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Charge the house battery while driving

An Orion XS links the vehicle supply to a separate house battery, with a fridge on its own fused branch.

Open in Crimp Follow the circuit ↓
Red = positive · dark = return · crossings are not junctions. Full screen

Follow the circuit

  1. 01

    Follow the charge path

    Vehicle power enters the Orion, which controls charging into the house battery. The fridge draws from the house side when parked.

  2. 02

    Protect both battery ends

    Each battery can energize its connected positive cable. The example uses the manual’s 60 A fuse option and 16 mm² charging conductors.

  3. 03

    Set the vehicle limit

    Available alternator current varies. Set the input limit and engine detection for your vehicle before expecting the charger’s full output.

The source and this example

Rebuilt from Victron’s Orion XS charger-mode connection diagram, installation section 3.8.

Crimp adds a 100 Ah Renogy house battery and fridge. The vehicle supply stands in for the alternator system; cable lengths are example assumptions.

Before you build

  • Confirm the vehicle’s approved power and ground points.
  • Match the charge profile to the house battery.
  • Recalculate after changing cable lengths.

This is a planning example. Cable sizing uses Crimp’s ABYC-based method; the drawing does not certify an installation.

Cable sizes and connections · 6 conductors

Lengths are one way. Sizes and currents come from the same Crimp model as the drawing. Each drop value covers one drawn conductor; the full circuit includes its supply and return. AWG values are approximate counterparts to the metric areas.

Cable table units
Charge the house battery while driving cable schedule
ConnectionLengthWireDesign currentFuseDrop
C1 · Vehicle supply +
→ Victron Orion XS 12/12-50 IN +		2 m16 mm²AWG 650 A60 A0.91%
C2 · Vehicle supply −
→ Victron Orion XS 12/12-50 IN −		2 m16 mm²AWG 650 A—0.91%
C3 · Victron Orion XS 12/12-50 OUT +
→ Renogy 100Ah LiFePO4 Mini Core +		80 cm16 mm²AWG 650 A60 A0.34%
C4 · Victron Orion XS 12/12-50 OUT −
→ Renogy 100Ah LiFePO4 Mini Core −		80 cm16 mm²AWG 650 A—0.34%
C5 · Renogy 100Ah LiFePO4 Mini Core +
→ Fridge +		2 m4 mm²AWG 115 A15 A0.34%
C6 · Renogy 100Ah LiFePO4 Mini Core −
→ Fridge −		2 m4 mm²AWG 115 A—0.34%

A dash means no fuse is assigned to that conductor; upstream protection may apply. Recheck the exact device, holder and placement after edits.

Equipment · 4 components
  • Vehicle supply

    12 V · 80 Ah

    Vehicle connection placeholder. Starter motor and alternator are outside this subsystem. Use the vehicle manufacturer's approved supply and ground points.

  • Victron Orion XS 12/12-50

    50 A rated / planning output

    Orion XS has one physical GND terminal. IN− and OUT− here are logical connections to that common point. Charge profile, engine detection and input limit require setup.

  • Renogy 100Ah LiFePO4 Mini Core

    12.8 V · 100 Ah

    Crimp-selected battery and assumed cable lengths. Its internal BMS is part of the catalog model; prospective fault current and the exact fuse product remain unverified.

  • Fridge

    5 A load allowance

    Built-in CRX50 compressor fridge with removable freezer compartment. Rated 5A at 12V or 2.6A at 24V; compressor duty varies with temperature and ventilation. Dometic specifies a 15A protected DC supply at 12V, or 7.5A at 24V, and an open rear ventilation path.

Crimp checks · 2 findings to review

These are the current engine findings for the saved example. They remain visible when you open it in Crimp.

  • warning: Check fuse suitability: Mini Core 100Ah
  • warning: Check fuse suitability: Vehicle supply

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