Photonic Universe is an official distributor of products from Victron Energy - the globally renowned manufacturer of high quality hybrid power electronics. Victron Energy inverters have a longstanding reputation for their outstanding reliability, innovative design and superior build quality.

The 12/500/20-16 MultiPlus intelligently combines the functions of a powerful 500VA 12V pure sine wave inverter, a sophisticated 20A battery charger which features adaptive charge technology, and a high speed 16A AC transfer switch in one single unit. This makes the MultiPlus ideal for applications with limited space, and allows you to have a more compact and easy-to-troubleshoot system, especially since using the MultiPlus will require less cables compared to using separate units (i.e., separate inverter, battery charger, and AC transfer switch).

Key functions:

1. 500VA 12V pure sine wave inverter: converts DC current into 230VAC mains electricity, to run various household appliances such as a TV, laptop, lighting, fans etc. Able to generate up to 430W of continuous power with a strong peak power handling capability of 900W (to start appliances with electric motors). This inverter is a pure sine wave type, which easily surpasses modified sine wave inverters in terms of efficiency and compatibility with a wider range of appliances.

2. Adaptive 20A 4-stage smart battery charger (bulk - absorption - float - storage): designed to enable safe and efficient unattended charging of a 12V battery. The microprocessor-driven adaptive battery management system can be adjusted for various types of batteries, and the adaptive function automatically adapts the charging process to battery use.

3. Uninterruptible power supply (UPS): This inverter/charger features a high-speed 16A AC transfer switch. This means that in the event of a grid failure, or shore or generator power being disconnected, the inverter within the MultiPlus is automatically activated and takes over supply to the connected loads. This happens so fast (less than 20 milliseconds) that sensitive loads (such as computers and other electronic devices) will continue to operate without disruption, eliminating the risk of losing data.

Additional intelligent features:

As well as the 3 key functions, the MultiPlus offers several additional features and customisable settings that provide a range of useful applications and enhanced functionality; these include but are not limited to:

PowerControl: This feature allows the user to set the maximum AC input current to be drawn by the MultiPlus, for the battery charger and the connected AC loads consumption, and gives priority to the AC loads. This way, the MultiPlus prioritises the power/current supply to the connected AC appliances, and whatever current is “left over” is used to charge the batteries. This keeps your system from overloading the AC supply (e.g., generator or shore supply) and prevents the circuit breaker from tripping. This feature requires the Multi Control Panel (not included).
Programmable relay: The MultiPlus is equipped with a programmable relay which can be programmed for all kinds of applications, such as providing a start/stop signal to a generator. By default, the programmable relay is set as an alarm relay; i.e., the relay will de-energise in the event of an alarm or a pre-alarm (inverter almost too hot, ripple on the input almost too high, battery voltage almost too low).
Parallel and 3-phase operation capability: The MultiPlus can be connected in parallel with several identical devices (up to 6) to achieve higher power output. Operation in 3-phase wye (Y) configuration is also possible. A standard RJ45 UTP cable is required for parallel and 3-phase operation (not included).
Inbuilt safety protection: The MultiPlus offers complete protection against potential hazards such as output short circuit, overload, battery overvoltage & undervoltage, overheating, 230 VAC on inverter output (e.g., from another AC source), and input voltage ripple that is too high.
WeakAC: Strong distortion of the input voltage can result in the charger hardly operating or not operating at all. If WeakAC is turned on, the charger will also accept a strongly distorted voltage, at the cost of greater distortion of the input current.
BatterySafe mode: If, in order to quickly charge a battery, a high charge current in combination with a high absorption voltage has been chosen, damage due to excessive gassing will be prevented by automatically limiting the rate of voltage increase once the gassing voltage has been reached.
The Storage mode: The Storage mode kicks in whenever the battery has not been subjected to discharge during 24 hours. In the Storage mode float voltage is reduced to minimise gassing and corrosion of the positive plates. Once a week the voltage is raised back to the absorption level to “equalise” the battery. This feature prevents stratification of the electrolyte and sulphation, 2 major causes of early battery failure.
Bulk protection: When this setting is turned on, the bulk charging time is limited to 10 hours. A longer charging time could indicate a system error (e.g., a battery cell short circuit).
Temperature compensation: The temperature sensor (supplied with the product) serves to reduce charging voltage when battery temperature rises. This is particularly important for maintenance-free batteries, which could otherwise dry out by overcharging.
Remote monitoring and control: When coupled with a GX device (e.g., Cerbo GX) you can monitor and control your MultiPlus and your system locally (via the local LAN/Wi-Fi network) or remotely via the internet from anywhere in the world, using the free VRM app or the free VRM portal website. Access can be from a phone, tablet, laptop, or PC for multiple operating systems.

Click on the Details and Specifications tab for more information.

Inverter:

Input voltage range: 9.5 - 17 V
Output voltage & frequency: 230 VAC ± 2% @ 50Hz ± 0.1% (can be adjusted to 240 VAC @ 60Hz)
Cont. output power at 25°C: 500 VA (i.e., 430W)
Peak power: 900W
Maximum efficiency: 90%
Zero-load power: 6W

Charger:

AC input voltage range: 187 - 265 VAC
Charge voltage 'absorption': 14.4V
Charge voltage 'float': 13.8V
Storage mode: 13.2V
Charge current house battery: 20A
Charge current starter battery: 1A

General:

Transfer switch: 16A
Dip switches: yes (remote/battery charge voltage/inverter frequency/search mode)
Internal DC fuse: 125A
Operating temperature range: -40 to + 65 °C (fan assisted cooling)
Humidity (non-condensing): max 95%

Enclosure:

Protection category: IP 21
Battery connection: 16mm²
Weight: 4.4kg
Dimensions (h x w x d): 311 x 182 x 100 mm

This product is covered by a 5 year manufacturer warranty. For more information please refer to our Terms and Conditions.

This inverter/charger comes with a detailed user manual (see Documents tab) which explains wiring, installation and operations.

Please note that this inverter/charger is not supplied with cables. Detailed recommendations for cable length and thickness are available in the user manual.

If you need help with installation or have any technical questions we can provide FREE support - please contact us by email or phone (see Contact Us page for more information).

The following documents are available to download:

User manual for Victron MultiPlus inverter/charger 12/500/20-16 230V (VMPLUS-500-20)

Datasheet for Victron MultiPlus inverter/charger 12/500/20-16 230V (VMPLUS-500-20)

Victron MultiPlus 500VA 12V inverter with 20A charger 12/500/20-16 230V