This page tells you how to set up a Victron Energy system with Voltsmile lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries.

Voltsmile batteries communicate with the Victron GX device over BMS-Can. The battery BMS sends these values to the GX device:

• Charge Voltage Limit (CVL)
• Charge Current Limit (CCL)
• Discharge Current Limit (DCL)
• State of Charge (SOC)
• Highest and lowest cell voltages
• Temperature

The GX device sends these limits to all connected Victron inverter/chargers and solar chargers through DVCC.

These Voltsmile models are for use in Victron systems. All models are 16S LiFePO4 packs.

The BMS sends the charge and discharge current limits to the GX device over BMS-Can. Refer to the Voltsmile datasheet for the maximum currents of each model.

Voltsmile batteries are compatible with these Victron products when you connect the battery through BMS-Can to a supported GX device:

• GX devices: Cerbo GX, Cerbo-S GX, Ekrano GX.
• Inverter/chargers: 48 V models of the VE.Bus MultiPlus, MultiPlus-II, Quattro and Quattro-II, and the RS range. For minimum firmware, refer to section 3.
  • The EasySolar-II GX and the MultiPlus-II GX have an integrated GX device. They do not need a separate GX device.
• Solar chargers: SmartSolar and BlueSolar MPPT.
• Remote monitoring: VRM Portal (SOC, cell voltages, temperatures, alarms).

Important: Only 48 V Victron inverter/charger models are compatible with Voltsmile 16S batteries. 12 V and 24 V models are not supported.

Always install the latest firmware on all devices during commissioning.

To connect Voltsmile batteries to a Victron system, you need:

1. A compatible Victron GX device. Refer to section 2.
2. A VE.Can to CAN-bus BMS cable Type A (Victron part number ASS030710018). This cable converts the pinout between the GX device BMS-Can port and the Voltsmile battery CAN connector.

Voltsmile batteries have built-in CAN-bus termination. Do not install an external terminator at the battery end.

Tip: The Voltsmile CAN connection needs a GX port set to CAN-bus BMS (500 kbit/s).

• Dual-CAN GX devices (Cerbo GX, Ekrano GX): the BMS-Can port (500 kbit/s) is a different bus from VE.Can (250 kbit/s). Do not connect the Voltsmile battery to the bus that has the Victron VE.Can devices.
• Single-CAN GX devices (Cerbo-S GX): the device has one CAN port only. When you set it to CAN-bus BMS (500 kbit/s) for the Voltsmile battery, you cannot use it for VE.Can (250 kbit/s) devices. Plan the system for this.

On the GX device, go to Settings → Services → [BMS-Can port] → CAN-bus profile.

Select CAN-bus BMS (500 kbit/s).

Go to Settings → System setup → Battery monitor.

Make sure that the Voltsmile battery is the selected battery monitor. The GX device then uses the SOC, voltage and current from the BMS.

DVCC (Distributed Voltage and Current Control) sends the charge and discharge limits from the BMS to the connected Victron devices. DVCC must be on for Voltsmile batteries.

Venus OS sets these DVCC settings automatically when it detects a Voltsmile battery on BMS-Can:

For a full explanation of each setting and how it works with a CAN-bus BMS, refer to the Victron DVCC manual.

The Voltsmile BMS sends CVL, CCL and DCL to the GX device over BMS-Can. The GX device sends these values to all connected inverter/chargers and solar chargers through DVCC.

During normal charge, the BMS sets CVL to 57.6 V. When the battery is near full, the BMS decreases CVL to control the end of charge.

The BMS also decreases CCL when the cell temperature or the cell voltage is outside the normal range. Refer to section 9.3.

The Voltsmile BMS has its own protection, independent of the Victron system. In normal DVCC operation, Victron devices obey the CVL, CCL and DCL from the BMS and do not reach these thresholds. The thresholds are an additional safety layer.

Over-voltage protection is based on individual cell voltages.

Hardware cut-off. The BMS protects the battery with a charge/discharge MOSFET disconnect. A CAN keepalive timeout also disconnects the MOSFETs. Refer to section 11.2.

These are pack-level values.

57.6 V = 3.60 V/cell. 58.4 V = 3.65 V/cell. 54.4 V = 3.40 V/cell.

The BMS also decreases the charge current when the cell voltage is outside its normal range.

When a cell reaches 3.65 V (pack 58.4 V):

1. The charge MOSFET switches off.
2. The BMS sends a High cell voltage alarm to the GX device.

The BMS uses passive balancing (resistive dissipation).

The GX device sends a keepalive message (0x305) to the battery. The Voltsmile BMS has a 15-minute timeout for this message.

• If the BMS does not receive the keepalive for 15 minutes, it disconnects the charge/discharge MOSFETs.
• To restore normal operation after this timeout, push the built-in switch on the battery pack. This case needs manual action.

After a full discharge, the battery recovers automatically, with no manual action, when both of these conditions are true:

• The single cell voltage is more than 2.95 V.
• The total pack voltage is more than 44.8 V.

When AC or PV charge increases the pack above these levels, the BMS connects again automatically.

Note: For off-grid systems, install some DC-coupled PV to support black start recovery. If no PV or AC source is available when the BMS shuts down, the battery cannot recover until a charge source is available.

The Voltsmile BMS reports the highest and lowest cell voltages to the GX device and to VRM. The Victron interface shows these two cells only.

The BMS identifies each cell as module::cell.

Important: When DVCC is on, the system compares the BMS limits with the settings in VEConfigure or VictronConnect. The system always uses the more conservative value:

• Charge voltage: the lower value applies. If the BMS CVL is lower than the charger setting, the CVL applies. If the charger setting is lower than the CVL, the charger setting applies.
• Discharge shut-down: the higher voltage applies. If the inverter low-voltage shut-down setting is higher than the BMS limit, the inverter stops at its own setting.

LiFePO4 batteries do not need a conventional bulk, absorption and float cycle. When DVCC is on, the BMS limits the charge voltage through CVL.

1. Make sure that CAN-bus BMS (500 kbit/s) is selected. Go to Settings → Services → [CAN port] → CAN-bus profile.
2. Restart the GX device.
3. Make sure that the cable is a Type A VE.Can to CAN-bus BMS cable (ASS030710018). Make sure that it is fully engaged at both ends. The GX device cannot detect the battery through a site-made cable with CAN-H and CAN-L swapped. Refer to section 4.
4. Make sure that the Voltsmile BMS firmware is at or above the minimum version. Refer to section 3.
5. Make sure that the battery is on and the BMS is active. Examine the built-in switch. Refer to the next item.

1. If the GX device did not send the 0x305 keepalive for 15 minutes, the BMS disconnected the MOSFETs.
2. Push the built-in switch on the battery pack to restore operation.
3. Repair the CAN communication fault (cable, CAN-bus profile, GX power) so that the keepalive starts again.

1. Go to Settings → DVCC. Make sure that DVCC is ON and SVS is OFF.
2. Make sure that the Voltsmile battery is the battery monitor. Go to Settings → System setup → Battery monitor.
3. Make sure that no other monitor (for example a SmartShunt) is the primary battery monitor.

1. Make sure that at least one AC or PV charge source is connected and active.
2. The battery recovers automatically when the single cell voltage is more than 2.95 V and the pack voltage is more than 44.8 V. Refer to section 11.3. Let the charge start.
3. If recovery does not start, examine whether a keepalive timeout occurred. Refer to section 11.2. That case needs a manual restart.

1. The BMS decreases CCL based on temperature and cell voltage. Refer to section 9.3. Charge stops (CCL = 0 A) at or below 0 °C and at or above 55 °C.
2. This is normal protection. It is not a fault. For full charge current, the cell temperature must be between 12 °C and 40 °C.

1. Passive balancing operates only during charge, when the highest cell is more than 3.40 V. Refer to section 10. Balancing does not operate at rest or at low SOC.