which battery monitor to get?

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Mariner777
Mariner777 Solar Expert Posts: 29 ✭
in Off Grid Solar & Battery Systems #1
I am in the market for a battery monitor for my 710 amp hour sailboat lead acid bank. I may split it up and or add to it to bring it to 1000 amp hours later. I suppose a second unit could be added if I split it. Whats a decent monitor on a budget? The doc watson is the cheapest I've found so far at 60 bucks it has a kwh meter. Anything cheaper out there? Is there a monitor that is the one to get cause its soo much better then the rest?
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  • petertearai
    petertearai Solar Expert Posts: 471 ✭✭✭✭
    #2
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    Re: which battery monitor to get?

    I got a Victron .around $300.00 nz.
    Has been good so far and super easy to install.
    Down side = not a very big screen.
    2225 wattts pv . Outback 2kw  fxr pure sine inverter . fm80 charge controller . Mate 3. victron battery monitor . 24 volts  in 2 volt Shoto lead carbon extreme batterys. off grid  holiday home 
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,439 admin
    #3
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    Re: which battery monitor to get?

    The Doc Watson is not really a Battery Monitor--It does not log the direction of current---So you cannot use it as a "fuel gauge" for your battery bank.

    Our Host (NAWS) has battery monitors--The Trimetric seems to be used by a lot of people--Although, if you have problems programming your DVR clock--The Trimetric is nearly as obscure (according to reports).

    Victron Energy has a few people here that are very happy with their units.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • 2manytoyz
    2manytoyz Solar Expert Posts: 373 ✭✭✭
    #4
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    Re: which battery monitor to get?

    After reading the headaches with the Trimetric, I decided to get a Xantrex LinkPRO instead. Very simple to install, the menus are logical, and easy to navigate. It comes with a 500 Amp shunt, but other sizes are available, allowing up to 10,000 Amps to be measured.

    Pics, details, and a sample video at the link: http://2manytoyz.com/linkpro.html
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  • bobdog
    bobdog Solar Expert Posts: 192 ✭✭
    #5
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    Re: which battery monitor to get?
    2manytoyz wrote: »
    After reading the headaches with the Trimetric, I decided to get a Xantrex LinkPRO instead. Very simple to install, the menus are logical, and easy to navigate. It comes with a 500 Amp shunt, but other sizes are available, allowing up to 10,000 Amps to be measured.

    Pics, details, and a sample video at the link: http://2manytoyz.com/linkpro.html

    What headaches are you referring to? I just bought a Trimetric and would like to know what to look forward to. Thanks.

    Tim
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  • SCharles
    SCharles Solar Expert Posts: 123 ✭✭
    #6
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    Re: which battery monitor to get?

    Don't worry. I bought a Trimetric a couple months ago. I am definitely no genius, and I had no trouble.
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  • Photowhit
    Photowhit Solar Expert Posts: 6,003 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #7
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    Re: which battery monitor to get?

    Doesn't one of the trimetrics do muliple battery banks as well?
    Home system 4000 watt (Evergreen) array standing, with 2 Midnite Classic Lites,  Midnite E-panel, Magnum MS4024, Prosine 1800(now backup) and Exeltech 1100(former backup...lol), 660 ah 24v Forklift battery(now 10 years old). Off grid for 20 years (if I include 8 months on a bicycle).
    - Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,439 admin
    #8
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    Re: which battery monitor to get?

    As far as I have seen... Battery Monitors will have one battery shunt, and some will have a separate voltage only input.

    Many times used on RV/Vessels/etc... Shunt on the house battery bank, and voltage only on the starting battery bank.

    -Bill "certainly no expert" B.
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #9
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    Re: which battery monitor to get?

    From the blurb, the PentaMetric http://www.solar-electric.com/pe3chbamosy.html monitors 3 shunts plus two Voltage sources. Also has computer interface.

    - Marc "uses a hydrometer" B. :p
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  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,439 admin
    #10
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    Re: which battery monitor to get?

    It can if the have common ground:
    • It measures 1 or 2 battery systems with a common negative.
    • With one battery system, battery current plus two charging current sources can be separately measured. Two voltages can be measured. Watts, watt hours and amp hours are also measured.
    -Bill "why yes, I did forget about this guy" B. :blush:
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • bbbuddy
    bbbuddy Solar Expert Posts: 135 ✭✭✭
    #11
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    Re: which battery monitor to get?

    I have a Trimetric, and BB can attest to the fact that I had a lot of trouble understanding some of his explanations for wiring my solar panels correctly, so if I can understand the Trimetric, anyone can!

    I LOVE my Trimetric. I did spend a lot of time reading and re-reading the directions and explanations, but the fact that it really makes you concentrate also helps you to "own" the information permanently....

    Don't skim over any of the information, it is ALL important in seeing the big picture and understanding how to program it for your batteries/system.
    Magnum4024PAE, 2 Midnite Classic 150s, 3100watts solar, 432ah lifepo4 battery.  Off grid since 2004.
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  • Mariner777
    Mariner777 Solar Expert Posts: 29 ✭
    #12
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    Re: which battery monitor to get?

    Am scratching my head about how to wire in the shunt - seems I have an inverter hooked up to one battery, some DC outlets to another and then all my cabin boat electronics to yet another - it will be very tricky to make a simple point between all input and all output. I also have two banks. The Victron 602 says it will do two banks and seems to have the lowest price of all the ones I've shopped for yet.

    I still think these are kind of pricey for a gauge am surprised there aren't any for like 50 bucks...

    Can the shunt just be put in in the bank or does all the output have to flow through it? Would it be useless if I could put it somewhere where most of the output would flow through it but not all?
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #13
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    Re: which battery monitor to get?

    The shunt goes between the battery negative post and everything that connects to it. The idea is to keep track of all the current going in to or out of the battery. Otherwise it is quite useless as a SOC gauge.

    They're actually rather complex inside, which is why they don't cost $50. Quite a bit more going on than just simple Volts/Amps; it has to log the current flowing in and out over time.
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  • Mariner777
    Mariner777 Solar Expert Posts: 29 ✭
    #14
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    Re: which battery monitor to get?

    Also the sunsaver duo does a lot of the things the monitors say they do. It does temperature, voltages, amp hours input to each bank. The only thing it wont give me is amp hours consumed. What I really want to add is just something that gives me amp hours consumed I dont need redundancy for all the other sensors. Is there a cheaper monitor that just does amps out of the bank?
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  • Mariner777
    Mariner777 Solar Expert Posts: 29 ✭
    #15
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    Re: which battery monitor to get?

    Had problems with my charge controller tripping two days in a row and lost hours of output till I noticed. When I had one large bank this never happened so am probably going to consolidate my banks back into one.

    As for a monitor this seems the best bargain http://www.globalmarinesource.com/index.php?cPath=18_28&osCsid=39c205e9db0f9f6b2588b207df36b070

    The xantrex seems to run 2 bills online so the victron has it beat by $50.

    Given that it will be almost impossible to find a place to put the shunt if I have one bank I may have to forego the monitor alltogethor.

    $200 could buy me more solar panels or batteries - the sunsaver duo gives me quite a bit of info may just have to pass on a monitor until a cheaper simpler one comes on the market.

    Could I use the Doc Wattson with some sort of diode that would only give me readings in one direction? Have never seen one in real life so am not sure exactly what it is but the price is right...
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #16
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    Re: which battery monitor to get?

    Note that readings on charge controllers tend to be a bit inaccurate. A real two-way Amp hour meter would be much better. The Victron is well-liked by several users here.

    Or you could build your own: http://www.mtmscientific.com/ampkit.html
    (Not a recommendation or endorsement - no idea how accurate it would be.)

    If you can't find room for the shunt you could go super cheap: http://www.solar-electric.com/mnbcm.html
    Not a true Amp hour meter, but probably somewhat more accurate than just a Voltmeter.
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  • notsobright
    notsobright Solar Expert Posts: 247 ✭✭
    #17
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    Re: which battery monitor to get?
    Mariner777 wrote: »
    Had problems with my charge controller tripping two days in a row and lost hours of output till I noticed. When I had one large bank this never happened so am probably going to consolidate my banks back into one.

    As for a monitor this seems the best bargain http://www.globalmarinesource.com/index.php?cPath=18_28&osCsid=39c205e9db0f9f6b2588b207df36b070

    The xantrex seems to run 2 bills online so the victron has it beat by $50.

    Given that it will be almost impossible to find a place to put the shunt if I have one bank I may have to forego the monitor alltogethor.

    $200 could buy me more solar panels or batteries - the sunsaver duo gives me quite a bit of info may just have to pass on a monitor until a cheaper simpler one comes on the market.

    Could I use the Doc Wattson with some sort of diode that would only give me readings in one direction? Have never seen one in real life so am not sure exactly what it is but the price is right...

    what charge controller is it that you are having problems with?

    the doc wattson doesnt record, it only shows live data so to keep track of ah in and out you would need two of them but then you would still have no way to record.. it would be very difficult.
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