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Thread: 12V DC Battery Coulometer / Analyser

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    Default 12V DC Battery Coulometer / Analyser

    Does anyone here use a DC Voltage and Current Coulometer / Analyser for their Home or Camping Battery set ups?
    Something that can be programmed for Battery Capacity, then count Current IN and Current OUT via a Shunt to give a real time Battery State of Charge.

    Victron Energy make such a product for $230:

    There is also a clone version for $30 to $50:

    There are also many similar type using a flat display:

    Just wondered if any members here had a system they were happy with?

    I'm just looking at Monitoring 100Ah or maybe 200Ah of Lead Acid batteries
    Hall Sensor or Shunt?
    Last edited by ol' boy; 14-04-19 at 03:00 PM.
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    I wouldn't even think about the first 2 in your list.
    But had I known about your 3rd option a year ago when I built my power brick I would have jumped onto it straight away, I like the sensor idea much better than a shunt that can cause failure one day.

    What I use isn't even on Ebay anymore, it uses a shunt, has a monochome LCD and shows everything at once but it is not bidirectional, although I don't find that essential. The batteries are generally full by the end of the day, which I see from the voltage so I already know how much capacity I have. For me it is important to know how much I consume.

    From experience your battery voltage is a rather good indication of the state of charge when you can see how many kW or A it is currently consuming and also how many kWh has been used since the full last charge or the last time I pressed reset. In reality I am mainly interested about how many kWh I have used overnight and my voltage so I can fine tune things.
    A battery symbol with just volts or amps like your first two suggestions would be totally useless for me and peddling around with buttons to see the current and accumulated load would drive me nuts every time. I like a cockpit display that shows everything at once including temperature.

    Edit: I contacted the because the listing does not explain the Wireless functionality. There is a Wifi symbol in the display and if that means I can take the display inside and monitor my battery remotely I am definitely buying this. Just odd that it is has no enclosure.
    Last edited by Uncle Fester; 15-04-19 at 11:53 PM.
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    I have 2 of the Victron BMV 700 series, one for my 2,000Ah house batteries & one on my 200Ah garage battery.

    I find them excellent.
    I only need to see the battery state of charge, which I can glance at when I walk past the 2 units.
    If I want more info, it's there at the press of a button.
    I do still run analogue amp meters on my incoming micro-hydro & solar on the house batteries, as it was already there before I installed the Victron.
    The analogue gives me instant indication of failure, partial or complete, at a glance, which is critical with the micro-hydro. For solar I wouldn't bother if I hadn't already had them set up.

    Customising settings is simple & well explained in the manual.

    If you want to get more info from the BMV700 you can purchase a BT Dongle that will interface with your phone.
    I didn't bother with this as my mobile phone is usually off due to nil reception at home.
    Cheers, Tiny
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    Yes, I've seen the BT unit on a mates 4WD.
    Great thing Tiny
    If u want to go on an expedition get a Land Rover, if u want to come home from an expedition get a Landcruiser!

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    Quote Originally Posted by nomeat View Post
    I wouldn't even think about the first 2 in your list.
    Which is ironic, as 90% of ocean going vessels i've been on use the first one

    Last edited by ol' boy; 16-04-19 at 08:04 PM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by oceanboy View Post
    Yes, I've seen the BT unit on a mates 4WD.
    Great thing Tiny
    Even without the BT dongle you can USB connect it to a laptop & download the Victron software to get detailed info, again I haven't bothered.
    I'd rather go ride my horse or bike.

    Buy quality & buy once.
    Cheers, Tiny
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tiny View Post

    Buy quality & buy once.
    But but but.......
    If u want to go on an expedition get a Land Rover, if u want to come home from an expedition get a Landcruiser!

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    I have that Victron thing on another site and it annoys the hell out of me. I couldn't figure out how to reset the low charge warning light which is very bright and located in the bed room or set the threshold for the light at a more sensible DoD level. No manual at hand and no internet to download anything. I disconnected the warning light.
    There is something like 99 menu options with a very cryptic display because it only has a single line 7 segment display. I have never seen something so un-intuitive.
    Technology has moved on since the 1980's.

    I can see the use in marine or vehicles where a simple basic display and compact size are beneficial.
    Update: A deletion of features that work well and ain't broke but are deemed outdated in order to add things that are up to date and broken.
    Compatibility: A word soon to be deleted from our dictionaries as it is outdated.
    Humans: Entities that are not only outdated but broken... AI-self-learning-update-error...terminate...terminate...

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