I've Had It With Victron Equipment

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

You mean you don't have the fire barrel networked with everything so that it lights automatically when the bilge alarm alerts it?

Hmm well, with a Maretron alarm module and a relay I should be able to rig that up

[colemj]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

So, Mark, how to update the atritons without a Zeus, whoever/whatever that is ?

Ah, now that's the rub with N2K - every manufacturer requires their own equipment for updating. Maretron is one of the worse. Actisense one of the best.

Updating the Tritons without a Simrad MFD (Zeus, NSS, etc) requires a $200 ST-10 Simrad cable (don't confuse that with the AT-10). Effectively, it is simply a CANbus to USB interface, but they make it more complicated with proprietary crap and you can't just get a $30 interface used everywhere else.

So, plug one end of the ST-10 into the network, the other end into your computer (you will need to figure out which end is which ), and run the firmware update program.

Or take all of your instruments to a dealer, which is what Simrad recommends. I took ours to the Panama dealer, and he had never heard of NMEA2000 before. And he is the major dealer for Simrad, Raymarine and several other large brands. So I taught him how to set up a simple network and use it to update equipment.

So an ST-10 is now reluctantly on my shopping list. If the Furuno radar wasn't so damn good, I would swap it out in a heartbeat for a Zeus or NSS because I hate the Furuno chartplotter function.

Oh yeah, I'm suppose to say "Victron" so that this has some relevance...

Mark

[colemj]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

The wind display is, as everyone knows by now, extremely good, just the digits are a bit small for my installation.

So why not set that display up with two pages - the graphical wind page and a page showing just the numerical data you want. Then have the display scroll through the two pages. If you want to see the data often, set the scroll time to 1 second. If you want a good long look at each, set it for more than that.

Or hire a young woman as a repeater... (of course, that assumes your hearing is fine)

Mark

[goboatingnow]

Any one play with the new Garmin gmi20 instrument yet , wonder how it compares to the tritons


Dave

[ygododdin]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

I have posted an extensive how to DIY thread with pictures on CF about the breakers on the isolation transformer. It is very easy to do. That problem is caused by the breakers themselves that go bad within months to a year of use. It is very unwise not to use your IT.

On the inverter/charger: it might well have a fault but "overload" does not mean that more than rated output power is being used etc. It often means that the DC voltage on the battery connection posts of the inverter has become too low.
This device is not a simple inverter; you might have set a limit on maximum allowable power from the shore or genset. The unit will limit power consumption to that figure if so. This is a great feature because it prevents overloading the genset and tripping the shore-side breaker etc.

Also, the unit does Power Assist. This means it can use battery power to add that to shore-power or genset to fulfill output power draw.

Example: you have somehow set maximum input power to 5A/230V but are using 10A/230V. The Victron will take 5A from shore/genset plus will activate it's inverter and get the other 5A/230V from there. After a little while the batteries go down and you get the overload warning. Or, like somebody else already wrote, your battery cabling has too much resistance (too long, too thin, bad contact etc.). This will also give a low voltage cut-out.

These units are not that difficult to remove because they are hung on a special bracket. Once that bracket is installed correctly, you can simply lift the unit off and hang it back on. There are only a couple of screws to prevent it from flying off the bracket which can be unscrewed without any need to hold the unit etc.

Hi. Could you post a link to the DIY article regarding breakers on the isolation transformer please? There's a lot of stuff on here and it's difficult to find.

Many thanks.

[Hkalan]

Hello,

On the fist 2 pages I read how angry many are with Victron.

I live in China, and Even I go out of my way to assure I have quality tinned wire, and although you follow the Victron "suggestions" for cable size in a manual. That is not always the best. We are talking about "off grid" power systems. We plan the complete system all the way to the torque of the nuts on the battery posts.

If a person pays a lot for some wire, it does not mean it is the rolls Royce of marine wire... Is it tinned or not. Are you sure that every cable is exactly planned perfectly by size and length... If it is in the engine room, and without proper air flow and at unstable temperatures, do you really feel it is 100% the products fault ?

Every boat is different, and every time a mate complains about something, and we both go in and accurately wire, and get the gear to operation temps that seem logical at the real world level... All systems seem to work smoothly !!

Sure products made on a Monday seem to develop gremlins, but don't just focus on a single brand when you are talking about a complete power system with many Many variables !!!

Just because it is written in a manual, does not mean you should follow exactly. Put all variables together... And think of the area you install hardware.

I avoid engine rooms for chargers and inverters. Works for any brand !!! Test the wire resistance at the shop you will buy from to know that it actually us good wire. We all know how to test resistance if 1 meter or 1 foot of 95mm2 wire (000 AWG) if the resistance us wrong, then is the hardware to blame. If the batteries are having issues, is that the inverters fault.

If you gave a reverse polarity issue and you do not find why, it that the isolation transformers fault ???

Before saying every brand is horrible. We should really plan. Document, and assure every aspect if the system us perfect.

Good luck to all of you !!!

Alan

[Hkalan]

Hahaha... See the spelling mistakes... If should be Of! Of should be if, us should be is... Is the iPhone bad or my fingers bad... I would say this is user error, not hardware !!!

And it is not made on a Monday !

[hellosailor]

"We all know how to test resistance if 1 meter or 1 foot of 95mm2 wire (000 AWG)"
We all don't, actually. Most ohmmeters can't give any meaningful reading at 0.000203 ohms. Which is what "good" copper 000-AWG wire might be, for one foot?

[yamez4u]

I personally love my Victron kit. I have a Quattro 5000/70, Bluesolar MPPT 150/70 and a Color control GX. The Quattro I am regularly very mean to. I run the AC, microwave, and dryer all at the same time almost every day. I love never having to reset the dock breaker. My only real annoyance with Victron is the price of their USB configuration dongles The Victron Canusb needed to upgrade the Bluesolar is a whopping $500. Anyone want to rent me one? The Quattro would not be worth owning with out the mk2 USB dongle. They really just need to drop wifi in all there units so you can configure them over the air.

[Hkalan]

Hello,

You are absolutely correct. A basic multi-meter was never designed to accurately test resistance of large wires, or even the insolation resistance of any AC circuit on the vessel.

Resistance (R) = Voltage (E) / Current (I)

Where you purchase your wire. They use a commercial grade resistance tester made for the job. Most quality suppliers I've been to, use the brand "Megger". But I personally use a UNI-T brand as it fit my budget of being slightly under $100 USD, and does exactly what I need, and accurately test my DC and AC wires. You can go to any calibration house to have it accurately calibrated over time, just as you do with any good multi-meter you have onboard.

I'm just saying... before we start talking bad about any one brand of hardware kit. There should be a full inspection of what is between the devices, and establish that all points in-between are up to spec, and will handle what we plan the hardware to do... then incorporate the ambient temperatures the hardware is working in. The variables change constantly, and moisture, temperature, and age affect wire just as time does not make us look any younger !

Good luck !

Alan

[botanybay]

Originally Posted by yamez4u

I personally love my Victron kit. I have a Quattro 5000/70, Bluesolar MPPT 150/70 and a Color control GX. The Quattro I am regularly very mean to. I run the AC, microwave, and dryer all at the same time almost every day. I love never having to reset the dock breaker. My only real annoyance with Victron is the price of their USB configuration dongles The Victron Canusb needed to upgrade the Bluesolar is a whopping $500. Anyone want to rent me one? The Quattro would not be worth owning with out the mk2 USB dongle. They really just need to drop wifi in all there units so you can configure them over the air.

I too love my Victron equipment:
8kva quattro 230v / 24v with a 200 amp charger
Skylla-i 100 amp 24v charger
Automatic input voltage selecting 3600 watt isolation transformer
Color gx
Skylla-i remote
Quattro remote
USB mk2
And two 702bvm's

All working well. Still tinkering and writing python code for the color gx to do some additional functions.

Exceptional support from Victron and local vendor!!

[skipmac]

I probably posted this before, but this far into the thread it might bear repeating.

I love my Victron MultiPlus 2000 inverter/charger. Had it for about 4 years now and no problems. The power boost feature on the inverter is a great thing and the charger keeps the batteries happy.

BUT, initial setup was a pain, a huge pain. I can confirm that the charger section will NOT program as shown in the manual with the internal DIP switches. I spent hours carefully following the instructions in the manual which required a multi step process along the lines of: move this switch, then power off, power back on, now move another switch, power off and on again but while holding your right hand in the air but wait until Simon says, etc, etc, etc.

Finally got tech support involved. Initially they sent instructions for me to do what I had already done 20 times. Once I got over the initial communications they were very responsive and tried to solve the problem but it never happened and the support engineer ran out of ideas. During the process I also tried every possible permutation of the instructions and could not reprogram the charging profile. FINALLY gave up and got the interface and downloaded the control software and now it works perfectly.

[CA_Tallguy]

I hope that bumping this old thread does not cause too much "friction" but to the OP -- Dockhead I believe -- how did your issues with the inverter/charger work out? Did it have to go in for service or did you find some wiring problems?

I'm glad that a few folks chimed in late in this thread with endorsements of Victron as I was starting to get nervous reading all the problems Dockhead has had. I have almost made up my mind to get on the Victron boat and hadn't come across too much negative info about the brand before.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, CA Tallguy.

[mlundp]

I too have had it with Victron chargers. My boat is from 2009. In 2011 I had to replace the smaller of the two Victron chargers in the boat. Today the 12/200 (200 amp) charger went bad tripping the AC breaker. This is now two out of two.

Any idea what equipment I should replace them with?

Thanks
MP