Heritage Electrical Group

Heritage Electrical Group We design and install Marine electrical systems. We have a panel shop, so our designs are custom tai

The 2000 Amp shunt is a beast. And this is going on a 48V system, so lots of power!
03/25/2026

The 2000 Amp shunt is a beast. And this is going on a 48V system, so lots of power!

If you wonder why marine wire is so expensive, and if it's worth it, take a look at this picture. Similar wire, in the s...
03/07/2026

If you wonder why marine wire is so expensive, and if it's worth it, take a look at this picture. Similar wire, in the same environment. One is tinned marine grade (ancor in this case), the other is some generic copper. It's got a good strand count and is nice and flexible. On day one the current carrying capacity was equal as well. The crimp was okay, but the heatshrink seal had failed on the straight copper wire. It was a moist environment and over time the heat cycles had allowed moisture to wick down the strands. This oxidization causes the copper to become brittle and the strands will break, causing further resistance. The worst part is it all occurs inside the insulation where you can't see it.

Android Auto is now supported on victronconnect. Cool new options for your mobile build!
02/24/2026

Android Auto is now supported on victronconnect. Cool new options for your mobile build!

All, Victron has found a bug in their firmware that can have significant problems on the Orion XS. If you have one of th...
01/09/2025

All, Victron has found a bug in their firmware that can have significant problems on the Orion XS. If you have one of these please update the firmware ASAP. If you bought it from us, we will be happy to help and of course will cover any warranty issues related.

January 8th, 2025
We have recently released firmware update v1.08 for the Orion XS. This update fixes an issue in v1.07 where the charger could fail if the battery voltage exceeded the output voltage target.

Full change log
For the full change log, see the Orion XS entry in the firmware library on Victron Professional.

How to install this update?
For systems connected to the VRM Portal, the recommended method is to use the VRM Remote firmware update feature. Detailed instructions can be found here. For more information on the VRM Portal, visit here.
For systems not connected to the VRM Portal, we recommend waiting for the next version of the VictronConnect App. This version will include the updated firmware and will automatically prompt you to update upon connection. If you prefer to update before this version becomes available, you can download the firmware file from the firmware library on Victron Professional and use the VictronConnect App self-supplied file update method.

Class-T power in has arrived. A little more flexibility and compliance within the lynx line. The 1000 amp BMS is also s...
07/19/2024

Class-T power in has arrived. A little more flexibility and compliance within the lynx line. The 1000 amp BMS is also shipping now.

Why it is important to use marine rated wire, reason #467: This wire was pushed into a semi-concealed area on a metal ...
06/25/2024

Why it is important to use marine rated wire, reason #467: This wire was pushed into a semi-concealed area on a metal boat after being fastened to a switch. The insulation is very thin and brittle and easily pealed away from the wire.

Proper Marine wire will typically be Nylon (Edit: meant to say vinyl here, but there are some nylon insulators) or PVC insulation and will be stamped with a temperature and voltage rating in addition to the wire gauge size. This jacketing is resistant to abrasion and cuts and will continue to provide protection for the current carrying elements of the wire when scraped or pinched.

I don't think this stuff would hold up to another wire laying over the top of it. And the connectors on the end aren't much better. And of course - nothing was fused.

The new Orion XS units are trickling in. It really is amazing how much smaller and lighter they are. The XS on the right...
04/19/2024

The new Orion XS units are trickling in. It really is amazing how much smaller and lighter they are. The XS on the right here is less than half the volume and weight of the older TR-Smart unit, and it has 66% more output amperage available. Plus it will talk ve.direct to the rest of your Victron gear.

Lenny, the shop dog, is not impressed.

A nice tidy inverter kit for a trailer. This is tied to just under 6KW of LiFePo4 battery. We tested the customer suppli...
04/19/2024

A nice tidy inverter kit for a trailer. This is tied to just under 6KW of LiFePo4 battery. We tested the customer supplied 100W portable solar panel and saw 90W of charge in good sunlight at 10:00am. This will give them the ability to be off-grid boondocking for weeks at a time and rarely need to use their generator - mostly for times when air conditioning is needed.

At the beginning of the year we stood up a nice little grid adjacent system in Mexico. There's lots of sun, and the elec...
04/16/2024

At the beginning of the year we stood up a nice little grid adjacent system in Mexico. There's lots of sun, and the electricity is expensive and unreliable, so it makes a lot of sense to do solar.

The system powers the whole house. There are twelve 550W panels in two arrays. Two quattro 5K units (24V because of some other plans I have in mind), an autotransformer, make up the power generation. The Lynx distribution and BMS units handle battery control and DC management. And two 250-100 MPPTs do the solar conversion work.

The first few weeks had some general testing and dialing in, but we can run the pool pump and two minisplit AC units during the day and still keep up with charging the batteries for overnight. More batteries are needed to support air conditioning overnight, but without AC (or just modest use) it has little problem making it through to the next day.

This is the latest billing cycle. Just under 1000KWhrs consumed, 67.5 from the grid (just under 7% of our usage from the grid). This included some testing time and a window with a system fault where we ran from the grid early in the cycle. The last 30 days are 456KWhrs consumed, 12.8 from the grid - less than 3%. That should make a dent in the electric bill!

Eclipse viewing for data geeks. I'm working up a whole post on the solar system we just installed in Mexico. But here's...
04/08/2024

Eclipse viewing for data geeks. I'm working up a whole post on the solar system we just installed in Mexico. But here's a teaser: In addition to saving more than 90% of our energy usage (and associated costs), we get a lot of data.

Today's Eclipse peaked at just after 11:00 am. You can see it in the graphs:

Okay, we've been negligent about posting anything in a while - sorry just busy. We do have a couple of new exciting thin...
04/08/2024

Okay, we've been negligent about posting anything in a while - sorry just busy. We do have a couple of new exciting things I'll add soon.

For now I wanted to cover a question that keeps coming up on the integrity/quality of the AC connections on the new Multiplus units. These connectors don't use a traditional screw cage, but use a Wago style tension lock. The connectors themselves are made by Phoenix connector - a well regarded player in the industry with a LOT of experience.

Victron does recommend fine stranded copper or tinned copper wire with a ferrule. The ferrule should be 17mm long, and it is important to ensure the ferrule is completely inserted.

A lot of people question the strength/quality of the connection. We were initially a bit concerned by this as well - we've seen all kinds of 'new fangled' ideas fail and we know the old standards well. After playing with a couple of them and 'torture testing' a failed unit, I came around and think they are fine (nice even if you ever have to take it apart/put it back together).

I recently broke down a mainboard and removed a couple of these connectors. I took one and put a single cable with a ferrule on one end and a lug on the other end and used it to suspend a 52lb battery. The lug, ferrule, and connector all handled the load with zero problem and I was able to disassemble / reassemble the connection after with no problems.

Here are the pictures:

Heritage will be hosting an installer focused training event for Wakespeed regulators next Wednesday morning. We have a...
11/06/2023

Heritage will be hosting an installer focused training event for Wakespeed regulators next Wednesday morning. We have a few extra seats if anyone local would like to attend. Please contact me for details.

The class will be focused on install details and integration with the Victron ecosystem, but will also cover some basic theory and operation of the Wakespeed regulator.

We are hosting this because we are now an authorized reseller for Wakespeed, and also now carry the full line of battle borne battery products as well. Using a Wakespeed regulator is the best way we have found for charging your lithium system while underway (also applicable for sprinters and RVs). Even for AGM battery banks, the Wakespeed regulation gives you better and more complete charging, with the ability to really control what's going on at the alternator. And of course, fully upgradable when you decide to make the jump to Lithium.

Address

1205 Craftsman Way, Suite 114 (boatyard)
Everett, WA
98201

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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