A Comvolt power station on its own gives you a few outlets and a 120A Anderson port. Comvolt's Magic Power parts turn it into something closer to an RV electrical panel: switched, protected 12V and 120V circuits and a touchscreen that shows the whole system. This guide explains what each part does, how they wire together according to Comvolt's manuals, and whether you need the kit or just one piece.
The three parts
| Part | What it does | Key ratings |
|---|---|---|
| DC PDU | Splits the station's 12V output into eight switched circuits | 8 circuits: 30A, 20A, 3 × 15A, 3 × 10A; 120A Anderson input, 120A max |
| AC PDU | Splits the station's 120V output into six circuits | 6 circuits: one 20A, five 15A; L / GND / N push-in terminals, up to 6mm² wire |
| 7" Smart Battery Display | Monitors the batteries and switches the PDU circuits | 7", 800 × 480 touchscreen; DC 10–60V supply, 1.8W (0.6W asleep) |
Buy all three together as the Comvolt Magic Power Kit, or one at a time. Comvolt designs them for its own power stations and expansion batteries.
The DC side: eight protected 12V circuits
The DC PDU takes power from the station through a single 120A Anderson connector, using an Anderson-to-Anderson cable. Each of its eight channels has a manual switch and its own overload switch. If a circuit is overloaded for a sustained period, its switch trips open and the cap pops up. Press the cap back down to restore power. If a channel keeps tripping, Comvolt says to check whether the device draws more than that channel's rating, or look for a short in the wiring.
Put your heaviest DC loads on the 30A and 20A channels and smaller ones such as lights, USB sockets, a vent fan and sensors on the 10A channels. Size each run's wire for the channel it's on and its length. Our answer on sizing a fuse to the wire or to the load explains the logic.
One planning point: the eight channel ratings add up to 125A, but the input is rated 120A max. That's our arithmetic, not a Comvolt limit, but it means the channels aren't meant to run at full rating all at once. Spread your big loads so the total stays under the input rating.
The AC side: six 120V circuits
The AC PDU takes the station's 120V output through a C19 cable into its inlet and distributes it to six circuits, one at 20A and five at 15A. Each has its own overload switch, and the outputs land on push-in L / GND / N terminals. The 6000 Pro ships with the AC-PDU connecting cable in the box. With a 2200 or 4200, ask us which cable you need before you order.
120V wiring in an RV is a job for a qualified electrician. Keep the PDU's circuits separate from the RV's shore-power panel unless a proper transfer switch is fitted, so shore power and the inverter can never feed the same circuit.
The 7-inch display: the control screen
The display shows state of charge, solar input, charging and inverter data, and per-battery and per-cell detail for each Comvolt battery on the network. It switches each PDU circuit on or off, and you can rename loads and change their icons so the screen reads "fridge" and "water pump" rather than channel numbers. It can also switch the station's inverter. Comvolt's rule is that AC switched on from the station must be switched off at the station, and AC switched on from the display must be switched off at the display.
Beyond monitoring, the display has a few outputs that are useful in an RV:
- 12V discharge-enable signal (200mA): gives a signal at a low state of charge you set, so you can disconnect heavy loads and save the battery for essentials.
- 12V charge-enable signal (200mA): signals charging equipment to stop before the battery's own overcharge protection steps in.
- Dry contact: a passive switch rated 30VDC 1A, toggled from the touchscreen, for other equipment.
- VE.CAN: passes battery data to a Victron Cerbo GX. Comvolt's manual sets the Cerbo's CAN port to "CAN-bus BMS (500 kbit/s)".
- Backup power port (10–60V DC): keeps the screen running if its main battery link loses power.
Comvolt's spec gives a 6.7 × 4.2 in flush-mount cutout; check it against the display before you cut. Its operating range is -4°F to 140°F.
How it all connects
Comvolt's display manual gives the connection order for a station, PDUs and display:
- DC power: Anderson-to-Anderson cable from the station (or a linked expansion battery) to the DC PDU.
- AC power: the C19 end of the AC cable into the AC PDU, the other end to the station.
- PDU link: an RJ45 network cable from the DC PDU to the AC PDU.
- Display to PDUs: an RJ45 cable from the AC PDU to the display's YNT-CAN port.
- Display to batteries: an RJ45 cable from the battery's YNT-BUS / RS-485 port to the display's RS-485 port.
If you add an expansion battery, give each battery on the network its own ID, as Comvolt's manuals require; the 7-inch display's settings include a Modify ID option.
The smaller display
If all you want is a battery gauge on the wall, the 4.3" Smart Battery Display reads Comvolt batteries over RS-485 and shows each one's state of charge, voltage, current and cell data. It can read several batteries on one network cable and fits a 130 × 67 mm cutout. Its spec sheet lists RS-485 battery monitoring only, with no PDU switching or Victron link, so for switching circuits you want the 7-inch.
Kit or separate?
- Full RV panel, 12V and 120V circuits: the Magic Power Kit.
- 12V-only van build: the DC PDU, plus the 7-inch display if you want to switch circuits from a screen. The DC PDU's manual switches work without it.
- Monitoring only: the 4.3" display.
FAQ
Do I need the display to use the PDUs?
No. Every PDU channel has its own manual switch. The display adds remote switching and monitoring.
Can I switch circuits from my phone?
The Comvolt app connects to the station over Bluetooth. Comvolt's manuals describe PDU switching by hand or from the 7-inch display, not from the app.
What warranty do the PDUs and displays carry?
Comvolt covers its accessories for 1 year and its batteries and stations for 5 years.
For choosing the station at the centre of the system, see Comvolt 2200 vs 4200 vs 6000 Pro. Planning a full build? Send us your load list and we'll help you map it to channels.