Hey!  Just a heads up but we got our first shipment in for the new Victron Orion XS 50A DC DC Chargers: https://shop.explorist.life/shop/all-products/victron-orion-xs-1212-50-dc-dc-charger-non-isolated

And here is the wiring kit for it: https://shop.explorist.life/shop/all-products/victron-orion-xs-12-12-50-dc-to-dc-charger-wiring-kit/

Dual Orion XS wiring kit coming soon.  Orion 30A to Orion 50A retrofit coming soon.  Stay tuned to our social media for the announcement for those.

NOTE:  I'm sending this everybody on the waiting list at the same time as well as a social media blast; and there are a lot more on the waiting list than I have available as of today and these WILL SELL OUT, But... since we have gotten our first shipment, that gives me confidence that we will have more in a timely manner; which means that we will be taking backorders.  This means that if we sell out, you can pre-purchase for our next shipment and we will fulfil those IN THE ORDER THEY ARE RECEIVED, so time is still of the essence if you want one.

So, when will the next shipment of these arrive?  Our current best estimate is April 26th for the next small shipment, and then by early June, we anticipate having enough to fulfill ALL orders.

I will not be sending out waiting list emails for these.  If you want to get 'on the list'; purchase one (or two) on backorder and we will send them out as we get them in: https://shop.explorist.life/shop/all-products/victron-orion-xs-1212-50-dc-dc-charger-non-isolated

Great video! Two things to cover if you can:

1. Can you now prioritize solar over orion when driving? Reduces strain on the alternator when hitting max input current limits.

2. Can you use two of these together and set a maximum current based on your alternator's output limits? Say 80A from both combined.

Thanks!

I would love to see you do a Dual Orion XS 50 amp video!

Are there plans for an isolated version?
Now, if they could shrink the 100/50a mppt controller to the same size, that would be great.

I have 7 Victron devices installed in my Van, love them all except the Orion 30/30 smart. The 30/30 is the only Victron unit that has ever failed me and was replaced under warranty eventually. It was mounted vertically, bolted to the metal chassis and cooled additionally via an extraction fan. I still worry about the heat it produces in the hot Aussie summers and therefore only rarely use it in winter in bad weather when solar output is low. My confidence in the design of the 30/30 is low, and expect it will fail again eventually. The XS sounds like what the 30/30 should have been ! Perhaps a free or subsidised upgrade on Victron's part to existing 30/30 owners would restore faith in this product and the "Victron Experience". 🙂

Thanks for the test. Our rig has (2) alternators putting out a theoretical maximum of 260amps. We would like to see how and installation of (2) Orion XS units would perform and a little about how they communicate while in operation.

Thanks Nate. Excellent work on presentation.  I would love to see the differences between the non-isolated and isolated version coming out in a truck/camper combo.  Thanks for all of your team’s hard work.

I just took my first trip with my new XS  installed. About 1 Hour into my trip, I got a notification that my Orion XS was overheating and it was derating the charge current…..

I am building a new system so the choice is easy I am going to get the new 50  amp charger. In regard to your question, would it be worth the cost to upgrade from the old 30 amp? For me absolutely yes. After seeing your testing I would easily pay to upgrade primarily for the efficiency but the heat reduction is also a big positive factor. This is precisely the type of video I like to see from your channel.  Nothing beats objective data on innovations. It makes it easy to justify spending the money. I can see the benefits and then know immediately if it justifies the cost. Thanks great video.

14:30 11.8v is crazy low voltage. This would be why it was getting so hot. Increase this to about 14v and do the test again so we can see a real world heat. Also should be done in ambient temperature around 30c

No doubt the 50A is more efficient than the 30A desgn and the VE Direct is worth the price of admission alone.

What I would like to see is a test at elevated temperatures (your average installation will see 50C +) and at alternator voltages (At least 14v) so see if or when the DCDC starts to thermally throttle.

Can the XS use vehicle ground in the back of the van? Don’t want to run the ground cable back to the front. If you could explain the pros and cons of the 2 wiring scenarios. Thanks.

It’s worth the money to upgrade. With most systems placed under a couch or in an enclosed area, just the temperature difference is a big plus.

Thank you for your review.  I know you want to be one of the first out with a review on this.   I can appreciate that.  That said, you need test these the way they are going to be used.   The output test is really useless without your "alternator/input" being at 14+ volts.  Also, in this case, at least adjust the output of the XS to be 30 amps so that we have an apples to apples comparison at 30 amps for both with the exact same input.   And we really need to see what the XS will do with a stable 14.1-14.4 high amperage input.  Is it really a 50 amp/700 watt charger or not?  We really don't know at this point and we have no idea how hot it will get at full 700 watt capacity.   I would like to see the amperage output adjustment tested to see how low it will go and how well it works as you slowly increase it.  The manual says it can be adjusted from 1-50 amps in "tenth amp increments" but I am wondering if it can go lower than 1 amp, say for example a 1/2 or 3/4 amp output.   It would be nice if you could put an accurate clamp on the input and output so that we can actually see what the loss is across the unit and then test the lost at different out levels.  For example, what is the loss when you adjust the output to 5 amps, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50?  Some people may want to replace their old 30amp charger (or even a 10amp or 20amp) with this and run it adjusted to 30amps as they cannot update the wiring size (I am actually planning to do this until I can change my wiring out).  Hope this all makes sense.  Again, thank you.

If I'm reading the manual right, it looks like the Orion XS 50A can set limits for either or both input/output current. Is that the case? This is a huge upgrade over the 12/12 30 unit! Adding one of these in a case where you don't have enough wiring or supply current, from 7-pin trailer wiring or a DC lead acid charger is a HUGE win. But nobody seems to mention it?

Well done mate!  Love your work.  Solid!!

Thank you Nate! These were great videos. Since smelling warm electronics coming off a fresh orion 30a I've been looking for an alternative.

I'll be waiting for the isolated version but would like to see a longer test with the device mounted vertically and higher voltage input.

Higher voltage input should mean higher wattage which in turn means more loss.

I'd love to see where the temperature "tops out" and it'd be great if that was done in an ambient of 20 degree centigrade (this would be the typical internal temperature of a van on a long drive).

A lot of us watching already have the old style of Orion DC-DC Chargers as well as an MPPT. Can you do a test with both an old style and new XS working together? plus an MPPT? For those of us who have alternators big enough to handle this, it would be really nice to see how well they all work together, how hot they get in a realistic install

Good stuff 👍

Nate, the XS stands for Extra Smart.