question

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grzegorzb asked

Bidirectional charging through Orion-Tr Smart

Hello, I have an Orion-Tr Smart Isolated DC-DC 12/12-30 which charges the house battery (LiFePO4) from the starter battery (lead-acid) when the voltage on the latter is sufficient. Between my house battery and the Orion there is also a Cyrix Li-Charge 12/24 120A (and there is nothing between my starter battery and the Orion). Charging the house battery from the starter battery works as expected, however I'd also like to charge the starter battery from the house battery, when the former has low voltage, though it seems that the Orion is only able to pass energy in one direction. Is there a safe way to accomplish this without buying another Orion or risking a battery failure?

orion-tr smartorion dc-dcCyrix Battery Combiner
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2 Answers
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mvas answered ·

Nope, no easy way.

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kevgermany answered ·

You have a couple of choices.

Extra Orion, which you have ruled out.

If both batteries are 12V, a battery to battery trickle charger such as the Votronic 3065 standby charger. I have one in my van, works well. It will only work when there'sa charge voltage on the house battery, so no risk of killing that.

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