Snackchaser

I hope this discussion does’t discourage anyone from installing a DC to DC charger, they still are a great addition for off grid boondockers. This thread addressed a couple of unique problems that are not the norm. In most cases, a properly installed charger with default settings will work fine, and I highly recommend them for anyone who has ever found themselves rationing amp hours on a road trip.

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I added an extension flex hose for doing dishes outdoors and either the Oliver hose, or the extension hose, had chrome plastic fittings, That plastic can split if overtighteded and cause leaks, and it's it hard to see the crack. Those hoses are mostly all the same fitting sizes and readily available at Amazon and hardware stores. Just over finger tight is usually enough to prevent leaks if the o-ring or sealing washer is good. Good luck!

That’s a solid plan, the switch can replace the factory L–H bridge. There’s also a toggle in the Victron app if you ever want to switch it off without a physical switch. Good discussion! Cheers!

@Dean and Mary Please go back and read my edit on the previos post, it may shine a new light on things!

The idea could work if you want additional assurance that the charger powers down. But use the H pin (remote on/off), not the L pin, and remove the L–H jumper, because a signal on L overrides the voltage detection and forces the Orion on, the opposite of what you want. Remote on/off on H acts as a permission where the Orion only charges if H is high (12 V) and the normal voltage conditions allow it. However, Victron’s manual says to turn the voltage detection off when using remote H signals. . . so it may not work as you intend. Test it to assure that both conditions (voltage detection and H pin) will work together. Verify that with the engine running and the 7-pin unplugged, the Orion powers down. Hope it works for you! Geoff I added an edit because this is hard to wrap one’s head around it, and when better explained you might change your mind. You can’t use the L pin for a redundant shutdown because L is only a trigger for “on”. When the L signal goes dead, the Orion just falls back to its voltage detection to turn off. The H pin is needed for shutdown. If the Orion fails to see that the engine is off because of incorrect settings, it could stay on. With the 7-pin wire on H, and the L–H jumper removed, the 7-pin goes dead when the engine is off, and that turns the Orion off . Victron suggests turning off voltage detection when using H. Either way, a dead H pin shuts the Orion off. What’s uncertain is whether the voltage detection also stays active as a backup if you leave it on, so test it. Having said that, I’d reconsider the idea altogether because I don’t believe there is a credible failure mechanism that necessitates using pin H. We forget that Orion has an “Input voltage Lockout” feature with default setting of 12.5 volts which would shut it down probably leaving enough TV battery for a start. We seemed to have digressed from the real benefit of using Pin L to turn on the Orion when quirky smart alternators fail to do so.

I remember a strap on our Truma was off because the hold holddown screw was stripped out. However, I think Oliver probably adds the straps as belts and suspenders. In my case, the screw was pulling the strap tight and the installer torqued it too much and stripped it. I replaced with the next size larger screw and the tension from that screw tightened the strap like a piano wire. I think that probably contributes to straps breaking in other installations. The Truma is designed to be mounted with the flange screws, so I wouldn't call it an urgent safety concern. But it is certainly worth repairing.

I did for a story, and I had to complete a media release form. Nothing further though. I figured it to be a fishing expedition of sorts, to see if there was good content and interest.

I have the RAM version, it turns on when hooked up for towing. It's like the trailer isn't there. Resolution is fantastic and it was well worth the upgrade. I ran the camera cable along the outside trailer frame with ti-wraps, and mounted the camera on top of the spare tire cowling. It's the perfect hight. I actually like running wires inside the trailer, but I think cutting penetrations in and out of the trailer is completely unnecessary for the camera. Mines been there about 4 years and it'd never faltered. I like it so much, if I ever got a different truck i'd be looking at the Wolfbox mirrors.

My suggestion of using the 12 V wire from the 7-pin tow harness to trigger the Orion through its L input is gaining traction. But it was only meant as a last resort if changes to the Orion’s settings didn’t correct the problem. The preferred method is still automatic detection, and it will work best for most installations. However, if you choose to go down that road, I’ll re-caution that the wire needs careful testing first. The tow harness 7-pin 12 V wire must be disconnected from the trailer battery, or the battery will back-feed it and hold the Orion on. The wire must be hot only with the engine running, not with the key off, and not with the key on and the engine off, or it can quickly drain the tow vehicle’s battery. Also be aware that some vehicles reportedly only energize it when they detect a trailer or a load, and the Orion would be invisible because the input draws almost nothing. Just be aware that the 12 V tow wire can behave differently across truck brands, models, and years. If you still want to go that route, then a cleaner option is a separate connector fed from a true engine-running source, such as an oil-pressure switch, an up-fitter engine-on output, or a CAN interface module programmed on engine RPM. Consider using Anderson’s SBSX-75A sealed connectors. They connect the power cables and up to 6 additional wires. They have a waterproof rating, handle up to 140 amps, and they are designed for 5,000 mating cycles. The new SBSX Pro model was robustly designed for electric riding mowers with battery monitoring. It has a clean looking panel mounting and 8 aux contacts. In my case, the 12 V wire is already in use for automatic rear camera switching, and I’ve been noodling a project to use the SBSX PRO to wire a BMS display head in the truck using the Anderson contacts for an RJ12 connection. That still leaves extra contacts for creative ideas such as a in truck - trailer air conditioning control. Let's see how fast this idea catches on! Oh, the Anderson connectors only accept up to #4 wire, so a short pigtail might be needed to connect heavier cable. This only adds negligible voltage drop. Either way, it’s worth careful thought before going down the road of tow-wire signaling over the preferred automatic engine on detection. Hope this helps for better informed decision making. Cheers! Geoff

Jd, nice test! The inverter was carrying both loads, roughly 3,000–3,300 W AC after losses. The 3,290 W DC on the shunt side was before inverter losses. That’s about 125–135% of the Victron’s 2,400 W continuous rating. Impressive, though a short test doesn’t show it can hold that load over its continuios rating for long. For comparison, the Xantrex Freedom is rated 3,000 W continuous at 104°F (the Victron is 2,200 W at the same temperature), so the Xantrex would carry that same load within its continuous rating. Where the Victron has a debatable edge, is with the low-voltage cutoff. At 12.17 V, a Xantrex set to the recommended 12.1 V would likely trip, especially with any extra wiring resistance, while the Victron’s lower load-compensated cutoff voltage keeps going. That’s the real design difference. But keep in mind that Lithionics batteries shut themselves off at 12.0 V, and other batteries are in that close range. The Xantrex at 12.1 V trips first and leaves the 12 V lights on, while an inverter with a low cutoff runs until the battery shuts everything down. You’re a great ambassador for Victron, and I agree they make excellent equipment. Its higher efficiency and PowerAssist are nice features, and its heavy transformer handles surges well, which is also why it weighs about twice as much. Both can briefly surge to about double their rating. But I’m reluctant to recommend a Victron inverter replacement over the Xantrex for the typical Oliver owner’s use profile, particularly because of the controls. Without the more expensive Cerbo system, Victron’s optional display is fairly basic, and the Bluetooth needs a separate dongle. The Xantrex has a nicer graphical display with built-in bluetooth. I personally prefer a display with switches over an app, and I think most folks want the panel convenience to switch the inverter off when not in use to conserve power. I just think folks should fully understand the differences to make an informed decision, and I think that Oliver made the right decision to choose Xantrex in the first place. Cheers! Geoff

Jd, from those screen shots, I’m seeing the system working as it should. Before calling Nations Starters, check the Orion’s settings. Your screenshots show the input sitting at about 13.1 V, which is exactly the Orion’s default engine shutdown voltage for a smart alternator. When the input reaches 13.1 V, the Orion cuts its current to hold the voltage there (frame 3), and if it stays below 13.1 V for a minute, then it decides the engine is off and stops charging. At idle you’re losing about 0.45 V between the truck and the Orion at 30 amps load, which is about right for a long #4 run. The voltage drop will increase with load. Try lowering the shutdown voltage to about 12.9 V. You could also lower the input current limit in 5 amp steps to find a happy spot, but it might also lower the current while towing at higher RPMs. Anyway, It’s probably not a failing Orion or alternator, just settings that are tight for idle charging. If you catch the app when the charger shuts off, then you can also check the “Why is the charger off?” message for more clues. You're on the right track! Geoff

I read it somewhat differently. Lithionics does recommend fully charging the batteries periodically to keep the SOC reading accurate. In the SOC drift document you linked, they cleverly compare it to a leaking bucket with opaque walls. You can’t see the level, so you have to fill it to the top now and then to know where it stands. Charging the battery to a true 100% (not 99%) resets the SOC to a full bucket. However, as the battery ages, its amp-hour capacity decreases (the bucket gets smaller). You can recalibrate the bucket size using a fairly complex procedure to fully charge then discharge the battery. I don’t think many folks do that, and IMO it’s not necessary for most Oliver owners. Unless of course there is gross error, say if the battery shuts off while the app still shows 20% or more. The firmware updates aren’t so straightforward either. In the internal BMS firmware, Lithionics added, then rolled back, corrections for large SOC errors because they weren’t precise enough and could make readings worse in parallel battery banks like ours. There still appears to be an automatic correction at the 10% point in some internal BMS models, but it's unclear which ones. The newer external BMS module actually makes corrections at a number of points during discharge. Good stuff! Cheers, Geoff

I hear that! Here in the West Coast redwood rain forest, we found a KNKA Energy Star 80 pint unit thats small enough to sit on the kitchen counter and drain into the sink. We don’t take it with us on road trips though, a couple of paper towels is enough to remove the moisture from the Oliver's factory window condenser units! 😂 Cheers!

As @jd1923 said, the Lithionics should reset itself if the batteries are kept fully charged while not in use. The new firmware also helps with this by making corrections at various charge states. It’s worth updating them. The Xantrex Code 1 is a voltage issue, it means the inverter isn’t getting enough voltage from the batteries while the microwave runs. This isn’t necessarily because of low SOC, it’s more likely a poor connection somewhere in the heavy battery cables. Think of it like a like old car with corroded battery posts, everything works fine until you try to turn the engine over and the connections can’t handle the heavier starting current. There are some easy checks you can try. Make sure the inverter’s low-battery cutoff is not set higher than 12.1 volts per Oliver’s recommendation for Lithionics batteries, and that the battery type is set to lithium. Some owners have found that software updates changed these settings. The Victron is a different design, but not necessarily better. In this case, when the Xantrex trips, it’s warning us there could be a problem. A Victron with default settings would keep running while a bad connection heats up, until the battery’s BMS protection shuts everything down, including the lights! Although Victron uses load compensated cutoff, owners should also check their low-battery settings. The factory defaults are very low, and they should be set per their battery maker’s recommendations. I've done some fair research into the Victron, and unless you also opt for an expensive Cerbo based system, I believe it's not a better upgrade over the Xantrex. Another easy test is to watch the voltages from the SeeLevel panel and Xantrex display, then start the microwave. Note each display’s voltage before starting and just before the inverter trips. If the SeaLevel (battery voltage) stays about 13 V, but the Xantrex drops to about 12 V, then there is a voltage drop (poor connection) in the wiring between the batteries and the inverter. If they both drop together, then the batteries may be weak or not sharing the load evenly. The 300 amp breakers internal resistance is a an easy first test. Put a DC voltmeter across the terminals with a full load (while running the micro). Anything over 0.1V across the two posts is too much internal resistance. You can also use an infrared thermometer to look for warm (poor) connections after the inverter trips, or run a smaller load, such as a heater on low. It might not be enough load to trip the inverter, but enough to warm a poor connection. Don’t forget to look at the grounds! Of course it might be something else altogether, and there are other voltage tests that can isolate the problem. This is a good start to help narrow it down. Let us know what you find. Cheers, Geoff