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robin-wessel avatar image
robin-wessel asked

Inverter RS 48/6000 230V Smart Solar reliability and AC charging version

Doing some system planning for a global voyaging boat. The RS 48/6000 looks like a great solution because I can keep the AC system completely separate from AC shore power. In effect all AC loads will always be on inverter 100% of the time. This will eliminate voltage and frequency issues for when shore power by using separate AC battery chargers in combination with robust solar and alternators.

Questions:

1- I got feedback from a Victron dealer that "HF inverters" like the RS 48/6000 are less reliable and should not be used for full time. Suggested that reliability was not as good with HF designs and they can't handle extended use. Is this really true? I understand that many "Chinese" inverters are HF designs and may contribute to the opinion but is there something inherently flawed in an HF design making it not suitable for full time use? Any reason why a more traditional larger transformer design inverter may be a better choice?

2- Understand that you are launching a Multi RS Solar 48/6000/80-400/80 charger version in January. This sounds like the perfect solution for my setup. Are specs available for this? Key question is if the 80 amp AC charger is simply that, an AC charger and the AC input is isolated (all AC loads are 100% inverter). There is no relay correct? Reason I would want this is to enable global shore power (using an autotransformer) that is frequency independent. Also, is the MPPT charger output shared with the AC charger or is it completely independent?


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1 Answer
Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) avatar image
Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) answered ·

Hi @Robin Wessel,

1) Victron is proud of our new HF inverter design and believe it will live up to the brands reputation for reliability. However it is still a completely new product design, and the proof will have to be earned in the years to come when these units live and work out in the real world. I can understand why an installer with many years of real-world experience would want to stick to a design that they are familiar with and have confidence in, rather than take a risk on something new.

I am personally using the new HF design to run my house and am very happy with it so far.

2) The specifications are very close to release, but not yet public. I would expect before the end of this year. The AC charger is an integrated part of the design. there is an internal relay that links any AC input to the AC output, just as our existing inverter/chargers work. There is a relationship between the MPPT charger output and the AC charger output, they are not completely independent.

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robin-wessel avatar image robin-wessel commented ·

Guy -

Thanks for the personal endorsement of the product and appreciate the conservative approach many take to new designs.

Is there a way with this inverter or any Victron charger that has an internal relay to set it so that it does not link the AC input to the AC output and only connects to enable charging of the batteries? Understand that I could use a separate inverter and charger but like the simplicity and economics of an all in one unit. Use case again is to enable frequency independent global shore power for a boat.



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Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) avatar image Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) ♦♦ robin-wessel commented ·
No, there is not. All combined inverter/chargers share the same power bridge that bi-directionally converts AC <-> DC - it is more than just a relay connection.


For a Victron solution, you will need to use a seperate inverter and charger to achieve what you are trying to do (charge batteries from an AC input supply while maintaining a different frequency on the AC output of the inverter).

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Matthias Lange - DE avatar image Matthias Lange - DE ♦ robin-wessel commented ·
The "normal" MultiPlus/EasySolar/Quattro with VE.Bus can be programmed to ignore the AC input.

I'm currently not sure if the Multi RS will have VE.Bus.

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Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) avatar image Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) ♦♦ Matthias Lange - DE ♦ commented ·
The RS series does not, and will not have VE.Bus. They are built on VE.Can.

A similar ignore AC functionality will be available through.

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Herve RV Nizard avatar image Herve RV Nizard Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) ♦♦ commented ·
Good day @Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) . I was wondering whether the AC functionalities were operational now for the Multi RS Solar and/or the RS48/6000. It may be a great product for our markets using VS but NOT charging batteries from AC . Thanks .


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Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) avatar image Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) ♦♦ Herve RV Nizard commented ·

Hi @Herve RV Nizard,

No, there is not yet VE.Bus equivalent AC input controls for the Multi RS.

There are constant efforts to this side of the feature set though, So always check for the latest info with your Victron dealer or sales manager (and in the product documentation).

The most recent firmware update made significant gains in generator compatibility, but there is still a way to go.

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Related Resources


Inverter RS Product page.

Inverter RS Online Manual.

Inverter RS Datasheet.

Additional resources still need to be added for this topic

Victron Offgrid page