Swapping out overland MPPT for victron

[Jon R]

I know I’m kind if repeating what heinphoto said, but i wanted to emphasize that the BMV-712 and the Bluetooth dongle for your MPPT charger are separate and independent devices.

The shunt for the BMV is in the negative battery current path. All current in and out of the battery should be passing through the shunt so the BMv can measure and track it. There is a small wire from the shunt circuit board that you connect to your positive wire at the battery terminal or a bus bar that provides the tiny amount of current the BMV system needs to operate.

The Bluetooth dongle for the MPPT simply allows the MPPT charger to be controlled and monitored via Bluetooth on your phone.

Hopefully that helps a little.

 

[bwag]

I know I’m kind if repeating what heinphoto said, but i wanted to emphasize that the BMV-712 and the Bluetooth dongle for your MPPT charger are separate and independent devices.
The shunt for the BMV is in the negative battery current path. All current in and out of the battery should be passing through the shunt so the BMv can measure and track it. There is a small wire from the shunt circuit board that you connect to your positive wire at the battery terminal or a bus bar that provides the tiny amount of current the BMV system needs to operate.
The Bluetooth dongle for the MPPT simply allows the MPPT charger to be controlled and monitored via Bluetooth on your phone.
Hopefully that helps a little.

Makes perfect sense. I don’t have the shunt, just the BMV-712 and the ve direct Bluetooth dongle. My question is how to run/power both at the same time. The BMV-712 seems to be as easy as swapping out with the overland solar display. However if that is done, to run the VE direct Bluetooth dongle as heinphoto did you’d have to disconnect the display from the MPPT thus having the display go dark (no power supply to it). So to power the bmv-712 is the solution to hardwire power to it if possible?

Or would you have to include the shunt in order to run both items mentioned above which isn’t suggested in the link I included in previous posts.

I appreciate all the help.

 

[Jon R]

The BMV-712 consists of a shunt with sensing electronics, and a separate gage assembly that connects with a long multiconductor wire. If you only have the gage itself then I’m not sure what’s going on.

 

[ckent323]

bwag,

My BVM-712 came with a shunt. This is not the smart shunt and has no bluetooth built in. The BVM display has a small diameter cable that goes between a VE. direct connector on the shunt and a VE.direct connector on the display. There are small wires in the cable that supply power to the display from the shunt connections.

For completeness:

The SmartShunt is an all in one battery monitor, only without a display. Your phone acts as the display.
https://www.victronenergy.com/blog/2019/08/27/battery-monitors-and-monitoring-solutions/


I actually have a BVM-702 now in my boat (formerly in my camper) and a BVM-712 in my camper. Both came with a shunt and a cable to connect the shunt to the display. I had to buy separately a bluetooth dongle for the BVM-702 (I purchased it before the BVM-712 came out)

The MPPT Control display also has a VE. direct connector which in a manner similar to the BVM display allows it to be connected by a cable to any Victron MPPT Solar Charge Controller having a VE. direct connector built in.

https://www.victronenergy.com/panel-systems-remote-monitoring/mppt-control

I don't use an MPPT display in either of my solar systems, I use my iphone and the Victron App. One of my controllers has a bluetooth dongle and the other has bluetooth built in but they work the same as far as the Victron app goes.

I think the VE. direct cable is common to both the BVM and the MPPT displays, that is, it is not specific to the BVM display or the MPPT Display. However the displays are specific to the device, that is the BVM display is specific to the Shunt and the MPPT display is specific to the MPPT Solar Charge Controller.

So it is my understanding that in order to run both displays you need two VE. direct cables, a BVM Display, a BVM shunt, an MPPT Display and an MPPT Solar Charge Controller and then connect them appropriately.

BTW: The shunt would be connected to your battery negative terminal and should be very close to it (i.e. in the battery compartment).

https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Shunt_for_BMV7xx[1].PDF

This may all be a bit pedagogical and pedantic but it seemed to me when reading your comment that there was some confusion.

I hope this is both correct and helpful.

Craig

 

[Vic Harder]

I'm hesitant to jump in again and add to any stress/confusion. That said:
- yes, the display you are using now (the MPPT round display) will go dark. That's ok, you are removing it completely anyway and replacing it with the BMV 712 display.
- in the process of removing it, you will be unplugging a phone/ethernet type cable from the back
- the other end of that cable plugs into your MPPT controller
- The bluetooth dongle you are getting plugs into the MPPT controller instead, giving you access to the controls of the MPPT unit. You will almost never need to use that!
- The new round display is for the BMV. It has a similar "phone" jack on the back. The BMV also comes with a shunt, which is a do-hicky with a substantial hunk of brass in it, and some electronics. If your shunt/MPPT are in the battery box, the install is easier, because you will simply plug in the wire that used to go to the MPPT controller into the shunt, and the other end of that same wire (flat phone cord type) will plug into the round BMV display
- the new wiring parts include:
-- two small red wires that go into the BMV (instructions come with the unit) and from there to the battery. These wires provide power to the shunt and to the BMV display
- and some hefty big wires you will need to add because the shunt goes between the battery negative terminal and ground. What this means is that any and all wires that are presently attached to the -ve post of your battery need to come off of that battery post and get connected to the LOAD side of the shunt. A NEW fat wire goes from the BATT side of the shunt to the -ve post of the battery.

I hope that helps more than hurts!

V

 

[ckent323]

Spot on Vic,

However, bwg asked "... how to run/power both at the same time." which implied to me some misunderstanding of how these are each used and connected, hence my lengthy comment.

Never the less I suspect your comments on how to connect the shunt will be helpful.


;-)



Regards,

Craig

 

[bwag]

Not having the BMV-712 in my hands yet (I’ll get it Sunday) you both have helped it all make as best sense as it could. Can’t thank all of you enough and commend you on not only your knowledge but your patience.

 

[ckent323]

bwag,

Great. You should get a shunt and VE. direct cable along with the BVM display so I think you will have all you need.

Regards,

Craig.