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Old 04-18-2017, 04:23 PM   #1
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Victron BMV702 Install

This is a description of how I installed a Victron Battery Monitor (BMV-702) into our 2017 25’ Flying Cloud Rear Bed Airstream (mounted above the Microwave).

https://www.victronenergy.com/upload...-series-EN.pdf

I decided that I wanted the most reliable installation possible and felt that keeping the shunt away from the outgassing of the lead acid batteries and exposure to the moist air would be worth the effort of moving it into the compartment under the dinette seat. This also made sure that I did not take up any room within the battery box that may be needed for future changes to larger batteries.

I included a photo of the shunt mounted under the forward street side seat location where all of the battery cables, 7-pin tow connector cables, battery store/use relay all live.

The 6-GA black cable that came in from the battery and went to the M-13 ground bar under the black box on the far left was disconnected from M-13 and connected to newly added Bus 2. The heavy 4-GA black cable that came from the battery that goes to the inverter under the lounge seat was cut and the battery side of it is also connected to Bus 2. You can see the other side of this cable (the side going to the inverter) is now connected to newly added Bus 1. Bus 1 has a 4-GA copper wire going back to the left connecting to M-13 to tie in all of the Airstream’s 12V negative/ground loads to the shunt. Bus 1 is load, Bus 2 is Battery. The additional Bus 1 ground lugs will be used for a few more circuits I will be adding soon (CPAP, video processor for 2 side & 1 rear camera for towing, composting toilet fan).

The single gray cable runs to the meter. It follows the same path as the heavy 4 GA battery cables going to the inverter. I included two photos showing the cable run in the outside storage trunk with the protective covers removed. You can see the gray cable for the meter as well as the 10 GA cable I am running to the bedroom area for the CPAP and compost toilet fan.

Under the lounge seat you can see the inverter. This area is invaluable as an access point to provide access to pull wires under the refrigerator (to the left of inverter). My plan was to mount the meter above the microwave that sits above the refrigerator. Getting the cable run to the pantry area was the most time consuming part of the project.

My plan was to bring the wire up the back of the pantry as there is about one half inch of clearance when the pantry door is closed. In order to make sure that I would not hit any wires or propane lines when I drilled and to give me some ease of access, I drilled two large holes in the thin wood panel in the back of the cabinet below the pantry (making very sure that I barely went through the wood). With the visibility gained into this area, I now had the confidence to drill the hole in the bottom of the pantry knowing that I would be able to avoid the propane line that I knew was somewhere near the back of the pantry. I’ll be putting in a new removable board to cover up these two large holes after I pull all my wires. See the photos (second photo is close-up of top hole).

In the photo below you can see the rear of the pantry where I have used aluminum duct tape to secure the cable to the unused half inch of space at the back end of the pantry cabinet. I sliced rubber grommets to install them to protect the wire going through the wood.

In the photo you can see the cable continuing up through the cabinet above the pantry just to the left of the microwave. Another photo shows the cable routed out of the way of the microwave.

The last photo shows it all wrapped up. The only negative is that the small letters describing what mode the meter is in is hard to read with old eyes from such a distance for a short person.

In the coming weeks I will document how much load each device draws and provide the spreadsheet I will be using to help me with my boondock planning. Hope this helps anyone else planning on running lines in this area as there is zero info out there so far!
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Old 04-18-2017, 07:37 PM   #2
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A Blue tooth dongle will greatly simplify and enhance your use of the BMV-702.
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Old 04-19-2017, 04:37 PM   #3
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Good point. I just recently moved from a dumb flip phone to an iPhone. I tend not to remember I have a powerful computer in my pocket!
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Old 08-01-2017, 04:52 PM   #4
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Install basics

Hi all,

I'm going to purchase this monitor and the bluetooth link. My question is whether I should install this myself - I don't have a lot of experience in upgrade projects nor would I call myself "handy" -- my background as a software engineer sadly doesn't translate to the projects I want to do on the AS.

I have a 25' RB as well. I was thinking of parking the shunt in a similar spot as the OP but mounting the display down there as well - or possibly up above the dinette in the upper cabinet with the DVD player. If, as I suspect, the Bluetooth app gets me what I need, I don't really need to see the physical display.

And advice or thoughts for me? Looking at the instructions, I can't imagine this is complicated but it is a little intimidating.

-Adam
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Old 08-01-2017, 04:58 PM   #5
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Other than a new battery cable (negative) and pulling it into where you want to mount the shunt, you should not have any problems. If you are going to use the blue tooth dongle you can put the monitor anywhere as you will bet your readings off the smart phone.

I have had mine for about a year. Not sure if its worth the effort. But a nice toy.

Dave
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Old 08-01-2017, 05:59 PM   #6
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The shunt needs to stay dry, so mounted inside. Otherwise it's not that difficult. And NoResults is right. If you get the Bluetooth dongle you won't need to look at the monitor. Plus you can use your software skills playing with your phone all day.
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Old 08-02-2017, 02:43 PM   #7
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When I look at my batteries to me it appears that the inverter is a separate line from the rest of the coach. How do you work those in to the monitoring system? Click image for larger version

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ID:	291155 They are attached to the other terminals from the lines running to the braker box, charger and stuff.

Matti
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Old 08-02-2017, 03:11 PM   #8
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You need to run one negative line to the shunt, then split the negatives from there. I ran my output from the shunt to a lug and split at the lug.
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Old 08-03-2017, 12:12 AM   #9
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Thank you Scott, clear now.
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Old 11-09-2017, 05:12 PM   #10
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Why do I feel like the only idiot who can’t figure this out?? I’ve cut the 4ga for the inverter, installed ring terminals on the cut ends, and mounted them to the shunt where they belong. But now I can’t figure out what to do with the 6ga coming from the battery lug to the “m-13” bus bar noted by the OP. That bus bar is full so running a jumper doesn’t seem an option, and I’m not sure that’s what I’m supposed to do anyway. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I even have a new 4ga x 48” battery cable I picked up to use if needed, but I can’t figure out how best to employ it. Grrr.
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Old 11-10-2017, 04:33 AM   #11
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If I understand the comments correctly, you had a 6ga and a 4ga connection at the battery originally. To install the monitor you need to move those 6 and 4 gauge connects to the coach side of the shunt (or to a bus connected to the coach side of the shunt). You now need to run a 4ga line from the battery to the battery side of the shunt. It sounds like the OP ran a 6ga from battery to shunt and is now potentially undersized for his inverter if the inverter 4ga goes from inverter to shunt and then it is 6ga from shunt to battery.
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Old 11-10-2017, 08:07 AM   #12
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Hellooo.
Me too I will equip my Airstream with this controller.
During my research on this device, I found this scheme.
Can it be used for other than me. It is very readable.



For me, I have to do a lot of things to adapt my Airstream to Europe.
And change a lot of material.
So, I have all this waiting to be assembled.




I have to make a topic concerning the work of my Airstream.
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Old 11-10-2017, 08:47 AM   #13
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Hi

As mentioned above, when you are done with a two battery in parallel install:

1) You have a cable from the negative on battery A to the negative on battery B

2) You have a cable from the negative on battery A to the shunt side 1

(that's everything that is hooked to the battery negatives).

3) You have a cable from shunt side 2 going to the inverter

4) You have a cable from shunt side 2 gong to the rest of the 12V stuff via the bus bar

You get to pick which battery is A or B. If AS decided to wire your inverter to the bus bar rather than the battery, you wire accordingly. They have a lot of variations .... The key is that all loads go on side 2 (the "not battery side") of the shunt. None of the loads go on side 1 (the "battery only side") of the shunt.

Bob
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Old 11-10-2017, 02:21 PM   #14
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So if I have two AGM batteries, does this mean I need to purchase an additional cable for the positive connection on the second battery? The kit comes with one positive terminal cable.
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Old 11-10-2017, 02:35 PM   #15
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Correction, the kit DOES come with two positive cables.
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Old 11-11-2017, 06:57 AM   #16
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Hi

You need to get power for the monitor off of the + side of the battery. Other than that, you should not need to mess with the existing positive wiring at all. In any normal "parallel" battery setup, the two positives go together and the two negatives go together right at the battery box.

Bob
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Old 11-11-2017, 08:39 AM   #17
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Landozoor your diagram does not appear correct to me, but I may not understand a European requirement. The negative lead from your auxilary battery should go to the same side of the shunt as your main battery. I don't believe your auxilary battery is protected in that layout.

I personally prefer Uncle Bob's description of a cable between the negative posts and a separate cable from Main Battery negative to shunt side 1.
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Old 11-11-2017, 10:36 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 57Vintage View Post
Landozoor your diagram does not appear correct to me, but I may not understand a European requirement. The negative lead from your auxilary battery should go to the same side of the shunt as your main battery. I don't believe your auxilary battery is protected in that layout.

I personally prefer Uncle Bob's description of a cable between the negative posts and a separate cable from Main Battery negative to shunt side 1.
Yes. This is not conform for a trailer.
That's not the configuration I'm going to use.
This description is good for a boat or a motor home.
This is why this device seems primarily designed.
In the configuration described, the auxiliary battery is for starting the engine.
I do not have an engine in my Airstream !
I have two batteries. They are connected in parallel. She will stay in parallel.
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Old 11-12-2017, 04:45 AM   #19
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My version

Thank you Uncle Bob. Reading it, utilizing two batteries in parallel, that makes perfect sense. I feel like that’s what I’ve done, just utilizing a different route.

Battery A (road side lithium)- has a 6awg from negative to the negative on Battery B. It also has a 6awg cable going from negative into the trailer, connecting to the bus bar and all the other trailer negatives/grounds.

Battery B (curbside lithium) has 4awg going from negative terminal into trailer directly to the inverter, as well as the short 6awg from Battery A.

What I did was cut the 4awg cable in the electrical space on my 26U (front roadside under dinnette bench) and installed the ring terminals on cut ends. I picked this cable as it was the thickest (less resistance/more accurate in my mind lol). I installed the 4awg cable directly from Battery B onto shunt side 1 and ran 4awg cable from the inverter to side 2 of the shunt. Then I mounted a 6awg jumper from the bus bar (where the 6awg from Battery and all other negatives are located) to side 2 of the shunt.

So to recap, the shunt has one 4awg directly from Battery B negative to to side 1. Then going from shunt side 2, one 4awg to inverter and one 6awg to common bus bar. Ta Da.

Now I thought I was so smart at this point, and I read how the BMV was to be run to the positive terminal of a battery simply for power (little red wire, and mine came with two also). So, to save the work running and protecting that little wire, I simply bolted it to the same terminal that the 6awg coming from positive lug of Battery A uses to join interior positive bus bar. BAM. I’ve got a functioning BMV. Or so I thought.

Except it’s 3am on a Sunday morning and I’m on this forum typing a too long reply sitting in a totally dead trailer lol. Everything went fine on battery Friday night, and I ran my generator for hours during the day Saturday to charge the lithium’s. Before I went to sleep at 10 pm my BMV assured me that with the furnace draw and small 12volt fantastic fan we use to circulate warm air, I had 20 hours of available run time to use. And yet, here I sit in the dark quiet of a dead Airstream whale. Not even the BMV is functioning oddly. No blown fuses. Out to fire up the Champion...
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Old 11-13-2017, 06:32 AM   #20
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Hi

Once you get it installed there are a few other steps on any of these monitors. They need to be told:

1) What the capacity of the batteries is (total for all of them)

2) What the rating on the shunt is (there are multiple shunts)

3) When the battery is charged (what *is* 100%)

How each step gets done varies a bit from model to model.

The magic "power wire" to the monitor also senses voltage. The further along the cables you put it, the more voltage drop will get into the readings. That's not the end of the world, but you do need to realize its happening.

On any new install, it never hurts to grab the multimeter and check for voltage drops at the connections. If you can read much of anything across a connection, it's worth looking into. It's also worth checking converter function. It's amazingly easy to pop a breaker or fuse while fiddling with this stuff. Both batteries should show a voltage increase when the converter powers up. Both batteries should always show the same voltage on the multimeter. One "cute" issue: if the shunt is in "backwards" the monitor will get a bit confused about what is charge and what is discharge....

Lots to dig into ....

Bob
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