Getting a bit bored with this.

Carmel2

Carmel2

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We have a Bep DC/TLM meter which takes the reading from a Mastervolt Mass Combi Charger Inverter. I was told that the meter was a guide, but at it's best it doesn't seem to be remotely accurate. For example, it may say we are on 50% battery power which is concerning, yet when we charge we reach abs very quickly and are certainly not charging at full bulk capacity. It's easy to say don't get hung up on the percentage capacity but easier said than done, we understand what is more important is the rate at we are charging at and what voltage the house battery is at, but these readings are coming from the same unit - it not a confidence winner. Does anyone know of a better, more accurate and reliable monitor, or is this the norm?
 
You could also do a forum search for smartgauge, bm1, merlin and find other key words from the threads you find. There was a discussion recently in one of the forums on the way the Merlin? equipment worked but I cant find it now.

Anyway, like petehb, I have a Link 2000 attached to a Heart Freedom 20 inverter/charger - installed roughly 1999. It manages 2 banks, you tell it the bank capacity and it measures the current out & in against the capacity (amongst other functions). It will reset the amps used value to 0 when the current charge rate drops below a (user defined) value, I use 2%, which nominally indicates the battery is charged. I find it invaluable in managing my house bank, try not to let it drop below 70%.
 
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Carmel2 said:
We have a Bep DC/TLM meter which takes the reading from a Mastervolt Mass Combi Charger Inverter. I was told that the meter was a guide, but at it's best it doesn't seem to be remotely accurate. For example, it may say we are on 50% battery power which is concerning, yet when we charge we reach abs very quickly and are certainly not charging at full bulk capacity. It's easy to say don't get hung up on the percentage capacity but easier said than done, we understand what is more important is the rate at we are charging at and what voltage the house battery is at, but these readings are coming from the same unit - it not a confidence winner. Does anyone know of a better, more accurate and reliable monitor, or is this the norm?
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Try having a look at this gear; it's now used by MOD and a lot of Government Service organisations; can't be bettered.
http://www.smartgauge.co.uk/index.html
I think they are now sold by Merlin Equipment.
 
I think I have the same meter, which seems pretty good/accurate, but the percentage charge/AH remaining does deterioriate over time. Have you tried resetting it?

Neil
 
neil1967 said:
I think I have the same meter, which seems pretty good/accurate, but the percentage charge/AH remaining does deterioriate over time. Have you tried resetting it?

Neil
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Hi Neil,

As far I understand it, if I reset it manually it will show a 100% regardless of what stage you are at, so I have been letting it do it's own thing,,Am I wrong with this line of thought?

Edit, Just tried it was at 69% 358AH now 100% 520AH (my capacity) so resting it gives a false reading.

I will look into the smart gauge...............Thank you one and all!!
 
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Reset it to 100% when YOU know its fully charged. That's with a voltage of about 14.4v and a charge current of 0.5% of your capacity. That's about 2 amps. BUT - to get it to 14.4v you have to force the charger back on into absorption mode. Just turn it off and on - or with alternator running turn off the ignition and then back on.
 
RobbieW said:
You could also do a forum search for smartgauge, bm1, merlin and find other key words from the threads you find. There was a discussion recently in one of the forums on the way the Merlin? equipment worked but I cant find it now.

Anyway, like petehb, I have a Link 2000 attached to a Heart Freedom 20 inverter/charger - installed roughly 1999. It manages 2 banks, you tell it the bank capacity and it measures the current out & in against the capacity (amongst other functions). It will reset the amps used value to 0 when the current charge rate drops below a (user defined) value, I use 2%, which nominally indicates the battery is charged. I find it invaluable in managing my house bank, try not to let it drop below 70%.
Click to expand...

+1 used a Link since 2000 appears accurate & well pleased with it. the secret is reading the instructions & setting up to reflect your situation.
 
Then get a SmartGauge. I have both, and the SmaretGauge is always a lot more believable.

I spoke with the MD of Merlin who didn't believe that it could work - then he bought out the company!

They recently did some work with the Optima Battery people who said that in their tests the SmartGauge was accurate to 0.1%. That seems an unbelievable figure - if it was 50 times worse at 5% that would be good enough for me.
 
Another vote for Smart Gauge and whilst you are about it read his information pages. Not a user as I only have one battery and a dynamo but fantastic reputation and Chris Gibson is very helpful if a bit grumpy.
 
petehb said:
Mastervolt do this http://www.mastervolt.com/marine/products/battery-monitoring-panels/masterlink-btm-iii-12-24v-dc/

I used a Link 20 which comes in various guises Heart and Xantrex being two I had no problems with it once the Peukert coefficient was set correctly.
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Ahh! Herr Peukert! What a man!

We ALL have cause to be grateful to him, whether we run a fleet of milk floats, own a golf cart or are repeatedly asked to rescue uncle Fred when his mobility scooter runs flat. Of course, none of us can actually do much about achieving an acceptable value for his coefficient in our particular applications where other constraints often govern our choice of batteries. I have a Merlin.
 
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