Battery Monitoring -- How I Done It --

[Alanmh]

Is your solar connected to ctek too?

You could upgrade your EHU charger to a 15A or above for a faster charge... ie victron 12/15 bluesmart.

Got some pics of hour install?

Pics as promised. I just finished installing a 130AHr AGM battery that will hopefully reduce my low voltage anxieties. The old wet battery was dropping a about 2V on load at only 70% discharge. The AGM is only dropping about 0.5V!
Just need to move the shunt when I get a longer Neg lead.

 

[bootsam]

Hi Dell, to the Right is ignition OFF. B1 is starter, B2 leisure. To the Left is Engine ON.

B1 was at 96% yesterday after I went out in van to get something. The starter doesn't show any issues to me, she starts on the button and the Start/Stop works fine. I didn't think I had any problems till I looked at these.

Im overcharging by a gnats chuff, I guess thats no problem?

 

[Dellmassive]

Ignore the charge system tests etc.

They are more setup for traditional alternators....

You will see charge voltages up to 15.0v under regen braking . . . . Which is normal.

The 14.72v has triggered the high charge alarm in the BM2.......

Just turn off the alarms in the menu.....

That's what I do....

 

[bootsam]

Cheers Dell, I didn't think it was a problem but its nice for it to be confirmed.

 

[Dellmassive]

Now that ForumFest 2020 is over i thought i would share the Power data . .

Forumfest 10-11-12-13 of September.

After the huge success of the recent Brook Meadow weekend at Sibbertoft in Leicestershire, I've decided to do another one on the cancelled Busfest weekend, at the same location. This will initially be open to 40 members on the pretence that I might add more if demand calls for it. The...

www.t6forum.com

The setup was the Lifepo4 battery box i made over here > 12v Lithium Leisure Battery Box 138Ah 1766Wh -- How I Done It --


we had two compressor fridges running on 240v via a small 300w inverter . . . . (work more efficiently this way in my testing) plus other USB stuff and 12v LED lighting in the Tent and awning . . .




layout wise . . .





we had the Battery box outside . . .




This is the BM2 readout for the weekend, starting with a full charge the day before on the Victron 12/30/1 charger . . .



below is the first day . . .

you can see the Valence Lifepo4 13.5v rest voltage . . . . then plugging in the fridges at 1830hrs . . .





the next day i managed to get some solar layed out . .

you can see the dips in the graph which is the draw from the compressor fridges cycling on/off . . .

and the rise in voltage from solar from about 9am . . . (overcast day, but bright - no direct sun)




the same continues the next day . . . . but this time with direct some sun 1100 to 14oohrs ish . . .

yopu can see the difference in the charge from tghe solar mppt on a sunny day vs a cloudy day. . . .

but its still good enough to run all the kit, plus recharge in the day time.



next up is the last day and breakdown . . .


you can see it was a sunny day - 1200hrs onwards . .

the solar and frisges were disconnected at 15oohrs ish for the pack down . . .






and the next day . . .






...







**************************************************
Dellmassive`s -- "how I Done It" -- Thread
**************************************************

 

[Dellmassive]

** NEW PRODUCT **


RENOGY 500A BATTERY MONITOR







DESCRIPTION
The Renogy Battery Monitor is an excellent addition to any solar system and will eliminate the guesswork from battery usage. This unit is able to monitor the amperage flowing out of the battery bank and will give an accurate state of charge reading on the LCD screen. Improve the overall performance and longevity of your battery bank today!
If you have any questions regarding this product; please email supportuk@renogy.com.
KEY FEATURES

• Compatible with various types of battery: Lead Acid, Lithium Iron Phosphate, Lithium-ion, Nickel-metal hybrid
• High precision current detection
• High and Low Voltage Programmable Alarm - Backlight and voltage value will flash simultaneously
• Data Storage - Designed to automatically store the last testing data when system shuts off
• Displays multiple electronic parameters (Voltage, Current, Consumed Power and Battery Capacity)
• Universal Battery Monitor- Voltage range 10V-120V and up to 500A
• Accurate Battery SOC%
• Large backlit LCD Display

PACKAGE INCLUDES

LCD Interface 1 x	500A Shunt/Sampler 1 x
Shielded Wire 1 x	B+ Wire 1 x

SPECIFICATIONS

SPECIFICATIONS
Working Voltage：10-120V	Working Dissipation：10-15mA
Standby Dissipation：1-2mA	Voltage Accuracy：± 1%
Current Accuracy：± 1%	Capacity Accuracy：± 1%
Backlight on current (50A)：30-60mA	Backlight on current (>50A)：80-120mA
Preset capacity value：.1-9999 AH	Temperature range：0-35°C
Weight：2.6 oz / 75 g	Size：3.9 x 2.4 x 0.7 in / 100 x 61 x 17 mm

CERTIFICATION

NO REVIEWS

Renogy 500A Battery Monitor

Renogy 500A Battery Monitor is able to monitor the amperage flowing out of the battery bank and will give an accurate state of charge reading on the LCD screen.

uk.renogy.com

.

 

[Dellmassive]

just following on from the previous post about the BM2 units i had imported from China and and having a Lithium settings in . . . .

Battery Monitoring -- How I Done It --

Battery Monitoring -- How I Done It -- Part #1 Battery monitoring is a very important part of your 12v system . . . . whether its just the vans starter battery or your leisure setup keeping an eye on the power in your battery bank will keep you from breaking down and make sure your weekends...

www.t6forum.com

i never noticed before . . . . but you can see they have also changed the Bluetooth name broadcast when you scan for devices on your phone . . .


the regular BM2 units show up as "Battery Monitor"

but you can see one of the two Lithium FW versions i have (which was in range) show up as "Li Battery Monitor"

The ThermoBeacon are the Temp monitors from the "Fridge" Thread . . .

 

[Dellmassive]

BM2`s on offer . . .


time to get a couple more =]


**************

Amazon Prime . . .

6% off & UK shipped next day

Auto Battery Monitor BM2 Bluetooth 4.0 12V Device Car: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

Auto Battery Monitor BM2 Bluetooth 4.0 12V Device Car: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

amzn.to

****************


And Ebay UK . . .

7% off & UK 1week delivery . . . apparently

12V 4.0 Car Battery Monitor BM2 Voltage Meter Battery Tester | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 12V 4.0 Car Battery Monitor BM2 Voltage Meter Battery Tester at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

rover.ebay.com

*************


i looked on Wish,

they come up as £14 with £7 delivery . . . and about 30days lead time =[

 

[Dellmassive]

Victron users . . . . . . NEW VRM dashboard =]

New Dashboard launched for VRM - Victron Energy

The dashboard for the Victron Remote Management portal has been completely re-imagined. Combining a diagrammatic presentation of the installation with historic information it now presents the data in real time, updated every two seconds. Familiar schematic presentation Dynamic live data for...

www.victronenergy.com

 

[Ayjay]

Help please. I installed two of these in my van (to starter and leisure batteries) about four months ago but, other than looking to check that they were both picked up on bluetooth by my phone, never really got around to paying them much attention (the van having not bee used much in the current climate). However, I've since changed my phone and when I went to have a look at them on the new one couldn't connect to either as I needed a PIN code - I can vaguely remember that from before tried 'the usual' 1234 and 0000 but neither worked. Now I can't find the original instruction sheets so I'm stuck. I have done a quick google with no success. Does anybody know the PIN please.

 

[Garny999]

Help please. I installed two of these in my van (to starter and leisure batteries) about four months ago but, other than looking to check that they were both picked up on bluetooth by my phone, never really got around to paying them much attention (the van having not bee used much in the current climate). However, I've since changed my phone and when I went to have a look at them on the new one couldn't connect to either as I needed a PIN code - I can vaguely remember that from before tried 'the usual' 1234 and 0000 but neither worked. Now I can't find the original instruction sheets so I'm stuck. I have done a quick google with no success. Does anybody know the PIN please.

6 x zeros ring a bell but that might have been my Victron app??

 

[Dellmassive]

Help please. I installed two of these in my van (to starter and leisure batteries) about four months ago but, other than looking to check that they were both picked up on bluetooth by my phone, never really got around to paying them much attention (the van having not bee used much in the current climate). However, I've since changed my phone and when I went to have a look at them on the new one couldn't connect to either as I needed a PIN code - I can vaguely remember that from before tried 'the usual' 1234 and 0000 but neither worked. Now I can't find the original instruction sheets so I'm stuck. I have done a quick google with no success. Does anybody know the PIN please.

What monitor s???

BM2 units don't have a code...

Victron default is 000000

 

[Ayjay]

Slaphead of the week is back - I've just got around to looking at the phone again to find that I had gone to the Victron app by mistake and I now realise that the BM2 app hadn't even loaded to the new phone from the backup for some reason. Looking again, I also now know that I missed the screen that said 000000 as the PIN for Victron. As I say, slaphead!!!

 

[Big.mac]

@Dellmassive quick question. Using the BM3 multi monitor app, do you know how to change the trip units from KM to Miles please? I’ve played with it for ages and can’t find a way to do it.

Mine is showing in KM when I want it to be in Miles. The screenshot in the App Store shows it in miles which is what leads me to think it must be possible.

My device:


Screenshot from App Store:

 

[Dellmassive]

@Dellmassive quick question. Using the BM3 multi monitor app, do you know how to change the trip units from KM to Miles please? I’ve played with it for ages and can’t find a way to do it.

Mine is showing in KM when I want it to be in Miles. The screenshot in the App Store shows it in miles which is what leads me to think it must be possible.

My device:
View attachment 88213

Screenshot from App Store:
View attachment 88214

Sorry. i have no idea.

I don't use the trip logging function.

But I'll email them and ask.

 

[Dellmassive]

BM2`s on offer again . . .



**************

Amazon Prime . . .

6% off & UK shipped next day

Auto Battery Monitor BM2 Bluetooth 4.0 12V Device Car: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
Auto Battery Monitor BM2 Bluetooth 4.0 12V Device Car: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
amzn.to

****************


And Ebay UK . . .

7% off & UK 1week delivery . . . apparently



12V 4.0 Car Battery Monitor BM2 Voltage Meter Battery Tester | eBay
BM2 is a kind of auto battery monitoring for all 12V car batteries, to check the battery status and relative systems in the cars. 1x Battery monitor BM2. Compatible with all 12V vehicle batteries. Works with all 12V batteries.
rover.ebay.com

*************


i looked on Wish,

they come up as £14 with £7 delivery . . . and about 30days lead time =[

 

[Sniggib]

Hi @Dellmassive amazing thread and information for someone like me who is relatively new to all this! Thanks!

So, I have a couple of questions / clarifications to work out which monitor is best for me. Essentially, i'm just looking for something to have a check that the batteries are not going below the 50% usage (will be using SLA)

I was originally looking at a basic voltmeter, to monitor volts and correlate this with battery discharge. From your post, I understand i would need to turn off everything drawing any electric before I use this. So not ideal to monitor during use.

Next option is the CTEK battery sense / BM2 monitor. This seems to be the same as a voltmeter electronically? Although am I right in saying it automatically 'turns everything off' to be able to monitor accurately?

So with smart chargers the benefit is you can also monitor charging? Presumably, a BM2 or CTEK would also increase in percentage when charging? So for a basic battery check this should be sufficient?


If not then the Renogy smart monitor may then be a good option, I like the visual display. I really just want something to monitor battery when we are using the van / I can periodically switch it on to check battery status.

Last question, do I need a monitor for each separate battery? Thinking of having 2x leisure batteries) or can I connect a battery monitor across the two to monitor both at once?

Cheers,

 

[Dellmassive]

start with a couple of the BM2 units, one on each battery bank, ( for SLA battery tech )

you dont need one per battery, just one per bank.

start there and see how you get on. The one APP will monitor all the BM2`s

you not need to switch stuff off to monitor as they will give you an min, hour, day, week, month log of the battery voltage so you can see when you are charging or discharging.

there on offer atm too . . . .

Auto Battery Monitor BM2 Bluetooth 4.0 12V Device Car: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

Auto Battery Monitor BM2 Bluetooth 4.0 12V Device Car: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

amzn.to

 

[Dellmassive]

here are some BM2 readouts:

this is the AUX battery over two days . . .



..


and starter battery over same two days . . .









you can see the stop/start disabled in the morning due to the heated seats and lights on etc . . .

but stop/start working later on in the day.


you can also see the DC-DC charger in action (currently a Renogy DC50A)

 

[Sniggib]

That's great thanks