Yeah that looks perfectly fine. I'm guessing some of those lower spikes are the solar topping up the battery?
Battery Monitoring -- How I Done It --
- Thread starter Dellmassive
- Start date
Looking good to me, voltage is staying well above 12.0v
Looking for some advice. Recently posted about having a Lion Battery for the leisure set up (previous owner). Haven't been driving the van much for various reasons (broken leg). The voltage display does show the battery reaching 14V+ but after a few hours with nothing running the reading is showing 12-12.1V
Does this mean the battery is on the way out as I've seen the battery % chart against voltage.
Curious as to whether it's better changing now and upgrading the battery and split charger as we have a trip for the NC500 booked for the middle of May.
Any help is appreciated.
Does this mean the battery is on the way out as I've seen the battery % chart against voltage.
Curious as to whether it's better changing now and upgrading the battery and split charger as we have a trip for the NC500 booked for the middle of May.
Any help is appreciated.
The battery resting at 12.1 is fairly normal.
Thanks @Dellmassive it's probably been like that for a while and only cause I've had the van back I've been paranoid lol
redowlin
New Member
I'm just about to embark on a small upgrade to my van and it'll be my first foray into electrics so looking for some advice. It's a van we bought already converted so making any significant changes i=would be difficult, so I want to do as much under the drivers seat as possible. Current set up is a 100Ah SLA under the drivers seat, with a 16mm2 cable (which heads off to a PMS3 at the back of the van I assume) and a smaller 4/6mm2 cable (which I think is the fridge) as the only connections to the battery +/-.
I'm adding a portable solar panel with a Victron 75/15 MPPT which I'm fairly happy with the connections for - but I'm considering installing a SmartShunt at the same time to monitor the battery state. To do this I think I'll need 3 x ring terminals on the System - side of the shunt (fridge, MPPT, battery/PMS cable). Will this fit? I expect the answer will be 'fit a busbar' but if that's not necessary I'd rather reduce the complication?
@Dellmassive your "how I done it threads" have been a veritable mine of information so far so thanks for that!
I'm adding a portable solar panel with a Victron 75/15 MPPT which I'm fairly happy with the connections for - but I'm considering installing a SmartShunt at the same time to monitor the battery state. To do this I think I'll need 3 x ring terminals on the System - side of the shunt (fridge, MPPT, battery/PMS cable). Will this fit? I expect the answer will be 'fit a busbar' but if that's not necessary I'd rather reduce the complication?
@Dellmassive your "how I done it threads" have been a veritable mine of information so far so thanks for that!
Do the negatives from the devices go straight to the battery negative currently? And is there a connection from battery negative to chassis ground?
You can either connect the negatives directly to the M10 shunt system terminal, or (if the system terminal on the shunt connects to chassis ground) you can connect the device negatives to a chassis ground. That would mean one connection to the shunt then the device negatives all connections to one or more chassis ground bolts.
redowlin
New Member
They do. Two devices currently - chunky 16mm2 cable which I assume goes to the PMS3 (or it could be from the split charge?) and another smaller cable which I assume is the direct connection for the fridge.
Not sure - there is nothing visible - the cables disappear under the lining back towards the fridge / PMS 3 (or split charge?) at the back (I assume). I have an under-bonnet EHU as well which I also assume goes via the PMS3 - I'm currently ignoring the inefficacy of the charger on this for now.
This is the most appealing for simplicity / minimum change sake - if 3 x ring terminals will fit.
Last edited:
If you're in that middle ground between having a bit too much for one terminal but not sure you need a bus bar than these 3 terminal battery clamps might offer a solution - there are matching covers as well:
Positive Battery Terminal Clamp - 3 Stud Connection
Battery terminal clamp for positive post with 3 stud connection points (2x M6, 1x M8) and nyloc nuts. Ideal for multiple auxiliary connections.
www.12voltplanet.co.uk
Yes, I have one of those in my shopping basket for the +ve side. However as I understand it I only need one cable from the battery -ve to the battery -ve on the shunt; everything else (fridge, MPPT and what was the battery cable connection) has to go onto the system -ve terminal on the shunt. That's why I want to know if 3 ring terminals will fit on the shunt and still be able to do the bolt up.If you're in that middle ground between having a bit too much for one terminal but not sure you need a bus bar than these 3 terminal battery clamps might offer a solution - there are matching covers as well:
Positive Battery Terminal Clamp - 3 Stud Connection
Battery terminal clamp for positive post with 3 stud connection points (2x M6, 1x M8) and nyloc nuts. Ideal for multiple auxiliary connections.www.12voltplanet.co.uk
Gotcha - the challenge here is not the ring terminals as such but the diameter of the wire on them. You'll have to splay the terminals to make them fit, you must not just bolt down on them and bend the rings as the cables collide otherwise you'll likely get a bad connection on the ring or a damaged crimp area. Generally you need about 45 degrees between each cable so you'd likely be fine with a large cable and one small, but you might be on the limit with one large and 2 small.
A couple of thoughts:
These power distribution blocks make a neat bus bar/fuse solution that may let you tidy things up elsewhere and serve as a bus bar:
Mega & Midi Fuse Power Distribution Box
Compact power distribution & fuse box that distributes power theough a single mega link fuse into 4 midi or strip link fuses.
www.12voltplanet.co.uk
This junction box might let you consolidate your lower current feeds into a single feed to the shunt so you only have 2 on it:
Power Jointing Box 120A - 3 Way
300A, 3-way jointing box for connecting battery cables. Glass-filled nylon material with a hinged lid, M8 connection studs, nyloc nuts & 6mm mounting hole.
www.12voltplanet.co.uk
You might also be able to consolidate the lower current feeds using a power post rather than a full bus bar. I'm less of a fan of these on the +ve side as I think there is an increased risk of shorting, but that's a more acceptable risk where for commoning grounds, just consider how you might cover it in case you let a positive cable go when doing maintenance or trying to change a fuse in the dark.
Power Posts & Bulkhead Feed-Through Connectors | 12 Volt Planet
Power posts & bulkhead feed-through connectors for power distrbution in vehicles and boats. Marine grade fixing for corrosion resistance.
www.12voltplanet.co.uk
@TallPaul_S Had a proper look at this today having now got all the bits I think I need. Battery negative does indeed go to a chassis ground (on the seat base). So I assume it's just a case of connecting that ground onto the system side of the shunt along with the other device negatives?
Yep, you can connect all your negatives to either the shunt system terminal or the chassis ground that it connects to - or any chassis ground in fact
Similar threads
