2017 Hull 292 and the 4 6 volt AGMs are dead. What about Redodo 140amp Lithium Batteries?

[Teaney Hull 292]

On 3/24/2025 at 6:56 PM, jd1923 said:

Gary, I have not heard of anybody buying this brand on this forum. Epoch and LiTime are go-to brands. LiTime is also on Amazon.

Found these listed on Amazon and these are LiFePO4 batteries. Besides battery replacement, you may need batteries cables or new ends/lugs.

You would also need to reprogram your solar charger and perhaps replace the main charger connected to shore power, given age of hull could be an inexpensive Progressive Dynamics charger. If instead your Xantrex is an inverter/charger then program that instead.

it is a bit of Work. OTT would charge a lot for this. Given your FL location you likely have many solar companies in the neighborhood who could do this work.

Easy would be to replace with same size and quantity AGM batteries, nothing else required, but we are all moving to liFePO4 batteries!

Been watching the RedoDo tear downs and from what they see based on BMS stickers the same company makes LiTime, Power Queen, and RedoDo. I can fit 3 140amp batteries where the 4 AGMs are now. I posted pics in this thread of what I think are all the components of what I have now. I have no idea how to reprogram my solar charger. Will get on You Tube to figure that out. My current Xantrex is the ProWatt SW. Can I program it for 420 watts of Lithium? I’m willing to upgrade to the newer Xantrex 3000 Watt, there are 3 on Amazon and not sure which one to get. Will research that too. Will also look at the Progressive Dynamics charger.  Have Portable Suitcase solar now, and would worry about that till I get to the Rally in April. Saw some great. Posts on where to order custom cables with the lugs on the forum. Solar Experts put the solar on our house and did a GREAT job. Will reach out to them and see if they could help with install in Tampa. Was also told a lot of Boat Companies install Xantrex and I should also reach out to them. JD, thanks again for your reply and thanks for all your great posts on this forum. 

[Teaney Hull 292]

On 3/25/2025 at 10:42 AM, Galway Girl said:

I assume in 2018 model, your xantrex is the INVERTER only function, and for 12V charging you're using the internal progressive dynamics charger (under the dinette seat).

Some folks with the Progressive Dynamics charger see a jumper switch for charging lithium.  The issue with that setting is it's not the "best" way to charge lithiums as it's simply a constant 14.6V voltage...not a ramped profile.  The WIZ setting is a PROFILE for AGM or LEAD Acid.  The LI Setting is just 14.6V (no ramp/no profile).  Some battery manufacturers (including Lithionics)  won't warrant their battery in presence of the constant 14.6V no profile setting.

Whichever battery manufacturer you select, LI Time, Epoch, etc....be sure to check what they need as a charging profile.  
If a constant 14.6V works for them, then you might be able to a drop in maintaining your existing Inverter and existing charging system.
I know that battle born did warranty their batteries with the Progressive Dynamics chargers.
Also, there are new "Lithium compatible" plug in boards for progressive dynamics that now offer a lithium profile wizard.  So just upgrading the charging board in your Progressive Dynamics energy center is a possibility.

 

 

In our case (2019 model) we swapped out the Xantrex 2000W Inverter (only) for a newer Xantrex 2000 inverter charger before installing new Lithiums.

My full upgrade article is here.  This may be too much of an effort for what you want to accomplish.

https://4-ever-hitched.com/ggs-blog/f/lithium-battery-upgrade?blogcategory=Electrical+Upgrades

 

Thanks. I’ll check out the plug in board possibility 

[jd1923]

50 minutes ago, Teaney Hull 292 said:

I am willing to buy the Victron 3KVA. I see there 3 different ones on Amazon...

First, I would say it would be easy to get help from friends at the rally for replacing batteries. A full inverter mod, the custom work of mounting the very LARGE Victron Multiplus II, stripping our all Xantrex parts (ATS and junction box) and related wiring changes may be a lot to accomplish at a campsite!

I ran in and out of my garage/workshop 100 times while doing mine for tools and 4-5 trips to Depot or Lowes for hardware over a two-week period of time. If you study the mod threads, plan really well in purchasing parts, get very ready, have a lot of patience (new friends too), maybe, good luck! 🤣

You want the 12V inverter and do not need the UL-certified model (required by code for home installations only). I went with Inverter Supply for these parts for free shipping and no sales tax (see picture). You NEED the VE.bus to configure the Victron for charger/battery spec settings. There are two models (I purchased the USB-C model and there is also USB, depends on the laptop you would use to setup). You need an Ethernet cable also to connect the VE.bus to the Victron MP2. There are YouTube videos showing the configuration steps.

You also posted pictures showing the Progressive Industries ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch) and the display which shows the readout of shore power stats. The ATS switches between the two shore power sources (side outlet and front outlet usually for generator in front basket). This will not change but the power coming out of the ATS, connecting to the 120VAC breaker panel has to be replaced with new 10-3 AWG cables to go to the inverter and back to the breaker panel (buy 15 ft to be safe, I used about 12 ft, it runs from streetside bed basement where our new inverter was installed up to the breaker panel under the rear dinette). The Victron MP2 has dual terminal bolts on both + and - sides. I ran the 4/0 battery cables, from batteries directly to the Victron MP2, removed from the 2KW Xantrex (I had the same older model) and all secondary 6 AWG cables that OTT had on the batteries, I also bolted to the Victron bus vs. out to the batteries. 

If you get this all done at the rally, that will be a great story! Take pictures and post...

[Teaney Hull 292]

4 minutes ago, jd1923 said:

First, I would say it would be easy to get help from friends at the rally for replacing batteries. A full inverter mod, the custom work of mounting the very LARGE Victron Multiplus II, stripping our all Xantrex parts (ATS and junction box) and related wiring changes may be a lot to accomplish at a campsite!

I ran in and out of my garage/workshop 100 times while doing mine for tools and 4-5 trips to Depot or Lowes for hardware over a two-week period of time. If you study the mod threads, plan really well in purchasing parts, get very ready, have a lot of patience (new friends too), maybe, good luck! 🤣

You want the 12V inverter and do not need the UL-certified model (required by code for home installations only). I went with Inverter Supply for these parts for free shipping and no sales tax (see picture). You NEED the VE.bus to configure the Victron for charger/battery spec settings. There are two models (I purchased the USB-C model and there is also USB, depends on the laptop you would use to setup). You need an Ethernet cable also to connect the VE.bus to the Victron MP2. There are YouTube videos showing the configuration steps.

You also posted pictures showing the Progressive Industries ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch) and the display which shows the readout of shore power stats. The ATS switches between the two shore power sources (side outlet and front outlet usually for generator in front basket). This will not change but the power coming out of the ATS, connecting to the 120VAC breaker panel has to be replaced with new 10-3 AWG cables to go to the inverter and back to the breaker panel (buy 15 ft to be safe, I used about 12 ft, it runs from streetside bed basement where our new inverter was installed up to the breaker panel under the rear dinette). The Victron MP2 has dual terminal bolts on both + and - sides. I ran the 4/0 battery cables, from batteries directly to the Victron MP2, removed from the 2KW Xantrex (I had the same older model) and all secondary 6 AWG cables that OTT had on the batteries, I also bolted to the Victron bus vs. out to the batteries. 

If you get this all done at the rally, that will be a great story! Take pictures and post...

This is another GREAT example of me reading this and feeling like a Monkey trying to do calculus. With that said, wonderful info. If it took you doing all this for your changes/upgrade, then, I do not think it makes sense to do it at the rally. I got great advice to look at getting the Lithium replacement Model # PD4045SCV 45 amp for the Progressive Dynamics Power Converter System, what I call the fuse box. It allows the proper Lithium charging. It’s $180.29 on ETrailer.     I think, I could be wrong, if I put in the new Lithium Batteries, add this part, I will be ok with my current Xantrex ProWatt SW 2000 for now. Also was told I had to change the solar charger for the 180 Portable Solar Panel I have. Will now research that. Thanks for letting me know if I’m on the right path. I really do appreciate it. I also hope another Ollie Owner who shares my lack of knowledge will get good info from all the great advice others are giving on this thread. 

[jd1923]

1 minute ago, Teaney Hull 292 said:

I think, I could be wrong, if I put in the new Lithium Batteries, add this part, I will be ok with my current Xantrex ProWatt SW 2000 for now.

There is nothing wrong with keeping your Xantrex. In fact, I sold mine to another Oliver owner who is very happy with it since his hull had no inverter previously. You can run everything 120VAC with your setup as-is except for A/C on batteries.

The other thing about a campsite installation is you need to have batteries disconnected, streetside bed and dinette seating out for many hours. I had batteries disconnected, beds and cushions moved into our house for 1-2 weeks!

[Teaney Hull 292]

JD, that settles it. No Xantrex install at Rally. Thanks

[Galway Girl]

1 hour ago, Teaney Hull 292 said:

Thanks. I’ll check out the plug in board possibility 

If your current PD4000 Charging board does not have the AGM/Lithium Jumper setting, the PD4000 Series Lithium converter upgrade board is available via E-Trailer.

Please check which original converter board you have....60Amp or 45 Amp.  (ours was 60Amp)
To upgrade your trailer if you have a 45Amp board, stick with the 45AMP LI plug in...if you have 60Amp board, then use 60amp LI version. (Safety for wires is important.)

This upgrade only takes about 30 minutes to complete.

Here's the overview link to the Progressive dynamics site that shows the lithium replacement part number.

https://www.progressivedyn.com/lithium-converter-replacement-units/

Snip from that page: 

 

 E-Trailer has both boards available.

45 Amp Version

https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Progressive-Dynamics/PD4045CSV.html?feed=npn&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_vMtnZsg_-Is9SAt6Ew5v33GB0V&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpem7gN-qjAMVpiytBh3oeBfeEAQYASABEgLqC_D_BwE

60 Amp Version

https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Progressive-Dynamics/PD4060CSV.html?feed=npn&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_vMtnZsg_-Is9SAt6Ew5v33GB0V&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIi-LJ9N-qjAMVY83CBB3qGQb2EAQYASABEgK0DvD_BwE

One big difference between the bigger victron or xantrex charger/inverters is that they charge the batteries at >120Amp output...so faster charging. But you spend a lot more for functions you already have in your trailer.

Often the simple path is often the best....with a simple plug in board upgrade and new LI batteries you'll be served for many years.

Craig

 

 

[CRM]

4 hours ago, Galway Girl said:

One big difference between the bigger victron or xantrex charger/inverters is that they charge the batteries at >120Amp output...so faster charging. But you spend a lot more for functions you already have in your trailer.

 

And this can be a deciding factor if you boondock with a generator. Depending on which PD convertor/charger you have you'll be running the generator 2x or longer than you would with a 120 amp Victron to top off your batteries. 

[Teaney Hull 292]

18 hours ago, Galway Girl said:

If your current PD4000 Charging board does not have the AGM/Lithium Jumper setting, the PD4000 Series Lithium converter upgrade board is available via E-Trailer.

Please check which original converter board you have....60Amp or 45 Amp.  (ours was 60Amp)
To upgrade your trailer if you have a 45Amp board, stick with the 45AMP LI plug in...if you have 60Amp board, then use 60amp LI version. (Safety for wires is important.)

This upgrade only takes about 30 minutes to complete.

Here's the overview link to the Progressive dynamics site that shows the lithium replacement part number.

https://www.progressivedyn.com/lithium-converter-replacement-units/

Snip from that page: 

 

 E-Trailer has both boards available.

45 Amp Version

https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Progressive-Dynamics/PD4045CSV.html?feed=npn&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_vMtnZsg_-Is9SAt6Ew5v33GB0V&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpem7gN-qjAMVpiytBh3oeBfeEAQYASABEgLqC_D_BwE

60 Amp Version

https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Progressive-Dynamics/PD4060CSV.html?feed=npn&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_vMtnZsg_-Is9SAt6Ew5v33GB0V&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIi-LJ9N-qjAMVY83CBB3qGQb2EAQYASABEgK0DvD_BwE

One big difference between the bigger victron or xantrex charger/inverters is that they charge the batteries at >120Amp output...so faster charging. But you spend a lot more for functions you already have in your trailer.

Often the simple path is often the best....with a simple plug in board upgrade and new LI batteries you'll be served for many years.

Craig

 

 

Thanks Craig. 

[Teaney Hull 292]

13 hours ago, CRM said:

And this can be a deciding factor if you boondock with a generator. Depending on which PD convertor/charger you have you'll be running the generator 2x or longer than you would with a 120 amp Victron to top off your batteries. 

Just so I’m sure, if I get the 60amp, instead of the 120 amp Victron, it will take 2x as long to charge them. Thanks for clarifying this. 

[CRM]

20 minutes ago, Teaney Hull 292 said:

Just so I’m sure, if I get the 60amp, instead of the 120 amp Victron, it will take 2x as long to charge them. Thanks for clarifying this. 

Approximately. 

Here's what AI spit out assuming 400 Ah of batteries at 20% SOC using a 40amp, 60 amp, and 120amp charger to bring batteries back to 100%. Also assuming that the generator could handle at least 1800 watts output steady for the 120 amp charger. 

40 Amps: 7.7 to 8.2 hours

60 Amps: 5.3 to 5.8 hours

120 Amps: 2.65 to 2.9 hours

[Teaney Hull 292]

20 hours ago, CRM said:

Approximately. 

Here's what AI spit out assuming 400 Ah of batteries at 20% SOC using a 40amp, 60 amp, and 120amp charger to bring batteries back to 100%. Also assuming that the generator could handle at least 1800 watts output steady for the 120 amp charger. 

40 Amps: 7.7 to 8.2 hours

60 Amps: 5.3 to 5.8 hours

120 Amps: 2.65 to 2.9 hours

Great info. Thanks

[Teaney Hull 292]

On 3/25/2025 at 8:46 PM, Derek B said:

Gary, I will be at the rally and would be glad to give you a hand getting the new batteries hooked up at no charge.
 

Would be helpful to determine whether you have the Xantrex inverter only or inverter / charger. If unsure post a picture and could help you identify. Also a pic of your current battery layout with good clear images of your current existing cables and connections. 

Derek, that is a very kind offer. Odds are, I’m going to get the suggested 2 230Ah Li Time Bluetooth batteries. In process of upgrading the Board for the Power Converter, the thing I call the Fuse Box, with part PD4045CSV to charge the batteries, or upgrade to the Xantrex 3000 with the built in Charger. It also charges at a higher amp. I’ll keep you posted as we get closer. I’ll be at site F27. FYI, I put the pictures of all the things in the storage areas. Not sure where it ended up in this forum. 

[jd1923]

On 3/28/2025 at 5:39 AM, CRM said:

Also assuming that the generator could handle at least 1800 watts output steady for the 120 amp charger.

We stopped using a generator after we sold our Class-C. As you know, we have the Victron Multiplus II 12/3000/120-50. The numbers translate to 12VDC output / 3000 KVA inverter capacity / 120A max charge output / 50A max AC input (shore power/generator).

I've had our charge output on the MP2 set to 50A ever since we installed ours last summer, and in our case we do not have a reason for faster charging. Specs for the 300AH Epoch Essentials show "recommended charge current" at 50A. Max charge current is 200A, so they could certainly take every bit of the 120A, but why is 50A recommended? Perhaps the lower charge is better for the life of the batteries.

With 600AH we can go for days, a week or more off grid, assuming no use of A/C. Given the SW skies cloud up for awhile (rarely except when caused by chem-trails🙁), we can eventually get low on SOC. Under 50% is rare, but I do remember one trip it got down to 20% and the red warning light was on the Victron Connect app! (I set this to 20%.)

What we did that time, and would do again whenever needed, is merely to stay one night somewhere with electric hook-ups. Plug into shore power and the MP2 is giving a full 50A to the batteries. At 20% SOC, down 80% on 600AH is 480AH to charge. Let's round up to 500AH (worse-case scenario). To re-coop this would take 10 hours to charge at a 50AH rate. We are going to check-in late afternoon say about 4PM, and even if you're the type to leave before the sun rises (not us!), you're going to be connected for 12-14 hours minimum. SOC is back to 100% HOURS before we would leave and we're good for another week.

I much prefer this to carrying a generator and extra fuel. You like to camp summers in the SE, God bless ya, get hook-ups because if you're running your generator all day you will get ugly looks from me and many others! Generators rules at campgrounds are generally no use after 10PM and boondocking in the SE is rare where you could be far enough away from neighbors to run a noisy generator and even worse, the awfully noisy Dometic Penguin II! 🤣

[CRM]

1 hour ago, jd1923 said:

We stopped using a generator after we sold our Class-C. As you know, we have the Victron Multiplus II 12/3000/120-50. The numbers translate to 12VDC output / 3000 KVA inverter capacity / 120A max charge output / 50A max AC input (shore power/generator).

I've had our charge output on the MP2 set to 50A ever since we installed ours last summer, and in our case we do not have a reason for faster charging. Specs for the 300AH Epoch Essentials show "recommended charge current" at 50A. Max charge current is 200A, so they could certainly take every bit of the 120A, but why is 50A recommended? Perhaps the lower charge is better for the life of the batteries.

With 600AH we can go for days, a week or more off grid, assuming no use of A/C. Given the SW skies cloud up for awhile (rarely except when caused by chem-trails🙁), we can eventually get low on SOC. Under 50% is rare, but I do remember one trip it got down to 20% and the red warning light was on the Victron Connect app! (I set this to 20%.)

What we did that time, and would do again whenever needed, is merely to stay one night somewhere with electric hook-ups. Plug into shore power and the MP2 is giving a full 50A to the batteries. At 20% SOC, down 80% on 600AH is 480AH to charge. Let's round up to 500AH (worse-case scenario). To re-coop this would take 10 hours to charge at a 50AH rate. We are going to check-in late afternoon say about 4PM, and even if you're the type to leave before the sun rises (not us!), you're going to be connected for 12-14 hours minimum. SOC is back to 100% HOURS before we would leave and we're good for another week.

I much prefer this to carrying a generator and extra fuel. You like to camp summers in the SE, God bless ya, get hook-ups because if you're running your generator all day you will get ugly looks from me and many others! Generators rules at campgrounds are generally no use after 10PM and boondocking in the SE is rare where you could be far enough away from neighbors to run a noisy generator and even worse, the awfully noisy Dometic Penguin II! 🤣

Personally, I won't go anywhere without my little Honda generator. Haven't had to use it yet but it's nice to know it's there in case of emergency. Can run the AC on it for 6-8 hours on just a gallon of gas. Not having solar installed yet is another reason I carry it, so I can top off the batteries in the unlikely event we're ever boondocking (wife hates it 😂). 

Also, I get that lower charge amps might extend battery life, but in your setup you're only charging each battery at 25 amps, not 50. To get to the recommended 50amps you'll have to set your charger to 100. 

 

[jd1923]

2 minutes ago, CRM said:

Haven't had to use it yet but it's nice to know...

Didn't I read @Patriot write something like this? Also, @Ronbrink or @MAX Burner might have commented the same. Who else is still carrying RV technology of yesteryear and rarely to never using it?

With 600AH LiFePO4 and 720W solar we're good for emergencies. I get it if you have no solar, but do get solar so you can loose the generator! We also carry 35 gal extra water in the TV for boondocking and emergencies. We can get stuck somewhere for days but TG this had not occurred! Chris loves boondocking, and we much prefer it to campgrounds and truly dislike RV parks (or worse "RV resorts" 🤣). More often than not, when we have hook-ups, we don't use them, and if we need to we charge up, fill water and dump tanks prior to leaving so we're good for another week or so.

I preferred adding a 400W solar suitcase vs. a generator, since we live SW, have mostly sunny days and rarely ever need A/C. We have only used the suitcase twice, so it is near the category of the rarely used generator, but no need for fuel and takes less space standing up in the TV. I can have it position the night before so it starts charging before we get up in the morning and it's on all day without bothering neighbors. WE move it to face the sun occasionally but not anal about doing so. Just other ideas to consider...

[Ronbrink]

2 minutes ago, jd1923 said:

Who else is still carrying RV technology of yesteryear and rarely to never using it?

I use mine to run the a/c at nights, as needed, which is often as we make our way to and from a far destination. In doing so, my house batteries get a boost, as well, with no solar. Although I can run the a/c on inverter for several hours, I like knowing we can stay comfortable in the event of a lengthy unplanned holdover. Happy wife, happy ‘travel’ life! 

[jd1923]

53 minutes ago, CRM said:

... in your setup you're only charging each battery at 25 amps, not 50. To get to the recommended 50amps you'll have to set your charger to 100.

I'm an engineer, certainly a numbers geek, and OMG! I never added this up before. 🤣

Yes, you are absolutely correct. The Epoch app displays total amps +/- and amps to each battery. This was taken on a recent winter day, snow on the solar panels and I plugged in after several days of this weather.

You can see +48.4A net charge to the batteries, with individual batteries receiving 22.8A and 25.6A (see pic). I should set our Victron to 100A charging and next time I'm down to 20% SOC we can recover in under 5 hours.

Edited Saturday at 08:01 PM by jd1923
Added picture

[jd1923]

2 minutes ago, Ronbrink said:

I use mine to run the a/c at nights, as needed

I get it. With home base of Houston or Tampa you guys have different needs. We will never come to visit you during the summer months!

[CRM]

52 minutes ago, jd1923 said:

With 600AH LiFePO4 and 720W solar we're good for emergencies. I get it if you have no solar, but do get solar so you can loose the generator! 

I will definitely be adding solar sometime next year.  My son will be going off to college and my wife and I will be hitting the road for a VERY extended period. Want to be ready for boondocking, which I know we'll have to do along the way, whether she likes it or not! In the beginning stages of planning now and will stuff in as many amp hours worth of batteries, and as many watts of solar as possible, but still crunching numbers and comparing all the other parts and pieces. I really just wanted to go all Victron since I love their monitoring system but when comparing the invertor function of the MultiPlus 12/3000/120-50 to the Xantrex XC Pro 3000 I found a substantial difference in wattage ratings as the temps climb. At 104 degrees and above the Victron de-rates much more than the Xantrex and it only has 1760 watts available for inductive loads while the Xantrex has 2400. Gets even worse at 113 degress where it's 1628 vs 2220. I know we'll eventually end up in some pretty hot places where we'll need to run the AC for a while and I want to be sure I can run it under those conditions, so for now I'm stuck on what to do.  Thankfully I have time to figure it out and make a decision.

Sorry to hijack your post, @Teaney Hull 292! I'll buy the first round next time! 

[jd1923]

35 minutes ago, CRM said:

I will definitely be adding solar sometime next year.  My son will be going off to college and my wife and I will be hitting the road for a VERY extended period. Want to be ready for boondocking, which I know we'll have to do along the way, whether she likes it or not! In the beginning stages of planning now and will stuff in as many amp hours worth of batteries, and as many watts of solar as possible, but still crunching numbers and comparing all the other parts and pieces. I really just wanted to go all Victron since I love their monitoring system but when comparing the invertor function of the MultiPlus 12/3000/120-50 to the Xantrex XC Pro 3000 I found a substantial difference in wattage ratings as the temps climb. At 104 degrees and above...

I've been amplifying the hi-jack but I imagine @Teaney Hull 292 got what they needed in 2 pages and we're all here for more questions from any and all members!

I would not worry about the 104F heat issue unless you plan to exterior mount your inverter in the sun! 🤣 Ours is under the streetside bed. It did get up to 104 during testing  August afternoons where we get pretty hot, when sitting in the sun. I installed the dual Beech Lane fan, like the one I installed in the fridge cavity. It pulls air from the streetside basement, all the way from vents I added in the bath, closet, etc. With the fan on 104F drops to about 88F, with A/C on and the interior about 74F.

Reason you want the Victron is you can run your A/C on generator with the Victron supplementing extra power from your batteries when the compressor is running and when the compressor shuts off your generator would be back to charging batteries. You likely know this already. Victron calls the feature Power-Assist.

Re your other comments, she may learn to like boondocking. We love where we can go where there are paved roads and campgrounds. More opportunities west than east. Oct we plan to park the Oliver on the edge of the North Rim!

If at a point where we truly want to run A/C on batteries, after we replace the Dometic with something efficient, a third 300AH could be in our future. Given you have the Honda, I do NOT suggest the suitcase addition. We rarely use ours and wish I had saved the $800+ for the suitcase, the Victron 30A MPPT, cabling, connectors, etc. I would certainly suggest adding 400W or as much as you can get on your rooftop. Our 2x 160W panels are now 10 years old. I wonder how efficient they could be. Given that and the flat mounting we usually only get +10 to 12A net charging rates (winter afternoon sun). The 400W Renogy suitcase will double those numbers, from a combination of newer panels and being angled towards the sun.

I'm looking forward to reading about your upgrade when you get to it! 😂

[Derek B]

7 hours ago, Teaney Hull 292 said:

Derek, that is a very kind offer. Odds are, I’m going to get the suggested 2 230Ah Li Time Bluetooth batteries. In process of upgrading the Board for the Power Converter, the thing I call the Fuse Box, with part PD4045CSV to charge the batteries

Gary, sounds like you got a plan. I have the same PD charger and inverter only Xantrex 2000. Upgrading the inverter to inverter / charger combo can wait. 

What I typically do is turn off the circuit breaker for the charger and let my victron solar charge controller handle the charging since it is programmable. If solar is not keeping up for whatever reason I turn on the PD charger for top off.

Will seek you out at the Rally to meet and check in on how your upgrade went.

[jd1923]

I installed the VE.bus (required addition to the Victron Multiplus providing Bluetooth when going without screen displays), connected by Ethernet cable, in the same basement area on top of the wheel well. I put it there since it measures temp and I wanted it near the top of the same area where our inverter/charger is installed.

The picture shows the "Detailed" tab of the app. You can see that today mine reads 69F and my Ruuvi sensor in the back trunk area shows 60F, which is about our outside temp today. The screen states Battery Temp because they assume you install it in the battery bay. 

So, the Victron is adding up to +9F on a cool day (hardly inverting and not charging at all since shore power is disconnected). Also, the cooling fan is off. BTW, these Beech Lane fans need resetting whenever power is disconnected.

Above I mentioned the VE.bus is required. This is only true if you are like me and do not want the other Victron toys and displays, just app connection. I also mentioned USB or USB-C which is wrong for this device. The VE.bus is connected by Ethernet only to provide Bluetooth access to the Multiplus. This VE.bus also allows you to turn the Multiplus ON/OFF, charger ON only, or inverter ON only.

There is an accessory you truly need for configuring the Multiplus. It's connected to the Mulitplus also by Ethernet port and at the other end of the device there's a short USB or USB-C cable to connect to your laptop. I have this sitting under the rear dinette seat but have not needed it since the original install. Though I believe I will need it again soon to up my batteries charge rate from 50A to 100A.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BNBVKSTH/

Edited Saturday at 10:55 PM by jd1923

[Derek B]

@Teaney Hull 292 there are 3 ongoing post on the forum right now about lithium up grades and I must admit I have gotten confused on what was said in each one.

What I haven’t seen in your post is mention of disconnecting the charge wire for you 7 pin connection. 

Just want to make sure you don’t miss that requirement when going to lithium.

It was discussed recently @tallmandan thread below,

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/10748-epoc-lithium-keep-it-simple-upgrade-advice/

[Teaney Hull 292]

2 hours ago, jd1923 said:

I installed the VE.bus (required addition to the Victron Multiplus providing Bluetooth when going without screen displays), connected by Ethernet cable, in the same basement area on top of the wheel well. I put it there since it measures temp and I wanted it near the top of the same area where our inverter/charger is installed.

The picture shows the "Detailed" tab of the app. You can see that today mine reads 69F and my Ruuvi sensor in the back trunk area shows 60F, which is about our outside temp today. The screen states Battery Temp because they assume you install it in the battery bay. 

So, the Victron is adding up to +9F on a cool day (hardly inverting and not charging at all since shore power is disconnected). Also, the cooling fan is off. BTW, these Beech Lane fans need resetting whenever power is disconnected.

Above I mentioned the VE.bus is required. This is only true if you are like me and do not want the other Victron toys and displays, just app connection. I also mentioned USB or USB-C which is wrong for this device. The VE.bus is connected by Ethernet only to provide Bluetooth access to the Multiplus. This VE.bus also allows you to turn the Multiplus ON/OFF, charger ON only, or inverter ON only.

There is an accessory you truly need for configuring the Multiplus. It's connected to the Mulitplus also by Ethernet port and at the other end of the device there's a short USB or USB-C cable to connect to your laptop. I have this sitting under the rear dinette seat but have not needed it since the original install. Though I believe I will need it again soon to up my batteries charge rate from 50A to 100A.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BNBVKSTH/

As always, good info. thanks