Victron Energy Orion-Tr Smart DC to DC Charger (Bluetooth) - 12/12-Volt 18 amp 220-Watt - Battery Charger for Dual Battery Systems - Isolated

These things aren't as "smart" as some of the other Victron stuff - for example you cannot limit its max output current, but it's simple and works great. Since it cannot be limited I went with the 12/12 18A instead of the 12/12 30A to ensure I don't blow 12V aux fuses when the batteries are low. We upgraded the batteries in our Jayco 312BHOK to LiPo4 batteries and I wanted to make sure the trailer was "adapted" instead of worrying about back feeding or charging issues. I simply disconnected the Aux Charging leg of my 7 way from the trailer, ran it to the input side of the 12/12 18A, connected the - input leg to the ground coming off the 7 Way, and then ran the +/- outputs directly to my battery bus bars with a 30 amp breaker on the positive leg. It pretty much worked out of the box with one minor adjustment needed for my 2500 CTD Tow Vehicle - I had to change the Alternator detection from "Smart Alternator" to "Standard Alternator", but that was it. It detected that it was charging lithium batteries on its own and it does isolate the camper from the tow vehicle. Doing it this way I am limited to 18A of charge current from the my truck, but that's more than enough to run my 12V fridge going down the highway. We don't really do any boondocking or dry camping so I liked this solution of being able to tow it with any truck rather than using a bigger charge controller with extra dedicated high amperage 12V plugs that would limit me to only being able to charge with my truck towing it.

Easy to install and works correctly. Company is helpful setting the units values up correctly. Like having the peace of mind that my alternator won’t be damaged with lithium batteries. Bluetooth functions are flawless even after sitting all winter. Highly recommend!

Easy installation. Good isolation of vehicle starting battery and my Scamp battery so now the trailer is fully charged between camps while running the dc refrigerator and is ready for solar maintenance while in camp. Can leave truck hooked up without draining the starter battery too.

You probably already know that the 7 pin tow connector that is standard when towing a travel trailer is useless for charging the trailer's batteries - given the distance from the tow battery to the trailer battery you are lucky to get a trickle charge at best. So you need a DC-DC charger to do the job and I chose the 18 amp Victron to charge our 100Ah travel trailer battery. I wired in an 8 gauge hot wire from the tow vehicle's battery (a Jeep JKUR) back to the hitch and used a pair of 50amp connectors and ran a second hot wire from the hitch back to the Victron and then the battery. I ran 10 gauge black wire to the frame on both vehicles off the connectors. It all works perfectly, and I can monitor the state of charge from the tow vehicle using the Bluetooth app. You can program the voltages for each charging stage for any battery type and program an auto-shut-off so you don't drain the tow vehicle's battery if you stop the motor. All in all I'm very happy - the Jeep has a 160 amp alternator and doesn't seem to notice the load at all. Should you go big and up it from 18 amps to 30 or 40 amps? Well, if you have a big alternator and more battery capacity then yes, that would be a good idea. Of course you'll have to install big wire which costs more than my 8 gauge - I'd go 1/0 for 30 amps or more. In terms of how long it takes to recharge the battery, well it has been on float when we arrive at our next destination after a few hours driving. One time I just idled at a campsite to charge - while not as quick or fuel efficient as a generator, it will certainly get you by in a pinch and make a generator quite optional in many cases.

I was expecting to need to wire the enable input on this to ignition switch or a toggle to disable charging the aux lithium battery when vehicle shuts off. Didn't realize that this one does alternator detection and just handles that, no extra wiring, just power in from main bus and power to to aux battery. Quick bluetooth connection and the Victron software lets you configure anything. Nice device, works great. I'm charging a 2.4 kwh LFP battery in the back of a car, to run Starlink and an electric blanket as needed.

I find myself liking Victron products. They seem to work as stated and look good. No problems with this charger. Takes a bit of time to charge my battery array but I drive long distances for camping.

The connection PIN is only on one product serial sticker on one side of the device. The product offers all features as expected, a good interface.

I did return it because the vehicle wasn’t supplying the consistent voltage from my Nissan. (Alternator not supplying power 100% of the time) so my lithium wasn’t charging all the way up. Other than that, very easy to use and adjust on the app that comes with it. You can adjust settings on the fly while in the vehicle from your phone. I do recommend their products. Good quality product and well built. Paul Tretiakoff in Arizona K6PPT WRXR619