If Your Victron Orion XS Won't Charge, You Need This Cable

If your Victron Orion XS isn't charging, this little cable might be the whole reason. Here's the full setup, the two things that tripped me up, and the fix. The Caravan XL came from the factory with a Victron Orion XS 12/12-50A DC-DC charger already installed. The run from the truck's starter battery back to the Orion is over 35 feet, so to keep voltage drop in check I used 4-gauge for the long run from the truck battery to the rear of the truck, then 6-gauge (what the Orion XS takes) for the last stretch into the RV. First thing that tripped me up: a 50-amp Anderson-style connector won't accept 4-gauge, so I went with a 120-amp plug to fit the wire, which meant modifying the connector to seat everything properly. Then the other issue: with it all wired up, the GX Touch 50 showed no charge coming in. The Orion XS needs a VE.Direct cable running to the Cerbo GX before the system will even recognize it. The moment that cable went in, an alternator tile appeared on the display and the charge current started flowing. The RV & gear in this video: • Kingdom Camping Caravan XL • Victron Orion XS 12/12-50A DC-DC Battery Charger • Victron Cerbo GX • Victron GX Touch 50 • Epoch lithium battery bank #TheSecondLife #IntentionalLiving #Stoicism #Victron #OrionXS #CerboGX #DCtoDC #Epoch #KingdomCamping #Overlanding #RVLife #OffGrid