set to starter battery. If I switch the B1 and B2 around my voltage changes and is roughly correct when I check it with a multi meter.

Is my wiring correct or have I wired something wrong or is my shunt faulty?

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

Hi . I have a system with a 250/80 MPPT, and BMV which is set as the active battery monitor on the Color Control. I was expecting the BMV to reset to 100% when MPPT reaches float, but it does not and hovers around 98%. How do i get the BMV to reset to 100%

DVCC is not turned on, i know there are 2 Absorb charge options in the MPPT.

System MPPT 250/60 with 6x 330W solar panels and 2x4x12V batteries = 48V.

Everything works fine except BMV monitor battery charge reading that starts with 100% after reset but then keeps on dropping to 0% notwithstanding full charge daily usually to float state. All other readings, e.g. incoming solar current, voltage and power seem to be accurate. All settings checked and verified electronically + internet by certified installer and also by an independent certified electrician.

During rain or clouds with partial charging the battery status is my guess only. When then charging overnight from external Lister generator the battery level is accurately updated all the way to float and 100%, so the monitor does work for external charging.

What must be changed so that the monitor updates the battery charge from incoming solar power and can tell how much capacity is still available?

Ich habe drei Blöcke 3 x 2 jeweils 170 AH Batterien Varta im Boot installiert.
jeweils 24 Volt, alle sind miteinander verbunden ohne irgendwelche Trennungen etc..
War schon so im Boot installiert. Frage muss ich für jeden Block einen eigenen Batteriemonitor installieren oder reicht da einer den ich bereits installiert habe BMV 700, ich habe ja bei diesem die Gesamt Kapazität angegeben.

Das wären 510AH ich bin etwas darunter geblieben und habe 480 AH eingestellt.
Danke im Voraus
Gruß

Otti

Hi,

I would like to connect 2 pcs Blue Solar MPPT solar charger in addition to 1 pcs BMV-712 battery monitor to a Color Control GX, but as far as i know the Color Control only got two VE.Direct ports. I would need three.

Is there a VE. Direct splitter or hub that will allow me to connect all my items with VE. Direct?

Or is there another solution to my issue?

As per the subject, is it possible to have a BMV712 measure the 24v Lithium bank as a primary source and a starter 12v battery on the auxiliary connection.

This seems a common issue, and I have followed solutions provided in past answers, to no avail. What I have found that if I turn off the BMPRO Genius-II series power supply that supplies all 12v in the van and charges the battery, the Victron BMV-712 starts to display current values. I can understand that the power supply could be supplying power and therefore there is no discharge from the battery therefore may show 0.

The BMV-712 replaces a BMPRO BATTERYCHECK Bluetooth shunt, that always showed voltage and amperage on charge or discharge.

When initially connecting the BMV-712 The battery had not been on the trickle charge as supplied by the Genius-II for a number of days. When I initially connected the BMV -12 after installation it, showed a voltage that slowly increased as expected due to the charging cycle, but the amperage remained at 0. It is only when the power is turned off on the Genius-II do I see any values - values as the battery is in discharge. When I turn on the Genius-II again I do see the amperage show + values as the Genius-II is back in charge mode, but after a short period the amperage reverts to 0.

I have included a copy of the wiring diagram below.
Any help is appreciated, thank you

Phil

[image]

[image]

We have a BMV-712 and want to buy a MPPT charger. Would it be possible to but a BlueSolar MPPT 75/15 (SCC010015050R) and connect it with a cable (VE.Direct) to the BMV-712 and get data from both of them in the app, or do we have to buy a Bluetooth dongle or a SmartSolar for that to work?

I have a Multiplus 24/3000 and a Lithium battery, and would like to add basic battery monitoring (Voltage, Ah remaining, SOC) and display this in the Victron Connect app.

This is in a camper van, so there will be house DC loads outside of the Multiplus.

Will the VE Bus Smart Dongle work for this (and thus not requiring a BMV for my small setup) ??

So my coach battery went dead, and the BMV was dead also, of course. I brought the coach battery back up to full charge, and the BMV was working fine. One day later, display is dead again. I use the monitor for 2 batteries. Both fuses test good with an ohmmeter. And voltages are present on the back of the shunt circuit board. Any advice?

Hi all can you please check my diagram? I don’t want to mess this up. these are being swapped with BB lithium batteries. Thanks!

[image]

When observing the slow decline of battery overnight with charger off one sees a step change in voltage 'VE BUS " which is not seen on the BMV 702 monitor . Its not because quantising is large as there are indeed 0.01V steps in the data. See comparison. ( Multiplus 1 - 5kVA vs BMV 702 ) . What is the cause of this?

[image]

Hi all,

can’t seem to find any info in the victron data sheets on their own AGM batteries what the Peukert value should be, and in general how the BMV should be set up to accommodate for solar.

I have:

2x100Wp solar on roof

1x220Ah AGM Victron battery (new 10 august 2020)

and am looking for the correct settings for my BMV to correctly display SOC (as good as possible anyway). Can anyone help?

My BMV 702 has small voltage errors - about 0.07V in total and 0.05 in bottom voltage . Can this be corrected

[image]

Pm

[image]

Hello, we are having a LOT of trouble with out set up. We have 2 x 175 watt solar panels and a 200ah battery but seem to be getting to just 58% and we lose the voltage. We have synchronised 100% at 14.4V. Was installed by a Victron dealer but they are unable to solve the issues.

Is our battery faulty or has it been incorrectly installed? Only been using for 2 weeks.