In-depth guides, comparisons and how-tos for power stations, solar and backup power.
Victron solar charge controllers all use MPPT tracking and share one naming rule: the first number is the maximum panel open-circuit voltage, the second is the maximum charge current. A 100/30 accepts up to 100V from the panels and charges at up to 30A. Once you know that, choosing one comes down to your array’s […]
Victron DC-DC chargers charge a house battery from a vehicle’s alternator and starter battery while the engine runs. They limit current to protect the alternator, run a proper multi-stage charge for lithium or lead-acid, and switch off when the engine stops. Victron’s current lineup splits into the non-isolated Orion XS and the isolated Orion-Tr Smart […]
Victron battery monitors count every amp going into and out of your battery through a shunt on the negative cable. That gives you a real state of charge, amps, watts and time remaining, instead of a guess based on voltage. Voltage alone is especially misleading with LiFePO4, whose voltage barely changes across most of its […]
This guide covers Victron Battery Protect wiring and settings for the Smart BatteryProtect 65A, 100A and 220A, using the steps in Victron’s manual. Wired correctly, it disconnects your DC loads at a voltage you choose. Wired wrong, it can trip constantly or be damaged, most often by an inverter connected through it. Electrical work can […]
How many watts of solar on a Victron 100/30 or 100/50 is right depends on your battery voltage. Victron rates the 100/30 for 440W nominal on a 12V battery and 880W on 24V. The 100/50 is rated for 700W on 12V and 1,400W on 24V. You can connect more than that, as long as you […]
Lynx Distributor M8 vs M10 is one of the most common questions when planning a Victron DC system. The short answer: the label only refers to the bolts that join one Lynx module to the next. Fuse studs and cable studs are M8 on both. Both versions carry the same 1000A rating, but you can’t […]
Victron inverter-chargers combine three jobs in one box: a pure sine wave inverter, a battery charger and an automatic transfer switch. Plug in shore power or a generator and they pass it through while charging your battery. Unplug, and they switch to battery power fast enough that laptops keep running. Victron Inverter-Chargers at a Glance […]
The Victron MPPT calculator on Victron’s website checks whether a solar array is safe and effective with a given SmartSolar or BlueSolar charge controller. You choose the panels and how they are wired, and it checks the result against the controller’s limits, including cold-weather voltage. This guide explains what it’s checking, so you can understand […]
This guide shows how to connect VictronConnect to a Victron Smart product over Bluetooth, and how to fix the pairing and PIN problems that come up most often. VictronConnect is Victron’s free app for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS and Linux. It’s how you set up and monitor SmartSolar MPPTs, SmartShunts, Blue Smart chargers, Orion DC-DC […]
This Victron EasySolar-II GX review covers Victron’s all-in-one solar power unit. Inside one case are three products that would normally be wired separately: a MultiPlus-II inverter-charger, a SmartSolar MPPT-Tr solar charge controller, and a GX device with a 2 x 16-character display. Victron prewires them at the factory, so installation means connecting a battery, panels […]
