Can two of these be operated in parallel to support higher loads, including higher peak loads? Victron Energy ORI241220260 Orion IP67 DC-DC Converter 24/12-20A

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Can two of these be operated in parallel to support higher loads, including higher peak loads? Victron Energy ORI241220260 Orion IP67 DC-DC Converter 24/12-20A

Can two of these be operated in parallel to support higher loads, including higher peak loads?

I think I'm hitting a problem with peak current out of an Orion converter.

I have an Orion IP67 24/12-20 which did fine (apparently) powering a nominal 5.49A@12V portable fridge for a while, from the 24V house battery.

We upgraded to a new (larger) fridge, rated 11A@12V. I got a couple of "compressor won't start" warnings, and I think I'm seeing some indications of false starts in the current traces from the related SmartShunt--instead of the current going to a nice stable ~2A and there being a regular set of running/idle current plateaus and more or less regular duty cycle, I'm seeing more variation in the duty cycle and what looks like some start attempts that failed.

I suspect that the overload protection in the 24/12-20 DC/DC converter is getting a work-out. The wiring is 10AWG and only about 4 feet from the converter to the 12V outlet, then whatever cord came with the fridge (another 4 feet, maybe 12 or 14 gauge). The drop when running is only about 0.3V per the telemetry from the fridge; 12.4V when idle, 12.1V when running.

The 24/12-20 was, let's be honest, very inexpensive, and small enough to fit the space available. Can two of them be paralleled to the same load?

I have an Orion 24/12-70 elsewhere in the system, and could use that, but that's a different design change, and more mechanical tear-up.

Status: Open Feb 01, 2024 - 01:15 PM

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Feb 01, 2024 - 01:15 PM

Its hard to get these to work in parallel and since there are some more powerful units available I would suggest you replace what you have with a bigger unit.