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Can anyone kindly give me a straight forward explantion to what is the difference between Non-Isolated vs Isolated Orion-Tr. I am trying to regulate the current coming from the starter battery/alternator to charge my 720AH 12v battery bank. at the moment they are connected via VSR which is not healthy i think :)
Many thanks
@Vanlifer007, the isolated version has a separate, galvanically isolated input and output NEG while the non-isolated uses a common negative return. If both your source and target batteries share a negative return (ie chassis ground) then you do not need the isolated version.
Thank you @Justin Cook - Bay Marine Supply USA for the prompt response. I accept your answer.
can you elaborate more please on the implication of having a common negative when batteries are disconnected, for example at night when the MPPT is off or when the vehicle is stationary? the positives are disconnected but not the negative.
or if I can reformulate my question, when does one need to isolate the negatives?
@Vanlifer007 there are no particular implications; if the positives are disconnected then it doesn't matter that the negatives are connected: DC requires both to complete a circuit.
Generally speaking, one only needs to isolate the negatives when the installation does not share a common negative return path, such as may be the case on many fiberglass boats that don't have a chassis and may not have a common grounding bus to which all their battery banks connect.
Also, the isolated Victron ones are adjustable in voltage, the non isolated have a set voltage. Charging batteries generally calls for adjustable voltages, supplying stuff and ancillary equipment likely doesnt.
In your case neither is the correct choice. You want a battery booster or the new Victron smart charger with several charging phases.
When a Truck Camper sits on the bed of a truck, do they still share a common ground? Does the camper become "part of" the chassis? The camper is plugged into the trailer hitch. The camper's electrical system also grounds itself to the camper frame. Is this okay for the non-isolated version?
