Your cart is currently empty!
BlueSolar vs SmartSolar
When buying Victron MPPT solar controllers you have two product lines to choose from, the BlueSolar range and the SmartSolar range. The key difference between the two is that the BlueSolar range does NOT have Bluetooth.
Rail Profiles
We help a lot of customers with solar rail and solar panel mounting hardware. Sometimes people need to match rail or mounts with their existing system.
All Tech Talks & Tips
Decoding Battery Technologies: AGM, Lead-Carbon, and LiFePO4 Batteries
Among the diverse battery technologies available, three noteworthy contenders are Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) batteries, Lead-Carbon batteries, and Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries. This article delves into the unique characteristics, applications, and advantages of each technology, helping you make informed decisions about which battery type suits your specific needs.
Chargers & Converters: Whats the Difference?
Spot the difference! Converters and chargers may look alike and might occupy a similar location in your system configuration but they perform different roles.
Charge Controllers – What’s the difference?
We’ve talked about the difference between an MPPT controller and a PWM controller, and briefly about sizing your controllers. MPPT’s use a transformer to step down the Voltage from your solar panel to the Voltage of your battery, usually with an efficiency of over 95%. The calculation for this is simple. If you have a…
Lithium Batteries: Wiring a BMS
A lithium phosphate battery cell is 3.2V nominal (between 2.65 – 3.65V). This is the limit of the cell’s chemistry, so if we want more than 3.2V, we need to put the cells in series. (Translation for people with a social life – connect the positive terminal of one cell to the negative terminal of…
DC Ripple and Batteries
DC Voltage is usually thought of as constant – You have a 12V battery, it outputs a steady Voltage, only changing gradually as it is charged and discharged. DC ripple occurs when the Voltage of a DC system oscillates, usually only on a scale of milivolts. It can happen for a number of reasons. So…
System configurations – How does all this stuff go together?
System configurations – How does all this stuff go together? Let’s start with the most basic – a 12 or 24V system used to power DC loads such as a 12/24V fridge, lighting, compressors etc. As a case study (and because it’s around 90% of people who walk through the door) let’s say this is…
What if my panels don’t match?
Mismatched panels can be put together in the same string, but there are some rules to follow to keep the system safe and efficient. In a series string, you need your panels to be the same technology, similar output, and a similar open circuit Voltage. The limiting factor with series panels is the current –…
What’s the Safest Battery?
The most common batteries used today in small to household – sized setups fall into two categories – Lead acid and Lithium. Lead Lead batteries fall into several different categories; Flooded Flooded lead batteries are commonly used for cranking (the battery under your bonnet is almost certainly a flooded lead – acid). They contain a…
Victron Cerbo GX
Welcome to anther Tech Talk – where we will be talking about a featured product we are particularly excited about. Featured product – The Victron Cerbo GX Like all GX devices, this little blue box serves as the brains of your system. The reason we’ve fallen in love with this little guy? – The possibilities…
Solar panel wiring
When you have two or more panels, there are a number of ways to wire them up. We are often asked – ‘What’s better? Putting our panels in series, or in parallel?’ (tl;dr at the end) Series Putting panels in series is just like putting battery cells in series – You plug the positive terminal…