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Victron Energy’s lithium batteries are indeed designed to be durable and suitable for harsh conditions, particularly in marine and motor vehicle applications. Here are some key points that support this:

Designed for Marine Applications: Victron’s products, including lithium batteries, are specifically marketed for marine use. Their batteries and other related equipment like Battery Management Systems (BMS) are part of an optimal energy solution designed for the challenges encountered in marine environments​​.

Robust Battery Management System (BMS): Victron’s BMS is designed to handle critical aspects of battery management, such as preventing over-discharge and over-charge, which are essential for safety in mobile applications like boats and vehicles. The BMS also includes features like pre-alarm signals to warn users of imminent issues, further enhancing safety in mobile applications​​.

Durability and Efficiency: Victron’s lithium-ion batteries are noted for their durability and energy efficiency, which are crucial in marine settings where consistent power is vital. These batteries are designed to withstand the wear and tear of marine conditions, making them suitable for such challenging environments​​.

Advanced Design for Mobile Applications: Victron Smart Lithium batteries are not limited in charge and discharge current by an internal BMS. Each cell has a balancing module and a communications circuit, which can signal external circuitry when abnormal voltage or temperature conditions are met. This design is advantageous for applications requiring large amp-hour capacities and high charge/discharge currents, as often found in marine and motor vehicle systems​​.

Integrated Safety Features: Victron lithium batteries come with integrated safety switches and are designed to disconnect in cases of over-discharge, over-charge, or high temperature, which are critical safety features for batteries used in mobile applications​​.

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Ensure that the wiring from the house connection through the Multi AC-in and AC-out to the loads is consistent, with no crossed cable colors. It’s essential to verify that the wiring is correctly done. If you find any discrepancies, correcting these might resolve the phase rotation warning.

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The Cerbo GX is a part of Victron’s GX product family, known for its advanced monitoring and control capabilities. It serves as the central hub of your energy installation, connecting various system components like inverter/chargers, solar chargers, and batteries.

The Cerbo GX, running the Venus OS operating system, enables remote monitoring and control of your energy system through the VRM portal, GX Touch screen, web browser, or VictronConnect app.

It’s essential for ensuring all parts of your energy system work together efficiently​​.

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Yes, the VRM Portal is designed for real-time monitoring of your GX device.

Once your device is connected to the internet, you can access real-time statistics and system status online through the VRM Portal.

This feature enables you to keep a close eye on the performance and status of your GX device from anywhere.

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The VRM Portal allows you to remotely update the firmware of connected Solar Chargers and other Victron products.

This is a convenient way to ensure your devices are running the latest software without having to be physically present.

To use this feature, your GX device must be connected to the internet and accessible through the VRM Portal.

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Yes, the Cerbo GX is compatible with the GX Touch 50 & GX Touch 70 displays.

These touchscreens provide an instant overview of your system and allow for quick adjustments.

They feature a slim waterproof design and require no separate configuration. Once connected, they will automatically display the GX overview and menu controls. The screens are operated by touch and include settings like adaptive brightness and auto-off timers​​.

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Yes, you can reverse the polarity of an alarm relay configured in the Cerbo GX.

This is done through an additional menu, with the default setting being Normally Open.

Reversing the polarity to Normally Closed is possible, but be aware that it results in a slightly higher current consumption of the GX device.

This flexibility allows you to customize the relay functionality according to your system’s requirements​​.

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The AC-In PE ground (marked C) is where the protective earth for the AC input power is connected. Its primary role is to ground the electrical current coming in from your power source, such as the grid or a generator. This is a standard safety feature, ensuring that in the event of a fault, any excess current is safely diverted to the earth, reducing the risk of shock or fire.

The Primary ground connection M6 (PE) (marked F), on the other hand, is a dedicated chassis ground for the inverter. This connection is designed to ground the inverter’s own frame and internal components. It’s a direct safety line to the earth, intended to handle any internal faults that might occur within the inverter itself. By grounding the chassis, it ensures that the inverter’s metal case does not become energized if an internal fault occurs.

As for when to use these connections:

• AC-In PE Ground (C): This should always be used for grounding the AC input side of the inverter.
• Primary Ground Connection M6 (PE) (F): This should be used to ground the inverter’s chassis itself.

In many installations, it’s common to use both grounding points in tandem to ensure comprehensive safety.

The AC-In PE ground provides a path for fault currents from the AC supply, while the primary ground connection protects against internal inverter faults and ensures the chassis remains at earth potential.

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As of now, Victron doesn’t have any offerings in the high-voltage battery sector such as 48V, particularly for mobile applications. These are generally more relevant for the home storage market.

While I’m sure they are always exploring new possibilities in their R&D department, there are no concrete plans I know of at this time. to introduce 48V Victron Energy’s Lithium Smart Batteries

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While Victron initially developed a battery balancer for lead batteries, it’s less critical for lithium batteries because the individual cells ensure that the voltages are balanced within the block.

However, using a balancer won’t hurt.

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Just like with regular lithium batteries, it’s not advisable to mix old and new lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries.

Despite the inherent stability and safety of LiFePO4 batteries, combining old and new ones can still lead to problems.

These issues include imbalances in charge and discharge rates, reduced overall performance, and potential safety concerns. The older batteries might become over-discharged, while the newer ones could be prone to overcharging.

For the best performance and to ensure safety, it’s recommended to use lithium phosphate batteries that are of similar age, capacity, and from the same manufacturer.

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Firmware versions 110 to 143: These are designed for old microprocessor systems and come with Virtual Switch functionality. They are the earliest versions and are tailored for systems that don’t require the advanced functionalities provided by Assistants.

Firmware versions 150 to 199: This range supports Virtual Switch functionality and is unique in that it caters to both old and new microprocessor systems. This makes these versions quite versatile, as they can be used across a wide range of products.

Firmware versions 200 to 299: These versions are equipped with Assistant functionality and are compatible with both old and new microprocessors. Assistants allow for more complex configurations and are useful for systems that need a higher level of customization.

Firmware versions 300 to 399: This range is also equipped with Assistant functionality but is exclusively for new microprocessor systems. They offer the same advanced configuration options as the 200-299 range but are optimized for the latest hardware.

Firmware versions 400 to 499: The most advanced range, these firmware versions provide both Virtual Switch and Assistant functionalities and are only for the new microprocessor systems. These versions offer the greatest flexibility and customization options for the most complex and modern systems.

Firmware versions 500+: This latest series of updates introduces a variety of specific improvements and fixes, primarily targeted at new microprocessor systems. Key features include enhanced Solar/Wind priority mechanisms, relay testing improvements to prevent false errors, and specific fixes like addressing fan noise issues in certain MultiPlus-II models and connection issues in Quattro-II systems. While these updates are highly specific and may not introduce broad new functionalities, they are crucial for maintaining system reliability and efficiency in the latest Victron systems.

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Note that to communicate effectively with your configuration software, your Victron devices need to be powered with the appropriate voltage. Here’s what you need to know for each type of device:

• Multi/Quattro: These devices are versatile and can be supplied with either AC or DC voltage. This means you can power them up from a regular AC power source or from a battery or DC power supply.

• Multi Compact: The Multi Compact requires DC voltage. Ensure you have a suitable DC power source, such as a battery, to power up this device for communication.

• Inverters: Similar to the Multi Compact, inverters also require DC voltage. They convert DC power from batteries to AC power for use, but for communication purposes, they must be connected to a DC source.

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Here’s a detailed breakdown of the features within each main menu section:

General Settings:

• System frequency: This sets the output frequency of the inverter, typically at 50Hz or 60Hz.

• AC1 input current limit: Determines the maximum AC current the inverter will draw.

• Current limit overruled by remote: Allows a remote device to override the current limit.

• Dynamic current limit: Helps prevent AC voltage drops if a sudden load increase occurs.

• External current sensor connected: To be toggled on if an external sensor is used for monitoring current.

• Enable battery monitor: Activates the monitoring of the connected battery’s status.

• Battery capacity: Specifies the total usable capacity of the battery, important for accurate SOC calculations.

• State of charge when bulk finished: Sets the SOC level at which the charger switches from bulk to absorption phase.

• Charge efficiency: Factor to correct the charge efficiency of the battery system.

Grid Settings:

• Options like “Accept wide input frequency range” and “UPS function” dictate how the inverter interacts with irregular grid frequencies and power outages.

• AC low/high voltage disconnect/connect: These settings determine the voltage thresholds at which the inverter will disconnect from or reconnect to the grid to protect against voltage anomalies.

Inverter Settings:

• Inverter output voltage: Sets the voltage for the AC power output by the inverter.

• Ground relay, DC input low shutdown, and DC input low pre-alarm: These settings manage the safety and operation of the inverter with respect to ground faults and low DC voltage conditions.

Charger Settings:

• Enable charger: Toggles the charger function on or off.

• Charge current and Charge curve: Define how much current is used to charge the battery and the method by which the battery is charged.

• Temperature compensation and BatterySafe: Adjust charging based on battery temperature and implement safety features to protect battery life.

AC Input Control Settings:

• Conditional AC input connection: Manages how and when the inverter connects to AC input based on various conditions such as load and battery SOC.

• Settings like “Connect when load is higher than” and “Disconnect when voltage is higher than” allow you to set thresholds for managing AC input based on system load and voltage levels.

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Yes, a Battery Management System (BMS) plays a crucial role in managing and protecting battery packs, particularly in lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) and other lithium-based batteries. The BMS regulates various functions such as charging and discharging rates, voltage, temperature control, and cell balancing.

In the context of mixing old and new lithium phosphate batteries, a BMS can help mitigate some of the risks associated with imbalances in the battery cells. It can ensure that each cell is charged and discharged properly, helping to prevent overcharging or over-discharging of individual cells. This can be particularly important when there are discrepancies in the capacities or states of health of the batteries being used together.

However, it’s important to note that while a BMS can provide significant protections and controls, it may not completely offset the challenges of mixing old and new batteries. Imbalances due to differing capacities and internal resistances can still lead to suboptimal performance and potentially accelerated degradation of the battery cells. Therefore, even with a BMS, it’s generally better to use batteries that are of similar age and condition for optimal performance and longevity.