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Victron Energy BMV-712 Smart Battery Monitor


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A few questions for people that have this device.

What different items does the system monitor?

The device can be monitored with a blue tooth connection on a smart phone. Do you need a cell connection or a WiFi connection to monitor on your cell phone?

Do you just power the device with 2 wires (+ and -?) and what size wiring is necessary? 

Thanks

2018 Oliver Elite II, Twin Bed, Hull #354 

2024 RAM 1500, 4 x 4; Gas. 5.7L V8 Hemi MDS VVT Torque; 3.21 rear axle ratio

Maine 

 

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Most use the 712 to monitor the total flow to/from their batteries.  You only need BT - no cell or WiFi.  It's the easiest way to know what's happening in your Ollie.  Turn on something and you can watch the flow from the batteries change.  Soon, you'll be much more knowledgeable about your energy use.  I wouldn't want to be without a 712.

Charlie.

Note: it's the black thing in the picture with the negative leads running through it.

20211106_182432.jpg

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ALAZARCACOCTDEFLGAHIIDILINIAKSKYLAMEMDMA

Arizona | 2020 Oliver Elite II Twin bed Hull #617 | 2021 Ram 1500 e-Hemi 4x4

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Right on Charlie!

These 2 links will probably answer your questions.

And your phone does not a SIM card for Bluetooth to work.  I used an old cell phone with my BMV-712 Smart for a year or so.  I never really used the included display, as it was mounted below the rear dinette seat.  The Smart Shunt was not available at the time I purchased mine, but that is what I would buy if I did not need or want the display.

Don’t hesitate to ask if you have additional questions.

Mossey

https://www.victronenergy.com/battery-monitors/smart-battery-shunt
https://www.victronenergy.com/battery-monitors/bmv-712-smart

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Mike and Krunch   Lutz, FL  
2017 LEII #193 “the dog house”

 

 

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19 hours ago, CnC said:

Most use the 712 to monitor the total flow to/from their batteries.  You only need BT - no cell or WiFi.  It's the easiest way to know what's happening in your Ollie.  Turn on something and you can watch the flow from the batteries change.  Soon, you'll be much more knowledgeable about your energy use.  I wouldn't want to be without a 712.

Charlie.

Note: it's the black thing in the picture with the negative leads running through it.

20211106_182432.jpg

"...Note: it's the black thing in the picture with the negative leads running through it..."

The "black thing" shown in your picture is the shunt that is included with Victron 712 monitor. The shunt measures the real-time voltage of your battery system as well as the current draw. The 712 battery monitor uses these measurements to calculate the state of charge, power consumption, estimated remaining runtime, and other beneficial information about your battery system.

With the 712 monitor, you don't need Bluetooth unless you just like using a app on your phone instead of simply looking at the direct readout on the 712.

Steve, Tali and our dog Rocky plus our beloved Storm, Maggie, Lucy and Reacher (all waiting at the Rainbow Bridge)

2008 Legacy Elite I - Outlaw Oliver, Hull #026 | 2014 Legacy Elite II - Outlaw Oliver, Hull #050 | 2022 Silverado High Country 3500HD SRW Diesel 4x4 

 

             801469912_StatesVisitedTaliandSteve08-23-2021-I.jpg.26814499292ab76ee55b889b69ad3ef0.jpg1226003278_StatesVisitedTaliandSteve08-23-2021-H.jpg.dc46129cb4967a7fd2531b16699e9e45.jpg

 

 

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@CnC: Hey, Charlie:  I'm liking your battery cut-off/isolation switch set-up!  Nice one!

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Art, Diane, Oscar & Magnus (double-Aaarrf!)

  • 2022 TUNDRA w/Airlift Load Lifter 5000 kit/2017 LE II; Hull #226 "Casablanca", 12VDC Starlink kit, 3x Battle Borns; Victron Cerbo GX, SmartShunt, MPPT Solar Controller, & DC-DC Charger; HAM call-sign:  W0ABX
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4 hours ago, ScubaRx said:

With the 712 monitor, you don't need Bluetooth

Well, our first and our second Victron 712 monitors were not Bluetooth enabled, so we had to drill and mount the thing in a manner that allowed us to monitor it and make changes.  Neither one of the mounts were especially attractive - even to a techie.  We found the digital monitor screen hard to read unless you readily understand the abbreviated language of digital displays.  And, making program changes were a real challenge.

No, you don't need Bluetooth, but with it, one can mount the unattractive 712 monitor where the sun doesn't shine.  It's easy - our third and present 712 monitor lives under the Ollie's dinette seat.  Monitoring it via Bluetooth is quick, simple and can be done from anywhere nearby - that's important when you're switching things on/off to see how much energy it draws.  Most importantly, making edits to the program via Bluetooth is Sooooo simple.

So, while it's true that you don't need Bluetooth, anything and everything I buy will probably have it.  The Ollie is an exception, but that too will soon have Siri, Google or Alexa integrated into it's systems.  Ask ChatGPT what it thinks 😉

Charlie.

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ALAZARCACOCTDEFLGAHIIDILINIAKSKYLAMEMDMA

Arizona | 2020 Oliver Elite II Twin bed Hull #617 | 2021 Ram 1500 e-Hemi 4x4

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3 hours ago, MAX Burner said:

Hey, Charlie:  I'm liking your battery cut-off/isolation switch set-up!

Art, I cleaned and used industrial double-sided tape on the battery surfaces.

Charlie.

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ALAZARCACOCTDEFLGAHIIDILINIAKSKYLAMEMDMA

Arizona | 2020 Oliver Elite II Twin bed Hull #617 | 2021 Ram 1500 e-Hemi 4x4

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18 hours ago, CnC said:

Well, our first and our second Victron 712 monitors were not Bluetooth enabled, so we had to drill and mount the thing in a manner that allowed us to monitor it and make changes.  Neither one of the mounts were especially attractive - even to a techie.  We found the digital monitor screen hard to read unless you readily understand the abbreviated language of digital displays.  And, making program changes were a real challenge.

No, you don't need Bluetooth, but with it, one can mount the unattractive 712 monitor where the sun doesn't shine.  It's easy - our third and present 712 monitor lives under the Ollie's dinette seat.  Monitoring it via Bluetooth is quick, simple and can be done from anywhere nearby - that's important when you're switching things on/off to see how much energy it draws.  Most importantly, making edits to the program via Bluetooth is Sooooo simple.

So, while it's true that you don't need Bluetooth, anything and everything I buy will probably have it.  The Ollie is an exception, but that too will soon have Siri, Google or Alexa integrated into it's systems.  Ask ChatGPT what it thinks 😉

Charlie.

Sorry, I didn't realize there was ever a BMV-712 that did not have built-in Bluetooth. At any rate they all do now.

At present, the BMV monitors consist of products with BMV-7 in the model name. Below I list the various current models. hopefully this will assist you to be sure you choose the right one for your application and budget.

Except for the BMV-700H they all have a voltage range of 6.5V – 95V and they all can handle 1 – 9999 Ah battery banks.

The models below, except as noted, are without Bluetooth built-in and I collectively refer to them as the BMV-700 series.

BMV-712 Smart (Bluetooth built-in, with Auxiliary input) This is Victron's latest model.
BMV-702 (with Auxiliary input)
BMV-702 (Black Face, with Auxiliary input)
BMV-700 (This is the base model)
BMV-700H (high voltage version - 60V – 385V)

The **2 in the product name refers to the fact this product features a second input which can be programmed to measure the voltage (of a second battery, or battery temperature, or midpoint voltage.)

I am starting from scratch installing a complete new system in our truck to run our Dometic CFX3 75DZ refrigerator. I didn’t particularly care whether it was Bluetooth or not, but I chose the BMV-712 Smart because it came with a shunt, which you have to have for any battery monitoring system (it is my understanding that a 500A/50mV shunt, fitted with a quick connect PCB is now part of every BMV-700 series monitor product package.) I actually find the BMV-712 Smart monitor to be quite attractive with its included separate front bezel for a square or round display appearance, a securing ring for rear mounting and screws for front mounting.

So, if you are looking to update your existing system that has no decent monitoring capability (think Zamp) you will need to replace your solar charge controller. Also, if you think that it would be advantageous to have monitoring capability (it would) you’ll need a shunt and a way to monitor it. For monitoring, I’d chose one of the above models from the BMV-700 series.

But, if you don’t want the expense and trouble of a large solar refit or just can’t go on living without Bluetooth capability, then you could just add a Victron SmartShunt, an all in one battery monitor, only without a display. Your phone acts as the display which connects via Bluetooth to the Victron Connect app so you can conveniently read out all monitored battery parameters, like state of charge, time to go, historical information and much more. Personally, I want to be able to glance at a wall mounted monitor and know everything I need to know. I don't want to have to pull out my phone, find the app, start the app... you know the drill. The SmartShunt is an alternative for a BMV-700 series battery monitor, especially for someone that desires less wiring. It is is equipped with Bluetooth, a VE.Direct port and a connection that can be used for all the same things the monitors can do. 

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Steve, Tali and our dog Rocky plus our beloved Storm, Maggie, Lucy and Reacher (all waiting at the Rainbow Bridge)

2008 Legacy Elite I - Outlaw Oliver, Hull #026 | 2014 Legacy Elite II - Outlaw Oliver, Hull #050 | 2022 Silverado High Country 3500HD SRW Diesel 4x4 

 

             801469912_StatesVisitedTaliandSteve08-23-2021-I.jpg.26814499292ab76ee55b889b69ad3ef0.jpg1226003278_StatesVisitedTaliandSteve08-23-2021-H.jpg.dc46129cb4967a7fd2531b16699e9e45.jpg

 

 

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Here's a very thorough comparison of the Victron battery monitors from the aforementioned Nate Yarborough.

 

18 hours ago, CnC said:

The Ollie is an exception, but that too will soon have Siri, Google or Alexa integrated into it's systems

I added a cellular router in our attic to use with an AppleTV. I had an unused Alexa Echo Dot, so I converted it to 12V and Velcro'd it to the back of the TV. 

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Steve - Northern Ohio, USA
Wandering around on occasion, always lost.
2021 Toyota Land Cruiser - 2023 Oliver Elite II Twin Hull #1360 “Curiosity”
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Camped in Curiosity = Green —— Visited with Curiosity = Gray

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2 minutes ago, Steve Morris said:

I added a cellular router in our attic to use with an AppleTV. I had an unused Alexa Echo Dot, so I converted it to 12V and Velcro'd it to the back of the TV. 

Nice!

Charlie

ALAZARCACOCTDEFLGAHIIDILINIAKSKYLAMEMDMA

Arizona | 2020 Oliver Elite II Twin bed Hull #617 | 2021 Ram 1500 e-Hemi 4x4

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