Victron Blue Solar Duo Controller

[WillH]

I have had a strange thing occur with the above controller. It was fitted several years ago to control a 100w panel suppling both the leisure and chassis batteries. It has worked well keeping both batteries charged whilst the van is parked on the drive save for perhaps 3 winter months when there is simply not enough sunshine here in Scotland. Went out to the van last week and the leisure battery was dead, the 12v panel was off. The controller was showing only one red light and was charging only the chassis battery.

After pluggin in the mains to charge the leisure battery I investigated the controller settings. When installed the charge balance was 90% leisure and 10% chassis, this now showed 40/60. After some charge had been restored to the leisure battery, and I had reset the controller to 90/10%, the panel was once again charging the leisure battery. The voltage had dropped to below 7v. Once a full charge was regained we set off and have spent a few days off grid with no problems from the battery or solar arrangement. The battery was used quite a bit as I have been watching the Tour de France each day for several hours and running the Truma in the evenings as it was a bit chilly.

Has anyone any idea why the Victron controller should change its settings?

 

[the1andonly]

WillH A quick look at the manual

Manuals - Victron Energy

The Victron Energy manuals describe how a product is used and or provided. Search for manuals for your product.

www.victronenergy.com

States bat 1 must be connected first ( it powers the controller) if connection is lost the controller reverts to factory default. This includes charge balence 50% and battery type AGM.
Why was the connection lost ?
Possibly:
Drain on battery greater than winter solar input (further reduced by shadowing? Or even snow coverage)
Voltage too low charger turns off.
You may have a different model to the manual so default may be 60/40. Please check youre battery type is now correct and hasn't changed as well.
At 7v dont be surprised if the battery is now goosed or even knxxxxxxd.

 

[WillH]

Thanks for your reply. I don't know why the connection was lost, if at all as the controller did not revert to factory settings. We have now used the van for several nights off grid and everything appears fine, though as winter approachs we are losing the sun. We live fairly well north and need to plug the van in for a few months, solar output in full sun yesterday was only 30%.

My son, who works with electronics, believes it may have been corrupt volatile memory in the chip, whatever that means.

 

[the1andonly]

it may have been corrupt volatile memory in the chip, whatever that means.

It means he was clutching at straws even more than i was with a snow covered panel.

 

[WillH]

It means he was clutching at straws even more than i was with a snow covered panel.

I'll tell him that! He'll love it. I would ask him to take it to the lab to test it but he works in France.

Meanwhile the battery still seems fine though I agree it should be knackered. I have since bought a monitor panel for the controller and all functions seem normal, the 90\10 ratio has not changed since I reset it. Bit mystified.

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