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Battery Monitoring System
Can anyone recommend a good battery monitoring system for a 3 bank charger?
Thanks Houston |
#2
posted to rec.boats.cruising
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Battery Monitoring System
Aquaholic wrote:
Can anyone recommend a good battery monitoring system for a 3 bank charger? Thanks Houston I've been using a Xantrex Link 2000R for 7 years and have been happy with it. The "R" version includes the regulator - its a pricey combination but I was able to scrounge it cheaply at Defender. I have three banks (two starters) but I don't bother monitoring Amp-Hours for the starter batteries. Since they are never used other than starting, they should never be run down and thus Voltage is really all that's needed. However, I run the refrigerator through the second monitor circuit and can tell exactly how much juice it takes day by day. You may find the the second circuit is handy for something else, like how much is coming from solar or wind chargers, etc. It doesn't have to be only for measuring discharge rates. A few minor issues - although the unit can supposedly be tweaked to correct this, I find that it "drifts" towards the discharge side a bit. Thus, if we hang out at anchor for a week, the monitor thinks the system is more discharged than it really is. Its easy to get a feel for this, however, if you use the engine or genset for charging, because the acceptance rate of the batteries normally gives you a good sense of the true charge state. One complaint of the regulator side of my unit - the setting to turn off down or off the regulator is buried in the setup. I, however, often want to reduce the charge rate because I don't need 110 Amps if I know I'll be powering all day, or if I'll be on shore power that night. I takes about 20 button pokes to change it. Also, there's not way to turn the alternator off (other than pull the wire), the lowest setting is 30 Amps. |
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