Victron charger/monitor & NMEA2000 integration, are the info broadcasted useful?

[vas]

good,

almost managed to fit everything on the subject line


I'm about to purchase an MPPT controller for the two 300W solar panels I'm planning to install on a custom hardtop.
I was persuaded that I really should buy a battery monitor and looks like I'll get a BMV700 which I found out that I can then hook up to the N2K bus with a VE.Direct to N2K cable (even better they give you the wiring to diy).

Went through all the manuals and finally on the 9th page of the https://www.victronenergy.com/uploa...unication-with-Victron-Energy-products_EN.pdf they list the PGNs that the thing broadcasts:

Battery Voltage & Battery current, both PGNname: Battery Status, PGN127508
State of Charge (%) & Time Remaining, both PGNname: DC Detailed Status, PGN127506
Consumed Ah, PGNnameroprietary VREG 0xEEFF, PGN61439 (which is a bit odd and I doubt the Garmins will be happy with...)

I'm not on the boat and I cannot remember having seen such detailed battery info configurable on either the GMI10s or the GPSMAP4008 or 751, so wondering if they actually do something and/or are useful to anyone...


cheers

V.

 

[dunedin]

Re: Victron charger/monitor & NMEA2000 integration, are the info broadcasted useful?

Good stuff the Victron devices.

Can't help re the NMEA2000 interface (though interested to hear how it goes), but wonder if the Bluetooth link to a phone may be simpler and more useful - not least as often most interested in battery data when the main engines and systems are switched off.

Incidentally, worth considering the BMV702 rather than 700 as it can monitor (voltage only) second battery

 

[vas]

Re: Victron charger/monitor & NMEA2000 integration, are the info broadcasted useful?

true, but I've noticed that I fairly often leave the bow cabin GMI10 on for anchor alarm purposes at night or both the lower helm and the f/b GMI10 for the same reason during daytime. So it would really help, phone is usually just thrown somewhere in the salon and not bothering with it

also true on the 02s although to be honest never had an issue with the engine ones so unless it's a tenner more I wont bother.

cheers

V.

 

[BartW]

Re: Victron charger/monitor & NMEA2000 integration, are the info broadcasted useful?

Vas, I can't help you with the Garmin stuff,
we just have a Battery monitors somewhere centrally in the boat
but your thread gave me the idea to implement bluetooth (thanks Dunedin) and a IP connection,
I think I need to swap my 2 batt monitors , as I think I have the older BMV600.

than I can check during the night from in my bed what is going on with them...

I'm here in Dusseldorf bootshow right now, will go to Victron tomorrow,
in case you have a question for them, pls let me know.

 

[vas]

Re: Victron charger/monitor & NMEA2000 integration, are the info broadcasted useful?

Bart,

no questions I can think off before going through ALL these manuals I downloaded yesterday...

Bear in mind that Victron works a lot with CAN bus, and NMEA2K is a subset of some CAN bus, so things are fairly easy and straightforward. Now going for BT I think is fine as far as you can pick the signal from wherever the chargers are in BA... Doesn't look like the cable is long enough tbh.
Just confused on what you're going to do with IP, BT will connect straight to your phone, so what else?

Not seen the battery monitor in flesh but the idea that all loads in and out go through this shunt thing which sents it's data to the BMV70* which keeps on stacking data and presents them to you is rather nice.
Mind, if you are planning to install solar panels, I don't know if I'd bother updating the chargers as I doubt the current coming in from the MPPT (Victron I presume!) wont be "counted" by the chargers. I think you should try and clarify all that with Victron tomorrow, stating that you ARE going to install Solar Panels so want to have an overview of the lot!

I'd guess that in 5yrs time we'll be able to run el.stabs, gyros and watermakers from new high performance solar panels with no geny uptime in the sunny Med

cheers


V.

 

[Richard.C]

Re: Victron charger/monitor & NMEA2000 integration, are the info broadcasted useful?

Bart, I had a Victron monitor fitted last year along with their Bluetooth dongle. It works great with the Victron app. I was interested in grabbing the Bluetooth data for use in a remote monitoring system so I could see the data when away from the boat. I've sent a couple of messages to Victron but no reply, I did find some posts in their support pages that seemed like the Bluetooth protocol used is not shared by Victron making it impossible to decode. However it would appear the protocol for the hardwired connection is available so maybe an opportunity to create your own wireless connection via a custom interface.

Anyway I'd be interested in how you get on.

Richard

Vas, I can't help you with the Garmin stuff,
we just have a Battery monitors somewhere centrally in the boat
but your thread gave me the idea to implement bluetooth (thanks Dunedin) and a IP connection,
I think I need to swap my 2 batt monitors , as I think I have the older BMV600.

than I can check during the night from in my bed what is going on with them...

I'm here in Dusseldorf bootshow right now, will go to Victron tomorrow,
in case you have a question for them, pls let me know.

 

[vas]

Re: Victron charger/monitor & NMEA2000 integration, are the info broadcasted useful?

Or even get their CAN bridge and either get a small arduino and the relevant s/w and decode the messages (easy) and using a ethernet layer can shift the data anyway you like to your other systems

cheers

V.

 

[vas]

Re: Victron charger/monitor & NMEA2000 integration, are the info broadcasted useful?

Hm,

just checked on the GMI10, custom pages, battery data, I can see and map the Voltage and Current which I assume are the PGN127508 info, that's fine.
However, the State of Charge (%) & Time Remaining, on DC Detailed Status, PGN127506 are nowhere to be found.

Will have a look at the GPSMAPs but I'm not at all confident on finding something there.

Further, looks like I'm wrong and cannot built a custom cable to connect the BMV700series to NMEA2K, I'll need to get their custom kit (at a price I've not managed to find as yet) So becomes less attractive as a solution and may just end up getting the BT dongle instead.

cheers

V.

 

[Blue Sunray]

Re: Victron charger/monitor & NMEA2000 integration, are the info broadcasted useful?

Hm,

just checked on the GMI10, custom pages, battery data, I can see and map the Voltage and Current which I assume are the PGN127508 info, that's fine.
However, the State of Charge (%) & Time Remaining, on DC Detailed Status, PGN127506 are nowhere to be found.

Will have a look at the GPSMAPs but I'm not at all confident on finding something there.

Further, looks like I'm wrong and cannot built a custom cable to connect the BMV700series to NMEA2K, I'll need to get their custom kit (at a price I've not managed to find as yet) So becomes less attractive as a solution and may just end up getting the BT dongle instead.

cheers

V.

The prices I've saw were in the USD250 region, I stopped looking at that point.

 

[vas]

Re: Victron charger/monitor & NMEA2000 integration, are the info broadcasted useful?

The prices I've saw were in the USD250 region, I stopped looking at that point.

you mean you spent more on the actual BMV -> N2K cable than the BMV gauge???
nice, OK, I've forgotten it already!

cheers

V.

 

[Blue Sunray]

Re: Victron charger/monitor & NMEA2000 integration, are the info broadcasted useful?

you mean you spent more on the actual BMV -> N2K cable than the BMV gauge???
nice, OK, I've forgotten it already!

cheers

V.

No, the BMV came with the boat and when I saw the price on-line I decided it would be better to move the BMV to a more visible location.