{"id":865,"count":73,"description":"<p>A DC-DC converter, or booster, is what enables the service battery to be charged correctly and safely from the vehicle\u2019s alternator. In any modern campervan with a lithium battery, it is not an optional extra: it is the only way to make use of the alternator without damaging it and without leaving the battery only half-charged.<\/p>\n<h2>Why does the alternator not charge a lithium battery properly?<\/h2>\n<p>Connecting the service battery directly to the starter battery via a relay worked with lead-acid batteries, but with lithium batteries it fails for two reasons.<br \/>\nThe first is the voltage: an alternator delivers around 14.2 V, and this drops as it heats up. A LiFePO4 battery needs a sustained 14.4 V to fully charge, so in practice you end up charging the % to 80 per cent and never fully charge the bank.<br \/>\nThe second is more expensive: a flat lithium battery will draw whatever current you supply it with. A 200 Ah battery pack can draw 150 A from the alternator continuously, which is well above the sustained output for which it is designed. There are plenty of alternators that have burnt out because of this.<br \/>\nThe booster does both: it boosts the voltage to the level required by the lithium battery and limits the current to a safe level for the alternator.<\/p>\n<h2>Which booster do I need?<\/h2>\n<p>DC-DC converters are named according to their input voltage, output voltage and current: a <strong>12\/12-30<\/strong> It has a 12 V input, a 12 V output and delivers 30 A.<br \/>\nThe current is chosen based on two criteria. For the alternator: do not exceed 40\u201350 % of its rated capacity, so with a 120 A alternator, stick to a maximum of 50 A. And based on the battery: the higher the current, the fewer hours\u2019 driving you\u2019ll need to fully charge it. A 200 Ah battery with a 30 A booster needs around six hours of driving; with a 50 A booster, just under four.<br \/>\nCommon references: <strong>12\/12-30<\/strong> for battery packs of up to 200 Ah, <strong>12\/12-50<\/strong> for 200\u2013300 Ah, and the versions <a href=\"\/en\/product-category\/battery-chargers\/converters\/24v-12v\/\">24V to 12V<\/a> o <a href=\"\/en\/product-category\/battery-chargers\/converters\/12v-24v\/\">12V to 24V<\/a> when the vehicle and the system operate at different voltages.<\/p>\n<h2>Victron\u2019s Orion XS and Orion-Tr<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>Orion XS 12\/12-50A<\/strong> It is currently the best-selling booster in our range. It outperforms the 98 %, is set up via Bluetooth and automatically detects whether the vehicle has a smart alternator \u2013 which is what makes installations in vans manufactured from 2015 onwards more complicated.<br \/>\nThe range <strong>Orion-Tr Smart<\/strong> It covers all other voltage and power combinations, with galvanic isolation in the versions where this is required \u2014 essential for marine applications and in any installation where you do not wish to share a ground connection.<\/p>\n<h2>How to install it<\/h2>\n<p>The booster is connected between the starter battery and the service battery, with a fuse at each end and a cable cross-section calculated for the current it will carry: at 50 A and over a distance of several metres, using a cable with too small a cross-section means losing a significant proportion of the benefit you gain. You can check this in the <a href=\"\/en\/how-to-calculate-the-cross-section-of-a-cable\/\">cable cross-section table<\/a>.<br \/>\nIf you\u2019re setting up the whole system, have a look at it along with the <a href=\"\/en\/product-category\/batteries\/12v-lithium-batteries\/\">12V lithium batteries<\/a>, the <a href=\"\/en\/product-category\/solar-charging-regulators\/mppt-regulators\/\">MPPT controller<\/a> and the <a href=\"\/en\/product-category\/battery-chargers\/12-v-battery-charger\/\">220V charger<\/a>, or directly with a <a href=\"\/en\/product-category\/solar-kits\/camper-solar-kit\/\">solar kit for campervans<\/a> which already has everything sized up.<br \/>\nTell us which alternator your vehicle is fitted with and the capacity of your battery, and we\u2019ll tell you which booster you need. <a href=\"\/en\/victron-support\/\">Advice<\/a> free of charge.<\/p>","link":"https:\/\/fvcomponentes.com\/en\/categoria-producto\/cargadores-de-baterias\/convertidores\/","name":"Victron Orion DC\/DC Booster DC\/DC Converters","slug":"converters","taxonomy":"product_cat","parent":419,"meta":[],"menu_order":73,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fvcomponentes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat\/865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fvcomponentes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fvcomponentes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/taxonomies\/product_cat"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fvcomponentes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat\/419"}],"wp:post_type":[{"href":"https:\/\/fvcomponentes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product?product_cat=865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}