Dc-dc

[thesilversurfer]

Hi im new here and I have several questions I hope finally someone can answers.

I’m looking for Victron orion dc-dc and wondering if I can use the 50a with my sprinter 2017 without damages ? I’ve been quoted for the 30A but the 50A is lighter smaller and I have 300Ah battery and possibly going up to 600Ah later on so the 50A look a better choice for little difference on money .
Can someone advise please ??

 

[AdrianChen]

I would pick the 50amp, especially if you have other Victron components or plan to do so in the future.

The Orion XS 50 can be set to any input or output current that suits the existing cables, so you can check the cable runs length, and the cable size, and use a voltage drop calculator such as:

Voltage Drop Calculator | 12 Volt Planet

Use our Voltage Drop Calculator to select the correct Cable for your campervan, motorhome or boat wiring application. Auto and Marine Electrical Components from 12 Volt Planet - Cable Size Calculator

www.12voltplanet.co.uk

to check that the cable is OK for a given current.

I would aim to keep the drop within say 5% on the input side for example, and 3% in the shorter output side Ideally you would mount the Orion as close to your battery as possible to minimise voltage drop in the output cable - no point in setting a carefully chosen absorption voltage value eg 14.35v and then have a 0.5v drop in the cable.

For the best accuracy, consider adding a smart shunt to the system, and connecting the shunt/XS together using the built in bluetooth "Smart Network" then the XS will automatically compensate for any cable voltage drop on the output. A temp sensor connected to the Shunt would also allow the Orion (and any other Victron Smart Charger in the network) to cut off charging under say 5°c, to protect the battery if Lithium, or if Lead acid then it will use temp compensation to adjust the charging for hot and cold conditions (not needed for LiFePo4).

The Orion XS 50 is a lot more efficient than the old 30a model, so will stay cooler by comparison (but still needs ventilation), it will also integrate fully with other elements of the Victron system, which the older product is less capable of doing.

 

[thesilversurfer]

I would pick the 50amp, especially if you have other Victron components or plan to do so in the future.

The Orion XS 50 can be set to any input or output current that suits the existing cables, so you can check the cable runs length, and the cable size, and use a voltage drop calculator such as:

Voltage Drop Calculator | 12 Volt Planet

Use our Voltage Drop Calculator to select the correct Cable for your campervan, motorhome or boat wiring application. Auto and Marine Electrical Components from 12 Volt Planet - Cable Size Calculator

www.12voltplanet.co.uk

to check that the cable is OK for a given current.

I would aim to keep the drop within say 5% on the input side for example, and 3% in the shorter output side Ideally you would mount the Orion as close to your battery as possible to minimise voltage drop in the output cable - no point in setting a carefully chosen absorption voltage value eg 14.35v and then have a 0.5v drop in the cable.

For the best accuracy, consider adding a smart shunt to the system, and connecting the shunt/XS together using the built in bluetooth "Smart Network" then the XS will automatically compensate for any cable voltage drop on the output. A temp sensor connected to the Shunt would also allow the Orion (and any other Victron Smart Charger in the network) to cut off charging under say 5°c, to protect the battery if Lithium, or if Lead acid then it will use temp compensation to adjust the charging for hot and cold conditions (not needed for LiFePo4).

The Orion XS 50 is a lot more efficient than the old 30a model, so will stay cooler by comparison (but still needs ventilation), it will also integrate fully with other elements of the Victron system, which the older product is less capable of doing.

Thanks for that ! This is exactly what I'm planned to do although my worries started when suppliers send me different system design parts, I’ve ordered a frogstar drift 300A ( will add a second in future ) and my understanding was that the 30A they want to supply would take forever to top up the banks when the 50A would do better specially in short drives is smaller and less heat , I like to fit a 1 x Resettable Circuit Breaker so that I can disconnect the dcdc when driving along Europe if not needed or when not connected to shore and just parked.

 

[AdrianChen]

Thanks for that ! This is exactly what I'm planned to do although my worries started when suppliers send me different system design parts, I’ve ordered a frogstar drift 300A ( will add a second in future ) and my understanding was that the 30A they want to supply would take forever to top up the banks when the 50A would do better specially in short drives is smaller and less heat , I like to fit a 1 x Resettable Circuit Breaker so that I can disconnect the dcdc when driving along Europe if not needed or when not connected to shore and just parked.

I would be cautious about using a circuit breaker especialy in place of a fuse - unless you spend £70 or so the cheap ebay jobbies are often very unreliable, and may disconnect at very low currents, or even not until it's too late.

If you install the Orion XS, then you should use decent quality fuses on the cables, and if you prefer to have a switch, rather than use the Connect App to turn the charger off, then I would use a D+ feed to the OrionsXS's Hpin to turn the charger on (rather than "engine detection shutdown") then add a simple switch into that D+ link - it carries almost no current and around 12v so nothing special is needed.

I just use the app if I want the charger off for some reason. Normally I leave the thing switched on, when on EHU it just sits there doing nothing, it wont backfeed into the cab battery or cause any issues so the only time I might switch off is if I know the solar yield will be sufficient when I'm driving somewhere, then I may save a teeny bit of deisel! My vans very greedy on fuel.

If I wanted it off for a longer period for some reason, pulling out the H/L connection plug will turn the unit off as well.