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This will be a multi-part series so please check out all the sections!
Part 2 – System Monitoring via Victron Bluetooth ‘Connect’
In Part 1 – Monitoring Options – I discussed various types of ways to see what your battery system is doing – some more basic than others and some much more useful than others! In this part I will show why I prefer the Victron system over the others.
I have talked about Battery Monitoring mainly as the ultimate goal is to look after the battery system. And to do that, you may also want to monitor the charging systems.
I invested in Victron devices as not only are they well made and top quality, they provide remote monitoring and control via Bluetooth, similar to the BMV-700 Battery Monitors. The following devices are all products that I have installed on ‘Clarence’, my custom Campervan.
A Victron Mains Battery Charger
A Victron Mains Battery Charger
This shows the current state of the charging cycle Bulk, Absorption, Float or Storage), the Voltage out and the current. In this example the charger is connected to a fully-charged battery.
The next device is a Solar Controller, the Victron 100/30 MPPT Solar Controller
The next device is a Solar Controller, the Victron 100/30 MPPT Solar Controller
I selected the 100/30 as the right specification for my Solar Array. The units are available as either ‘SmartSolar’ models with build in Bluetooth, or ‘Blue Solar’, with an optional dongle for Bluetooth
Using the Victron Connect Smartphone app, again you can see what the MPPT charger is doing, and adjust the parameters to suit your own needs.
The next screenshots show the amount of power the solar is gathering, and how much is being put into the battery.
As well as the “point of time” information, you can also see historical data and even download to your computer
Another Device I have installed from the Victron Range is a Pheonix Inverter, the particular model being the Pheonix 12/500 Pure Sine Wave Inverter
Like the previous devices, this can again be monitored and controlled via the Connect Bluetooth Smartphone App and even turned on and off via your phone!
To use Bluetooth, it is neccessary to fit the Victron Bluetooth Dongle to the special port on the Inverter.
The 4th Victron Device is a key component for monitoring – in my case the Victron BMV-712.
The 4th Victron Device is a key component for monitoring – in my case the Victron BMV-712.
Earlier I showed the Status screen from the Connect App – here is another screenshot showing historical data
I have one final Victron Device to add in this review – the Victron Smart Battery Sense.
I have one final Victron Device to add in this review – the Victron Smart Battery Sense.
This unit is fitted onto the Leisure Battery Bank to monitor Voltage and Temperature directly. Then using a new Victron feature – ‘Smart Networking’ – the information is shared with other connected devices to optimize charging parameters.