Mppt Dual Controllers (1 Viewer)

[threewheels]

Little help please dual mppt controllers, do any of them allow the leisure and vehicle battery to be different types of battery, i want to change the leisure battery to a lithium battery thx Chris

 

[Lenny HB]

Ormally you set the type of battery to the type the leisure battery is as the charge to the starter battery is only a low current trickle charge.
I would normally recommend the Votronic controller but a few people have had problems with them with Lithium.

 

[Jev88]

You may find having a battery master will be simpler (takes surplus from leisure and trickles to engine battery).

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[the1andonly]

I use 2 votronics duo controllers with LifePO4 LB and PB SB with no problems these last 2 years. one 250 with 220W 20V solar and a 350 with a 330W 46V. The 250 also served a couple of years with Pb LB

 

[peterc10]

I would normally recommend the Votronic controller but a few people have had problems with them with Lithium.

That's worrying Lenny as I have the same set up. What problems were they.

 

[barsteward]

You may find having a battery master will be simpler (takes surplus from leisure and trickles to engine battery).

Exactly the same as the Votronic.

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[barsteward]

I've had the Votronic 350 for 4 years now, never been a minutes problem very compact compared with most' although mine is charging the leisure gel batteries.
There is however a charging profile for lithium. I would recommend them but any add on's such as blue tooth monitoring make it quite expensive.

 

[Richard n Ann]

That's worrying Lenny as I have the same set up. What problems were they.

If I recall correctly there's been a couple of instances when they stop charging and have to be reset.
Our Votronic 250 Duo has been fine though, fitted it in 2018

 

[IRHP]

epever duo racer has a lithium profile for the leisure and will charge Lead acid engine battery with a different profile

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[peterc10]

If I recall correctly there's been a couple of instances when they stop charging and have to be reset.
Our Votronic 250 Duo has been fine though, fitted it in 2018

Thanks. My 350 MPT has been OK in the 6 months since it was installed. But, just in case, what is involved in resetting?

 

[grasscutter]

That's worrying Lenny as I have the same set up. What problems were they.

I had the Voltronic duo and had intermittent problems with charging.
Occasionally there would be no charge to the batteries and a clicking noise could be heard from the controller.
I would have to pull the fitted fuse and then re insert it to get the unit to reset.
I contacted 12v planet where I purchased it six months before and they gave me a returns label and sent it back for testing.Took about seven days.
I had a full refund from them and have since changed to Victron and a battery master.

 

[paddymcc]

My Votronic mppt duo has been fine for 2 years on lead acid initially and this year on lithium

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[funflair]

I had the Voltronic duo and had intermittent problems with charging.
Occasionally there would be no charge to the batteries and a clicking noise could be heard from the controller.
I would have to pull the fitted fuse and then re insert it to get the unit to reset.
I contacted 12v planet where I purchased it six months before and they gave me a returns label and sent it back for testing.Took about seven days.
I had a full refund from them and have since changed to Victron and a battery master.

That seems to be the usual problem with them on Lithium (are you on Lithium) our problems started after they had been fitted and working fine for a few months, they were tested in germany and declared to be all OK and of course they had never heard of this problem before eventually after sending lots of evidence to 12V Planet they agreed to a refund even though Votronic continued to deny any problem existed, I then purchased Victron off 12v Planet and all was fine, I have to say that 12V planet were very supportive.

And to answer your question threewheels yes in theory and as Lenny says you would set the duo controller for the main habitation batteries and then just let it trickle charge the starter, our van came with Buttner PWM duo controller charging Lithium and trickle charging the LA starter battery, they seemed to work fine which was funny really as Buttner were producing the Votronic controllers for them then (I think it was that way round).

 

[Lenny HB]

Martin funflair wasnt the problem just on one setting, other lithium settings were OK but not suitable for your batteries?

 

[funflair]

Martin funflair wasnt the problem just on one setting, other lithium settings were OK but not suitable for your batteries?

They did suggest using a different profile but I said that I wanted to use the profile that they recommended for our batteries and the battery manufacturer supported, on later models they changed the instructions in the box and took out the specific reference to our batteries and a recommended profile.

End of the day though I think that the charging issues aside the Victron harvests more watts than the Votronic did when it was working right, and certainly more than the buttner PWM.

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[peterc10]

Martin funflair wasnt the problem just on one setting, other lithium settings were OK but not suitable for your batteries?

My Votronic 350 is set via the DIP switches on the "LiFePo 14.6" profile, which was what KS agreed was the nearest one to optimal for their batteries. That provided 14.6v full charging and 13.6v for trickle/storage charging, which were both at the top of KS's recommended ranges. The "14.4 profile" would have been better for full charging, but the trickle/storage charge was 13.8v, which was outside KS's 13.6v maximum.

I would be interested to know what profiles funflair and grasscutter were using.

 

[grasscutter]

That seems to be the usual problem with them on Lithium (are you on Lithium) our problems started after they had been fitted and working fine for a few months, they were tested in germany and declared to be all OK and of course they had never heard of this problem before eventually after sending lots of evidence to 12V Planet they agreed to a refund even though Votronic continued to deny any problem existed, I then purchased Victron off 12v Planet and all was fine, I have to say that 12V planet were very supportive.

And to answer your question threewheels yes in theory and as Lenny says you would set the duo controller for the main habitation batteries and then just let it trickle charge the starter, our van came with Buttner PWM duo controller charging Lithium and trickle charging the LA starter battery, they seemed to work fine which was funny really as Buttner were producing the Votronic controllers for them then (I think it was that way round).

Yes, I did go over to lithium .

 

[grasscutter]

My Votronic 350 is set via the DIP switches on the "LiFePo 14.6" profile, which was what KS agreed was the nearest one to optimal for their batteries. That provided 14.6v full charging and 13.6v for trickle/storage charging, which were both at the top of KS's recommended ranges. The "14.4 profile" would have been better for full charging, but the trickle/storage charge was 13.8v, which was outside KS's 13.6v maximum.

I would be interested to know what profiles funflair and grasscutter were using.

I set the switch to Lifepo profile.

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[peterc10]

I set the switch to Lifepo profile.

There are 5 LiFePo profiles to choose from. Can you remember which one you chose please.

 

[funflair]

My Votronic 350 is set via the DIP switches on the "LiFePo 14.6" profile, which was what KS agreed was the nearest one to optimal for their batteries. That provided 14.6v full charging and 13.6v for trickle/storage charging, which were both at the top of KS's recommended ranges. The "14.4 profile" would have been better for full charging, but the trickle/storage charge was 13.8v, which was outside KS's 13.6v maximum.

I would be interested to know what profiles funflair and grasscutter were using.

I would have been on the 14.4v - 13.8v.

 

[the1andonly]

I think the problems reported have only occured with the 450 model, or is my mind doing what it does.

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[Lenny HB]

I think the problems reported have only occured with the 450 model, or is my mind doing what it does.

I don't think grasscutter is a 430.

 

[funflair]

I think the problems reported have only occured with the 450 model, or is my mind doing what it does.

I think you mean MPP 430 duo digi, and yes that is what ours were 2 off.

 

[peterc10]

Having looked at the Votronic charging graph I am a bit more worried. Just noticed that below zero temperature they have a "reduced charge current" but the voltages stay the same. Surely they should stop charging altogether when the temperature gets to zero? Looks like we are in for low temperatures tonight so I think I will switch of the solar.

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[funflair]

Having looked at the Votronic charging graph I am a bit more worried. Just noticed that below zero temperature they have a "reduced charge current" but the voltages stay the same. Surely they should stop charging altogether when the temperature gets to zero? Looks like we are in for low temperatures tonight so I think I will switch of the solar.

Are your batteries not inside the van? not that cold tonight surely.

 

[WESTY66]

I think you mean MPP 430 duo digi, and yes that is what ours were 2 off.

Guess what mine is?

 

[funflair]

Guess what mine is?

And LiFePO4 ?

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[WESTY66]

And LiFePO4 ?

No, I bought the votronic because it had the option to add lithium at a later date! Anyhow it’s not fitted as yet so I’ve still got the epever still on powering the two 80ah Carthago gels. It seems the only real way to go is a wall of blue

 

[peterc10]

Are your batteries not inside the van? not that cold tonight surely.

They are indeed. But no heating on. It is parked at the front of the house and permanently plugged in to the mains, so the new Victron mains charger can keep the batteries topped up and it will turn off when it drops to 5 degrees. Switching off the solar now is easy and I won't need to remember to do it when the weather does really get cold.

It won't be a problem when we are using it. The batteries share the same under seat locker with the Alde boiler and flue. If the inside ever gets that cold when we are using it I would really be up s**t creek without a paddle with SWMBO.

 

[funflair]

No, I bought the votronic because it had the option to add lithium at a later date! Anyhow it’s not fitted as yet so I’ve still got the epever still on powering the two 80ah Carthago gels. It seems the only real way to go is a wall of blue

Our single 700 watt Victron was about the same price as two Votronic OK in the long term the Votronic x 2 would have taken more panels but I could fit one more into the blue box making just under the 700.