Victron component bluetooth capabilities on 2023 tab 400 boondock

Richard_R

The 2023 tab 400 comes standard with the Victron SmartShunt and Multiplus both of which are “Bluetooth enabled and can be configured or controlled with the VictronConnect app”. (All of this information is according to the manual.) However, while the app found the SmartSolar component without any issues, it cannot find the other two components. Thoughts? Suggestions?

On another related note (sort of), we’re out on our first extended boondocking adventure and the stock solar/battery system seems to be handling our modest power needs quite admirably, despite all the dings in the solar panel from a recent hail storm: fridge, minimal lights, minimal water pump, fans, phone/tablet charging, NBA playoffs (go nuggets!)…

pthomas745

This page from Victron says to check the "Devices" or VRM tab on the app.

https://www.victronenergy.com/media/pg/SmartShunt/en/configuration.html

elbolillo

Richard_R said:

The 2023 tab 400 comes standard with the Victron SmartShunt and Multiplus both of which are “Bluetooth enabled and can be configured or controlled with the VictronConnect app”. (All of this information is according to the manual.) However, while the app found the SmartSolar component without any issues, it cannot find the other two components. Thoughts? Suggestions?

On another related note (sort of), we’re out on our first extended boondocking adventure and the stock solar/battery system seems to be handling our modest power needs quite admirably, despite all the dings in the solar panel from a recent hail storm: fridge, minimal lights, minimal water pump, fans, phone/tablet charging, NBA playoffs (go nuggets!)…

Unless you have the 4 battery upgrade you will not have a smart shunt installed. 

KK1L

@Richard_R I have the single battery 2023 400BD and confirm the SmartShunt is not included. It is not difficult to add and will give you much more accurate information about the state of your battery. Before and after SmartShunt install below...

dsfdogs

You also don't have the Victron Multiplus without the four battery upgrade. You can unscrew the middle bed board and see what you have. 

Richard_R

Thanks for all the info. Where can I find the victron solar controller? Another thread said it was behind the drawer under the fridge but I didn’t see it there. 

BTW, after my optimistic comments about our power usage, our battery is now draining to zero over night with only the fridge running. On top of that my VictronConnect app can no longer find the solar controller. I’m working with nucamp tech but it’s pretty difficult with only sporadic cell signals out here in the middle of Utah. 

KK1L

The location of the controller is probably in with the Alde and pump under the driver side bed panel. Mine is under the fridge, but I have seen them in with the Alde on recent images from folks.

The fridge will take you down within two or three days without sunshine (that does not describe Utah however). It is really hard to tell the charge remaining without the shunt, but if the controller is in "float" mode, then it has sensed the current dropped nearly to zero and passed through "absorption" phase (not truly needed for LiFe4Po batteries, but part of the charge cycle nonetheless).

The solar controller is always connected to the battery even with the battery switch off, so that is an option to help get you back to charge without a load. Of course you would probably want to move your fridge stuff to a cooler

pthomas745

If you can, show us a screen shot of your Victron status and history page.  We can tell you quite a bit about what you are seeing.

Your fridge can use anywhere from 24-40 amp hours per day. We still don't really know what battery setup you have, or if your battery is "running down to zero" after...how many days?  One day? Two days?

So..tell us what battery setup you actually have.  How long have you been on the road?  Could you tell if your solar was actually working when you did have access to the Victron app and the controller?

Richard_R

Single 100 amp hour battery. Fourth day on the road. Solar collector seemed to be working exactly as it should on day two according to the output on VictronConnect. Day three morning: battery out of juice (down to zero, no power going to anything), VictronConnect no longer connecting. Battery fully charged by the middle of day three, at least according to the 4-dot control panel. Morning of day 4: rinse and repeat. I’d show you the history but that’s obviously not possible with no connection to the SmartSolar. 

elbolillo

Richard_R said:

Single 100 amp hour battery. Fourth day on the road. Solar collector seemed to be working exactly as it should on day two according to the output on VictronConnect. Day three morning: battery out of juice (down to zero, no power going to anything), VictronConnect no longer connecting. Battery fully charged by the middle of day three, at least according to the 4-dot control panel. Morning of day 4: rinse and repeat. I’d show you the history but that’s obviously not possible with no connection to the SmartSolar. 

I wouldn't put much confidence in the 4-dot control panel. Difficult thing to boondock on a single 100ah battery.

Travelin3D

If you have an inverter and it is turned on that, in tandem with the fridge, will run your battery down pretty fast.

pthomas745

@Richard_R thanks, that helps.  IF ( big if) the Battleborn lithium did hit the "low charge point", it may need to be "jump started".  This is still a bit unclear of when this happens for the info in the Tab groups, because things are so new. The Battleborn BMS is mysterious.

I will also say: this is why people should carry a multimeter.  We could see the battery status easily with one.

It is hard to say why the solar controller/Victron is not working.  It could also be concerned with the low battery state.

Check this page from Battleborn.

https://battlebornbatteries.com/faq-9-troubleshoot-batteries/

Richard_R

@pthomas745: a multimeter is definitely on the toolbox list. 

@Travelin3D: nucamp told us the same thing. We were using the inverter at times but it’s not clear at this point how much of a role that played. 

Gonna try a little experiment tonight — be back with the results when I can. 

pthomas745

@Richard_R we are all still learning here, so thank you for suffering for Tab Science!

KK1L

If you can turn on the Alde panel the service menu has a 12V voltage readout. It might be of SOME value.

KK1L

If you have not tried the BlueTooth connection debugging routine you should try it just in case. Hard stop the app (in Android long press the app icon, App info, force stop. Apple I have no idea). Go into the phone BT setting and forget the connection. Open the app and try connecting. If that does not work you can try depowering the controller by pulling the fuse at the controller (automotive style fuse on a wire pigtail), wait (30sec???), put the fuse back and try again. Dunno if this will help or not, but another thing to try.

Richard_R

Postscript # 1:

First, thanks for all the helpful comments. It was never really a disaster situation. Worst case scenario is we'd have to pick up a cooler and some ice and then revert back to our tent-camping routines, which we've been doing for decades. As it turns out, the battery drain was likely due to the inverter which we were using to charge a wifi hotspot back in the cubby by the bed. (Rant: why didn't they put a standalone 12V usb port back there? Next to the bed is where most people charge their phones/tablets. Rant over.) Also, I tended to keep the fridge cranked all the way up which may have contributed. I kept the inverter off, turned the fridge down a bit at night, and the battery maintained a good charge throughout the night. 

The VictronConnect app is another story. I've tried several things including pulling the fuse, but no luck. I've come across a few blogs/internet stuff (including a thread on this forum https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/196663#Comment_196663) in which it was necessary to pull the fuse AND put a blanket over the solar panel to eliminate any residual power coming in. I'll give that a try although it seems you should only need to temporarily disconnect a solar input wire on the SmartSolar unit to achieve the same thing.  

Oh, and BTW, we had an absolutely fantastic trip despite these little bumps! The BIG bumps on I-70 all the way through Colorado were a different story... 

pthomas745

@Richard_R there was a little more added to that thread you linked last night.  It is really hard to tell what the issue is with the app.  A FB member discovered that their solar controller was working and charging the battery even without being able to connect via Bluetooth to the app. 

Still not sure if pulling the fuse does anything to the controller for a "reset".  (It would seem it does not).  Pulling the cables is difficult because of the (Rant!)  insanely stupid way that almost every solar controller wires connect. (Rant over). And then: Nucamp puts them in an inaccessible place. In a video I posted in that thread there is one tiny comment about being able to have access to a fuse on the incoming solar cable from the roof that would do the job of taking the power from the solar panel away.  A TAG owner this morning says his installed solar had a fuse on the cable from the panels that he could reach.  I don't think this has been mentioned in the Tab threads here.

So, it seems: the controller works, but the bluetooth has shut down. To get the bluetooth restarted, power needs to be taken away from the controller, and controller restarted. 

Let us know if the "cover with a blanket" method works for you.

Richard_R

Thanks @pthomas745. In my case, the controller was definitely working, but the bluetooth apparently was not. I'll report back as soon as I get a chance to mess around with it.  

pthomas745

What would be really nice to know: does the controller still operate with the controller fuse pulled?  Or, is it only a "reverse polarity protection" device?