Really good video, there are a lot of videos on Victron products that are borderline unwatchable but this series is really good! ... Wish I would have watched this before I bought my BMV-712.
Thank you for this information. I decided to go with the Smart Shunt as using my iPhone or iPad will be easier than mounting the gauge somewhere. I am hooking it up to monitor my boat start battery that also runs my stern thruster. I also have solar panels that charge my house batteries using a Victron Solar Controller MPPT 10/20 that I monitor on my phone app.
Thanks Jerome, sounds like a good option to go with the SmartShunt, since you're already monitoring solar with the phone app! It can be a pain to mount that monitor and run the wire once your walls are in. Thanks for stopping in and leaving your thoughts!
New Subscriber here... thank you Ross. Definitely learned from this video. The diversity and flexibility choices of related equipment is like getting a sip from a firehose.
Hey David, thanks for the subscribing! Good to hear you got something out of the video. I understand, there are a ton of variables to consider with these power systems!
Thanks Ross, very helpful! As for which monitor, I'm leaning toward the SmartShunt with the additional temperature sensor as I'm planning on going with heated LiFe batteries in a cold climate, teamed up with a simple voltmeter. The voltmeter will give me the most basic info at a glance and the SmartShunt will give me the detailed info via bluetooth.
Hi Mark, that sounds like a great plan! The temperature sensor is a great pairing with the lithium batteries for cold weather operation as you said. I did not mention the voltmeter but I agree that that can be used as a rough gauge of remaining battery capacity. Thanks for stopping in, looking forward to seeing your new system!
The 712 display is worth every penny.. put it on scroll and leave the phone alone… not everyone sits around starring at their phone all day…secondly the blue tooth on the 712 send it’s signal about 4 times further than the smart shunt because of where it’s located………..the 712 is by far a better unit..
Hi Ross. Thanks for your videos. They are really informative and easy to follow and really help simplify the whole solar and Victron se up. I am going to buy a Victron system for our overland vehicle which we are building and was wondering if you need a shunt if you have the Gerbo GX or does that also do all the battery monitoring for you as well as everything else. I did watch your Gerbo video which was also super useful. Thanks
Hi Julian, great to hear you're getting a lot out of my videos! On the Cerbo/shunt question, yes you need a separate shunt (battery monitor) to plug into the Cerbo. It does not have that capability on its own. Either battery monitor featured in this video would plug into the Cerbo (SmartShunt or BMV-712). I would just get the SmartShunt since it doesn't have a screen. You'd just look at it on the Cerbo GX screen. Hope that helps, good luck with the project-
Ross, I have to say that watching your videos is really demystifying electrical for me. I've always been afraid of it because I didn't know a watt from a volt, positive from negative, and all those wires look scary!!! I can't say I feel super confident, but your expertise and ability to explain complex subjects make me feel like I am starting to overcome my fear of all things electrical!
Thanks Ree! I'm glad my videos are demystifying things a little. I think people are 'shocked' when I touch all of the live terminals and nothing happens. It shows that it's not as scary as it first appears. Thanks for tuning in, and I'm glad you're getting value out of these trainings.
Great video Ross! I really like the formula of your videos where describe the product, provide pricing/options, simple setup working demo or install, and your overview/recommendations. Can you do a video on the Victron GlobalLink 520 with the following components: - Smart BatteryProtect - SmartShunt - Ruuvi
Hey there, thanks for the kind words, I'm glad you're enjoying my videos! I have a GlobalLink 520 here, honestly bought it accidentally but you are the first one to request it. Will keep it in mind. I don't think it reads the Ruuvi tags though, which would only be picked up by the GX devices from Victron (or of course, separately on the Ruuvi app on your phone). I don't think the GlobalLink has Bluetooth - why it can't read the Ruuvi. Thanks for stopping in and for the suggestion - Ross
I just finished the wire striping flick, good job ... it seems simple but very useful info. Regarding the Victron Bluetooth shunt .... that tells the phone how much power left? I will be hooking up a victron 12 v 12 v charger and solar charger to two battle born 110 amp but not gotten to it yet.
Thanks for checking out the videos David! I'm glad you found the wire stripper video useful. On the Victron SmartShunt, yes it will send all of your battery stats to your phone, including your battery percentage remaining. Sounds good on the Victron DC to DC and solar chargers. Battleborn is great too. Good luck with it!
Great info Ross! I have the 712 with small monitor. Installed 2020. After using one year I find the screen handy for a quick look to confirm if I have any loads connected that shouldn’t be. The phone is handy to view if I’m outside or sitting up front but takes a bit to load each time so it isn’t as convenient for me as the gauge. At the time of purchase I didn’t know about the Smart Shunt and the larger screen available at that time seemed too expensive for what I needed. Now that I’m adding solar, a smart shunt with larger screen, capable on monitoring all functions would be the way to go. The 712 monitor would not be needed.
Thanks for the details! I can see how the addition of solar would possibly change your monitoring needs and make the investment in a GX device worthwhile. Good to know the gauge can be more convenient even with the Bluetooth available. It seems like higher tech is the way to go, but it's nice to just have something on the wall sometimes. Thanks for weighing in!
Ross, I want to monitor the midpoint of two parallel connected batteries. The instructions on the Victron smart shunt, or 712 monitor are the same, but unclear on how to monitor the voltage midpoint of two parallel connected batteries. Victron explains how to monitor the second battery, such as the starter battery of a vehicle. However, I just want to monitor the midpoint voltage of a parallel configuration power source, incase one of my batteries internal BMS trips off on low voltage discharge.
I have the BMV-712. Can I take off the circuit board and flip it over so the my side connectors will have access since I have the shunt so close to another object? You really have good videos. I have learned SO MUCH! Thanks
Hi John, great to hear you've enjoyed my videos! On the circuit board, I would be reluctant to mess with that as one side is to the batteries and one side to the chargers/loads. I would create some space between your components before messing with that if you can!
Hi Ross, We have a solar setup that includes Zamp charge controller that tells us the battery voltage. We use that to let us know how much we can use our induction cooktop, etc. What benefit would come from adding a battery monitor like the two here? Thanks so much for your great explainations!
Hi Deb, yes I didn't mention that but battery voltage can be used as a rough estimate of what's left in the battery. It sounds like you are making out okay using voltage as your indicator. As far as adding a battery monitor, I'd say it would just give you greater accuracy. It essentially measures every electron that comes or goes through it, and would give you a greater exactness about what you have left in your batteries. I guess it would come down to personal preference on whether you want that greater accuracy. Hope that helps!
Questions: I want to use a victron BMV-712 to monitor my starter battery. But the starter battery is capable of 1000amps or more way above the capacity of the shunt that comes with the BMV-712. So my questions are, will that hinder the torque output of my starter motor? Will that burn out the shunt? I really want a BMV-712 with a 2000amp shunt don't I? What I want is that victron dial (the black one) on my dash AND have full throughput for my starter motor. FYI I also have a 400amp alternator so I'm interested in how fast it charges my starter and the current is uses to do it with. This is why I am wanting such a seemingly absurd setup on my starter battery. Great video Thanks!
Hi, I was wondering. The Shunt is a resistor, if i buy a 500Amp shunt, will this one also act like a 500Amp current limiter? I will be installing a second battery which has a unload of 950Amps. I was thinking to install only a 6AWG or 4 AWG to the front for when needing to wire it to my main battery if this one is flat. I don't want to go higher then a 4AWG for weight and money saving. I know the nominal amps for 4 AWG is around 170A, ofcourse can handle more for short amount of time. But i just want to be safe and don't want to melt my cable.
Solid information, thank you. I presently have the Renogy monitor which is limited to the screen only, and i'm looking for a bluetooth connected. But i'm also wanting a history of consumption and it doesn't look like this particular setup can do that? What monitoring systems can capture usage history?
Hi Brent, for historical data logging, the two battery monitors shown in this video (SmartShunt and BMV-712) both show some history in the VictronConnect app. For world-class data logging, monitoring and control you can also connect to the VRM portal as shown in this video I just made: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hPF7ONi7Ow0.html In general you will need to upgrade the hardware you're using to access historical data and see what your system is doing over time. Thanks for checking out my videos.
I wish i knew this before i bought my gear. They sold me SmartShunt and now I see it would be much more convenient to have a monitor so I could check it without getting phone out. Is there any way to get the readings from SmartShunt to external monitor?
I think there is something that you may have overlooked. Using the Monitor allows you to install it in a location where Bluetooth reception is is optimal, such as inside your RV. If you locate the Smart Shunt in a remote exterior metal enclosure where the batteries may be, Bluetooth reception in the RV could be poor to non-existent.
I have not had any trouble picking up signals through the sheetmetal of vans. If I stand outside between vans, I will pick up all of the devices inside all of the vans around me.
Hi Ross, I don't think it's the shielding of the van that is the issue. Moreover it seems to be the close proximity to other electrical devices like invertors, AC and DC-DC chargers (which is where the shunt usually resides). Moving the Bluetooth transmitter away from potential electrical interference makes sense to me. Everyone will have a different setup so it may or may not be an issue. Thanks for the review :)
My Victron Smart Shunt will not transmit through the wall between my shop and my house, 15 feet distance. The Renogy BT-1 and the BT-2 units on my other devices cover the same distance just fine. I expected more from ''the best'' brand, Victron. As it is, the cheaper 500 amp Renogy battery monitor screen shows all parameters, voltage, amperage, battery amp hours, percentage charge, and estimated time left to charge or discharge. As it is, I set my Amazon $35 Pet Camera a few inches from the Renogy screen and can view it from hundreds of miles away on my cell phone. You don't need to scroll through the screen like the Victron requires.
Thank you Lindsay, yes the positive power wire from the battery monitor can connect to the battery being monitored. Great question, thanks for tuning in-
Would anyone happen to know the length of the RJ 12 cable I’m looking to monitor a battery bank in an outbuilding approximately 75 feet away can you be extended?
Hi Ross, great videos, thank you for making them. Does the smart shunt track and store data for current flowing both directions such that it can report "time remaining" like the BMV712 does? Is the puck on the BMV 712 just a display for data that resides on the BMV's shunt, or is the puck doing calculation and data storage too? Also, can the Cerbo Gx and Touch report 3 different voltages from 3 different battery banks using 1 smart shunt plus some other method of connecting to the 3rd battery?
Hi Keith, thanks for checking out the video! Yes the SmartShunt tracks in both directions, same as the BMV-712 to calculate time remaining and other stats. The screen of the BMV-712 actually has the "brain" in it that does the calculations, there is a very simple circuit board on the shunt itself for taking readings, but calculations and storage of data do not happen on the shunt. The BMV-712 or SmartShunt will report voltage for 1 main battery and 1 additional battery. You will need to read the Cerbo GX manual to see if it can read voltage directly through its 4 analog input ports. I'm not sure. www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Cerbo_GX/GX_Device_Manual-en.pdf
A little late i know but the 712 with its abilities as gen start control is certainly a plus .everybody else who reviews this glosses over this feature as well.
Question: So I had order & received yesterday the BMV-712. Going to return it for the smart shunt. Question is: Why the "Color control GX" over the "GX Touch 50" in your video? My Rig currently, LiFeO4 battery with upgraded coach converter/charger with intentions of solar in the near future. As you know there is ~$300 difference between the two.
Hey there, the reason I showed the Color Control GX in this video is because I did not have a Cerbo GX on hand when I filmed this. Either way it is the same concept, you can go with the SmartShunt if you're including a GX device in your system. The exact GX device doesn't matter as much, it whether or not you have one in your system. Also I will note (for others reading this) that the GX Touch 50 is just an optional screen that goes with the Cerbo GX. It doesn't do anything without the Cerbo. I see you mentioned a $300 price difference. That is not the case if you get the Cerbo and the screen. At that point they price out similar to the Color Control GX. Thanks for tuning in.
Just what I'm looking for as I replace the terrible cheap non MTTP solar system installed in my RV. One question I have, is there a device from Victron that I can use to send solar charge to my starter battery as well as the habitation batteries as after leaving my RV parked up for an extended period my starter battery dropped to 9.5v due to drain from the security system, and my habitation batteries were at 100% due to solar charging. My new solar controller is an MPPT 100|30.
Hi Stephen, great question, my solar used to charge my engine battery. If your rear system negative is connected to the chassis, you can run a positive line between rear system positive and the engine battery positive and the power will flow from high voltage to low voltage (rear batteries to engine battery). So your solar will charge the engine battery. You might put in a switch in the positive line (like the Blue Sea 6006) so this circuit is only live while the vehicle is in storage. Even if your solar charger is set for lithium this should be fine on your engine battery. Otherwise you can wire your security system to the rear system/batteries to eliminate that parasitic load from the engine battery. Hope that made sense!
Great video! Are both solutions compatible with a GX device? Sorry if you already mentioned that and I missed it. thanks EDIT: I rewatched and got my answer that the smartshunt has the connector on the shunt itself while the BMV has a connector on the back of the display for use with GX.
Thanks for tuning in Jason, glad you found your answer in there. They both work with GX devices as you said, but the SmartShunt is a little easier as its going to be close to the GX device and the cord connecting them can be shorter. Thanks for tuning in!
Since You looks very familiar - how this device handle battery lowering it’s capacity? How to handle it? Just imagine - i bought brand new battery and it have 100Ah so i declare it to victron and everything work perfect. But let’s assume i would like use my old battery - it had 100Ah new - now? It can have 60 or 50. How deal about that case? Does this shunt understand real capacity? On military batteries You charge / discharge and bms know real capacity and give real prediction even if full capacity is lower than when brand new.
Yes sir, here you go: MidNite Solar MNSHUNT BUSBAR amzn.to/3HZSmRG Blue Sea Systems 2127 250 Amp MaxiBus BusBar with 4 studs amzn.to/3UF7hZ2 Thanks for tuning in!
I have a bmv-700 +500A shunt + the Bluetooth Smart dongle that plugs to the back of the round display (to enable Reading on VictronConnect). I want to add a Cerbo+Touch50… How can I keep the Bluetooth functionality of the BMV if I have to remove the Dongle and replace it with a VE Direct cable? (To the Cerbo) Thank you for your videos!
Hey there, sorry but you'll have to replace your unit with a BMV-712 (easiest to swap out) or a SmartShunt. You'll need to discard the dongle and use the VE.Direct port to hardwire over to the Cerbo GX. The two models above have the Bluetooth built-in so the VE.Direct port is freed up for the Cerbo. Hope that helps, thanks for the question!
Hi Tim, yes with a VE Smart network the SmartShunt will share battery voltage, temperature, current, etc, with the Smart charge controllers over bluetooth. Thanks for tuning in!
You can view it all on the monitor. If it's not on there then click the gear icon in the app and then click display. They are listed as state-of-charge display and time-to-go display, you may need to toggle them on.
Hi Alan, yes I would still have one. The BMS will be your shutdown when the batteries are absolutely empty, but there's a lot that you need to know before that. You just need to know where your batteries are, so you can react.
Fantastic video, best I've seen explaining these devices. Q, I'm settng up dual batteries, 4x3.2v cells in series x 2, 12v setup each battery back (8x total) with its own bms and balancer. I have the BMV712 Shunt B1 connected to one battery, can the B2 be used to run to the second battery, or will it sell see both batteries as one?
The units are essentially the same, it just depends on whether you want a hardwired screen on the wall or whether you want to look at things on your smartphone. You’ll have to watch the video to decide! Sorry, there’s no right answer here. Either one works, it’s just personal preference.
Hi Ross, I believe the BMV-712 is for me because it's the one I have! I have a GX monitor as well and I really like it but if I remove the BMV-712 monitor I would lose the bluetooth capability, is that correct? I also want to find a shorter cord for my install since that connecting cord is quite long. Thanks for explaining the nature of the cord so I can look for a different one. Thanks for another well produced video with logical, easy to understand information on this device. I always learn a lot from your efforts.
Hi Kate, yes if you removed that BMV-712, you'd have to put in a SmartShunt to get your Bluetooth back. Do you ever check the BMV-712 screen, or do you just check the Color Control? Good to hear the RJ-12 cord advice was useful. Also I'm glad you found the video useful! I appreciate you tuning in.
@@rosslukeman Hi Ross. When I want a quick check I go to the GX Monitor. I do occasionally check the BMV-712 screen as well. These checks are usually driven by not wanting to wait for the Bluetooth connection to fire up or my phone is not close by. Every time my phone sleeps I need to re-wait for the Bluetooth connection to make a check. All that being said, I love having the Bluetooth interface.
I sold my smart shut and purchased the 712. I don't always have cell service and you need to have your location on or else it won't connect to my phone.
It is my understanding that the Bluetooth functionality is identical between the two different devices. Was this not your experience? The Bluetooth connection does not require cell service to function.
Hey Jimmy, yes you can turn off the SmartShunt Bluetooth by clicking on the SmartShunt in the VictronConnect app, clicking on the gear icon, and then clicking on the 3 dots and then "Product Info." There is a toggle switch icon that will disable bluetooth. You can also leave bluetooth on, and still send data to the Cerbo GX with a VE.direct cord. Hope that made sense, thanks for the question!
Hey David, good question. Typically a monitor's shunt will measure all batteries as a single 800Ah unit. The only way you would check on the individual cells inside each battery would be if that battery had Bluetooth. Voltage of all batteries would typically be very similar if they are connected in parallel, as they will balance out the voltage between them. So the voltage reported by the monitor would typically be very close to what each battery's voltage is. I hope that sheds some light on the subject! Thanks for tuning in-
@@rosslukeman I'm not looking to check on each cell in each battery, but rather the current capacity of each AGM battery in the bank. Is there a monitor that will cycle thru my 8 batteries?
Hi Tim, yes it still works without cell service. It's a direct Bluetooth connection with your phone, so as long as your phone is not in airplane mode, it will pick up the SmartShunt's signal. Cell towers not required in this case.
The Smartshunt's Blue Tooth distance/range is MUCH shorter than the [slightly] more expensive unit with the round screen. I have 2 Smartshunts installed, and one of the units with the screen. I won't be buying any more smart shunts ... because I want to see the Victron APP anywhere on my boat.
I hear people complain about the SmartShunt in 4WD dual battery setups. The effective range of the Bluetooth from outside a vehicle is only a couple of meters. If you get out of range with your Mobile/Cell phone you lose your collective total of Amps/Watts used and remaining. That's why I'm looking at the more expensive BMV-712 as the remaining AHs remaining is so important. Ross could you confirm that the BMV-712 retains it collective tallies as it's always powered with memory vs the SmartShunt where the tally is done on a remote Mobile/Cell phone and can be readily lost.
Hi John, great question, thanks for checking out the video. The truth is that both the SmartShunt and BMV-712 have the same electronics. The "guts" of the BMV 712 screen are just attached to the shunt of the SmartShunt. The phones will lose the Bluetooth signal after a few meters as you say (it will actually go a decent distance), but the information is calculated and retained at the SmartShunt or BMV-712 screen. If your phone loses the signal, you can just walk closer and refresh your screen and it will reconnect and the data is still there. One mistake I've made, where I've lost some data, is connecting the battery monitor (either one) to some type of 12V cutoff switch, where it goes off with my other 12V loads when I'm away and not using the vehicle. In that case, the battery percentage has reset to 100% when I turn the unit back on. It should be one of the few items that is connected to battery positive at all times, even when the vehicle is not being used. The drain is negligible. Hope that helps, thanks again for the question!
@@rosslukeman Thanks Ross appreciate your answer. It saves me Dollars by going with the SmartShunt and I don't need to hide the BMV-712 screen in a void as I'd default to the App in any case. Thanks also for the tip on the 12V cutoff switch. I'll skip purchasing the Victron Smart Battery Protect - Camp Load side - as it would defeat the tally on the SmartShunt. Now with the 4WD sorted and having saved a couple of hundred dollars I'm thinking I should just Order 2 SmartShunts and stick one in the Boat rather than put it on Charge before each Outing - it never ends!
