Victron - Smart Battery Sense Long Range (up to 10m, voltage and temperature over Bluetooth) - SBS050150200

The Victron Smart Battery Sense is a small wireless sensor that sticks to the battery, measures voltage and temperature right at the terminals, and broadcasts both over Bluetooth to your Victron chargers. It is the cheapest way to stop a charger guessing. Operating range is 8 to 60V with an absolute maximum of 65V, so it suits 12V, 24V and 48V banks, and it works from -10C to +60C. This is the long range version, good for up to 10 metres between the sensor and the charger. Read this before anything else: it measures voltage and temperature only. It does not measure current, it is not a battery monitor, and it will not tell you state of charge or time to go. If you want to know how much is left in the bank, you want a SmartShunt or a BMV-712 Smart. The Battery Sense does one job - it gives chargers a true battery-side reading so they charge to the right voltage. Do I need this, or do I need a SmartShunt? Work backwards from the question you want answered. If the question is "how much charge is left?" - you need a monitor with a shunt. A SmartShunt or a BMV-712 Smart counts amps in and amps out and gives you state of charge. The Battery Sense cannot do this at all. If the question is "is my charger charging to the right voltage?" - the Battery Sense is exactly the part. It sits on the battery, reports voltage and temperature, and the chargers listening on the network adjust to suit. If you already own a SmartShunt or a BMV, you do not need this. A VE.Smart network allows only one sense source, and where a BMV and a Smart Battery Sense are both present the BMV takes precedence. The Battery Sense would simply be ignored. Add the BMV temperature sensor to your existing monitor instead. Which chargers can actually receive it This is the fact worth checking before you buy, because Victron's compatibility list is not universal. These receive the Smart Battery Sense: SmartSolar MPPT charge controllers The Orion XS DC-DC charger The Blue Smart IP22 charger The Smart IP43 charger The Sun Inverter These do not - Victron list them as not supported: Blue Smart IP65 charger Orion-Tr Smart DC-DC charger If your only smart charger is a Blue Smart IP65 or an Orion-Tr Smart, this sensor will not do anything for it. One more constraint: the Smart Battery Sense is not needed, or allowed, in a system already controlled by a Color Control GX or a Venus GX. Those devices handle the sensing themselves. The bit no one explains: VE.Smart Networking The Smart Battery Sense is a transmitter. It reads voltage and temperature at the battery and broadcasts them over Bluetooth. A Victron charger on the same VE.Smart network re-tunes its charge voltage off that reading instead of its own terminals. It matters because the charger sits at the end of a cable - it always reads slightly high, so it always stops charging slightly early. Feed it a real battery-side reading and the battery actually reaches full. Temperature is the other half: a cold battery and a hot battery want different charge voltages, and without a temperature source the charger is working off its own internal reading in its own box. A VE.Smart network takes up to ten devices, and one sensor can feed several chargers at once - a solar controller, a DC-DC charger and a mains charger can all listen to the same broadcast. But only one sense source is allowed on a network. If a BMV or SmartShunt is present it takes precedence and the Battery Sense is not needed. One sensor, many chargers, is the shape of a correct system. Key features Voltage and temperature at the battery - the two readings a charger cannot get accurately from its own terminals Wireless - no data cable between the battery and the charger, up to 10 metres in this long range version One sensor, several chargers - a single Battery Sense can feed multiple Victron chargers on the same network at the same time 8 to 60V operating range - covers 12V, 24V and 48V banks, with an absolute maximum of 65V -10C to +60C operating temperature - it lives in the battery compartment and copes with it Very low draw - 0.3 mA at 12V when not connected, 1.6 mA at 12V when connected Ready to fit - self-adhesive backing, pre-crimped eyelets and the required inline fuse are all supplied Installing it - read this before you pick a spot The back of the unit has self-adhesive tape, so it mounts directly to the battery case or a nearby flat surface. Keep it close to the battery - the whole reason it is accurate is that it measures at the battery, and the supplied cable is 45 cm, which sets your working radius. The leads terminate in pre-crimped eyelets with a 10 mm hole, so they suit an M10 terminal stud. Land the positive lead on the battery positive and the negative on the battery negative. The fuse is not optional. A T1A 250V inline fuse is required and it is supplied in the box. Fit it in the positive lead. Do not wire the sensor straight to the battery without it. Then pair it in VictronConnect and join it to the same VE.Smart network as the charger or chargers you want listening. Check your charger is on the supported list above before you start - a Blue Smart IP65 or an Orion-Tr Smart will not receive it - and remember it should not be added to a system already running a Color Control GX or Venus GX. Full specifications Measures: battery voltage and battery temperature Does not measure: current (it is not a battery monitor and does not report state of charge) Operating voltage: 8 to 60V Absolute maximum voltage: 65V Suitable banks: 12V, 24V and 48V Operating temperature: -10C to +60C Consumption at 12V, not connected: 0.3 mA Consumption at 12V, joining: 0.5 mA Consumption at 12V, connected: 1.6 mA Cable length: 45 cm Eyelet hole: 10 mm (M10) Required fuse: T1A 250V inline, supplied Wireless range: long range version, up to 10 m In the box: sensor with self-adhesive tape on the back, inline fuse, pre-crimped eyelets Receiving devices supported: SmartSolar MPPT, Orion XS, Blue Smart IP22, Smart IP43, Sun Inverter Receiving devices not supported: Blue Smart IP65, Orion-Tr Smart Not for use in systems controlled by: Color Control GX or Venus GX SKU: SBS050150200 Warranty: 5 years Frequently Asked Questions Will this tell me my state of charge? No. It measures voltage and temperature only. It does not measure current, so it cannot count amps in and out and it is not a battery monitor. For state of charge and time to go you need a SmartShunt or a BMV-712 Smart. I already have a SmartShunt. Should I add one of these? No. A VE.Smart network allows only one sense source, and where a BMV or SmartShunt is present it takes precedence. Your shunt is already the transmitter. If you want temperature on the network as well, fit the BMV temperature sensor to your shunt's aux input instead. Will it work with my Blue Smart IP65 charger? No. Victron list the Blue Smart IP65 and the Orion-Tr Smart as not supported. The devices that can receive it are SmartSolar MPPT charge controllers, the Orion XS, the Blue Smart IP22, the Smart IP43 and the Sun Inverter. Can one sensor feed more than one charger? Yes. One Smart Battery Sense can feed several chargers at once - a solar controller, a DC-DC charger and a mains charger can all listen to the same broadcast on the network. The limit is one sense source per network, not one charger. Do I need a fuse? Yes, and it is supplied. A T1A 250V inline fuse is required in the positive lead. It comes in the box along with the pre-crimped eyelets. How far can it be from the charger? This is the long range version, rated up to 10 metres. Note that the sensor's own cable is 45 cm, so the unit itself has to sit right at the battery - the 10 metres is the wireless link to the charger, not the wiring. I have a Cerbo-style GX system. Do I still need this? In a system already controlled by a Color Control GX or a Venus GX, the Smart Battery Sense is neither needed nor allowed. Those systems handle battery sensing themselves. Shipping and support Dispatched from our Queensland warehouse, with tracking Genuine Victron stock, backed by the full 5 year warranty Australian owned and operated. Questions before you buy? Call us on 07 5211 0841 It pairs directly with a SmartSolar MPPT 100/15, a SmartSolar MPPT 100/20 or a SmartSolar MPPT 100/30, and the monitors, chargers and accessories that complete the system are in the full Victron range.