Both product families are used for controlled DC-DC charging, but I don’t choose between them based on the name. Voltage, desired charging current, galvanic isolation, and the rest of the Victron system determine the choice.
Orion XS 12/12-50A
Victron specifies 1–50 A adjustable input and output current, up to 700 W at a typical 14 V, up to 98.5% efficiency, Bluetooth, VE.Direct, and VE.Smart Networking. This 12/12-50A version is not galvanically isolated.
Orion XS 1400
The XS 1400 has a wider voltage range with 9–35 V input and 10–35 V adjustable output. The current can be set to 1–50 A, and Victron specifies up to 1,400 W at 28 V. This makes it relevant when the input and output voltage are not just 12 V to 12 V.
Orion-Tr Smart
The Orion-Tr Smart is available in several 12/24/48 V combinations and in both isolated and non-isolated versions. The isolated version keeps the input and output ground separated. The series features Bluetooth and a multi-stage charging algorithm.
How I choose
- Start with the voltage: 12→12, 12→24, 24→12, etc.
- Choose charging current: no higher than what the alternator, cables, fuses, battery, and BMS can handle.
- Determine if isolation is necessary: especially if the input and output sides should not share a negative.
- Look at integration: VE.Direct and other system features may be relevant in a larger Victron system.
See Orion XS 12/12-50A · See Orion XS 1400 · See all DC-DC chargers