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solgato avatar image
solgato asked

BMV Alarm Modes

This has been brought up before, and after being away from the forum and not seeing the feature added in any of the software or firmware updates, I am bringing it up again.

Would be great if Victron could add more capability to the alarm mode setting of the BMV 712, specifically the ability to trigger an alarm when a Max Amperage threshold is reached.

Why?

Because most BMS’s have a max continuous current rating, sometimes even a short peak rating, and there are certain situations where auxiliary power such as Solar is able to offset some amperage draw, allowing for extra amperage to be used, but only if the panels can provide it.

If the panels see shading, the total amount of usable amperage is diminished and there is potential to exceed the max Amp draw allowed by a batteries BMS, which results in a disconnect and reset.

There are also situations where users must manage their usage based on a combination of devices, some of which have a high inrush current which can spike a system.

A lot of BMS’s can handle short overloads for a short amount of time, but having the ability to set an alarm that coincides with the specifications of a batteries BMS would be helpful to alert the user in advance, giving them a chance to avoid a battery bank disconnect.


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Alexandra avatar image
Alexandra answered ·

Or you could size your battery bank and bms capability appropriately for the loads you want to run on your system. Which is the more correct way it should be done.


If not appropriately sized then the responsibility is on the user. They must manage the loads themselves based on the battery ability and should work within their system limitations.


For example, if I know my bms on my 12v battery can run 100A continuously. No matter how much solar I have I only ever have 1200w draw, solar or not. I don't now have 1800W load just because I have solar providing and extra 600W.

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solgato avatar image solgato commented ·
Thanks for the fresh response.


It sounds like you have no need for the feature, good for you.

A number of other people over the years have asked about it, and early on advertising made it sound as if you could set an alarm for it.

Sometimes systems evolve over time and a users needs change, and in the early days of LiFePo4 there weren’t a lot of options with regard to a BMS’s capabilities.

And some of us use these products at their peak limits as we make changes and improvements to other components that make up the system.

Also, with the plethora of inexpensive mass produced lithium batteries on the market today, some are finding that the BMS in their batteries have been misrepresented.

It’s a pretty simple request.

The BMV is already measuring current and logging data in real-time, so adding the ability to set an alarm based on a set threshold is not a big ask.


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