BINGO!
A caveat, Torben and anyone else reading this thread…
Since I installed the Orion XS in place of the K120, I no longer get charging voltage to the start battery when plugged into shore power. The Orion XS is a one-way device.
My plan going forward is this…
I’m going to get the Titan 150ah sooner rather than later because on our current road trip, the 95ah agm (2023) is only good for about 24h without a heavy load. (We’ve only had the van a year and I don’t think the previous owner was too diligent with battery management and it probably suffered too many deep discharges.)
The Blue Smart IP22 is going where the Dometic is but I’ll have to make some modifications to the reefer compressor mount where the rear seat electric plug is. The IP22 is about 7mm too thick and I already have it. If there’s a smaller smart charger out there that will fit, that would be much easier. I’ll also have to pull a pair of 6mm2 wires from the charger to the left side seat/service battery. This and the reefer mount mod will be the hardest part of the project.
Once the IP22 is in place, I’ll put a Votronic standby charger Pro under the right seat to charge my start battery when plugged into shore power. (This will also enable the start battery to be charged if/when we install solar. Solar might not be needed with the Orion XS and the Titan lifepo4.) With the Votronic trickling in 4-5a while on shore power, we should be able to play music with no worries. I’ll have to monitor the start battery voltage while listening to music with the onboard sound system and not plugged in.
I already pulled a pair of 6mm2 wires from under the left to the right seat for the Votronic install. Wasn’t easy but I routed the cable from the seat box, aft to under the between seats air vent. Be careful removing it as there are a couple hidden torx15 screws holding it in. There’s plenty of space in the compartment behind the start battery with the small auxiliary battery.
With the SmartShunt, I currently have only the power supply wire connected. It monitors voltage of the service battery. I didn’t pull one across to the start battery because I can read its voltage from the Orion XS “input” voltage. I’ll replace that with the Victron BMV-712 temp sensor. This provides power to the smartshunt and vital temperature info. The space under the left seat with the Orion XS and eventual Titan battery is super tight and the BMV-712 will throttle back the Orion’s output if things get too hot in there.
I’ll try to document the project and share with the forum. We’re going to do the North Coast 500 this fall and I definitely want the Titan in before that big road trip.
