{"id":865,"count":73,"description":"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 half-charged.\n\nWhy the alternator does not charge a lithium battery properly\nConnecting the service battery directly to the starter battery via a relay used to work with lead-acid batteries, but with lithium it fails for two reasons.\nThe first is voltage: an alternator delivers around 14.2 V and this drops as it heats up. A LiFePO4 battery requires a sustained 14.4 V to fully charge, so in practice you end up charging to 80 per cent and never fully charge the battery bank.\nThe second reason is more costly: an empty lithium battery will draw whatever current you supply it with. A 200 Ah battery bank can draw 150 A continuously from the alternator, far exceeding what it is designed to deliver on a sustained basis. There are many cases of alternators being burnt out as a result.\nThe booster solves both problems: it boosts the voltage to the level required by the lithium battery and limits the current to a safe level for the alternator.\n\nWhich booster do I need?\nDC-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.\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 depending on the battery: the higher the current, the fewer hours of driving you\u2019ll need to fully charge it. A 200 Ah battery with a 30 A booster takes about six hours to charge; with a 50 A booster, just under four.\nCommon specifications: <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.\n\nVictron\u2019s Orion XS and Orion-Tr\nThe <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.\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 in marine applications and in any installation where you do not wish to share the earth connection.\n\nHow to install it\nThe booster is connected between the starter battery and the service battery, with a fuse at each end and cable cross-section calculated for the current it will carry: at 50 A and over a distance of several metres, using cable with too small a cross-section means losing a significant portion 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>.\nIf you\u2019re carrying out a full installation, have a look at this alongside 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.\nTell us which alternator your vehicle has 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.","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}]}}