How to install Projecta PMSHUNT Watch this before installing an inverter with your Intellijay BMS
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ต.ค. 2024
- If you have an Intellijay Battery Management System and are planning on installing an inverter, upgrading your solar panels or any extra DC-DC chargers or solar controllers then this video is a must watch.
IT IS NOT RECOMMENDED to install additional high current devices either directly to your battery or directly to the Intellijay PM300 or PM400 units.
The PM300 and 400s are not capable of handling the high current draw when using an inverter nor are they rated for high current charging if you have additional DC-DC chargers or solar regulators.
The answer is simple though!!! The Projecta PMSHUNT is a 500 amp rated device that simply connects between your load-negative and your battery bank to give you accurate calculations on current draw and charging supply. This means a reliable and accurate battery state-of-charge (SOC)!!!
This is an absolute must-have if you have an Intellijay Battery Management System.
If you have a Jayco caravan then there is a very good chance this will suit you! And if you're an avid DIYer then this will be a very straightforward and rewarding project that you can easily knock-out in an afternoon!
In this video I will unbox the shunt, show step-by-step installation, cover configuration of the LCD display panel (via the iPhone App), discuss how to make sense of the new readings from the shunt and explain the invaluable benefits of this nifty little upgrade!
Thanks for watching, safe travels!
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Great Video
I just got a new Jayco and I ran the inverter seperate from the BMS.
Starlink
I now know what needs to be done as my BMS was all over the place.
Although I have the PM235 -2
Fantastic! I hope it all works out!
Your a champ mate. I just got my 14 ft all terrain from jayco yesterday and it only has 200watts of solar. I was wondering how to beaf up my system for more offgrid and how to plug into my pm235 bt. I have a 125amp lithium invicta battery. First things first, I need the shunt. Thanks heap man👍💪
Mate my pleasure, I figure I spend so much time working this stuff out, idc I can make it easier for the next people then why not!
Yell out if I can help with anything!
Great video mate. Do you have any information about adding a second lithium battery dedicated to a compressor fridge?
Adding an extra battery is not overly complicated. It is important to consider cable sizes though to ensure you get the right performance. I'm not sure what you mean by 'dedicated to a compressor fridge' though?
Is the intention to isolate the second battery from the rest of the caravan so that it only feeds the fridge? Do you still want it connected to your charging equipment (ie solar panels, DCDC charger and ACDC Charger)?
Great vid
So glad you enjoyed not, thanks for watching
Hi, I have a similar system, good explanation of Projecta system. What is the best way to see if your dc-dc charger is working (what should be showing up on panel) and at what capacity your dc-dc charger is inputting. thanks
Do you have Bluetooth connection to your system? With ours we can see the status whilst towing.
Our DC-DC charger is also the solar controller for our extra solar panels which makes it almost impossible to know how much of the incoming charge current is attributable to the cars alternator.
I could try disconnecting the solar panels and running the car to see what kind of current we get. All in all, when towing were putting in between 40-50 amps; but like I said I can’t be sure how much is solar and how much is alternator.
On a good sunny day we get about the same coming in just from solar
Thanks for the info again as I’ve watched twice. Just a point I noticed on this occasion, you mentioned that you might shorten the battery temperature lead from battery to the shunt, the red one. Please be aware as I made the mistake of doing this as in that cable there are three wires, one is power but the other two are a temperature sensor. If you shorten the cable to add a smaller lug you will be taking the sensor out of the system.
Just a question, did you replace the battery negative cable that connects to the BMS with a cable from the load side of the shunt to the BMS negative?
Thanks again, always ready to learn from others.
The BMS connects to the load side of the shunt. The only thing that connects to the negative terminal in the battery is the shunt.
Very informative and helpful thanks
Glad I could help! Let me know if there’s anything else and I can always make another video! Happy travels
Thanks for the info, very useful as I’ll be installing a shunt and inverter in our JAYCO soon. Just a question though, is there a reason why you can’t run all your solar inputs through the Projecta BMS rather than having to have an additional solar controller in the system?
Hi Ian,
Sorry for the late response. The Projecta BMS is only rated to 30A of Solar input. So to maximise charging I've installed an additional Enerdrive solar controller to handle the extra panels.
Thank you, I get it now, sorry too for late response to you. I didn’t have notifications turned on. Safe travels.
Great video - Just checking, with this installed the red wire from the inverter still goes straight onto the battery? Cheers!
Yes that's correct, the load is measured via the current on the negative leg. The positive connects direct to the battery.
Hi, great vid ! I have just installed a PMSHUNT to operate with my PM300. Introduced shunt via setup on LCD display. Was all working well, showing power being consumed to battery via inverter. Just gone to recharge battery via 240V. THe PM300 is showing 100% charged, my Enerdrive battery app is showing only 54%. Do I have to carry out some sort of battery/PM300 sync ? Cheers
Hi Chris! Sorry to take so long to respond! Are you running lithium batteries? This is what I’m thinking, I hope it helps:
The good thing about lithium batteries is also the reason why they are hard to measure the state of charge. Lithium batteries can drain down much further than AGM without lowering their voltage. With AGM batteries we can pretty simply gauge the state of charge by the voltage but this is not the case with lithium. Whilst your Enerdrive battery most likely has more accurate internal measurement of your SOC the shunt very simply works on Power-in versus Power-out. It uses the total AH, in this case 600, and subtracts as current flows out and adds as current flows in.
If the battery is not at 100% when connected to the shunt then it can’t accurately know the SOC. I’m expecting that once your batteries are fully charged the display will work more accurately.
I do hope this helps.
I have also had a really great experience with the guys from Projecta who were incredibly helpful on the phone.
Hi Mark. Just watched this video on installing your shunt. Question do you have portable solar panels plugged into an Anderson plug on the chassis using a regulator by passing the PM335 and live wired to the battery direct and the negative connected to the load side of the shunt. This is what I am looking to do, thanks.
Hi David, apologies for taking so long to reply! I've been trying to figure this one out. We have added 2 x panels to the roof and have those going direct into an additional regulator (aside from the reg in the PM335). This regulator is wired positive direct to one side of the battery bank and the neg to the load side of the shunt so it can calculate the additional input.
The Anderson plug on the chassis is still wired (from factory) to the PM335, this too is connected in the same way to the battery bank via the shunt.
@@dreamtripaus Thanks for replying I will be setting my new layout next week same as your set up but my extra solar will be two 200w portable solar blankets.
What are you running through the shunt? Type of Batteries, solar charger, dcdc charger, and inverter? Just had a lot of enerdrive stuff installed through the PM shunt. I won't deny it's a little overwhelming understanding it all. On the display, i see you have 600 ah of battery. As amps are drawn does this reduce? Or just the percentage?
Hi John, where the display reads 600Ah is actually manually set by the user. This is the basis for the calculation done by the shunt.
If the shunt measures current in versus current out then this is its base line to calculate how much is left.
This figure doesn’t change but the state of charge percentage and the time-to-full changes accordingly.
I do have another video where I go through all the hardware we have if you want more detail.
We run a 2600watt Enerdrive AC transfer inverter, an Enerdrive DCDC40 for alternator and extra solar.
All other charging and current draw is via the P300 BMS. We have two 120Ah Sphere lithium batteries that came standard with the van, I have added 2 more Kings 200Ah lithium batteries for a total of 640Ah.
We have just recently bought a caravan (not a Jayco) and have the intelli-RV system with the 500a shunt and projecta 2000w inverter in as standard.
Im glad I came across your video because i was about to go on an angry rant to the dealer because the inverter loads werent showing on the display where i thought they were. However does this affect the battery level display as well? We were running the air con off the inverter and managed to deplete the batteries down to almost nothing (lithium) but the battery display said we still had 90% battery charge.
The IntelliRV should be able to calculate an accurate state of charge from the shunt. It should measure both the voltage and the current draw to calculate the battery status. It’s possible it may be installed incorrectly? I did help a fellow traveller who had a shunt installed but their inverter was not connected to it, it was connected directly to the battery terminal. They had the same trouble that you have; all the devices powered by the inverter (ie AC, microwave, etc) weren’t being measured as they were connected directly to the battery and not via the shunt. All your load and additional charging negatives must be connected via the shunt.
@dreamtripaus thankyou. I will have a look tomorrow and see how it has been connected to the system.
With any luck it will be an obvious and simple fix, however we all know that the caravanning game is never simple. 🤣
So true, nothing simple about them at all
Great video with a clear explanation
Thankyou! Glad I could help
Hey mate would you happen to know how to recalibrate it? My batter charges to 13.9V at 30A then I'm assuming the battery BMS stops any more charge... but the percentage only says 59%. I have never recalibrated it
Hey mate, so sorry for the late response.
I have done it before but I apologise I simply cannot remember now.
I did speak to the support guys at Projecta, they answer the phone every time and are very good to deal with. I would highly recommend giving them a call.
Sorry I couldn't;t be more help...
So I'm getting a van built as we speak and it's coming with the PM300 system and a 200W panel on the roof. Does the PMSHUNT come as standard with the PM300?
Hi there, from what I've read the Shunt does not come standard with the PM300.
Some of the newer Jayco All-Terrain caravans come standard with the Shunt as they are also supplied with an inverter.
Are you planning on running an inverter?
@@dreamtripaus Maybe in the future but for now I'll go without. I think for now I will just try and match a portable panel as close as I can to the fixed one and hook it in parallel directly the the solar inout in the PM300. It'd be good it there was two solar inputs. I have been told to not connect a portable panel top the car charging plug (even with a regulator), it won't work properly.
Yes that's correct, the car charging plug will not be as regulated as the solar input. The solar input has a solar regulator in line to deal with the fluctuating voltages from solar panels. I think you're right, the best bet will be to wire in an extra connection parallel with your existing (fixed) solar panel. The only real consideration is ensuring your solar regulator can handle the extra input power. The Solar regulator on the PM300 is rated to 30A input capable of charging up to 20A. If you already have a 200watt panel (operating at roughly around 20volts x 10amps) then connecting another 200watts of solar should be fine.
Hi. I notice you mentioned your van came with 2 x Sphere 120 Ah lithium batteries, but you added an extra 2 x 200 Ah Kings batteries. Some people suggest it's unwise to mix either different battery capacities or brand of batteries (which I've always been sceptical about anyway). You obviously have not encountered any problems with your battery setup (or have you?). Are there any special things to watch out for when mixing different brands/capacities of batteries? Thank you.
Correct, it is best practice to match battery capacity but it is more important to match voltage rating when wires in parallel. If you were wiring the batteries in series say to achieve a 24 or 48 volt system then matching capacity is critical, but that’s not the case in a 12v circuit. I can’t imagine why brand would matter though as long as the specs align. Ideally I would have one 600Ah battery for best possible performance but cost is a serious consideration! We have not had a single problem with our system! Runs like a dream!
@@dreamtripaus Thanks for this. It's reassuring to know that you've had no problems because it goes against all the orthodoxy and conventional wisdom. I posed this question on the Jayco Journey Facebook Group and, almost without exception the comments were not to mix brands or capacities. Of course, I'm pretty certain few, if any, of these were qualified to make such assertions. The fact that you've done this with no problems is reassuring, but I guess some doubts do remain. Have you had anyone qualified in this area confirm what you did is okay? Thanks once again for all your assistance.
I haven't had anyone qualified look at the system such as an auto electrician or otherwise. I have a background in electronics so I have a decent understanding of the principles. I'm very much a trial-and-error kind of guy. If I have any problems I work on a solution. It can be a hard way of learning but you never forget the lesson that way! I'l, be sure to let you know if I do have any trouble but until then...
Hi we have a new caravan it has the projecta pw235 we fitted two new lithium batteries after about 3 weeks the fault light flashes 8 times its the bms over voltage how do we fix that thank you
Hi there, I haven't encountered this exact problem but I have had issues ion the past. I called the Project support line, they answered straight away and solved my problems over the phone. I highly recommend giving them a call 1800 422 422, they were very helpful!
Great video, got all the info I needed thanks. Take the legs off your TV in the background, It was really annoying me 😆
Haha, the legs annoy me too but I use it for work as a second monitor for my laptop set up on the table so I leave the legs on so I don’t have to do it every time.
Hi are the bolts on the shunt 8mm or 10mm
Can’t find any info online
Thanks
I'm quite sure they are 8mm, I don't recall buying any 10mm lugs. I'll double check and come back to you
Hey! I've had the PMshunt installed into the intellijay system, however now the system continually freezes. Anyone having similar issues?
I haven't had any problems like that; my only suggestion is potentially a firmware mis-match. You can run a firmware update on your Intellijay system via the App. Otherwise I would strongly recommend calling Projecta, they are great to speak to on the phone, very helpful.
I use a Victron Smart Shunt, IMO it is amazing.... Just hook your BMS, Inverter, DC to DC charger to it... And gives you awesome stats via the app.... Best thing I added to my Van 🤙🏼
Yeah mate how good are they! I’ve got one in the car. I was just saying to my cousin the other day, if I could do everything Victron I would!
Great vid but pls get a proper crimper,not pliers,the correct crimper will clamp at over 6tonnes of pressure causing a cold weld which creates a perfect connection with no resistance/heat/losses/hotspots,iv even cut it half and you will see its cold welded/fused/melted together,pliers cannot come remotly close,iv done the tests many times to prove this.
Hey thanks heaps for watching! Yes I have a swagging tool at home but it's much too big to carry with me when we're travelling. Sometimes you make the most of what you have at hand, especially when in remote locations.
@@dreamtripaus nice,does the % unit still work and is accurate?
@dreamtripaus no worries but iv seen first hand our neighbour try to pull 240amps through a 70mm cable with a hammered on crimp and bascicly caught fire,and smoke damaged part of the van,high dc amperage need a proper crimper tool and skill or don't do it period,you don't wanna be responsible for people's vans burning down because you show terminating a lug via mutigrips,pls don not take offence,I love the vid peace.
No offence taken :) I appreciate the comments, the more people we have helping the better! I would like to reiterate too that I strongly recommend having an experienced and appropriately certified installer undertake any works if anyone has any doubts in their own abilities. You're 100% correct, these are extremely high currents and safety should be number 1 priority.
jesus how complicated, i was going to install a shunt--- i wont bother lol, its far easier installing a 3rd party stand alone shunt and monitor, which i have done
Practically, it's not much more work than any other shunt but I must agree, when it comes to working out the display/app, I would rather something more user friendly.
If it were cost effective I'd probably go for something more bespoke/modular but having the Projecta system already installed it is was not a viable option to replace it. I have used other brands in the past and have a Victron smart shunt in the car which works really well and In was hoping that this would present better at the LCD display. Perhaps in another update they will make the display more user friendly...
What shunt do you think you will use?