question

thomas-hamre avatar image
thomas-hamre asked

Install Common Ground in my boat or not? Smart Orion DCDC Isolated.

Hi Community,


I just like to start mention that I have read through the “Wiring Unlimited”, many related questions and the wiring diagrams for the Smart Orion DC, and I’m still not sure what to do.


My set-up is a glass-fibre boat, 2 outboards with 2 alternators going to 2 AGM Dual Service starter batteries.

We are now expanding the House system to Lithium, and are therefore installing 2 Smart Orion Isolated DCDC chargers for charging the Lithium’s from the AGM’s.


We made this (attached) design but realised that the house battery bank and all the connected loads were completely isolated from the ground-plate, and the shore power ground cable.

Only connection is through the two DC-DC chargers. (PS!! The design does not show all switches and fuses on the lithium side)


Will this cause a problem?

- Personnel safety?

- Galvanic issues?

- VHF Radio ground requirements?

- Lightning? (all the electronics in the samson post is running through the dc-dc, so no connection to the ground-plate)


Should I add the green cable in the diagram, or is it OK without it? Pros and Cons for Isolated?

victron-litium.png

The 3 x Wiring diagrams on the “Smart Orion Isolated” shows that both negative cables are connected to the negative bus-bar, although indirectly.

https://www.victronenergy.no/upload/documents/1.6KVA-12V-MultiPlus-230-Volt-system-example-4-PIN-VE-Bus-BMS-Lithium-Orion-Tr.pdf

On the live stream (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzU_pQFa19s) they are fully isolated, however a very simplistic diagram.


Thanks for any advice and help. Been waiting for the boat for 10 months, and hope to put it on water this week.


orion-tr smartOrion DC-DC Converters not smartGrounding
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1 Answer
fallguy1000 avatar image
fallguy1000 answered ·

Grounds on boats are required to be shared.

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