question

seanhiace avatar image
seanhiace asked

Orion-TR Smart & Solar

Hi all,


I have a van with 3 x 100W fixed solar panels in series charging a 150ah lithium battery via the Victron 100/20 SmartSolar MPPT charger. I am considering adding the ability to charge whilst driving, so looking at adding the Orion-TR Smart 12/12-30A DC-DC charger.


I am a bit confused on the logistics of these two units working together however, with the solar fixed to the roof and potentally giving full output when driving in good sun. Is it fine to wire these two in parallel and let them run simultaneously when driving?

Anything I might be missing here?


Thanks,

Sean

MPPT Controllersorion-tr smartcampervan
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3 Answers
Justin Cook avatar image
Justin Cook answered · Best Answer

@seanhiace, so long as you are not ever exceeding the battery manufacturer's recommended maximum charge rate, you can have as many parallel charging sources connected as you like. In your case, assuming that your MPPT is at full-bore output and the Orion-Tr Smart is as well, you're looking at ~50A of charge current; so long as this is at or below the manufacturer's recommended charge current, then you're golden.

...and of course, make sure to fuse/breaker each input/output with known-brand fuses or breakers as appropriate for the wiring and the current.

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alex-rhys-hurn avatar image
alex-rhys-hurn answered ·

I read somewhere here the following (sorry cant remember who wrote it, so cant give credit):

"Both the mppt and Orion can charge the house batts together, but you might consider setting the Orion's charge V(s) to just slightly lower than the mppt's Float, so the mppt will have priority, and the Orion only contributing in a bulk charge situation."

I have the same setup as you, and I have configured the Orion as per above statement, and it has worked well for me.

Alex


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tex260z avatar image
tex260z answered ·

Ok, just to clarify, does the Victron Orion-Tr Smart have capacity for a solar input like the Redarc BCDC1225D or not? and also is the Victron Orion-Tr compatible with Smart Alternators like the Redarc?

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