Victron energy VBC 12-24-48V User manual

Manual
EN
Handleiding
NL
Manuale
FR
Anleitung
DE
Manual
ES
Manual
SE
VE.Net
Battery Controller
VBC 12-24-48V

Copyrights 2009 Victron Energy B.V.
All Rights Reserved
This publication or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form, by any method, for
any purpose.
For conditions of use and permission to use this manual for publication in other than the
English language, contact Victron Energy B.V.
VICTRON ENERGY B.V. MAKES NO WARRANTY, EITHER EXPESSED OR IMPLIED,
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, REGARDING
THESE VICTRON ENERGY PRODUCTS AND MAKES SUCH VICTRON ENERGY
PRODUCTS AVAILABLE SOLELY ON AN “AS IS” BASIS.
IN NO EVENT SHALL VICTRON ENERGY B.V. BE LIABLE TO ANYONE FOR SPECIAL,
COLLATERAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH
OR ARISING OUT OF PURCHASE OR USE OF THESE VICTRON ENERGY PRODUCTS.
THE SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE LIABILITY TO VICTRON ENERGY B.V., REGARDLESS OF
THE FORM OF ACTION, SHALL NOT EXCEED THE PURCHASE PRICE OF THE
VICTRON ENERGY PRODUCTS DESCRIBED HERE IN.
Victron Energy B.V. reserves the right to revise and improve its products as it sees fit. This
publication describes the state of this product at the time of its publication and may not
reflect the product at all times in the future.

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1 INTRODUCTION
Victron Energy has established an international reputation as a leading
designer and manufacturer of energy systems. Our R&D department is
the driving force behind this reputation. It is continually seeking new
ways of incorporating the latest technology in our products. Each step
forward results in value-added technical and economical features.
1.1 Introduction to VE.Net
VE.Net stands for Victron Energy Network. It allows all VE.Net
compatible devices to communicate with each other. This means that
the charger for example can get information from the battery monitor to
optimize the charge current. It is possible to control and monitor all your
VE.Net devices from a single VE.Net compatible control panel. This
saves space and allows you to control all your devices from one place.
It is however, not necessary to be limited to a single panel. Multiple
panels can be used on the network, allowing full control and monitoring
capabilities of all devices in multiple locations.
1.2 The VE.Net Battery Controller
The VE.Net Battery Controller (VBC) is a device that monitors your
battery status. It constantly measures the battery voltage, battery current,
and battery temperature, and uses this information to calculate the state
of charge of your battery. This information can then be viewed on a
VE.Net Panel (VPN), or VE.Net Blue Power Panel (BPP). When used
with a Blue Power Panel, the VBC can be used to provide a graphical
overview of your battery system.
1.3 Why should you monitor your batteries?
The lifetime of your batteries depends on many factors. If the batteries
and the load process are monitored you can prevent your batteries from
being under or over charged, or from being discharged too deeply. A
battery controller warns you if there is something wrong with the charge
current or with the general condition of the batteries.

2
1.4 How does the VE.Net Battery Controller work?
The capacity of a battery is rated in Amp hours (Ah). For example, a
battery that can deliver a current of 5 Amps for a period of 20 hours is
rated at 100 Ah (5 * 20 = 100). The VBC continuously measures the net
current flow into or out of the battery. This way it can calculate the
amount of energy removed from or added to the battery. But since battery
age, discharge current and temperature all influence the battery’s
capacity; you cannot rely simply on an Amp hours reading. When the
same 100 Ah battery is discharged completely in two hours, it may only
give you 56 Ah (because of the higher rate of discharge).
As you can see the battery’s capacity is almost halved. This phenomenon
is called Peukert efficiency (see chapter 4.1.2). Also, when the
temperature of the battery is low, its capacity is decreased even more.
This is why simple Amp hour counters or Voltmeters give you far from an
accurate state of charge indication.
The VBC can display both the Amp hours removed (not compensated)
and the actual state of charge (compensated by Peukert efficiency and
charge efficiency). Reading the state of charge is the best way to read
your battery. This parameter is shown as a percentage, where 100 %
represents a fully charged battery and 0% represents a completely flat
battery. You can compare this with a fuel-gauge in a car.
The VBC also makes an estimation of how long the battery can support
the present load (time to go). This is the time remaining until the battery
needs to be charged again (50 % state of charge). Discharging the
battery below 50 % significantly reduces the service life of the battery. If
the battery load is fluctuating heavily it is best not to rely on this reading
too much since it is a momentary readout and should be used as a
guideline only. We always encourage the use of the state of charge
readout for accurate battery monitoring.

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2 INSTALLATION OF YOUR BATTERY MONITOR
2.1 Safety precautions!
1. Working in the vicinity of a lead acid battery is dangerous. Batteries
can generate explosive gases during operation. Never smoke or allow a
spark or flame in the vicinity of a battery. Provide sufficient ventilation
around the battery.
2. Wear eye and clothing protection. Avoid touching eyes while working
near batteries. Wash your hands when done.
3. If battery acid contacts skin or clothing, wash immediately with soap
and water. If acid enters an eye, immediately flood the eye with running
cold water for at least 15 minutes and get medical attention immediately.
4. Be careful when using metal tools in vicinity of batteries. Dropping a
metal tool onto a battery might cause a short-circuit and, possibly an
explosion.
5. Remove personal metal items such as rings, bracelets, necklaces,
and watches when working with a battery. A battery can produce a
short-circuit current high enough to melt such items, leading to severe
burns.
Note: All instructions referring to the VPN also refer to the BPP, unless
otherwise noted.
To install your VBC you will need:
1. A shunt. The standard supplied shunt is 500 A / 50 mV, but any
shunt with a current indication up to 100 mV can be used.
2. Standard supplied two wire flexible connection cable
AWG21/0.4 mm² (for the shunt).
3. Standard supplied two wire flexible connection cable
AWG21/0.4 mm² with inline fuse holder and 1 A slow blow fuse (for
power).
4. Standard supplied temperature sensor.
5. Cat5 cable with two RJ45 connectors (to connect a VE.Net Panel
or other VE.Net device (not supplied).

4
2.2 Mounting
The VBC can be mounted on a standard DIN rail. To ensure the best
readout we recommend that you use the standard supplied cables and
place the controller as close as possible to the batteries.
During prolonged periods of high current consumption, the shunt will
become hot. It is therefore recommended that the shunt be mounted with
the blades oriented vertically to allow optimal air-flow.
2.3 Wiring and jumpers
First connect the wiring as shown in figure 1 below, without the fuse. The
thick lines represent the main current path cables; these should be of a
heavy duty type. After installation, and checking all the connections place
the fuse to power the battery controller.
Connect the Battery Controller to a VE.Net Panel (VPN) or other VE.Net
device using a standard straight Cat5 cable. The total length of Cat5
cables used in a VE.Net network should not exceed 100 m.
Note: The shunt and temperature sensor should be the only wires
connected to the negative terminal of the battery. The negative
connections of all other devices (including chargers) must be made to the
load side of the shunt (system ground). If devices are connected directly
to the negative terminal of the battery the VBC will be unable to measure
their current flow, and will give incorrect readings.
Note: Do not connect any other wires to the shunt measurement output,
as this will affect the accuracy of the readings.

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V+
I -
VE.Net
I +
T-
T+
GND
VBC
Battery system
+ -
1A
Figure 1
The VBC is capable of providing power to other VE.Net devices on the
network. If another device is to supply power to VE.Net instead, remove
jumpers JP1 and JP2 shown in figure 2.
Figure 2
•Read the Safety precautions
in chapter 2.1 before
installing your VBC.
•Make sure that you first
connect the system before
placing the fuse.
Battery positive
(Load)
Battery
nega
tive
(System ground)

6
Battery Monitor
13.1V -0.5A 99%
3 USING YOUR BATTERY MONITOR
All control of the VBC is provided through the VPN. To switch on the VPN,
hold down one of the buttons until the VPN beeps. When the VPN has
finished starting up, the device list will be displayed. If there are other
VE.Net devices connected, it may be necessary to press “▼” until the
Battery Controller is displayed. For more information on using the VPN,
refer to the VPN manual.
3.1 Quick status line
In the root menu of the VPN you will see this screen, which consists of
the name of the VBC and the “quick status” line.
Notes:
1. You can always return to this position by pressing “Cancel”
repeatedly.
2. The state of charge is only displayed when the VBC is
synchronised (see chapter 4.1.3 for more information).
Battery voltage State of charge
Battery current

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Battery Monitor
13.1V -0.5A 99%
Battery voltage
13.10 V
3.2 Main menu
To view more detailed information, press the “Enter” button to enter the
VBC menu.
Name
Description
Units
Battery voltage Displays the voltage of the battery. Volts.
Battery current Displays the DC current that flows into or out of the battery. Amps.
Consumed Ah Displays the energy consumed since the battery was last fully charged. Amp
hours.
State of charge The state of charge indicates the percentage of the battery capacity that
is still available for consumption. A full battery will show 100 %, and an
empty battery will display 0 %. This is the best way to see when the
batteries need to be recharged.
Percent
.
Time to go Displays the estimated time, based on the current load, before the
batteries need to be recharged. Hours and
minutes
.
Bat.
temperature Displays the battery temperature. Degree s
Celsius.
Software
version The software version of this device.
3.3 Historic data
The VBC will keep track of historical data to enable you to get more
information about the state and the past use of the batteries.
3.3.1 Where to find the “Historical data” menu
Step 1) Press “Enter” to enter the VBC menu.
Step 2) Press “▼” to scroll through the menu
until you see ‘Historic Data”.

8
Historic data
[Press enter]
Step 3) Press “Enter” to enter the Historic
data menu
3.3.2 Historical data explained
Historic data
Name
Description
Unit
Deepest discharg The deepest discharge in Ah. Amp hours.
Depth last disch The depth of the last discharge in Ah. This value will be reset to 0
when the State of Charge reaches 100 % again. Amp hours.
Average discharg The average discharge over all the cycles counted Amp hours.
Number of cycles Every time the battery is discharged below 65 % of its rated
capacity and charged back to at least 90 %, one cycle is counted.
Full discharges The number of times the battery has been discharged to a 0%
state of charge.
Cumulative Ah Records the total energy consumed over all charge cycles. Amp hours.
Last full charge The time that has elapsed since the battery was last fully charged. Days.
Maximum voltage Maximum measured. Can be used to check for faulty chargers and
alternators. Volts.
Minimum voltage Lowest measured. Can be used to check if the batteries have been
excessively discharged Volts.

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4 SETUP
4.1 Background information
4.1.1 Charge efficiency factor
During battery charging, not all of the energy transferred into the battery
is available when the battery is being discharged. The charge efficiency
factor (CEF) of a brand new battery is approximately 90 %. This means
that 10 Ah must be transferred to the battery to get 9 Ah actually stored
in the battery. The CEF of a battery will decrease as the battery ages.
4.1.2 Peukert’s exponent
As mentioned in chapter 1.4, the Peukert efficiency describes how,
when you discharge a battery faster than the 20 hr rating, its Ah
capacity decreases. The amount of battery capacity reduction is called
the ‘Peukert exponent’ and can be adjusted from 1.00 to 1.50. The
higher the Peukert exponent the faster the battery size shrinks with
increasing discharge rate. An ideal (theoretical) battery has a Peukert
exponent of 1.00 and has a fixed capacity; regardless of the size of the
discharge current. Of course such batteries do not exist, and a setting
of 1.00 in the VBC is only implemented to bypass Peukert compensation.
The default setting for the Peukert exponent is 1.25, and is an acceptable
average value for most types of lead acid battery. However for precise
battery monitoring, entering the right Peukert exponent is essential. If the
Peukert exponent is not provided with your battery, you can calculate it
by using other specifications which should be provided with your battery.
The Peukert equation is stated below:
t
n
ICp ⋅= where the Peukert exponent, n =
21
12
loglog
loglog
II
tt
−
−
The battery specifications needed for calculation of the Peukert exponent,
are the rated battery capacity (usually the 20 hr discharge rate
1
) and for
example a 5 hr discharge rate
2
. See below for an example of how to
define the Peukert exponent using these two specifications.
1Please note that the rated battery capacity can also be defined as the 10 hr or even 5 hr discharge rate.
2The 5hr discharge rate in this example is arbitrary. Make sure that besides the C20 rating (low discharge current) you choose a second rating with
a substantially higher discharge current.

10
5 hr rating
20 hr rating,
1.26
5log15log
5log20log
exponent,Peukert =
−
−
=n
When no ratings are given at all, you can measure your battery using a
constant load bank. In this way a second rating can be obtained, together
with the 20 hr rating which represents the rated battery capacity in most
cases. This second rating can be determined by discharging a fully
charged battery with a constant current; until the battery reaches 1.75 V
per cell (which is 10.5 V for a 12 V battery or 21 V for a 24 V battery). A
calculation example is shown below:
A 200 Ah battery is discharged with a constant current of 20 A and after
8.5 hours 1.75 V/cell is reached.
So,
20 hr rating,
1.23
10log20log
5.8log20log
exponent,Peukert =
−
−
=n
A Peukert calculator is available at www.victronenergy.com.
AI
hrt
20
5.8
1
1
=
=
A
hr
Ah
I
hrt
AhC
hr
10
20
200
20
200
2
2
20
==
=
=
A
hr
Ah
I
hrt
AhC
hr
15
5
75
5
75
1
1
5
==
=
=
A
hr
Ah
I
hr
AhC
hr
5
20
100
20t
capacity)(rated100
2
2
20
==
=
=

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4.1.3 Synchronising the battery monitor
For a reliable readout of the state of charge of your battery, the battery
monitor has to be synchronised regularly with the battery and charger.
This is accomplished by fully charging the battery. When the charger is
operating in the ‘float’ stage, the charger considers the battery full. At
this moment the VBC must also determine that the battery is full. Now
the Amp hour count can be reset to zero and the state of charge
reading can be set to 100 %.
When the voltage supply to the VBC has been interrupted, the
battery monitor must be resynchronised before it can operate
correctly.
Please note that regularly (at least once per month) fully charging your
battery not only keeps it in sync with the VBC, but also prevents
substantial capacity loss of your battery which limits its lifetime.
4.1.4 Synchronisation parameters
Based on increasing charge voltage and decreasing charge current, a
decision can be made whether the battery is fully charged or not. When
the battery voltage is above a certain level during a predefined period
while the charge current is below a certain level for the same period, the
battery can be considered fully charged. These values are called
synchronisation parameters. In general for a 12 V lead acid battery, the
synchronisation voltage is 13.2 V and the synchronisation current is
4.0 % of the total battery capacity (e.g. 8 A with a 200 Ah battery). A
synchronisation time of 4 minutes is sufficient for most battery systems.
Please note that these parameters are very important for correct
operation of your VBC, and must be set appropriately in the
corresponding menu items.

12
Setup controller
[Press enter]
Battery Monitor
12.1V 0.0A 100%
4.2 General settings
4.2.1 Where to find the “Setup monitor” menu
Step1) Press “Enter” to enter the VBC menu.
Step 2) Press “▼” to scroll through the menu
until you see “Setup monitor”.
Step 3) Press “Enter” to enter the “Setup
monitor” menu.
Note: If you cannot find the “Setup monitor” menu, make sure that your
VPN is set to “user and install” mode.
4.2.2 Setup parameters explained
Setup
monito
r
Name
Description
Default
value
Range
Step
size
Battery capacity The battery capacity in amp hours (Ah) at a
20 h discharge rate.
200 Ah 20-
65535 5
Sync. voltage The battery controller considers the battery as
fully charged if the voltage is above this level.
This should be set slightly lower than the float
voltage of the charger.
13.2 V 10-72 0.1
Sync. current If the charge current is below this percentage
of the battery capacity, the battery can be
considered as fully charged.
4 % 1-10 1
Sync. time The minimum time that the above two
parameters must be met to consider the
battery as fully charged.
4 min 1-4 1
Bat. temperature If the connection to the temperature sensor is
lost, this value is used in the calculations.
20 °C 0-50 1
Resync. to 100%? Resets the state of charge manually to 100%.
Device name The name of the battery controller that is used
in the VPN.
Battery
Monitor
The settings on the advanced menu allow fine control of the battery
monitoring calculations performed by the VBC.
Battery voltage
12.10 V

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Battery Monitor
12.1V 0.0A 100%
The default values are suitable for most battery systems, so do not adjust
these settings without fully understanding the consequences.
Advanced
Name
Description
Default
value
Range
Step
size
Charge eff.
fact When a battery is charged, energy is lost. The charge efficiency factor compensates for the
lost energy, where 1 is no loss of energy and
0.5 is a 50% loss of energy.
0.9 0.5-1 0.05
Peukert
exponent
The Peukert exponent for your battery (refer to
chapter 4.1.2 for more information). Set to 1.00
to disable the Peukert compensation. Contact
your battery manufacturer for the Peukert
exponent.
1.25 1-1.5 0.01
Temperature
coef This is the percentage the battery capacity changes with temperature.
0.5 0.5-0.95 0.05
Current
threshol This value will be considered as zero amps, to ensure that errors are eliminated.
0.1 A 0-5 0.1
Shunt current The maximum current rating of the shunt.
500 A 5-50000 5
Shunt
voltage The output voltage of the shunt at the maximum rated current.
50 mV 1-100 1
Current offset Used to compensate for small errors in current
measurement caused by unwanted offsets
picked up by the measurement cables.
0 A -60000 -
60000 0.01
Battery
current Duplicates the current reading from the top level menu. This allows the effects of changes
to the current offset to be observed without
having to navigate the menu hierarchy.
4.3 Alarms
The VBC is equipped with a relay that can be configured to signal alarms;
or when connected to a generator, to automatically start and stop the
generator. Alarms can also be sent to the VPN, which can be configured
to sound an alarm, or control another relay. Each alarm type can be
configured to activate the relay, send a panel alarm, or both. They can
also be completely disabled.
4.3.1 Where to find the “Setup alarms” menu
Step 1) Press “Enter” to enter the VBC menu.

14
Battery voltage
12.10 V
Setup alarms
[Press enter]
Step 2) Press “▼” to scroll through the menu
until you see “
Step 3) Press “Enter” to enter the “Setup
alarms” menu.
Note: If you cannot find the “Setup alarms” menu, make sure that your
VPN is set to “user and install” mode.
4.3.2 Alarm options explained
Setup
a
larms
Name
Description
Default
Value
Range
Step
size
Low
voltage The level below which a low voltage alarm will be triggered.
10.5 V 10-72 0.1
Low
voltage clr The level above which a low voltage alarm will be cleared.
10.5 V 10-72 0.1
Low volt
action The type of action to take when a low voltage alarm is active.
None None,
Relay,
Panel,
Both
High
voltage The level above which a high voltage alarm will be triggered.
16 V 10-72 0.1
High
voltage clr The level below which a high voltage alarm will be cleared.
16 V 10-72 0.1
High volt
action The type of action to take when a high voltage alarm is active.
None None,
Relay,
Panel,
Both
Low SOC The level below which a low state of charge
alarm will be triggered.
80 % 0-100 1
Low SOC
clr
The level above which a low state of charge
alarm will be cleared.
80 % 0-100 1
Low SOC
action The type of action to take when a low state of charge alarm is active.
None None,
Relay,
Panel,
Both
Low current The level below which a low current alarm will
be triggered.
-100 A -30000 – 0 5
Low current
clr. The level above which a low current alarm will be cleared.
-90 A -30000 – 0 5
Low current
action The type of action to take when a low current alarm is active.
None None,
Relay,
Panel,
Both
High
current The level above which a high current alarm will be triggered.
100 0 – 30000 5
High
current clr The level below which a high current alarm will be cleared.
90 0 – 30000 5

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Setup
a
larms
Name
Description
Default
Value
Range
Step
size
High cur.
action
The type of action to take when a high current
alarm is active.
None None,
Relay,
Panel,
Both
Enable
delay The amount of time an alarm condition must be present in order to trigger the alarm.
0 s 0 – 255 1
Disable
delay The amount of time an alarm clear condition must be present in order to disable the alarm.
0 s 0 – 255 1
Min. enable
time The minimum amount of time the relay may remain closed once an alarm condition has
occurred.
0 min 0 – 255 1
4.4 Menu structure overview
Root menu
Historic data
Setup alarms
Setup controller
Advanced

16
5 TECHNICAL DATA
Supply voltage range 9 ... 70 VDC
Supply current
relay inactive <5 mA
relay active <20 mA
Operating temperature range 0 ... 50 °C
Potential free alarm contact:
Mode Normally open
Rating 30 V/3 A max.
Dimensions 75 x 110 x 23 mm
Net weight 95 g
Material:
Body ABS