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Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/50 with Bluetooth $414 Posted (Was $439) @ Muller Energy

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Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/50 with Bluetooth $414 Posted (Was $439) @ Muller Energy
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Store RepLMullerEnergy on 02/05/2023 - 23:56 mullerenergy.com.au (342 clicks)
Last edited 03/05/2023 - 11:07
OZB_100/50

I believe this is the lowest price in Australia, if it's not, please comment (given this is Ozbargain, that should go without saying 😉) and we'll see if we can beat it.
Please note that this is the SmartSolar with Bluetooth, not the BlueSolar without.

Given this is a 50A MPPT, it will give you an output of up to 700W for a 12V system and 1400W for a 24V system. And being 100V max input, allows you to connect two residential panels in series. You can of course connect multiple strings of one or two panels in parallel as well.
You can also overload the input side (as long as you stay below 100V), so you can get quite an affordable system with this MPPT using second-hand residential solar panels and still getting a very useable output.

Bluetooth Smart built-in: dongle not needed- The wireless solution to set-up, monitor and update the controller using Apple and Android smartphones, tablets or other devices.

VE.Direct- For a wired data connection to a Color Control panel, PC or other devices

Ultra-fast Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT)- Especially in case of a clouded sky, when light intensity is changing continuously, an ultra-fast MPPT controller will improve energy harvest by up to 30% compared to PWM charge controllers and by up to 10% compared to slower MPPT controllers.

Advanced Maximum Power Point Detection in case of partial shading conditions– If partial shading occurs, two or more maximum power points may be present on the power-voltage curve. Conventional MPPTs tend to lock to a local MPP, which may not be the optimum MPP. The innovative BlueSolar algorithm will always maximize energy harvest by locking to the optimum MPP.

Outstanding conversion efficiency– No cooling fan. Maximum efficiency exceeds 98%. The full output current up to 40°C (104°F).

Flexible charge algorithm– Fully programmable charge algorithm (see the software page on our website), and eight pre-programmed algorithms, selectable with a rotary switch (see manual for details).

Programming, real-time data and history display options- Modern Apple and Android smartphones, tablets, macbooks and other devices: see the VE.Direct Bluetooth Smart dongle and the MPPT app discovery sheet for screenshots.

Extensive electronic protection- Over-temperature protection and power derating when temperature is high. PV short circuit and PV reverse polarity protection. PV reverse current protection.

Internal temperature sensor- Compensates absorption and float charge voltage for temperature.

Electrical & Electronics Solar Charge Controller Victron

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closed Comments

  • Captain Cook on 02/05/2023 - 23:59

    Victron make good stuff

    • Spending2Much on 03/05/2023 - 00:19

      Challenge accepted…

    • Store RepMullerEnergy @ Muller Energy on 03/05/2023 - 00:36
      -1

      Unfortunately, there's definitely no way we'll beat that, that's a fantastic price but not obtainable to everyone (I just checked and even though I have Ebay Plus, I don't get the discount, perhaps I've already used it on something else).

      • battler on 03/05/2023 - 06:45
        +7

        ebay code is MAY15/MAY17, so it appears to be readily available to the masses, incl non-plus members

      • dingaling2 on 03/05/2023 - 07:42

        In all fairness, if Muller Energy listed the Victron MPPT on eBay it too would also have the eBay code bringing the price down even cheaper than the $385!

        Can say from past experience Muller Energy have often had the best prices for Victron Gear.

        • BLAIL on 03/05/2023 - 08:26

          How much of the discount code is absorbed by the seller? They probably can't absorb it.

          • dingaling2 on 03/05/2023 - 10:22

            @BLAIL: Good Question. Not sure if its an eBay fully funded discount or the seller takes on some of the cost.

  • tunzafun001 on 03/05/2023 - 01:00

    Why are these mppts 10x cheaper?

    https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/guangzhou-yanjian-maoyi-youxian…

    • RangaWal on 03/05/2023 - 05:46

      Because the Victron is good.

    • aargee on 03/05/2023 - 07:24
      +1

      Because that is a PWM controller and not an MPPT. (No matter what the title is on the site)

    • dingaling2 on 03/05/2023 - 07:39
      +1

      I will say from my personal experience because they are absolute junk. Bordering useless. They self-destruct under regular use, I've not had a cheapy last more then a few months. The ratings are hugely overblown, and they offer no management like the Victron's. The Victron MPPT's I've had survive lightning strikes and melted terminals from poor cable connections etc. You simple get what you paid for and if you want a reliable high performing system you got to go with a decent brand.

      • cakesyy on 03/05/2023 - 08:08

        Bullshit. I bought the victron. My mate has the cheap chinese stuff. Hardly any difference. Sure, his is more likely to break down, but he can by 3 and still save $100s. And maybe the victron is a few percent more efficient, but who cares?

        The chinese stuff doesn't have bluetooth, so you can't see how it is running, but is that worth $100s??

        I will but the cheap chinese crap next time. 3 of them for backup.

        His hasn't broken down after 2 years though.

        • dingaling2 on 03/05/2023 - 09:37
          +2

          Spoken like someone that really doesn't know anything about Victron stuff. If your using lifep04 cells for example you'll want to alter the parameters to charge the cells to a lower voltage and perhaps adjust the amount of time balancing will happen etc. You might want to add a battery temp sensor and prevent changing below 5c to prevent damage to lifepo4 using Victron smart network so all your devices can communicate with each other. And seriously dude you cant even compare the mppt performance between a Victron and a cheap Chinese solar charger!! Don't waste your money if you are talking about a proper setup. Otherwise, if you just want the basics and don't give a crap then go ahead and buy the cheap junk.

      • tunzafun001 on 03/05/2023 - 09:18

        Ok, sounds like the cheapies do the job, but the quality is inconsistant / a crap shoot. Might get a good one, might get a dud. Good point re monitoring (or lack of). Cheers
        Edit - Flickit below has probably nailed it.

    • Store RepMullerEnergy @ Muller Energy on 03/05/2023 - 09:26
      +1

      Horses for courses. I tend not to negatively comment on other brands, but the benefits that Victron has is that they are a high-quality device with excellent warranty support. We've sold hundreds (likely to actually be "thousands", I don't have the figures in front of me) of Victron devices, we've had three warranty claims, all in the same AC charger in the same manufacturing batch. So while this shows that they're not infallible, the general quality is extremely high and the replacement process was very easy.

      And while Bluetooth does seem like a bit of a gimmick to some, it can be very helpful for troubleshooting and making sure you're maximising your solar input.

  • UsernameChecksIn on 03/05/2023 - 01:31

    Similar style to previous posts

    What have you done with Ruben!

    • Store RepMullerEnergy @ Muller Energy on 03/05/2023 - 09:19

      I'm still here, just with a proper company Ozbargain account.
      Though soon another team member will take over "Ozbargain duties", but I'll still be available to answer any technical questions. 🙂

  • FLICKIT on 03/05/2023 - 08:07
    +2

    I must admit, I've been converted, I'm a bit of a Victron fanboy now…

    I installed a 75/15 Smartsolar and SmartShunt on my campervan a while back, surprisingly I get a lot more juice out of my panels now… Previously I used a cheap MPPT, and then a not-so-cheap name brand combo DCtoDC+MPPT, they worked but they must have been a lot less efficient, and they were next to useless in low-light…

    Also love the Victron Bluetooth monitoring, it works very well, trouble free…

    If you're just doing weekend camping trips and such you can probably cheap out on gear but if you rely heavily on solar and battery power it's well worth investing in decent gear….

  • db2k on 03/05/2023 - 08:45

    Will this be best suited for a EV system + battery setup? What about for stand alone 6.6kW panels with 5kW inverter EV system? Also does it need just 1 RCBO?

    • Store RepMullerEnergy @ Muller Energy on 03/05/2023 - 09:18
      +1

      In short, no.
      EVs tend to have a very high voltage (say 400V) in order to keep the size of the conductors down, given that a higher voltage means a lower current for the same power and they can put out over 100kW.
      Where this MPPT is used, you probably wouldn't be drawing much more than 5kW (just as a point of reference, a residential appliance can only draw a maximum of 2300W).

      You do mention a 5kW EV though, so I'm assuming you're not talking about a proper car? You could theoretically attach 6.6kW to this, but it's not really advisable as you'd have a lot of losses.
      As for the RCBO, it really depends on what voltage and current you're running and the rest of the system. I personally prefer staying in ULV DC and running fuses.

      Should you want to have a proper chat, feel free to give me a call on 0493 274 334.

      • tunzafun001 on 03/05/2023 - 09:37

        Swing and a miss mate.

        Most home 'chargers' (EVSE's) are simple 6 - 32A 240v AC outlets. They arent chargers at all. Think of them as a normal extension chord with safety coms built into a fancy plug. The actual charger/ DC converter is built into the car. So all you need is a 240v AC source.

        You would want a minimum 2400 watts (to factor in clouding) to give a consistant say 8Amp charge (approx 2000 watts). This puts you at around 167Amps at 12v.

        Not really practical. At 24v 84amps..getting closer. But still fat expensive cabling. Not really practicle.

        But ideally a normal off grid capable 240v home inverter would be better (look for a Hybrid inverter that will run from a battery/ off grid). Can then feed in standard 36v panels × 7 etc and get back down to 15 -32 amp cabling.

        P.S. the 50kw+ chargers (which are chargers) are all straight DC outputs.

        • Store RepMullerEnergy @ Muller Energy on 03/05/2023 - 09:48

          I wasn't talking about the AC side, but the DC battery voltage, assuming (possibly incorrectly) that db2k was asking about charging the vehicle battery directly rather than going from the solar DC to the MPPT to 12V or 24V, to then invert it to 230V and then have it converted to ~400V. It's generally advisable to have as few steps as possible as each step has losses.

          I do agree with you that depending on what exactly the desired outcome was, it would be better going to AC and not taking the step in between to go to 12/24V. Or if feasible, directly to a higher DC voltage (as I alluded to in the post above and you also mention), but doing that would likely be much more expensive and I'm not sure if there's even an off-the-shelf product that does this.

          • tunzafun001 on 03/05/2023 - 10:38
            +1

            @MullerEnergy: Basically zero chance of going DC direct. You need canbus protocols/ handshakes to actuate the DC contactor.
            Short of having 3 phase input and spending some serious coin, all home charging will be AC.

            • Store RepMullerEnergy @ Muller Energy on 03/05/2023 - 10:43

              @tunzafun001: I'm not disagreeing with you that it would be very difficult. You could theoretically connect directly to the battery, but given the voltage, this would obviously be extremely dangerous and not advisable. Plus it would not be legal without an electrical license and might screw up things like SOC.

              I think we can definitely agree that the original answer as to whether the MPPT can be used to charge an EV is a "No" though, right?

              • tunzafun001 on 03/05/2023 - 10:50

                @MullerEnergy: Yep, agree there (unless going with a minimum 48v setup). Still gets mucky with panel voltages.

                As for a direct connection (assuming you dont kill yourself or burn the car to the ground) would also void insurance etc.

                Just to educate others, as you say… If you follow the path of solar charging from an AC coupled home battery (like a Tesla Powerwall)

                DC -> AC -> DC-> AC -> DC (uses a bit more solar due to conversion losses..maybe 3 -9% each step). The government dont realise this.

                Hence the suggestion for a Hybrid Inverter (DC coupled). So I think this is the best solution to the persons question.

                DC -> AC -> DC

  • Helios504 on 03/05/2023 - 09:10

    Do you think you could run this directly connected to your batteries while another regulator is also still connected? My Jayco has a BMPro J35A BMS which doesn't support external solar input. Curious if these would both work together rather than replacing the whole BMS.

    • Store RepMullerEnergy @ Muller Energy on 03/05/2023 - 09:30

      From the Victron's perspective, there's absolutely no problem. I'm almost certain that the BMPro would be fine with it as well, as all it sees is a voltage and can't ascertain if it's from the battery or another source, but as I haven't used one before, I can't guarantee that it will work without a hitch. It's extremely unlikely to do any damage though.

      • dingaling2 on 03/05/2023 - 10:21

        Yep agreed. The solar chargers are just going off voltage for feedback and act accordingly. I run 2x Victron MPPT's on one of my packs no issues.

  • Dadda on 03/05/2023 - 10:27

    Could this be used with a wind turbine?

    • Store RepMullerEnergy @ Muller Energy on 03/05/2023 - 10:33

      While it should work (assuming DC and under 100V), it's not officially supported and may not be warranted. But you wouldn't have a braking function, which I believe some wind turbines may require in high wind.

  • auozb on 04/05/2023 - 02:13

    Hi OP,

    how does it compare to Renogy REGO 12V 60A 100V MPPT Solar Charge Controller with BT & 5 year warranty?
    https://au.renogy.com/rego-12v-60a-mppt-solar-charge-control…

    Price is about the same, but I'm more interested in features, quality and ease of use?

    • FLICKIT on 04/05/2023 - 08:17

      I believe Renogy don't really make anything, they just throw their name on cheap crap, they're more a marketing company than anything else, they're only popular because they give free gear at online influences… I haven't used their BT but I assume it would be like most other Chinese BT apps, buggy and barely works….

      "At about the same price" you would be mad to pick Renogy over Victron, lol….

    • Store RepMullerEnergy @ Muller Energy on 04/05/2023 - 09:30

      I have not used this particular Renogy MPPT, so I can't comment on it too much, but I have used some other Renogy inverters and DCDC converters.

      My general view is that they're reasonable value for money, but not really in the same league as the Victron (this is most evident with the inverters, but there is quite a price difference there too).

      What is a little bit odd is that all the pictures in your link aren't photos, but 3D CAD renders. Definitely not necessarily a bad thing, but rather unusual.

      The Victron can also do 24V, but if you're simply looking at 12V systems, that may not be important to you. The Victron can also connect to other devices (I see the Renogy has CAN buses, so at least in theory, it can too). I can say that the Victron is very high quality and you can overload it on the solar side (as long as you stay under 100V), whereas the Renogy states it's limited to an input of 800W. This means that you could connect, say 2000W of solar, so that during winter you still have a decent power output. For off-grid solar, you're often not designing for sunny days during sommer, but to ensure that you still have sufficient solar output when the weather isn't fantastic. In my opinion, you can really only ensure this by oversizing the input side.

      As FlickIt said below, Renogy seems to source other manufacturers' products and put their logo on it. But at the same time, I haven't seen this MPPT floating around on Alibaba.

      It's a bit of a personal choice, I would definitely prefer the Victron, but likely the Renogy would be okay.

      • FLICKIT on 04/05/2023 - 15:59

        not really in the same league as the Victron (this is most evident with the inverters, but there is quite a price difference there too).

        I purchased one of the cheapie Renogy inverters, $170 for 1000w, can't really complain, just need to be mindful at that price it's barely above the bottom of the barrel and if it was run at 1000w it probably wouldn't last long.. I tested it at around 400w for quite a few hours cycling a new Lithium battery, it seemed to handle it ok but it got fairly warm, I imagine if it was run at 1000w it would get stinking hot… The cables that came with the inverter were crazy light, I assume either they're not the claimed 25mm2, or they're an aluminium conductor, at the price I guess you cant really expect copper…

        I only needed it for running a 300w e-bike charger occasionally, I really couldn't justify spending more…

        Renogy have quite a bad reputation when it comes to support and warranty so I'm not too sure I'd put much faith in their claimed 5-year warranty on some things… With this inverter it was cheap enough that I figured I'd just throw it away if it died after the eBay/Paypal protection expired…

        RE. the Renogy BT app, lol, the reviews say it all:
        https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bt.renogy&…

        • AssociatedRubenM @ Muller Energy on 04/05/2023 - 22:11

          I can relate to that.
          I melted the heatshrink(!) off my Renogy inverter cables when running it at full capacity. They really should have spent the extra $5 and gotten better ones!

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