Victron Energy SmartSolar MPPT 250/60-Tr60A 250V Bluetooth MPPT solar charge controller, screw PV connection

Overview

The SmartSolar MPPT 250/60-Tr accepts PV strings of up to 250V open-circuit voltage, allowing up to 360 cells in series on a 48V battery, and charges at up to 60A with 35mm² screw terminals for the PV cables. Nominal PV power is 860W on 12V and 3440W on 48V; PV short-circuit current is limited to 35A and peak efficiency is 99%. Remote on/off, a programmable relay, Bluetooth and VE.Direct are built in. Battery fuse: 70–80A.

• 60A or 70A charge current, 12/24/48V automatic, 36V manual
• 150V or 250V PV input, Tr screw or MC4
• Remote on/off terminal and programmable relay
• Up to 10 units synchronised over Bluetooth
• Optional plug-in SmartSolar display
• Peak efficiency 98% (150V) or 99% (250V)

How it works

These controllers track the maximum power point of a high-voltage array and convert it down to a 12V, 24V or 48V battery, or 36V set manually. The model number gives maximum PV voltage and charge current: a 250/70 accepts 250V and charges at up to 70A. Victron specifies the absolute maximum at the coldest conditions, with the start-up and operating limit 5V lower, at 145V or 245V.

The adaptive three-stage algorithm ends absorption when current falls below 2A or the absorption time expires, and lengthens absorption after deep discharges. Eight presets on the rotary switch range from gel and AGM to OPzS tubular plate and LiFePO4, and the app gives a fully user-defined profile. Up to ten units can charge one battery bank in synchronised mode via Bluetooth.

Key features

A two-pole remote on/off terminal accepts a switch, a high or low signal, or a lithium BMS such as the VE.Bus BMS. The programmable relay, rated 4A at 240VAC or 4A up to 35VDC, can act on PV or battery voltage, temperature, charge stage, errors or day detection, or work as a virtual load output with BatteryLife. An optional SmartSolar display plugs into a socket on the front of the unit.

Installation and compatibility

Tr versions have 35mm² screw terminals for the PV array; MC4 versions have two MC4 pairs, wired in parallel to one tracker, with a limit of 30A per connector. Battery terminals take 35mm² cable at 2.4Nm. Fuse the battery at 70–80A for 60A models and 80–100A for 70A models. Use fine-stranded flexible copper cable, since coarse strands overheat in the clamps.

Mount vertically with 10cm clearance above and below, within 3m of the battery and never above it, or use the MPPT WireBox to cover the terminals. Connect the battery before the PV so the voltage is detected. The PV array must not be grounded and panels with optimisers must not be used. Rated output is maintained up to 40°C and 2000m altitude.

Monitoring and settings

Every SmartSolar has Bluetooth built in: the VictronConnect app on Android, iOS, macOS or Windows shows live data, keeps 30 days of history and error records, changes settings and installs firmware updates. The VE.Direct port connects a GX device such as the Cerbo GX for remote monitoring on the VRM portal, the MPPT Control display, a USB interface or external control cables.

Questions and answers