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My Orion Tr Smart 12/12-30 Charger runs hot, and the output current folds back considerably. Anyone else with this problem? When cold, it will output 33A. When hot, it will fold back to 26A or less. Parts of the case may exceed 134dg F, in a cool (60dg F) environment. By adding a 80CFM fan above the fins, the case temperature is lowered by 20 degrees F, and the unit will continuosly output 30A. It would appear that the heat sink is undersized. Comments?
My Orion gets too hot - and dials back the Amps - so while this is called a 30A DC charger - it is not - as it gets to such a high temperature so quickly - you only get 30A for a couple of minutes. Look at this picture - close to 70c on fins and over 50c on case !!!!
Even though I followed the mounting instructions and drilled a number of 35 mm vents on my van's somewhat small electrical cabinet, I'm afraid it heats so much that it could end up damaging the other electronic devices in there, even though it is itsef able to stand the hellish heat it produces.
I then found this thread and felt very disappointed to discover that this is and old and known issue, and that recent series are supposed to be “fixed”. Well, mine is supposedly recent according to its HQ2221... S/N and well, still a barbecue.
I'm hesitating between finding a way to add some noisy fan to my poor electrical cabinet or sending the unit back for a refund, such a heat dissipation being far excessive for use in a small electrical cabinet in a van - where the manual states it produces “some” heat, but not barbecue-like.
I have in the same cabinet a Phoenix 120/240V 30 A charger that becomes barely warm, so I wonder why one Victron device would handle 30 amps wihtout barely heating, and another one could be used to grill sausages ?
My van's original electrical cabinet is disguised into a seat (by the manufacturer) and I have to remove the seating cushion for now and replace it with venting holes, that's a pity.
Plus the Orion is supposedly “Smart” although not enough to join a Vitron wireless network and share it's charging parameters with the Phoenix or SmartSolar...
I'm so glad with all my other Victron equipment, and so disappointed with this one !
Plus the headache I get breathing the burnt bakelite smell it produces...
Hi all,
Daniel asked me to help here.
After producing x amount of Smart Orions, we changed two things:
- reduced maximum temperature. The first series didnt get so hot that it affected the electronics, but it was still too hot for “common sense”.
- changed max output current to not be more than rated output current. Instead of doing everything it can as long as it wasn’t too hot. Which was nice from a “lets give the customer maximum value for money” point of view; but not when the customer bought this to limit current draw on, for example, an alternator.
I’ll check for serial numbers when those changes were introduced when I get into the office
Were the changes a hardware/firmware change, or will a software update be issued? I haven't heard of any heat-related failures, just that they heat up fast and then fold back to effectively protect themselves.
Hi, its hardware changes.
i’ll add a bit more text to second bullet in a minute
Thank you. I noticed that the case get very hot, but the heatsink just comfortably warm. Could the thermal coupling of the device(s) to the heat sink be improved?
Perhaps yes; buts thats more something for a next generation.
Do you know what the serial numbers are for the newer model? The heat of the prior model is definitely too hot for "common sense".
@mvader (Victron Energy) Hi, do you have the serial numbers for the newer models?
Thanks,
Dear all,
My apologies that it took so extremely long to get back on this. Herewith the serial numbers on which we made the change:
The return policy for this is that anyone with a unit having an older serial number is eligible free of charge of a unit with the revised design; without any discussion. Contact your dealer for that, they will need to contact our Service department, whom are aware of this.
See my other answer for what was changed exactly.
All the best, Matthijs
Both my Orions will exceed 75c after 5 minutes. Both my Orions will only produce 10A at this temperature.
Regards
Tim
Meanwhile, how are they installed / what is the ambient temperature?
They were installed as per the instructions - with lots of ventilation space - with correct maximum size wires - with correct fuses. The ambient temperature ranges from lowest circa 10c and highest circa 20c. The ambient temperature has almost no difference to the Orion high temperature (75c+) and de-rating (down to 10A).
Many thanks - this is excellent customer service - I appreciate it. Thank you.
Hi Tim / Matthijs
I'm curious about the outcome of the issue with Tim's units. Was there ultimately still a systematic issue with his later models?
I see the same rapid heating and current throttling. I have fans started with Aux voltage triggered relay of a BMV. That manages the situation but I can't sustain a full 30A, drops to about 25A and I still have concern about the excessive heat, should the fans not start for whatever reason. This Orion works at the back of a caravan so any burning wouldn't be noticed until it's too late.
Mine is ORI121236120 - HQ2022XKG3E so as per the table, the first batch of this model fixed.
*Correction - not the first batch I see it was HQ2019 of these*
Kind regards, Craig
If you're offering help, please email me as well. I just installed a pair of 12v 30A non-isolated in parallel and right from the get go they go into absorption mode, even though my lithium bank is at 25%. I have the 'new' version and updated firmware a week ago when they were installed.
As for the other info you require to assist me, I'll need your guidance on that too.
Sure hoping I'm not going to regret spending this money on this product.
Which can be due to too much resistance between the unit and the battery, (too thin cabling, bad connection, etc). Or can also be simply because the battery was actually quite full - meaning that there is no problem to solve.
Or it could be due to the configured absorption voltage. And probably there can be even more reasons, but above is where I'd start looking.
For more help on that, please contact your distributor; its not something I can help you with remotely.
Hope its sorted soon! Matthijs
The 12/12v 30a 360w unit I just purchased has the same part number but the serial number begins with HQ2034 which is not the HQ number listed above. Is my Orion an updated unit? If not, am I eligible for the return process?
Thank you!
William
Yes your unit is newer (has a higher number) than listed so it is updated.
The first two digits depict the production year (2021), the second two digits the week (34)
Any unit with HQ2019 or higher value (2020 week 19 or later) has already had the hardware changes implemented and is not eligible for replacement?
Thanks for your help.
I have a HQ2008 12/24 15A smart model. Had it in a box for a while and recently installed and it smells rather badly. I've disconnected it as those kind of smells usually are a sign of something going to the eternal hunting fields of electronics.
Can I add a 120mm fan to solve the problem? Or do I need to send it back?
Problem 2: my Victron dealer is out of business. What now?
Hi, so after doing some research on trouble shooting a cooking hot unit a came across this thread, i believe i have an earlier model that certainly exceeded the 30a output on initial performance causing heating issues. The unit has now actually burtout. Can someone please confirm this is an earlier model? 
HQ2007 means Week 7 2020 manufacture. It's not so old, and still under warranty.
I don't have an answer for you but mine runs at about that same temp. I will admit that it is a new installation and I have only run it for an hour or so. Amps ran about 33-34 and dropped to about 29-30 once hot.
I would also like to know if this temperature is normal
I also had to add a 120mm fan to bring it down about 20 degrees. Curious if it's safe to continuously run this?
I use this on a boat in a small compartment; concerned what "Might Happen" with continuous use.
Mine is also overheating. The case gets to about 120 degrees and then goes from charging at 30 amps to 0.
The ambient temperature is only 87 degrees. We should not have to use a fan. Is this a bad design.
So as mine. I just installed my Orion Tr 12/24-15 yesterday, successfully used it for about 5 hours. First couple hours I could smell the factory oils burning off, then the smell went away after a while. It was very hot to the touch. I didn't get a chance to use my laser temperature gun though.
From the start I would encounter the voltage output showing nothing most of the time, and rarely it would show the proper voltage I set it to. I raised another report a few hours ago about that issue as well. Upgraded to firmware 1.05 in hopes of resolving but no luck.
Now after 5 hours of use, it's dead cold when when my engine is running. I'm able to view the Orion via Bluetooth, and the voltage input is stuck at 12.3v, output voltage showing blank whether the car is on or off.
@Daniël Boekel (Victron Energy Staff) do you know if someone from Victron's staff is already looking into this issue? Is this issues resolved in upcoming manufactured units?
I would also like some feedback on this and whether it is safe.
The Orion-Tr Smart 12/12-30 Isolated I have is uncomfortable to touch on the plastic casing and touching the fins will outright burn your hand. It seems like component desoldering/fire-hazard territory to me. An efficiency of 87% of 360 W (46.8 W)is a lot heat to remove by convection of stationary air though so I have installed cooling fans to at least prevent current throttling.
This unit is not fit for purpose.
I have a brand new 12 12 - 30 non isolated , serial number begins with H2226 and it smells of burning after a few minutes of operation
I'm going to attempt to return it to the suppier and get a refund, because I don't believe it is fit for purpose and its also potentialy a fire hazard
My Orions are heating up a lot. this was the temperature at about 30 minutes from the end of charge of the 230A lithium battery.
They charged constantly at 20+20 Amps, but when charging it was impossible to touch the blue body for more than 3 seconds.
the SX serial is HQ2047
the Dx serial is HQ2121
the firmware is the last.
Hi Victron!
I also have a very HOT orion-tr smart 12.12-30 with S/N HQ2149...
Is there a solution for the heat problem???
Hi Guys,
I just wanted to give you my input regarding these Orions heating up to the point that they smell of hot Bakelite, which is very annoying.
Following Victron not wanting to RMA this new unit as it stank of hot Bakelite, I decided to use a active cooling system and devise an install that did not modify the Orion in anyway so if needed to RMA, Victron would not complain this time.
The use of a 20mmx20mm Black PVC angle was my idea.
I cut the PVC to length, ground a circular cut out to match the fan shape (to not impeade airflow) and stuck the PVC to the fins either side of the Orion with double sided tape.
Luckily the PVC pieces are 120mm apart.... what a coincidence... PC fans are 120mm in size.
The fan (Artic F12PWM) is screwed to the PVC via 4 black small self-tap screws.
I didn't want the fan to run constantly so I had to use the output which could be switched off via the app (12/24-10 Smart model) but the fan is a 12v and the Orion output is set to 20V, so the use of a stamp size DC-DC buck board (MP1584EN) was necessary (set to 12V, but can be set lower via the pot for even quieter operation of the fan).
I addition I used a 40°C thermal switch (KSD9700-40°C) (turn-on @50°C and turns-off @30°C) mounted right in the middle of the unit against the aluminium.
The Orion is now mounted horizontally under the seat of my van using 4x nylon 40mm stand-offs. As the center of the unit warms up to 50°C the fan kicks in silently, and brings the unit back down to under 30°C, and oscillates hapilly between these two temps. To date, once the fan kicks in at over 50°C the fan just keeps running quietly and the center unit never really gets back down to under 30°C if running full tilt (10A) to charge my auxillary 20V-60Ah (5S20P) Li-ION pack. The unit remains cold to the touch even at full power for multiple hours.
Hope this helps anyone who is trying to to keep these DC-DC converters cool ;.)
Best regards,
Steve
Very neat and well thought out. Thanks for the details.
Seconded! Neat idea...
This was quite a problem for me initially when I first got them. Definitely blindly trusting victron without doing enough research of my own.
I 3D printed some fan mounts for a low-profile solution and posted the designs for people to 3D print themselves. See forum post here:
https://community.victronenergy.com/questions/178930/low-profile-cooling-fan-mount-3d-printed-for-orion.html
They keep the orions cool enough to keep your hand on them easily (without them on you will definitely burn yourself after a few seconds). It improves the efficiency and charge speed as well. Happy printing.
Just found that thread and checked my serial no. as with my Orion Smart 12/12-30 the current decreases fro 32A to 25A though I am already using a fan array pulling air upwards through the fins: HQ2138.
So it's the latest version and the improvements Victron made are having no effect in that regard.
Plus the Orion not being really smart, as
That's really poor of you Victron.
