Ooh - Some blue in the engine room

Percy is a KISS boat - Keep It Simple Stupid. That suits me in from a reliability and maintenance angle but I do like a bit of tech and since retirement have not really invested in much apart from some automation to things at the cottage.

So as a follow on to my heaven and hell cruise - link here  I needed to replace my solar MTTP controller. Why ? - I foolishly fitted this in what I thought a safe and convenient location. That was until the engine overheated and the expansion tank spat some water out that ran across a shelf and dripped onto, yes you guessed it my MTTP controller. Did I say it was a heaven and hell  (and mildly expensive) cruise!!

Anyhow I feel the batteries on Percy get a great deal of benefit from the solar panel and controller  - especially while we are away. Lesson learnt about not running the engine - see last post, but it is still good in summer for the batteries to get a trickle charge.

So a replacement was sought after some simple research done. Since I fitted the old controller that had a method of extracting data of charge supplied over time - which needed a laptop, a serial cable and a special adapter Bluetooth has found a way into devices in the engine room. Specifically in this case Victron range of charge equipment for canal and marine boats. I would highly recommend spending some time with a coffee watching Journey with Jono's YouTube channel  - link here   Jono has developed a mutually beneficial relationship with Victon - he has a lot of their equipment and is almost a floating advertisement for them, indeed I think he now works part time for them.

Regardless of this positive endorsement their kit is well regarded so it was natural for me to look down this avenue for a MTTP replacement. All the better their controllers have options for with or without Bluetooth. I opted for this one link here  The real benefit is that Jono has a code on his YouTube channel that gives 15% discount from OnBoardSolar.

So I further improved my install with external fuses on the load and supply sides. 20 amp beakers as can be seen in the pics below. I also took the chance of upgrading the battery wire to AMG 10 gauge to ensure their was no voltage loss from the controller to the batteries.

You'll see it is a much 'safer' position now. My intention is to build a small cabinet around the install to tidy it up and give it a bit of protection. Its good to see the inputs we are getting and the stages the controller is going through to maintain the batteries. Ok I'll loose the blue but I know it's there and I can see the battery voltage the controller is reporting via the bluetooth on my app  - sitting in the saloon of an evening  !

One further aside in regard to solar the boat now sits without shade on the solar. Also the sun pretty much rises at the stern and sets at the bow, as Percy sits now but in essence it rises and sets end to end so one angle will capture all the sun.