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dbvanhorn avatar image
dbvanhorn asked

Two questions on the Victron Orion-Tr Smart 12/12-18A Isolated DC-DC charger

I"m installing this as part of a system in a Ford Transit Connect camper conversion.


1: I'm very confused as to whether this unit has bluetooth or not. I haven't found a manual for it yet. Some places online say yes bluetooth, others say no. So far, if I find anything that looks like a manual it goes straight into talking about the 12/12-30 unit. Where can I find a manual online? I'd like to download a PDF. The controller won't be here for a few more days.


2: Regarding vehicle ground vs battery ground. I assume since the word "Isolated" is in the description, that there is galvanic isolation between the input - and output - terminals. Is this correct? I don't actually need this to be isolated, and since I also intend to power radio equipment from the batteries, there may be a problem when the radio makes a connection to vehicle ground where the coax connector goes through the metal roof.

orion-tr smart
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4 Answers
Matthias Lange - DE avatar image
Matthias Lange - DE answered ·

1. Every device with "Smart" in the product name has Bluetooth.
Manuals:
https://www.victronenergy.com/dc-dc-converters/orion-tr-smart#manuals
https://www.victronenergy.com/support-and-downloads/manuals

2. For radio equipment w/ the antenna connected to the chassis is one of the few setups where it it can be better to use an isolated DCDC converter.

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Justin Cook avatar image
Justin Cook answered ·

Hi @dbvanhorn

You can indeed install the isolated version of the Orion-Tr Smart in a non-isolated manner -ie, using chassis ground return path rather than direct connection to battery-, but of course you will not find any documentation confirming this because this is not the product's intended connection method.

The degree of isolation provided is indeed in the user manual, in the technical specifications.

If in doubt, always connect in accordance with the installation instructions. And, as stated in a previous answer, if you're using antennas that use the chassis for a ground plane, you're better off installing the isolated Orion-Tr Smart in an isolated manner in any case, to minimize the risk of interference during operation.

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dbvanhorn avatar image
dbvanhorn answered ·

The unit says "Isolated" but the manual doesn't say much (anything..) about it. It is also completely silent on whether or not grounding the battery side negative lead to the vehicle frame would cause any issues. I could assume that it's not a problem, but being an engineer I'd far rather see some documentation to support that.



https://shop.pkys.com/Orion-TR-Smart-DC-DC-Charger-12V?gclid=Cj0KCQiA_qD_BRDiARIsANjZ2LDy6OFIT2pWBKYYdizLba82Nu2fzp6BVNmeQToc9lKIrYWIUT8kqFwaAr18EALw_wcB

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dbvanhorn avatar image
dbvanhorn answered ·

Ok, that's what I was hoping. So my only point where the house battery negative and vehicle ground make contact will be at the antenna mounts. Thanks! All my parts are in hand, and tonight's project is to lay out the electricals on their mounting template, and see if I can make it all flow nicely.

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