In-depth guides, comparisons and how-tos for power stations, solar and backup power.
The Victron VRM portal (Victron Remote Management) is Victron’s free remote monitoring website and app. It shows what your batteries, solar, inverter/charger and tanks are doing from anywhere with internet. It also lets you change settings and get alerts. The one requirement people miss is a GX device. Here’s what VRM does, based on Victron’s […]
The Victron VE.Bus BMS is the battery management system to use when a Victron lithium bank feeds a MultiPlus, Quattro or VE.Bus inverter. It talks to the inverter/charger over VE.Bus, so it can stop inverting on low cell voltage and stop charging on high voltage or bad temperatures. There are two current versions, and picking […]
The Victron Smart BMS 12/200 and its sibling, the Smart BMS CL 12/100, are all-in-one battery management systems for 12V Victron Lithium Battery Smart banks in vehicles and boats. Their headline feature is a dedicated alternator port that limits current. That lets you connect a regular 12V alternator straight to a lithium bank without cooking […]
The Victron Lynx Shunt VE.Can is a battery monitor built into a Lynx busbar module. It combines a positive busbar with a main fuse holder and a negative busbar with a 1000A shunt, and reports to a GX device over VE.Can. It slots into the Lynx Distribution system next to a Lynx Power In or […]
The Victron smallBMS NG is the simplest battery management system for Victron Lithium NG batteries. NG batteries have no built-in BMS, so they need one of Victron’s NG BMS units to switch chargers and loads off when a cell goes out of range. The smallBMS NG does that with signal outputs instead of carrying the […]
Victron busbars and fuses are the unglamorous parts that hold a DC system together. Victron sells MIDI, MEGA and ANL fuses with matching holders, plus covered busbars rated from 150A to 600A. The key detail most people miss is the fuse’s voltage rating. Here’s what Victron’s datasheets list and how to pick the right parts. […]
A Victron marine electrical system has to solve two problems that land-based systems don’t: galvanic corrosion from shore power, and charging several battery banks from shore, engine and solar. Victron makes gear for each job. This guide walks through the shore-power side first, then charging, using Victron’s own datasheets. Electrical work can be dangerous: follow […]
The Victron Orion-Tr Smart non-isolated is a Bluetooth DC-DC charger for charging a house battery from a vehicle’s alternator. It’s built for smart alternators, which often supply too little voltage for a full charge. The non-isolated version shares the negative between input and output, which suits most vans and RVs with a common chassis ground. […]
Victron Orion DC-DC converters are the plain voltage converters in Victron’s Orion family. They’re not battery chargers with a charge algorithm like the Orion XS or Orion-Tr Smart. Instead, they turn 24V or 48V into 12V, or 12V into 24V, to run equipment or buffer-charge a battery. Here’s what Victron’s datasheet for the high-power, non-isolated […]
Victron Lithium NG batteries are Victron’s newest LiFePO4 batteries, in 12.8V, 25.6V and 51.2V sizes. They don’t have a built-in BMS. Instead, each battery reports cell data to an external Victron NG BMS, which you have to buy separately. Here’s what Victron’s Lithium NG datasheet says, and what that BMS requirement means for your build. […]
