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Upgrading our camper van electrical system with Victron Energy Smart Solar MPPT Charge Controller and Smart Battery Monitor was a very smart move (no puns intended) and we wish we’ve done that earlier! With built-in Bluetooth and VictronConnect app, it’s possible to setup both devices on a Smartphone (Android or iPhone) via an intuitive graphic interface, sweeeeet! Once the system is up and running, VictronConnect app enables to monitor real-time status and historical data about the system performance. While it’s not essential, we really enjoy these features and we feel Victron Energy’s technology is cutting edge. Welcome to the 21st century. Now, does it perform better than our previous Bogart Engineering SC-2030 PWM charger? Yes. It does. Keep reading this review.
What we Like about Victron
Simplier, Sexier
We already mentioned we love the built-in Bluetooth & app, here’s why:
1- Easy to Setup
Different battery type (AGM, Lead Acid, etc) requires different charging profile. This is easily adjusted via a Smartphone on the VictronConnect app:
2- Real-Time Status
3- History
More Power
We upgraded from a Bogart SC-2030 PWM to the Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100|30 charge controller. While we cannot quantify the exact improvements (we would have to setup 2 systems simultaneously with the exact same panel size and orientation, same battery type and size, same SOC, etc.), we immediately noticed some improvements:
- The maximum charging current we have ever seen with the Bogart is 16 amps; within one week after installing the Victron we observed up to 24A charging current! And this is using the exact same setup (battery, solar panels, etc.) except for the charge controller… impressive, but that make sense:
- Theoretical Max Charge Current with PWM: (Power Panels) / (Voltage Panels) = 320W / 18.5V = 17.3A
- Theoretical Max Charge Current with MPPT: (Power Panels / (Voltage Battery) = 320W / 12.4V = 25.8A
- If the battery was very low, even more charge current would occurs with the MPPT (but not the PWM): 320W/11.5V = 27.8A
- We also noticed more power earlier in the morning and during overcast weather.
- More info about “PWM” vs “MPPT” here: Which solar charger to choose
What we Don’t Like …
Nothing we don’t like, but here are some features we would love to see implemented on the Victron Smart Monitor to take it to the next level:
- Optional module with multiple inputs to monitor consumption of appliances individually such as the fridge, Webasto heater, Propex heater, etc.
- Optional module with sensors to monitor holding tanks level such as fresh water tank, grey water tank, propane tank, etc.
- Optional module with sensors to monitor the temperature and humidity of outside, inside, fridge, etc.
- The propositions above are not sci-fi, in fact a competitor in the marine world (Simarine) already offers that… see “Runner Up” section further down this page.
Models & Where to Buy
Charge Controller
First, we recommend the SmartSolar series over the BlueSolar series, as the SmartSolar is the latest technology with build-in Bluetooth and all. Second, you will have to size your charge controller according to your solar panels maximum voltage and current as follows:
| SmartSolar MPPT Model* | Maximum Charge Current | Maximum Panels Voltage (open circuit) | Solar Panels Power
(for 12V systems) |
Buy Link |
| 75|15 | 15A | 75V | 1-220W | Amazon |
| 100|20 | 20A | 100V | 221-290W | Amazon |
| 100|30 | 30A | 100V | 291-440W | Amazon |
| 100|50 | 50A | 100V | 441-700W | Amazon |
| 150|70 | 70A | 150V | 701-1000W | Amazon |
*More models available. The table above shows the more common ones for a camper / RV.
For example we have two 160W panels wired in parallel (we had to wire them in parallel because we had a PWM charger, we will soon wire them in series for better performance):
- Each panel is rated 22.2 Volts maximum (open circuit); that’s 22.2 Volts maximum total (open circuit) (it would be 44.4 Volts if they were wired in series!)
- That’s 320W total.
We therefore went with the 100|30 SmartSolar MPPT model, since it’s rated up to 440W and up to 100V.
System Monitor
We recommend the BMV-712 as it’s the latest from Victron and has built-in Bluetooth:
Temperature Sensor (Optional)
The shunt included with the BMV-712 monitor has two inputs:
- Input #1: House Battery Voltage
- Input #2: Van (Starter) Battery Voltage OR Temperature Sensor (it means the monitor can’t display both; it’s one or the other)
For proper temperature compensation during charging, the charger and the battery must be within 5C (improper temperature compensation results in reduced battery lifetime). In other words, the charge controller should be installed near the battery. If that’s not possible, then the temperature sensor should be installed and connected to input #2 of the shunt up to the house battery positive pole:
VictronConnect App
The app is free and can be found in the Google Play Store (Android) or in the App Store (iPhone).
Installation
Wiring and Electrical
Not sure where to start? This guide will get you going and makes things easier for you! We first start with some theory, then YOU do the work using our Interactive Diagram and our Tutorial:
Here is a sneak peak of what you will find inside the article:
Initial Setup
Charge Controller
- Using the rotary switch on the controller, select your battery type (this setting can be overriden in the smartphone app after).
- Wire the Victron SmartSolar Charge Controller (and the remaining of your electrical system) as proposed in our wiring diagram.
- Turn on the battery breaker first, then turn on the solar panels breaker respectively (the manual says to always power the battery first, so we’re doing just that).
- Turn on the Bluetooth on your Android or iPhone and open the VictronConnect app. You should see the controller (“SmartSolar”) in the device list; if you don’t, reboot your phone and try again.
- Click on the “SmartSolar” to access it then click on the gear icon (top-right corner) to access the settings menu. Click on “Battery”.
- To override the Battery preset, select “User Defined” instead of “Rotary switch”. (consult your battery manual to find the proper settings).
- You’re good to go!! Consult the manual for the more advanced features.
System Monitor
All the initial setup can be performed on the monitor itself, but here we’ll focus on doing it on a smartphone:
- Wire the Victron Smart Monitor (and the remaining of your electrical system) as proposed in our wiring diagram.
- Turn on the Bluetooth on your Android or iPhone and open the VictronConnect app. You should see the monitor (“SmartBMV”) in the device list; if you don’t, reboot your phone and try again.
- Click on the SmartBMV to access it and click on the gear icon (top-right corner) to access the settings menu. Click on “Battery”.
- Enter your Battery Capacity.
- This is required so the monitor can calculate the State of Charge (%) accurately. (for example if 100Ah is consumed out of a 200Ah battery, the SOC will display 50%; if 100Ah is consumed out of a 400Ah battery, the SOC will display 75%).
Accurate SOC (%) Display:
The SOC displayed (%) will be more accurate if the monitor is regularly synchronized to 100% when the battery is considered fully charged. The battery is considered fully charged when these conditions are met simultaneously:
- Battery voltage above “Charged voltage” parameter, charge current below “Tail current” parameter for more than “Charged detection time” parameter.
Follow these steps to ensure the monitor is regularly synchronize:
- Enter the Charged Voltage. It should be 0.2V or 0.3V below the ‘float’ voltage of the charger. (you can find your float voltage value in the “SmartSolar” device under Battery settings).
- Enter the Tail Current. We set it to 1%.
- The tail current is expressed in function of the battery capacity. For example 1% of 200Ah = 2A
- Enter the Charged Detection Time. We left it to factory setting of 3 minutes.
- You’re good to go!! Consult the manual for the more advanced features.
Peukert’s Exponent (optional geeky setting):
Did you know that the fastest a battery is discharged, the less capacity it has. Let’s look at our Rolls battery specification sheet:
If we completely discharge this battery in 5 hours (at a rate of 34.4A), it will give 172Ah. If we completely discharge it in 100 hours (at a rate of 2.3A), it will give 230Ah. It’s called Peukert’s law and, yes, you will find more about that on Wikipedia.
It’s possible to take account of this law with the Peukert Exponent parameter; the SOC (%) displayed will then be more accurate. Here is the typical Peukert Exponent for different battery types:
- Lead Acid: 1.2 to 1.6
- Gel: 1.1 to 1.25
- AGM: 1.05 to 1.15
- Lithium-Ion: Close to 1.05
1 means there is no change of capacity at different rate of discharge; a higher Exponent (i.e. 1.6) means the effect is more severe.
It’s totally fine to use the default Victron parameter or you can calculate your own here: planetcalc.com/2268/
Playing with different hour rate of our Rolls battery (see table above), we get Peukert’s Exponent anywhere between 1.06 and 1.20 (?!)… So we entered 1.15, but please don’t ask us why exactly! As the manual says: “Please note that Peukert’s formula is no more than a rough approximation of reality” so we decided not to go crazy with this…
Operation
Once the installation and initial setup completed, go do your things and let the Victron do the work 🙂 You can, however, monitor the system performance if you feel like it. It’s fun to watch the performance of the system being influenced by the weather, hours of the day, period of the year, shadow, etc.
*Note that our solar panels are currently wired in parallel (soon to be wired in series); if your panels are wired in series (recommended) you might get different data than the screenshots shown in this article.
1- Monitor the SmartSolar Charge Controller
Open the VictronConnect app and select the “SmartSolar” MPPT Charger.
Status tab:
History tab:
2- Monitor the BMV-712 Smart Monitor
Open the VictronConnect app and select the “SmartBMV” Monitor.
Status tab:
Note: this data is also displayed on the monitor unit.
History tab:
Reliability
We installed the Victron Controller and Monitor in June 2018; so far so good! We will keep you updated if anything happens! Subscribe to our Mailing List to be notified.
Runner-Up
We really like what Simarine did with their monitor… It’s possible to monitor individual appliance consumption, holding tanks level, temperature, etc.
Resources
- BMV-712 Manufacturer Website (spec sheet, manual, etc. available)
- MPPT Charge Controller Manufacturer Website (click your model, then downloads are available)
You Might Be Interested In:
Hi does it matter how many batteries are connected to your control panel??
You mean to the Battery Monitor? It doesn’t matter! The specification sheet mentions a maximum battery capacity of 9999aH (all other specs: https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Datasheet-BMV-712-Smart-EN.pdf).
Cheers, antoine
I just installed a Victron SmarShunt and SmartController in my travel trailer. With VictronConnect there is no need for hard wired monitor since the screen on my iPhone is easier to read and no extra mounting needed. I’m very happy with this set up. As mentioned in the article, there appears to be a performance increase with the mppt controller over my old pwm controller.
Good to hear!
All the best,
antoine
Why are you switching from parallel (recommended) to series on your solar panels?
MPPT solar controller performs a bit better with higher voltage (series); but parallel will give better result in partial shading. That being said, we never took the time to make the change… so still running them parallel!
Hi, Isabelle and Antoine. Do you have a recommendation for a device that will stop charging if the battery temperature is too low as this can severely damage a LiFePO battery. Battle Born batteries have a low temp charge cutoff in their BMS (I believe Relion does too) but most batteries do NOT and most charge controllers do NOT. Thanks for the countless bits of advice you’ve already given us and more to come!
There are probably such device available out there, but we haven’t looked into it so I don’t really have a recommendation. I’d REALLY recommend, however, choosing a Lithium battery with built-in BMS though for this exact reason (such as Battle Born Batteries)
I have yet to find any explanation fron Victron or elsewhere how to read the monitor. My goal is to assess the daily power drawn from the battery. I assumed there would be a chart somewhere showing that but there isn’t. The history page only charts usage going back a short time. Like so many other companies Victron assumes i know more much more than I actually do.
So I have the MPPT 100|50 SmartSolar charge controller with 3 190watts solar panels going into two 200 Amp Lithium batteries. Both panels and batteries are in parallel at 12 volts. What would the battery compacity be on the Victron Energy app? 200 or 400? Also, what other recommended settings would you do with this type of setup? I also have the Victron Smart Controller as well. I’m a newbie here and just want to make sure I have the right settings applied for this type of setup. Thanks in advance!
Hi there!
Trying to size my MPPT charge controller,
Would a 100/50 compatible with 3 200 watt solar panels wired in parallel with a voc of 24.1?
600/12 is 50 amps so it would be right on the cut-off. next size is 150/60.. is it worth the extra 200?
Yes, 100|50 is the one I would recommend; it can support up to 700W.
There is no gain in buying a bigger charge controller unless you plan to add more solar panels in the future.
Victron does have products for more in-depth system monitoring, similar to the Simarine shunts. It just requires staying within their product line to a greater degree, which can be annoying, but affords its own benefits. You can monitor AC loads and total DC loads. You can also monitor tank levels and temperatures as well as access and configure all of this remotely via WiFi (the one feature I wish Simarine had!)
Hello! All of your wiring diagrams have been so helpful in setting up my solar! Did you connect your MPPT to ground? It doesn’t look like it in the diagram, but the manual says to so I wanted to check. Thanks!
Thanks for your diagram and tutorial. I followed it, I think. But I have one issue with the Victron 712 / shunt: it doesn’t seem to show the amperage flowing into the battery from the Sterling B2B. It does, however, show the amperage flowing out of the battery to the inverter and fuse box. Any idea on what the issue is? Do you expect that per your design the Victron 712 should register the flow from the Sterling B2B to the battery?
The shunt should display the B2B current per our design. Are you sure the B2B is actually working? Maybe double-check the “FIRST TIME USE” sequence you’ll find here: https://faroutride.com/b2b-review/#Installing_the_Sterling_BB1260_B2B_Charger
Let me know
Please help, I can’t access the wire, fuse and breaker section I need, I paid but it’s not showing up on my account
It should be working now, I sent you an email.
Hi,
Thanks for all of your extremely helpful work. I have my solar set up and running. It is exactly the set up you have on your diagram. On the initial turn on with no loads and a full battery the panels are producing 36w. This seems low. I noticed you said that the panels will produce only what they need and no more. I just wanted to confirm 36w seems normal under these circumstances.
Thanks
Ryan
Hi A&I
I noticed on one of your earlier circuit diagrams that you had a 100/30 with a 40A/40A fuses, but 150/50 with 15A/60A on one of your later diagrams (somewhere?). You have not changed your panels, and it would seem that the first set up (100/30) is fine, as you said above. I get the 15A fuse on the later diagram, I assume that’s okay because the V is so high when you are at maximum W (450W/50V=9A).
And did you switch to the 150/50 because you were hitting the 30A limit on the 100/30? That’s possible, I guess in principle, as at 12V and 450W you would be pushing 38 A?
Comments?
-d
I lost track of all the changes, but we recommend a 40A breaker (between the panels & the controller) in case someone install their panels in parallel (current adds up, voltage stays the same); if you wire your panels in series (voltage adds up, current stays the same), 15A breaker is fine.
The 100|30 controller is good for up to 440W of solar, per Victron manual. So at 450W you need to upgrade to 100|50. If you’re not sure, check the Victron specs on their product webpage.
Cheers!
Hi.
I am gonna go for 3 flexible solar 160w x 3= 480w on the roof of like your same van with MPPT 100/50.
What do you think about that? Is it okey with it? Any more things to be changed?
You’re good! The 150/50 is what you need. No need to change anything else, good luck!
antoine
Hi Antoine&Isabelle,
Oh I wish I found your website earlier, it’s great!
I have one (silly) question, we bought a converted van with a BMV-700 installed (+ MPPT 75/15), as well as the following three charge sources: solar power, alternator and main grid.
Our BMV, however, only shows incoming current (amps) when the source is solar. When we plug into mains or when the engine is running, the voltage of our battery does increase (meaning it actually works), but the BMV is not showing incoming amps from these two sources.
Is this normal? After some reading I have the feeling there are some cables misplaced and not going correctly through the shunt.
Thanks in advance!
B
Hi!
Yeah it looks like the shunt of the BMV is connected so it only take solar into consideration. You’re BMV is not broken, it’s just how the previous person did the connections. The shunt should be between the negative terminal of the battery and the negative bus bar. But then, if the shore & alternator are connected directly to the battery terminal, that won’t work…
Here is how it should work: https://faroutride.com/interactive-wiring-diagram/
Good luck!
Hi guys, yours is one of the only detailed reviews I can find for this unit. Great piece thanks!
After a period of time can you vouch for reliability? Some of the other brands I am reading about are dubious with only CTEK getting consistent thumbs up.
Still working flawlessly, love it! We would get another Victron MPPT solar charger if we had to start over, without hesitation 🙂
I plan on using a single 24V (72 cell) solar panel as I found a great deal locally (grabbing a couple extras too). I’ve been unable to find a clear answer anywhere on whether this can work with the MPPT 100/30. My conclusion is that it shouldn’t pose an issue as the charge controller is rated to handle the open circuit voltage of 46.2V and power of 315W of the panel in question. Also, 8AWG will work for the connection?
Any advice is appreciated; thanks so much for putting this site together, wouldn’t know where to start without it.
Hi Garret,
Yeah the MPPT 100/30 can handle up to 100V (open circuit) and 30A, so it’s a go! We personally used 8 AWG, so it works 🙂
Cheers,
antoine
Hi guys! Can I get the battery state of charge with the MPPT charger app (not the monitor status)? I reckon this is the most important metric and wouldn’t want to build a second gadget/monitor for that. Thanks!
The charger alone can’t tell you the SOC; you need the battery monitor and a shunt (included with the battery monitor). Cheers!