Victron battery monitor

Gpaw68

2015 144 4cyl high roof
I have not installed anything yet. But bought a Victron battery monitor awhile ago and recently bought a Victron smart charge controller. The BM is not the smart version. Being that my charge controller is the smart version will it provide enough information about the whole system remotely or do I need to consider getting a smart BM?
Is the same info available on both a smart BM and a regular BM? Just that with the smart one you get it on your phone. Or is the smart BM easier to set up because you can do it on your phone?
Thanks for any info.
 

john61ct

Active member
Use model names & #'s.

BMV-712 is tge bees knees, 702 pretty close but I think a separate dongle for BT, what $20?

If you mean solar MPPT, SmartSolar is built in, older BlueSolar needs the dongle.

They can comm with each other hardwired, so maybe one dongle is enough to adjust from your phone.

The GX Color unit is tge central brains if you go whole hog.
 

Wheeljack

Active member
I have not installed anything yet. But bought a Victron battery monitor awhile ago and recently bought a Victron smart charge controller. The BM is not the smart version. Being that my charge controller is the smart version will it provide enough information about the whole system remotely or do I need to consider getting a smart BM?
Is the same info available on both a smart BM and a regular BM? Just that with the smart one you get it on your phone. Or is the smart BM easier to set up because you can do it on your phone?
Thanks for any info.
My smart Victron MPPT 75/15 does provide some good info via the app, but it does NOT give you battery SOC like the BM will do. I can see voltages (live values, battery daily max/min, etc.) and currents, so I can infer SOC good enough for my purposes. I think its a great little unit. Depends on what units you have specifically, and what you actually want to see.
 
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Gpaw68

2015 144 4cyl high roof
Sorry the units are not with me at this time. I believe the monitor is a BMV-700 and I know the charge controller is a MPPT 100/30.
 

autostaretx

Erratic Member
The charge controller will not know about currents that went into, or out of, the battery that did NOT pass through it.

So its estimate of "state of charge" will be purely voltage-based. Which may be wrong due to other (even small) loads that are happening when it's showing voltages.

--dick
 

john61ct

Active member
Pretty close if all the loads are small thus can be wired from the very limited SC load output terminals.

But the shunt-based BM is required for bigger systems.

Not its SoC is at best a guesstimate, many settings must be accurate, change over time and you need to frequently reset at a known 100% Full point.

OP when you get your specific model #s, RTFM and Ctrl-F for "battery monitor" at marinehowto.com, 3 excellent articles there

then come back for specific Qs and advice.
 

SSTraveler

2014 LTV Unity Murphy Bed
You'll be fine checking your system with the data you get from the Smart Controller. I have the Victron Smart controller 100v/30a and BMV-712. The parameters the controller provides a smart phone via bluetooth are Solar Panel; Watts and Voltage, Battery; Voltage, Current, Charging State and a second screen for history. I really just want to know what the voltage of my batteries are and that they are fully charged and being float charged. I really just use the BMV for a visual display when I'm using my rv. The parameters the BMV provides a smart phone via bluetooth are just for the Batteries; State of Charge %, Voltage, Current, Consumed AH, Time Remaining, and Battery Temperature and a second screen for history. If I had to do it again I probably would not have spent $225+ on a Victron BMV since I really get enough info from the Smart Controller via bluetooth. A $20 battery monitor from Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/bayite-6-5-100V-Display-Multimeter-Voltmeter/dp/B013PKYILS, would have been adequate if I wanted a visual display for the batteries.
 

Wildebus

Member
I have not installed anything yet. But bought a Victron battery monitor awhile ago and recently bought a Victron smart charge controller. The BM is not the smart version. Being that my charge controller is the smart version will it provide enough information about the whole system remotely or do I need to consider getting a smart BM?
Is the same info available on both a smart BM and a regular BM? Just that with the smart one you get it on your phone. Or is the smart BM easier to set up because you can do it on your phone?
Thanks for any info.
"will it provide enough information about the whole system remotely" ... depends on 1) how remote is remote and 2) how much information is "enough"?
the Victron BMV monitor and the Victron MPPT controller do not communicate with each other directly, whether Smart versions or not. If you want to see the system as a whole entity, then you need the Victron Management Unit - either a Colour Control GX, a Venus GX (more flexible, but no display) or possibly a Raspberry Pi running the Victron Venus OS (this is what I am running, with a BMV-712, 100/30 MPPT and Phoenix 12/500 connected to it)
 

SSTraveler

2014 LTV Unity Murphy Bed
You can always easily add the Victron smart bluetooth dongle ($50), https://www.amazon.com/Victron-Energy-ASS030536010-VE-Direct-Bluetooth/dp/B01CGFF8Q2, to your BMV-700 if you want the bluetooth feature. I grabbed these 2 pictures out of the manuals to show you the controller screen and bmv screen data. They have redundancies. The controller screen really provides all the info I need to make sure my batteries are staying charged while displaying what the panels are doing as well.
 

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parkgt

2007 Great West Van on 2006 2500 T1N
I have both smart versions. One of the features of the battery monitor I find useful is the ability to turn on different items and see what they do as far as energy usage.
 

Wheeljack

Active member
I have both smart versions. One of the features of the battery monitor I find useful is the ability to turn on different items and see what they do as far as energy usage.
This can also be done without the battery monitor, if you are using the load output of the MPPT for all of your loads you want visibility to. The only load I don't plan on running through it is my inverter, but I have not put that into my simple system yet. The expected current draw far exceeds the capability of my 75/15 unit. I also currently have my house battery completely isolated from the starter battery, but have the OEM parts for an isolated connection when I get around to putting it in.

But I can easily see the current draw of the items such as the Espar, Maxxair, Dometic, and DC receptacles through the MPPT app.

I've since added a OLED voltage display which is much more cost effective in my case than the $200+ BMV.



https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G79KR7F/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 

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autostaretx

Erratic Member
A $20 battery monitor from Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/bayite-6-5-100V-Display-Multimeter-Voltmeter/dp/B013PKYILS, would have been adequate if I wanted a visual display for the batteries.
That particular unit only measures one direction of current... so you can monitor battery out-flow, or battery charging, but not both at once.

(along with the specs speaking only of positive current measurement, one of the Q&A replies specifically covers this case)

--dick
 

Wildebus

Member
That particular unit only measures one direction of current... so you can monitor battery out-flow, or battery charging, but not both at once.

(along with the specs speaking only of positive current measurement, one of the Q&A replies specifically covers this case)

--dick
For confirmation, the above is quite correct.
I have used these units quite a bit and they are pretty good. What you can do to get information about current to and from the battery (and also instant and total cumulative power in and out) is to use the same shunt for a pair of these units and just reverse two of the wires into one of the units.

For a time, I had a pair of these monitoring a pair of PV panels, and another one monitoring battery power out.
image_19 by David, on Flickr

Not as good as a full monitoring device like a Victron BMV, but a lot better then just a Battery Voltmeter (OLED or LED).
But a Voltmeter is still a LOT BETTER than nothing or just the little line of lights that some RVs get provided with.
 

SSTraveler

2014 LTV Unity Murphy Bed
As pictured in the Bayite description, https://www.amazon.com/bayite-6-5-100V-Display-Multimeter-Voltmeter/dp/B013PKYILS, if you wire four of the Display Digital Current Voltage Power Energy Meter Multimeter Ammeter Voltmeters w/100a shunt, you can monitor your entire solar system for less than 80 bucks. The thing I like about this meter is you can choose the parameter you want displayed for your needs, so can spend as little as $18.75. I really only care that my batteries are charged or being charged so a simple $10.69 digital display volt/amp meter, https://www.amazon.com/DROK-Accurac...&sr=8-3&keywords=4+digit+volt+meter+amp+meter, would be good enough for me. I like this 4 Digits High Accuracy Volt Amp Meter because it has pots on the back so you can adjust it to be as accurate/read the same as your Controller.
 

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john61ct

Active member
If wired in, I would be very careful going past 50A throughput.

Starter circuit would likely burn it out quickly.

With shunt based units you can right-size better, but yes pricier.
 

parkgt

2007 Great West Van on 2006 2500 T1N
This can also be done without the battery monitor, if you are using the load output of the MPPT for all of your loads you want visibility to.
Agreed, but I don't use the load output of mine, just the battery output.

I wasn't looking for the least expensive method, but rather one that was easy for me to use from where ever I was at.

I like being able to see what is going on from the cockpit. Like being able to see how long I can run a given load.

Was it necessary? No just how I preferred to do it. Many ways to accomplish most tasks.

I didn't need a Sprinter RV to get places; there are cheaper ways to get places and stay, but I bought one anyway.
 

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