battery monitor

[05kas05]

as of now i charge my batteries with my alternator i also just purchased a renogy 100 watt suitcase solar setup to charge my system when I'm camping. i am looking to add a battery monitor so i can keep an eye on my battery voltage's and any other relevant info. is there a monitor you can recommend that i can wire straight to the batteries. i know permanent solar set ups have their battery monitor wired from the charge controller i am looking for something similar that will work without going to the charge controller.

one other quick question on the charge controler it asks for the battery voltage and the amp hours. i have two batteries wired together so the voltage is 12 volts and each battery is 105 amp hours so when i program the controller i should put 12 volts and 210 amp hours correct?

 

[66788]

yes, you are correct if they are 6 volt golf cart batteries in series, or 2 12 volt batteries in parallel.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

If you have two 6 volt 105 ah batteries wired in series, it would be 12 volts and 105 ah. If two 12 volt 105 ah batteries wired in parallel, then it's 12 volts and 210 ah.

Regards
John

 

[concretebox]

A cheap digital multimeter will give you the voltage and maybe amperage (check the multimeter's specs). However if you want a dedicated volt meter, this one (http://www.voltminder.com/) is the only one I've found on the market that has a low-voltage alarm. I just bought it yesterday after a week of searching. When it arrives I'll give a review.

If you want just a simple volt meter (no alarm), then there are many choices on Amazon. This one (http://www.amazon.com/4-0-30v-Digit...=1412772729&sr=8-3&keywords=digital+voltmeter) is cheap and has good reviews, but beware it's probably made in China and will take two-to-four weeks to arrive.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I have a Trimetric 2030 wired directly to the battery terminals. It gives me:
Voltage at battery terminals - a poor indicator of state of charge (SOC)
Amp counter - in and out
% charged - you need to tell it the first time your battery is 100%.

Another option is the Balmar Smart Gauge, it learns your battery bank and so gives accurate SOC, but doesn't count amps and is more expensive.

I am happy with the Trimetric. I am just learning living off of 12V and it helps to watch amps used by different devices and amps supplied by solar.

-- Spiff

P.S. Just a reminder: If you are using a multimeter to measure amps, you need either a clamp on ammeter, a calibrated shunt, or run all current through the ammeter.

 

[1977dodge]

I use a Midnite Solar Battery Condition Meter on my truck mounted 100 watt panel
but a hydrometer is really the best way to get percentage charge i have learned .

 

[johnny b]

I agree on the Trimetric TM-2030....best monitor out there.
Also requires a 'shunt' for proper installation.