# Victron Charger/Inverter .. too clever ?



## Scotjimland (May 23, 2005)

Some of you may recall I installed a Victron 70 A Charger / 1600 watt invertor some months ago.. and as the title of the post suggests it is a clever bit of kit, if it had legs I'm sure it would plug the EHU in by itself.. 
Loss of EHU for whatever reason results in a seamless change over to the inverter without you ever knowing, it continues to power everything on board that was previously using shore power .... but, this is the problem.. you don't know this until you've ran out of battery power and it shuts down on low voltage There is however an option on the Victron for 'Charge Only' which I now use while on EHU. Ideally I need to install an alarm for 'Loss of Shore Power' 

The second issue is really only RV related, when not on shore power and using the inverter you need to ensure you have switched off all 110v appliances, fridge, water heater etc .. however, it's still powering the transformer.. not good, off load the tranny still uses juice. To overcome this problem I've installed a 45A 240 v switch for the tranny inside the RV, when switched off this also ensures that no 110 v appliances are inadvertently powered up and the tranny isn't sucking away at the batteries.

One of the best features is it's ability to supplement a low power shore supply by using the inverter, then recharging when the load is reduced.. 

A great bit of kit ..if a little on the pricey side, highly recommend it. 

See Manufacturers Description for better explanation.. 

Quote:
Multi Compact -functional (Multi Compact / MultiPlus Compact only)
The Multi Compact gets its name from the multiple functions it can perform. It is a powerful true sine wave inverter, a sophisticated battery charger that features adaptive charge technology and a high-speed AC transfer switch in a single compact enclosure. 
Beside these primary functions, however, the Multi Compact has several advanced features that provide a range of new applications as outlined below.

Uninterrupted AC power (Multi Compact / MultiPlus Compact only)
In the event of a grid failure, or shore or generator power being disconnected, the inverter within the Multi Compact is automatically activated and takes over supply to the connected loads. This happens so fast (less than 20 milliseconds) that computers and other electronic equipment will continue to operate without disruption.

PowerControl – Dealing with limited generator or shore side power (Multi Compact/ MultiPlus Compact only)
The Multi Compact is a very powerful battery charger. It will therefore draw a lot of current from the generator or shore side supply (nearly 5 A per Multi Compact at 230 VAC). With the Phoenix Multi Control (PMV) a maximum generator or shore current can be set. The Multi Compact will then take account of other AC loads and use whatever is extra for charging, thus preventing the generator or shore supply from being overloaded.

PowerAssist – Boosting the capacity of shore or generator power
The feature that distinguishes the Phoenix MultiPlus Compact from the standard Multi Compact is PowerAssist. This feature takes the principle of PowerControl to a further dimension allowing the MultiPlus Compact to supplement the capacity of the alternative source. Where peak power is so often required only for a limited period, it is possible to reduce the size of generator needed or conversely enable more to be achieved from the typically limited shore connection. When the load reduces, the spare power is used to recharge the battery
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## Snelly (Aug 20, 2005)

Sterling do a similar system.


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## nukeadmin (Oct 10, 2003)

I too can sing the praises of the Victron kit having installed one myself in my old van.

Cant remember if you bought it as well Jim but Victron do a little control panel which allows you to see not only how much capacity remains in the battery(ies) but due some clever calculations based on present load, temperature etc it can also tell you how long in hours and minutes you have left


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## Scotjimland (May 23, 2005)

nukeadmin said:


> Cant remember if you bought it as well Jim but Victron do a little control panel which allows you to see not only how much capacity remains in the battery(ies) but due some clever calculations based on present load, temperature etc it can also tell you how long in hours and minutes you have left


Unfortunately I don't have it, it's on my list of 'things I want ' but not at the top yet.. :?


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Jim,

I wouldn't call it too clever, just flexible and thorough 

You have 3 options to address the problem you pose of inadvertent loss of EHU switching instantaneously to leisure batteries without you knowing (intended to be a feature rather than a bug!) and thereby discharging your batteries:

1) As you do now, switch the toggle switch to charger-only. The manual says:
"NOTE: When only the charger function is required, ensure that the switch is switched to "charger only". This prevents the inverter from being switched on if the mains voltage is lost, thus preventing your batteries from running flat."

2) Use the built-in functionality of your Victron unit to configure as you wish the switching of an alarm. The software, transistor switching and relay are all there, you just need a sounder connected:
"3.6.4 External Alarm Relay and Virtual Switch
An open collector output is available to connect a relay that can be used for remote alarm and other purposes (a. o. generator start signal).The maximum voltage/current that can be switched (open collector transistor): 66V 40mA. The open collector output can be programmed with VEConfigure.

3) Set an alarm in the optional battery monitor.

Dave


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## carol (May 9, 2005)

Gosh Dave, this sounds like I would need something like a degree to be able to work it.... and with my technical understanding, perhaps I am better off without it...... ;-(


Carol


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## Scotjimland (May 23, 2005)

Hi Dave .. 

Thanks for that, Option 2 is the way to go , I'll look into fitting the sounder .. a tad cheaper than a monitor :wink: 


Cheers 
Jim


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## carol (May 9, 2005)

ScotJimland said:


> [
> 
> Unfortunately I don't have it, it's on my list of 'things I want ' but not at the top yet.. :?


So what is top?

Carol


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Indulging scottishmist and Chas


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## Scotjimland (May 23, 2005)

DABurleigh said:


> Indulging scottishmist and Chas


never a truer word ... :lol: :lol:


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## RAH (Apr 22, 2007)

We have had our Featherlite Vogue (45') on the road in Europe for a bit now, but have not converted electronics yet. We have decided to install two in tandem Victron Centaur 12-volt/60-amp battery chargers on a single shore power cord as a solution instead of a 220-to-110-volt transformer.

Victron is a great manufacturer, as initially pointed out to us by forum members here a while back ago (many thanks).

The reason we chose this solution is because the chargers accept a power input range of 95-volts to 260-volts and both 50 and 60-Hz. Running two in tandem means we can shut one down if the park's amperage is low. 

Since we are temporarily here in Europe, we can use this solution back in the USA too and it should act as our solar panels currently do, when plugged in. This should allow the 4 8D 260Ah AGM batteries to keep up their charge to the Trace 3000-watt invertor. It also means we do not have to splce in a transformer or circumnavigate our power line monitors and power management systems that protect both electronics and batteries.

The disadvantages, and it is not really a good solution for resident RV's, is that we cannot run air conditioners without the generator and we have to run the aqua hot diesel fired and not on electric (it's quieter than most furnaces anyway).

I have been reliably informed that the Centaur products are superior to the Phoenix microprocessor chargers even though the Phoenix products include an auto-sensing storage (trickle) charge, in addition to bulk, assorbsion and float.

We have enough battery monitoring and by-situation auto-driven software onboard already, so using the Victron Centaur this way should meet our needs -- hopefully, but we will report back.


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## RAH (Apr 22, 2007)

I want to update the group on our Victron charger decision and thank ScotJimland for interrupting and the use of his topic.

We decided to go with a like unit from Mastervolt, also a Dutch company, and here is why:

1. We can have this fitted in the UK, which allows us to stay on itinerary.
2. The Mastervolt Chargemaster is the 12-volt/100-amp, but allows you to set specifically both the input and output amperage so that we can use just one unit and and not trip campsite fuses. Like the Victron it has an input range of 95-265 volts.
3. It is a new device and I have agreed to provide feadback in RV usage. Of course, I will report back here to the members.
4. Also like Victron, there are dealers across the USA for support when we return.

I have been reading some very good posts from Dan and Sherry, also visitors to Europe from the USA, and their main problem has been with fresh water connections. Seems everyone has a different attachment! They are doing fine though.

See some of you soon!


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