It's cheaper but is it as good as a Victron?

[acropolis22]

This baby, <Broken link removed> is significantly cheaper than any of the the Victrons. Does anyone have any experience of these?

 

[Steve and Denise]

I would think Victron smart shunt is the way to go, ease of install no wires for the sake of £25
And 500amp

 

[acropolis22]

I would think Victron smart shunt is the way to go, ease of install no wires for the sake of £25
And 500amp

Do I really need 500 amp in a moho? And I want the display, so my comparison is with the BMV 700/702/712

 

[dunnah01]

Victron are made in India - Roadpro are made in China

You pays yer money...

 

[St3v3]

Do you have an inverter? 100A doesn't go far when making mains.

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[acropolis22]

Do you have an inverter? 100A doesn't go far when making mains.

Nope.

 

[acropolis22]

Victron are made in India - Roadpro are made in China

You pays yer money...

Tough call.....

 

[Lenny HB]

They are OK but the Victron gives a lot more information & settings. That one is only 100 amp I think they do a 200 amp version but then you are getting up to the price of a Victron.

 

[Jim]

Victron are made in India - Roadpro are made in China

You pays yer money...

Where they are put together is of course important, but in isolation means nothing. More important, the design, the quality of components, build supervision, service, warranties etc

 

[Al n Val]

Just get the Victron with the knowledge your probably buying the best

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[acropolis22]

They are OK but the Victron gives a lot more information & settings. That one is only 100 amp I think they do a 200 amp version but then you are getting up to the price of a Victron.

In my case, more information and settings could well be a drawback.......

 

[TinaLes]

In my case, more information and settings could well be a drawback.......

Yea!, I know what you mean, although Victron does have some nice pictures for the install, you may need to the wife to read the instructions out to you as you stand by the hab door pushing tiny buttons & cursing all the way.
Or you are setting up on the Bluetooth app, and someone gives you a call that needs answering.
LES

 

[Taran_Las]

I use a BM1 as a temporary measure. In fact 3 years temporary up to now. To be honest it really is old technology but simple. The Victron AFAIK does everything but eat, and is a much newer design. What are you expecting from a monitor?

 

[acropolis22]

I use a BM1 as a temporary measure. In fact 3 years temporary up to now. To be honest it really is old technology but simple. The Victron AFAIK does everything but eat, and is a much newer design. What are you expecting from a monitor?

Well, I'm not expecting much really. That's why I don't want to pay for stuff I don't need. Is the 100 amp shunt on the BM1 a problem, I wonder?

 

[PhilandMena]

I have the NASA Bluetooth BM-1. It does exactly what it says it does and has been faultless since I installed it years ago.

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[Taran_Las]

Well, I'm not expecting much really. That's why I don't want to pay for stuff I don't need. Is the 100 amp shunt on the BM1 a problem, I wonder?

Not for me it isn't. I use the BM1 simply to monitor state of charge.

The link in your original post is the same one as I use. It's been transported from boat to boat, motorhome to motorhome. It doesn't have any blue tooth connectivity.

 

[jongood]

Where they are put together is of course important, but in isolation means nothing. More important, the design, the quality of components, build supervision, service, warranties etc

Yes but

China is a one party authoritarian state with a very poor human rights record attempting to dominate world trade and then who knows what else they're going to do.

India is a regular democracy.

 

[funflair]

I notice that the nasa-marine one says not suitable for LiFePO4 could that be a problem?

 

[Coolcats]

The question in the header asked:

It's cheaper but is it as good as a Victron?​

The answer is clearly no it is not and from a cost perspective it’s negligible so why wouldn’t someone install the Victron given Victrons quality reputation and good documentation ?

 

[Pausim]

When I purchased my Victron I rejected the Nasa one because it could not be adjusted for battery type. I wanted one that could be adjusted for the greater efficiency and lower Peukerts exponent of a LiFePO4 battery. There were also reports of the battery state showing as 105% which of course is a physical impossibility and a ridiculous way of dealing with the lack of battery settings. Perhaps they have updated it in the last couple of years but I suspect the reason for it being cheaper is that it is still little more than a crude Amps In/Amps Out counter.

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[Gromett]

This baby, <Broken link removed> is significantly cheaper than any of the the Victrons. Does anyone have any experience of these?

I have had both a NASA BM-1 and a Victron BMV-700.
There is no competition. I would never touch a NASA one again. The Victron one was far superior.

My biggest gripe (but not the only one) was that when charging it went to 104% SOC. It never seemed that accurate even with all the setting confirmed as accurate.
The Victron was great in that when you had fully charged it you could simply press and hold two buttons down to tell it you were at full charge. I only had to do this periodically to get it re-synced with the battery.
There was no option to tell the NASA that the battery was full, I even contacted NASA about this.

A NASA BM-1 is better than nothing, but it is no where near as good as the Victron (unless they have updated the software). It is a pretty dumb bit of kit.

 

[Richard n Ann]

Our BM2 very often shows 104% when finished charging, I take it as being a bit of surface charge. Other that that it's been great, never used a Victron though.

 

[Gaston aires]

I have had both a NASA BM-1 and a Victron BMV-700.
There is no competition. I would never touch a NASA one again. The Victron one was far superior.

My biggest gripe (but not the only one) was that when charging it went to 104% SOC. It never seemed that accurate even with all the setting confirmed as accurate.
The Victron was great in that when you had fully charged it you could simply press and hold two buttons down to tell it you were at full charge. I only had to do this periodically to get it re-synced with the battery.
There was no option to tell the NASA that the battery was full, I even contacted NASA about this.

A NASA BM-1 is better than nothing, but it is no where near as good as the Victron (unless they have updated the software). It is a pretty dumb bit of kit.

I thought NASA made rockets ?

 

[Richard n Ann]

I thought NASA made rockets ?

Ann was surprised when she found out CAT made diggers

 

[Lenny HB]

Our BM2 very often shows 104% when finished charging, I take it as being a bit of surface charge. Other that that it's been great, never used a Victron though.

The BM1/2 are fine if you just want an estimate of the state of your batteries but if you want accuracy you need the Victron. But even with the Victron you won't get accurate percentage readings without some technical input probably beyond the average user, once you get them set up correctly they are brilliant.

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[Gromett]

The BM1/2 are fine if you just want an estimate of the state of your batteries but if you want accuracy you need the Victron. But even with the Victron you won't get accurate percentage readings without some technical input probably beyond the average user, once you get them set up correctly they are brilliant.

Completely agree.

 

[acropolis22]

I notice that the nasa-marine one says not suitable for LiFePO4 could that be a problem?

I think that may be the sticking point. They do another model that is suitable for Lithium, but I can't see me buying a BM-1, then shelling out again when I upgrade to Lithium at some undetermined date in the future.

 

[acropolis22]

The BM1/2 are fine if you just want an estimate of the state of your batteries but if you want accuracy you need the Victron. But even with the Victron you won't get accurate percentage readings without some technical input probably beyond the average user, once you get them set up correctly they are brilliant.

Just how technical do I need to be? I have an IT background, and can follow instructions, but know very little about electrics.

 

[Pausim]

Our BM2 very often shows 104% when finished charging, I take it as being a bit of surface charge. Other that that it's been great, never used a Victron though.

I think the impossible 104% is because it makes no allowance for battery efficiency. It simply can’t cope with having to put more amps back into the battery than went out. If it starts at 104% does this mean the subsequent readings are also all 4% out? Does the impossible 4% accumulate over time and render the the readings even more inaccurate? Without an answer to these questions I put the NASA into the “chocolate teapot” category and bought the Victron BM.

 

[Pausim]

Just how technical do I need to be? I have an IT background, and can follow instructions, but know very little about electrics.

I am no electrical genius but have managed just fine. The instructions give the different values needed for LiFePO4 and fortunately there are other Funsters who can answer any difficult questions.