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Old 08-17-2018, 12:58 AM   #1
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Battery Monitor decision

Well after long hours of trying to make a decision on a monitor for my solar system and trying to be more efficient with batteries and inverter power. I went with the Victron BMV712 hoping to take advantage of the Bluetooth to android>gear3 setup.

A lot of folks spoke good of the Victron 700 series. Hopefully folks that had hick ups got them straighten out.
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Old 08-17-2018, 05:02 AM   #2
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Every MH should have some kind of monitor/shunt IMO. It's not a terrible idea to install the monitor even before you get to the rest of the solar install. After a while they're mostly there for troubleshooting or if you're curious about something.
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Old 08-17-2018, 05:24 AM   #3
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Get the temperature sensor to go with it, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F3C7ZV7...ing=UTF8&psc=1. I just installed the Victron Smart MPPT 100v/30a controller and this BMV 712 with temp sensor. Both are bluetooth. If you have the Smart Controller it does show battery status as well as solar panel voltage. If the live data from the smart mppt is adequate for battery info, you might consider upgrading your controller, https://www.amazon.com/Victron-Smart...t+100%2F30+30a, for the cost of adding the BMV 712. You might get more bang for the buck on your system overall. If you are big on bluetooth and cell phone use for monitoring then the Smart MPPT works great for viewing your data. But if you want a monitor you can look at anytime in your rig the the BMV 712 gives you that.
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Old 08-17-2018, 10:47 AM   #4
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I currently have a 324ah system with two 300 watt panels in place controlled by two 30a Epever Tracers. One of the reasons I went with the BT unite is for the ability to get alerts, SOC and CEF to name a couple. Yes I probably should of added a B monitor earlier but this is the last part needed to my system.
Yes I'm going through a senior(seasoned) moment of geekiness and enjoying it.
My bank is made of 12v batteries at the time and in the future I may built a 6v series/parallel system. Plenty of time to do research and battery tech is changing all the time.
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Old 08-17-2018, 04:03 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by guestPacer View Post
Well after long hours of trying to make a decision on a monitor for my solar system and trying to be more efficient with batteries and inverter power. I went with the Victron BMV712 hoping to take advantage of the Bluetooth to android>gear3 setup.

A lot of folks spoke good of the Victron 700 series. Hopefully folks that had hick ups got them straighten out.
The Victron BMV-712 is a great unit. It gives you the ability to network via VE.Direct network,,,which is a Bluetooth LE protocol adopted by Victron.


The unit gives you three additional options..two of which can be setup using the contents of the package...



1) monitoring the voltage of a second battery bank...ie chassis battery.
2) monitoring mid voltage on series connected battery banks.

And a third option using a separate wiring accessory.

3) monitoring of battery temperature.

https://shop.pkys.com/Victron-Energy...00_p_2812.html

Unfortunately...it can only do one of the three...not all three.

If you have a Victron SmartSolar charge controller that is VE.Direct capable...you can network the two together. This allows your solar charge controller to adjust the charge parameters accordingly for actual battery temperature. Important feature for lead acid batteries. Not a consideration for LiFePO4.

Now..if you are REALLY addicted to monitoring...the final step is adding the Venus GX. You didn’t hear it from me

https://shop.pkys.com/search.asp?key...nus+GX&search=

The Venus GX requires an internet connection...if you park close to a hotspot or have a mobile hotspot in your rig...you use this device to monitor your system from anywhere. Victron provides free membership to their VRM portal. The portal collects the data packets sent from your Venus GX and displays them numerically or graphically, as you choose. The advanced tab is very customizable. So...you don’t have to be within Bluetooth range. You can look at it from your smartphone logged onto the VRM portal from half way across the world.

So...the remote monitoring is cool... it it can also send you email notifications that you design. Low Voltage? Fault? Sure...they can be set.

Add a usb gps sensor and you can construct a geofence. If you coach moves outside the prescribed location you get a notification.

Add one or two Venus temp sensors...if your coach gets too hot? If your fresh water tank is getting too cold? ...yep, notifications...

The graphical view lets you see exactly what your power demands are. Like how many amps and what period between compressor startups on a residential fridge. Really cool stuff...

The Venus...connects to the SmartSolar charge controller and the BMV-712 via VE.direct cables,,,sold separately...

Enjoy better monitoring.
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Old 08-17-2018, 09:00 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by C.Martin View Post
The Victron BMV-712 is a great unit. It gives you the ability to network via VE.Direct network,,,which is a Bluetooth LE protocol adopted by Victron.


The unit gives you three additional options..two of which can be setup using the contents of the package...



1) monitoring the voltage of a second battery bank...ie chassis battery.
2) monitoring mid voltage on series connected battery banks.

And a third option using a separate wiring accessory.

3) monitoring of battery temperature.

https://shop.pkys.com/Victron-Energy...00_p_2812.html

Unfortunately...it can only do one of the three...not all three.

If you have a Victron SmartSolar charge controller that is VE.Direct capable...you can network the two together. This allows your solar charge controller to adjust the charge parameters accordingly for actual battery temperature. Important feature for lead acid batteries. Not a consideration for LiFePO4.

Now..if you are REALLY addicted to monitoring...the final step is adding the Venus GX. You didn’t hear it from me

https://shop.pkys.com/search.asp?key...nus+GX&search=

The Venus GX requires an internet connection...if you park close to a hotspot or have a mobile hotspot in your rig...you use this device to monitor your system from anywhere. Victron provides free membership to their VRM portal. The portal collects the data packets sent from your Venus GX and displays them numerically or graphically, as you choose. The advanced tab is very customizable. So...you don’t have to be within Bluetooth range. You can look at it from your smartphone logged onto the VRM portal from half way across the world.

So...the remote monitoring is cool... it it can also send you email notifications that you design. Low Voltage? Fault? Sure...they can be set.

Add a usb gps sensor and you can construct a geofence. If you coach moves outside the prescribed location you get a notification.

Add one or two Venus temp sensors...if your coach gets too hot? If your fresh water tank is getting too cold? ...yep, notifications...

The graphical view lets you see exactly what your power demands are. Like how many amps and what period between compressor startups on a residential fridge. Really cool stuff...

The Venus...connects to the SmartSolar charge controller and the BMV-712 via VE.direct cables,,,sold separately...

Enjoy better monitoring.
X2....we us the 712 +temp sensor & GX. There are many benifits to the bluetooth... checking the systems while on the road and while laying in the hammock.
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Old 08-17-2018, 09:31 PM   #7
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C. Martin
Ok I may have miss spoke about wanting to monitor my system, selected items. Of the three you mentioned Starter battery and for the temp sensor I have one for each controller (Epever Tracer 30a) that adjust to battery bank temp.

With the 700 meter it was between 50 to 65 dollars to add on blue tooth and the 712 was just $25.00 more then the 700. Won't be able to use the added features if I was using their controller also but I will have enough information to get the most out of my system and hopefully eff bottom line though is Solar harvesting and if I miss manage it'll let me know within BT range.

want a laugh how's a 250G hotspot on a secure network.

Yes notification that your not in it
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Old 08-17-2018, 11:33 PM   #8
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If you’re using FLA batteries, this quick guide from AM Solar is useful for configuring the 712: https://static1.squarespace.com/stat...e+20180403.pdf
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Old 08-18-2018, 12:44 PM   #9
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Question, like I mentioned I have temp sensors for my controllers and they are a standard probe sensor(two wire) that slides down the side of the battery why couldn't I use one for the 712? has any tried?
most manufactures say it won't interchange and buy another one to me not an answer.
On the other hand the Victron sensor bolts to power source and it can't measure starter battery and temp at same time. it also looks like a fuse holder inline(looking a pictures) my is in route still. Will need to read instructions for clarity on how and why it's getting reading that way.
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Old 08-19-2018, 05:56 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by guestPacer View Post
Question, like I mentioned I have temp sensors for my controllers and they are a standard probe sensor(two wire) that slides down the side of the battery why couldn't I use one for the 712? has any tried?
most manufactures say it won't interchange and buy another one to me not an answer.
On the other hand the Victron sensor bolts to power source and it can't measure starter battery and temp at same time. it also looks like a fuse holder inline(looking a pictures) my is in route still. Will need to read instructions for clarity on how and why it's getting reading that way.
The BMV comes with two single wire harnesses. One powers the BMV and is the sense for voltage on the main bank you monitor. The second one could be used to monitor a mid voltage or a second bank (chassis).

If you elect temperature...the accessory for temp has a ring terminal and two wires. The one with the fuse powers the BMV and is the sense for voltage. The second wire is the temperature signal. In the setup...you will have to designate the temperature sense option. The new temp harness replaces the wiring that came with the BMV.

The temperature accessory is specific to the BMV...no other sensors can be used. Victron makes a different temp accessory for their Multi, Quattro, and Venus GX units. Careful not to order one of those...it won’t work with the BMV.

If your existing chargers are some other manufacturer...and come with their own temp sensing probes...the Victron BMV temperature isn’t really doing anything useful. In that case I would have preferred to use the second data channel to view my chassis battery voltage. I use mine on temperature mainly to skew the Victron SmartSolar charge controllers voltages.
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Old 08-19-2018, 02:40 PM   #11
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C.Martin, thanks again for the insight on using the BMV effectively. I thought I gave to much information but you addressed them with input and your right it's hard for me to replace or buy another when their doing what they were intended to do on the controller.
and that why I don't change to a 6V S/P system at this time when my 12V system is young and a good system to fine tune before a higher investment(my) ... and I'm sticking to it . ..Lets have fun.
Thanks everyone who gave input....and this is why I enjoy this forum
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Old 08-19-2018, 10:27 PM   #12
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Know how the SOC monitor works ... critical

Be sure you understand how the SOC monitor you select works. This means what it takes to reset it from time to time and how often it should be reset. Resetting usually entails a full charge (including a complete absoprtion stage which can take more than a few hours) after which the SOC monitor will read 100% and have a fresh start.

The problem for SOC monitors is that up to 15% of the energy that goes into a lead acid battery becomes heat and not charge. Likewise when a battery is serving load, up to 15% of the energy used becomes heat in the battery. The SOC monitor can't directly measure either. So both are approximated in the monitor (based on data you enter). This data is critical but the approximation is never precise so the SOC reading is only approximate.

A problem occurs if you charge with solar or a generator and don't get the batteries up to a true and complete 100% very often (solar may not be big enough to do so, or the user might not tolerate the many hours of generator time required in the absoprtion stage).

The error in estimating the losses (energy that goes into heat) can accumulate if the battery is cycled daily but not often taken to a full 100% charge. Errors of 25 to 50% can accumulate. The error seems to usually result in a higher-than-actual SOC reading with the result being discharging a battery to much lower levels that intended. This is rough on lead acid batteries.

Just a word to the wise from someone that has learned the hard way.
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Old 08-21-2018, 03:05 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by C.Martin View Post
The Victron BMV-712 is a great unit. It gives you the ability to network via VE.Direct network,,,which is a Bluetooth LE protocol adopted by Victron.


The unit gives you three additional options..two of which can be setup using the contents of the package...



1) monitoring the voltage of a second battery bank...ie chassis battery.
2) monitoring mid voltage on series connected battery banks.

And a third option using a separate wiring accessory.

3) monitoring of battery temperature.

https://shop.pkys.com/Victron-Energy...00_p_2812.html

Unfortunately...it can only do one of the three...not all three.

If you have a Victron SmartSolar charge controller that is VE.Direct capable...you can network the two together. This allows your solar charge controller to adjust the charge parameters accordingly for actual battery temperature. Important feature for lead acid batteries. Not a consideration for LiFePO4.

Now..if you are REALLY addicted to monitoring...the final step is adding the Venus GX. You didn’t hear it from me

https://shop.pkys.com/search.asp?key...nus+GX&search=

The Venus GX requires an internet connection...if you park close to a hotspot or have a mobile hotspot in your rig...you use this device to monitor your system from anywhere. Victron provides free membership to their VRM portal. The portal collects the data packets sent from your Venus GX and displays them numerically or graphically, as you choose. The advanced tab is very customizable. So...you don’t have to be within Bluetooth range. You can look at it from your smartphone logged onto the VRM portal from half way across the world.

So...the remote monitoring is cool... it it can also send you email notifications that you design. Low Voltage? Fault? Sure...they can be set.

Add a usb gps sensor and you can construct a geofence. If you coach moves outside the prescribed location you get a notification.

Add one or two Venus temp sensors...if your coach gets too hot? If your fresh water tank is getting too cold? ...yep, notifications...

The graphical view lets you see exactly what your power demands are. Like how many amps and what period between compressor startups on a residential fridge. Really cool stuff...

The Venus...connects to the SmartSolar charge controller and the BMV-712 via VE.direct cables,,,sold separately...

Enjoy better monitoring.

I'm not a paid representative of Victron, just a paying customer, but I wanted a system that required the least amount of my brain power to tell me what it was doing at a glance, from anyplace. The shunt is a very good place to start.

The Victron products (battery, inverters, chargers) integrate very well with each other with a little cable management and planning.

This is a display of my Color Control GX (CCGX). From this screen you can easily spot at a glance where the power is coming from and going to. No need for multiple displays to figure stuff out.

If I could make an animated gif, you'd see the flow of electricity from the panels, and batteries to the load on this display via the connecting lines. The little blue dots march the direction the energy is flowing. The box in red would be the 'grid' if it were connected.



Then from the same CCGX, on a WiFi connected installation, you can also control the system via a web browser and click on items as if you were physically at your control panel. Again this is my CCGX (I'm using a Victron Lynx Shunt) accessed from my laptop, from Starbucks:


And then to take it a step further, you can connect the CCGX to report to Victron's cloud where you can generate graphs like this (again this was my data) for this specific day:
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Old 09-08-2018, 02:56 PM   #14
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Learning curve

Hi everyone, well just a quick up date working on other chores, have the 712 installed, made a circuit ground shunt for monitor...well you know. Dailing it in for solar panel and inverter/charger but going well.
Thanks all for input and starter setup page R.B. Will get into a couple ...few question later.
Enjoy day, happy trails
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