SmartSolar 100/20
20A MPPT, max 290W @ 12V / 1160W @ 48V, 100V PV. The only small SmartSolar that also charges 48V banks; Bluetooth and VE.Direct built in.
The reference run on this page is 3 m one way, sized against ABYC E-11. Your own run will differ, and the canvas sizes that one.
Wiring diagram
The drawing shows where the feed, the return and the fuse land on this part. The starter uses the same reference circuit and sizing assumptions. Read the installation notes for manufacturer requirements before adapting the runs.
Build it out
Open the canvas with SmartSolar 100/20 already placed, then add your batteries, charging, distribution and loads around it.
Every cable you draw there is sized against ABYC E-11, from the same tables as the reference on this page.
Technical reference
The catalog facts for this part, which terminal takes what, and the hardware you'll want around it. Check the nameplate on your own unit before you order.
3 m reference run
12 V system
Sized against ABYC E-11. Boats built to UK or EU rules answer to ISO 13297 — check these figures against it before you build. The design current is the unit's rated output. The length is one way; voltage drop includes an equal-length return. The shared starter uses 3.048 m (10 ft) runs unless a shorter run is stated. These are example assumptions for you to adapt to your own installation.
Check stud sizes, fuse type, run length and how warm the space gets against the gear you actually have before you order.
Catalog connection points, current direction and planning limits. Check the manufacturer's pinout and connector ratings before installation.
PV +
pv-pos
positive · input
PV −
pv-neg
negative · input
BATT +
batt-pos
positive · output
BATT −
batt-neg
negative · output
Field notes
What we've read and heard about installing this exact part. These are notes, kept apart from the numbers Crimp works out.
MPPT solar charge controller for a small array: up to 100 V open-circuit on the PV side, charging a 12 V, 24 V or 48 V battery at up to 20 A. Nominal PV power is 290 W on a 12 V bank, 580 W on 24 V and 1160 W on 48 V, which makes it the only controller in its family that charges a 48 V bank at all — the 75/10, 75/15 and 100/15 beside it are 12/24 V only. Battery voltage is selected automatically, and Bluetooth plus a VE.Direct port handle setup and monitoring.
The PV side connects to the array, whose short-circuit current must stay under 20 A; a string above that can damage the controller, and it is the one PV number with no margin behind it. The battery side goes to the bank through its own fuse. Power terminals take 6 mm² (AWG 10), so a long battery run cannot be fixed with heavier cable at the controller — keep the controller near the bank and let the array side, at its higher voltage, carry the distance. The controller needs the battery connected first to detect the bank voltage, and the array has to reach the battery voltage plus 5 V before it will start.
This model also has a load output with a programmable low-voltage disconnect. It carries 20 A continuous on a 12 V or 24 V bank, but only 1 A on a 48 V bank, where the datasheet expects it to drive a relay rather than the load itself.
Running an inverter, or anything beyond a couple of hundred watts, from the load output. An inverter's input capacitors pull a large inrush at switch-on, which trips the load output's short-circuit protection, so the inverter never starts even though it runs fine straight from the battery. Victron's own community threads on this controller return to it repeatedly. Feed inverters and any real load from the battery bus through their own fuse, and leave the load output for the small DC loads it was designed for — or use it as the control signal for a relay when you want its low-voltage disconnect on something bigger.
Verified against the manufacturer's documentation (rev. 2023-07), checked 2026-09-04. Manufacturer documentation →
Method & provenance
The manufacturer publishes some of these numbers and Crimp works out the rest. It's worth knowing which is which.
From the maker
Manufacturer, model, ratings and which terminal does what come from the catalog. A newer revision, or the nameplate on the unit in your hand, can say something different — when it does, the nameplate wins.
ABYC E-11
Sized against ABYC E-11. Boats built to UK or EU rules answer to ISO 13297 — check these figures against it before you build. The run length and the current above are what drive the result. Crimp doesn't know how warm your space gets; draw the cable inside an engine-bay zone on the canvas and it sizes for the heat.
Next step
It lands on the canvas already placed. Add what it connects to, and every run gets its wire and fuse as you draw.