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phasor avatar image
phasor asked

How do I set up an Orion TR Smart 12/12/30

I have a ford transit custom van with a euro 6 engine/ smart alternator. I want the orion to start charging my leisure batteries automatically once the engine is running and to stop once the engine is turned off. What settings will I need to set? I have three 100AH lithium Batteries.

orion-tr smart
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jildeyo avatar image jildeyo commented ·
Hello… My name is Jacques.

I am having trouble with my Orion B to B charger also. (Engine shut down detected) I was wondering if you have come up with a solution and are willing to share your settings. It would be greatly appreciated! Thank you

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jildeyo avatar image jildeyo commented ·
I forgot one important aspect of my set up… I am connected to the CCP connection point on the driver seat pedestal
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Justin Cook avatar image
Justin Cook answered ·

Hello @Phasor, please see the Orion-Tr Smart User Manual for the answers to your questions; pages 1,2, and 3 directly address your use-case although of course you should also read the rest of the manual as well.

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phasor avatar image phasor commented ·

Thank you Justin. I have read through the manual. Is it as simple as setting a turn on voltage and turn off voltage I do not want to use any connection to the ignition. do i set the input voltage lock-out or use the engine detection voltage settings or both?


regards,

Phasor

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Justin Cook avatar image Justin Cook ♦♦ phasor commented ·

@Phasor, you'll use the engine detection voltage settings - set the voltage appropriately so that the unit will turn on and start charging when your engine is running, and will shut down when it is not. For an average 12v alternator/start battery system, I would consider setting the "on" voltage around ~13.6v and the off voltage around ~13.2v.

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theotherphil avatar image theotherphil Justin Cook ♦♦ commented ·

I have a Ford Ranger with Smart Alternator and it seems to maintain the start battery at 80% due to the regenerative charging. I suspect the Transit may be the same.

In order to charge my lithium battery correctly, I have set Engine shutdown detection on my Orion-TR Smart at 12.6V and restart at 12.7V.


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Justin Cook avatar image Justin Cook ♦♦ theotherphil commented ·

@theotherphil, on one hand, if it works for you then certainly go for it... on the other hand, those settings are highly inadvisable for a couple of reasons:

1. Your shutdown and restart voltages are both below the natural resting voltage of your battery, so you're draining your start battery after your engine is off; and

2. You should set your restart voltage several tenths higher than your shutdown voltage because vbatt will rebound after the load of the Orion is removed, thus causing the Orion to restart if the restart voltage is too close to the shutdown voltage, so you'll be getting a series of off-on-off-on-off cycles that are unnecessary.


Transit alternators generally put out ~13.6v - 14.4v, so to ensure that the Orion isn't on and draining the start battery when the motor is off, shutdown voltage should be around 13.2v and restart voltage should be around 13.6v.

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