Replacing a Schaudt Type LR02 Solar Regulator with a Victron 75/15 MPPT

[David X.]

Hello, I am looking to do the above but am confused as the LR02 appears to only have three wires going into it from the EBL99, black, red and blue. I assume that the black and red are the battery connections and the blue is the PV but should there not be a positive and negative for the PV? Can anyone help please? I am a relative newcomer and apologise for my ignorance in advance... Many thanks.

 

[tonyidle]

Which LR02 terminals they're connected to might offer a clue?

 

[tonka]

Hello, I am looking to do the above but am confused as the LR02 appears to only have three wires going into it from the EBL99, black, red and blue. I assume that the black and red are the battery connections and the blue is the PV but should there not be a positive and negative for the PV? Can anyone help please? I am a relative newcomer and apologise for my ignorance in advance... Many thanks.

DONT ASSUME ANYTHING with wire colours, especially in a German van.

Dont know anything about the LR02 but if its anything like the LR1218 regulator you should have a 3 wire lead going from the regulator to the EBL. One will be neagtive, one positive for leisure battery and one positive for the engine battery.
On the LR1218 connection lead the Brown was Negative.. BEST CHECK before you fit

 

[bobandjanie]

We had the Victron 75/15 MPPT and changed it for a Schaudt LRM2118 MPPT very happy with it, and keeps both batteries fully charged.

Buy a Schaudt LRM 1218 MPPT Dual Battery solar regulator and other electronic components for the caravan and lesiure industry

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Good company to deal with and they repair Electrobloc if you ever need it doing. Bob.

Ps forgot to mention speak to them they will advise.

 

[autorouter]

The LR02 is wired so that everything goes through the EBL. The solar panel is wired to pins 9 and 12 ofthe 12-way connector. Inside the EBL, pin 9 (solar panel positive) connects to pin 2 of the 3-way 'Solar Reg' connector. This feeds into the LR02, and the LR02 output goes through pin 3 of the 3-way connector. Pin1 is the common negative.

To wire a Victron 75/15, the centre pin (pin 2) is the solar panel positive. Pin 3 is the controller output positive. Pin 1 is the common negative, connected to both the PV input negative and the battery (output) negative.

Pin 1 is labelled on the EBL front panel, but it's always best to double check with a multimeter because as tonka rightly says, German automotive standard colours are a bit surprising to Brits.

Alternatively you could wire the PV panels straight to the controller, especially if you are rewiring them or fitting new ones. But simply swapping in a new controller it may be better to stick with the existing wiring plan.

The 3-way connectors are MNL (Mate'N'Lok) type, available from automotive electrics suppliers including Altec Automotive and12VoltPlanet.

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[autorouter]

Dont know anything about the LR02 but if its anything like the LR1218 regulator you should have a 3 wire lead going from the regulator to the EBL. One will be neagtive, one positive for leisure battery and one positive for the engine battery.

Most EBLs are like that, but the EBL99 isn't. There's no starter battery connection, the third wire is the panel positive.

 

[David X.]

Thanks for all of the replies - much appreciated! Based on the info that has been kindly supplied, together with the attached photo of the LR02 connector (as currently attached) and the colours of the cables into it, would I be correct with my primitive diagram (also attached) as to how the 75/15 should be wired to the EBL 99 correctly? Can I just loop the common negative connections together?

Thanks again!

 

[David X.]

Ooops, sorry about the duplicated diagram...

 

[autorouter]

Looks about right to me. Looping the negatives of PV and battery together is OK. They are connected together inside the EBL anyway.

 

[David X.]

Great, thank you very much for your invaluable help Autorouter! I will be installing the 75/15 this morning in that case (I will of course be switching off the battery on the EBL 99 first). If you have any other advice, please do let me know. Thanks again!

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[TheCaller]

Make sure you connect the battery positive on the 75/15 before you connect the panel positive. It needs the battery connection so it knows you have a 12V system rather than 24V.

 

[David X.]

Huge thanks to all for the advice. I installed the 75/15 on Friday and all went swimmingly well right up to when I went to tighten the PV positive connector and discovered it was faulty and would not tighten. I obtained a replacement unit and installed it the next day. However, I then discovered that I now have no 12v i.e. when I turn the 12v on above the door, nothing happens (no green led), the step will not retract etc. The EBL 99 is switched on. Also worryingly, the Victron bluetooth app shows the following (please see the screenshots below). If anyone can help, I would be massively grateful as I do not know what to do now and I am really worried

.

 

[SIFTA SAM]

Huge thanks to all for the advice. I installed the 75/15 on Friday and all went swimmingly well right up to when I went to tighten the PV positive connector and discovered it was faulty and would not tighten. I obtained a replacement unit and installed it the next day. However, I then discovered that I now have no 12v i.e. when I turn the 12v on above the door, nothing happens (no green led), the step will not retract etc. The EBL 99 is switched on. Also worryingly, the Victron bluetooth app shows the following (please see the screenshots below). If anyone can help, I would be massively grateful as I do not know what to do now and I am really worriedView attachment 434625View attachment 434626View attachment 434627.

Are you sorted yet?
Thought someone with Victron 75/15 'experience' would have responded?

 

[David X.]

Thanks for your reply Sifta Sam. No, sadly I am not sorted. You are the first person to comment. To be honest, my lack of experience means I really don't know how to proceed.

 

[autorouter]

If even the step is not retracting, there is absolutely no supply from the leisure battery. Sounds like the main leisure battery fuse has blown, maybe you have miswired the battery cables, or touched them together while doing the wiring. The app voltages could be just those produced by the solar panel.

The main fuse should be close to the battery (ie not those in the distribution fuse box).

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[Lenny HB]

Could be the small on/off slide switch on the EBL if you turned that off. Known to be problematical always recommended never to turn them off on EBL's that are a few years old.
Try spraying some switch cleaner or WD40 into if and operating it a few times.

 

[David X.]

Thanks for the help and advice. I was extremely careful when I wired the 75/15 but perhaps I did something wrong. I will try to locate the main fuse although the battery is under the seat however and therefore not easy to access. I will also try spraying WD40 into the rocker switch. Thanks again and I will provide an update later.

 

[autorouter]

Do you have a multimeter? It's a basic item in the motorhome toolbox. Any cheap one will do for basic trouble-shooting, you can get one for less than a tenner at Screwfix or Toolstation.

The idea is, you check the voltage at the battery terminals, then (assuming it's OK) check at various strategic points along the wires until the voltage is missing. You then have some idea where the fault is. Most faults are blown fuses or bad connections.

If it's difficult to access the battery terminals, then find the first accessible place where you can check the voltage, and work from there. For example, I can't imagine anyone would locate the main fuse under the seat in an inaccessible position. You can check the voltage by removing the fuse and putting the probe on the fuse socket terminals.

 

[David X.]

Yes, I do have a multimeter and will do as you suggest - thank you.

 

[David X.]

Update - followed everyone's great advice, reseated some fuses (could not see any blown), sprayed WD40 into the rocker switch and worked it a few times and bingo, 12v is now working! Also, the 75/15 is now showing the following, which is more encouraging (I think?). Huge thanks to everyone who took the trouble to help me - I am extremely grateful!

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[DBK]

I'm guessing you are under clouds.