Link 10 battery monitor

DrBob

DrBob

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Joined
22 Dec 2004
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193
Location
..back in Lagos
www.ronautica.co.uk
Ok, I am still fitting out my new boat and looking at putting on a battery monitor. Previous threads have suggested the Xantrex Link 10 or 20 - but I am not sure whether the Link 10 will do.

My current set up (groan!..) is 2 * 85 amp domestic and an 70 amp start battery. They are wired to a switch that shows, batt 1, batt 2 and "both". The manual suggests that batt 1 is the start battery, 2 is the pair of domestics and both is all three.

For simplicity it would be best to fit the shunt to the wires ex battery where they come up to the main switch panel rather than at the batteries themselves. If I chose a link 10 which only works on one battery bank, would it get confused when I then changed from the start battery to the domestics. I have downloaded the manual from the Xantrex site but it is not too helpful.

My problem will be getting wires to the batteries themselves as the access in the new boat is limited to say the least and all the conduits are full/kinked/blocked and getting a new wire through seems a lost cause. If I could get the wires there then I would get the Link 20 and measure both banks independently.

Any ideas from anyone using these meters.
 
I have the Sterling Power one. It shows current in and out, Amphour total used (counts up and down) and monitors up to four "channels" or banks. I think it was 200 quid and is the best bit of kit on the boat. Look up sterling on the web. It needs a shunt for current reading, but I think you get one (or is it two, not sure) with the unit and have to pay for any others. It is a small panel and I am sure you could mount the shunts somewhere near the battery switch, although you might not then be logging your losses correctly. There are many experts here who will undoubtedly put us both right very soon!
 
Presumably your battery switch is deciding where the charge current goes. The shunt goes in the negative side and does not need to be near the battery as long as no other connections are made on the battery side of the shunt. However you still need to attach sense wires to the battery terminals direct. If you put all connections on the service batteries the link 10 will not get confused no matter where the switch is set. It will simply monitor what goes in and out of the service batteries. If you feel the need to monitor both service and start batts then fit a link 20. I went for the link 10 on service batts and standard voltmeter on the start batt. It certainly is one of the most useful bits of kit on the boat, you won't regret fitting it. Sterling also do something similar.
 
Just having a re-think - If you have all the sense wires attached to service batt and the switch set to start batt then that may indeed be a problem. Ditch the switch and fit spilt charge diodes (along with a extrernal regulater that converts the alternator to machine sense) then you can forget about it and never have to remember to change the switch over.
 
As a rule of thumb electronics and boats don't go together cos of corrosion. Obviously we need electronics but still less is best. The concept of dual batteries is so that when the service battery is discharged (unintentionally) then the engine batteries will still start the engine the only problem being some possible loss of life of the battery that has been discharged.
First get rid of the 1,2,both switch and replace with separate simple isolation switches. the services switch need only be rated for service load current. Fit a voltage sensing relay to couple the service battery to the engine battery for charging. Yes you can use charge splitting diodes but only if you have an external (smart) charger.
Provide a jumper lead or high current switch to connect service battery to engine battery in case of an emergency when the engine battery is bad.
Now with the engine starting the only load on the engine battery you can forget it. If you really want, and have high or long term domestic loads you can fit a battery monitor to the service battery. eg if you fitted a battery driven fridge or cabin heater with high battery load you will benefit by a battery discharge/charge current counter/monitor. An amp meter and your own monitoring would do a similar job. After all that how can you discourage a sailor from buying gadgets for his boat? regards olewill
 
I have a sterling battery monitor, four banks and an amp hour counter on one of them, brilliant bit of kit! Easy to fit. IMHO. I would reccomend it. Nothing to do with the company etc.
 
Dick

I am starting to get confused now! I think I am leaning to getting a Link 20 after reading this and connecting at the battery rather than the switch panel. I am a bit reluctant to get rid of the "1,2, both" switch but see your logic.

If I connect up the link 20 to the two battery banks and then only use it in position 1 or 2, can I then just monitor the link 20 for each battery. Do you think switching will get it confused?
 
Why ditch the switch? I've fitted the sterling digital regulator and battery sensing, I used split charge diodes but left the switch in so I could use either/ both battery banks for starting engine in emergency.
 
I have the Sterling job, but through laziness I tend to leave the battery switch to Domestic and use that for everything including engine starting. A Sterling battery charger keeps both the eng and Domestic batteris charged whenever I have mains, which includes a generator. This way the engine always tops up the Domestic, not having used the eng battery. Occasionally I then use the eng battery for an evening alongside just to "cycle" it and remind it that I know it's there.

I think this gives me the advantage of always knowing the state of my Dom batts, since thats the channel that the AmpHours counter monitors. I never run them more than half-discharged. I know I will always have a virtually new emergency eng battery.

Anybody care to correct me on this please?!!

Pops
 
A link 20 will not get confused whichever position the switch is in as each batt bank is monitored seperately. Personally I could not be doing with the switch, I just know I would forget what position it should be in. I have an emergeny switch key so I can use the domestic bank to start the engine if necessary and the splitter diodes take care of everything else. Still there is more than one way to skin a cat besides pulling its tail through the bung of a barrel as my old dad used to say, everyone has their own way of acheiving the same result.
 
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