To shunt or not to shunt

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gomango
gomango Registered Users Posts: 24 ✭
in Solar Beginners Corner #1
I recently purchased a FM60, and in the manual, the wiring diagram shows a negative shunt. Can anyone explain to me in basic terminology what a shunt actually does, and if it is required? It looks like a basic bus bar to me.

Thanks
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  • AntronX
    AntronX Solar Expert Posts: 462 ✭✭
    #2
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    Re: To shunt or not to shunt

    The shunt is a type of very low Ohms resistor that FM-60 uses to measure current. It's built in and you don't need to worry about it.
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  • icarus
    icarus Solar Expert Posts: 5,436 ✭✭✭✭
    #3
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    Re: To shunt or not to shunt

    In simple terms, a shunt allows you to measure the current flowing through the wire, without needing to send the entire current through the meter. The meter(s) can then be run remotely using little tiny wire. The shunt uses almost no power itself. I don't know how the FM 60 is wired, so I can't say if you need one or not. My guess is, Antrox is right, the FM using it's own on board shunt to meter itself. Read the manual.

    Tony
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,448 admin
    #4
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    Re: To shunt or not to shunt

    Can you post a link to the manual and list the page number you are looking at?

    Outback does have a Battery Monitor option (Flexnet DC?)--and a shunt would normally be installed between the negative battery post and the ground bus. The shunt measures all current going into and out of the battery to monitor its state of charge.

    Otherwise, a Battery Monitor would install a shunt in the same location.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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