Hank the Tanks Dodgy battery and solar system

[merl]

I put columbmetric into Google and it killed the AI

Yessss!
That AI thingy knows jack 5hit

DC8-80V 50A/100A/350A Battery Capacity Tester Coulometer TR16 Battery Tester New | eBay

Current of 350A sampler 0.0 350.0 400.0 A. Backlight on current (50A) 30.0. Backlight on current (>50A) 80.0. Current of 50A sampler 0.0 50.0 75.0 A. Current of 100A sampler 0.0 100.0 150.0 A. This Battery Monitor is designed to monitor performance most kind of battery systems with capacities of...

www.ebay.co.uk

Victron do a blue version for those with cash to spare.

 

[barryd]

Yessss!
That AI thingy knows jack 5hit

DC8-80V 50A/100A/350A Battery Capacity Tester Coulometer TR16 Battery Tester New | eBay

Current of 350A sampler 0.0 350.0 400.0 A. Backlight on current (50A) 30.0. Backlight on current (>50A) 80.0. Current of 50A sampler 0.0 50.0 75.0 A. Current of 100A sampler 0.0 100.0 150.0 A. This Battery Monitor is designed to monitor performance most kind of battery systems with capacities of...

www.ebay.co.uk

Victron do a blue version for those with cash to spare.

Im sure all this stuff is very useful but its partly what put me off going the lithium route. Having spent a lifetime working in tech I have grown to hate it. The more I read up on it the more monitors, apps, dials, bells and whistles that seem to be involved. I was bad enough last summer just plugging the £3.50 volt metre in all the time to check the bleeding voltage. That control panel on our van gets on my tits as well. The water tank gets to three quarters empty and you think WW3 had broken out as alarms start going off. Bloody Fridge does it as well and with that one it turns out its some sensor on the light getting condensation on it (IN A FRIDGE!!! NO SH*T!!) I just ripped the wires out to solve that one.

I love the idea of Lithium, don't get me wrong but it seems very complicated to me.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Righty hopence.

What I would like is a WiFi or BT device that will let me know the SOC of the VB &/or the LB via and app on my phone that doesn't cost the earth to buy or fit as this flat battery thin has happened twice now on this van (not a problem on previous one) and enough is enough.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Im sure all this stuff is very useful but its partly what put me off going the lithium route. Having spent a lifetime working in tech I have grown to hate it. The more I read up on it the more monitors, apps, dials, bells and whistles that seem to be involved. I was bad enough last summer just plugging the £3.50 volt metre in all the time to check the bleeding voltage. That control panel on our van gets on my tits as well. The water tank gets to three quarters empty and you think WW3 had broken out as alarms start going off. Bloody Fridge does it as well and with that one it turns out its some sensor on the light getting condensation on it (IN A FRIDGE!!! NO SH*T!!) I just ripped the wires out to solve that one.

I love the idea of Lithium, don't get me wrong but it seems very complicated to me.

You like to work too much, I have one of these, it stays plugged in.

https://amzn.eu/d/fV2WqCY

Having said that "someone" has moved it

 

[Pudsey Bear]

I'll put on in my basket for the LB I think.

https://amzn.eu/d/fV2WqCY

 

[barryd]

Righty hopence.

What I would like is a WiFi or BT device that will let me know the SOC of the VB &/or the LB via and app on my phone that doesn't cost the earth to buy or fit as this flat battery thin has happened twice now on this van (not a problem on previous one) and enough is enough.

Grrr! Don't you start an all!!! Why? Why do you want that!! Just get one of these.

Four quid!

Pardon our interruption...

 

[barryd]

You like to work too much, I have one of these, it stays plugged in.

https://amzn.eu/d/fV2WqCY

Having said that "someone" has moved it

Yes!!!!! Thats what I have or summat similar. Thats all you need. I dont leave mine plugged in though otherwise I would watch it and it will use loads of power itself.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Grrr! Don't you start an all!!! Why? Why do you want that!! Just get one of these.

Four quid!

Pardon our interruption...

Had them in the past, crap, I don't like swapping in & out of the sockets fit and forget.

This is the one I need as I need type C for most stuff now.

Amazon.co.uk

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Yes!!!!! Thats what I have or summat similar. Thats all you need. I dont leave mine plugged in though otherwise I would watch it and it will use loads of power itself.

No power when off, come on with ign ONLY on the dash, in the hab, jut put a simple inline switch with a timer seemples.

 

[barryd]

No power when off, come on with ign ONLY on the dash, in the hab, jut put a simple inline switch with a timer seemples.

I bought this one. Seems pretty accurate

Amazon.co.uk

I just plug it into one of the trailing sockets Julian fitted for me. Im not bothered about monitoring the cab battery as its always fully charged. I wont be that bothered about monitoring the hab batteries either once I fit another one and after a few months I am satisfied it does enough for our daily usage. Simple is good. I like simple.

 

[mistericeman]

Righty hopence.

What I would like is a WiFi or BT device that will let me know the SOC of the VB &/or the LB via and app on my phone that doesn't cost the earth to buy or fit as this flat battery thin has happened twice now on this van (not a problem on previous one) and enough is enough.

Pardon our interruption...

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Cheers, I'll look into that.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Pardon our interruption...

Hmm, maybe not

• This device has measurement errors and cannot test accurate values. If you mind, please do not purchase it!

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Cheapest Wifi is £50 so a bit OTT, not sure I have the range for BT I have a BT speaker in the van so I can test on that, just leave my phone in the house and see if it connects, I assume if the monitor is connected to the battery it'll be powered by it?

 

[mistericeman]

Hmm, maybe not

• This device has measurement errors and cannot test accurate values. If you mind, please do not purchase it!

Likely just means it's not got a calibration cert ...

 

[merl]

Thats all you need.

It's all you need if you don't mind relying on voltage status to indicate your battery capacity but that's unreliable especially as a LA battery ages and becomes knackered. It's a finger in the air method at best Barry and as proven by the early posts in this thread is unreliable and leads to false assumptions and general bafflement. I can't see how you feel that being accurately informed is bad thing mate. Yes there's cost (not huge) and additional work involved and it'll be an individual choice depending on ones situation but personally speaking the ability to look at a display which says ' you have 65% remaining ' (,or whatever) and know for certain that it's true is a joy that you'll never understand until you've experienced it.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Yessss!
That AI thingy knows jack 5hit

DC8-80V 50A/100A/350A Battery Capacity Tester Coulometer TR16 Battery Tester New | eBay

Current of 350A sampler 0.0 350.0 400.0 A. Backlight on current (50A) 30.0. Backlight on current (>50A) 80.0. Current of 50A sampler 0.0 50.0 75.0 A. Current of 100A sampler 0.0 100.0 150.0 A. This Battery Monitor is designed to monitor performance most kind of battery systems with capacities of...

www.ebay.co.uk

Victron do a blue version for those with cash to spare.

Shame it isn't BT.

 

[merl]

Shame it isn't BT.

Not interested in BT Kev, a proper permanent display at eye level is far more convenient and cheaper IMHO. Can't think of why having to get your phone out and opening an app and relying on 2 devices talking to each other via Bluetooth to check your battery level would be better than glancing at a display.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Not interested in BT Kev, a proper permanent display at eye level is far more convenient and cheaper IMHO. Can't think of why having to get your phone out and opening an app and relying on 2 devices talking to each other via Bluetooth to check your battery level would be better than glancing at a display.

Just mobility, this is why I had a flat battery in the first place, if I was fit I'd just walk down to the van.

I do like the look of it though.

 

[barryd]

It's all you need if you don't mind relying on voltage status to indicate your battery capacity but that's unreliable especially as a LA battery ages and becomes knackered. It's a finger in the air method at best Barry and as proven by the early posts in this thread is unreliable and leads to false assumptions and general bafflement. I can't see how you feel that being accurately informed is bad thing mate. Yes there's cost (not huge) and additional work involved and it'll be an individual choice depending on ones situation but personally speaking the ability to look at a display which says ' you have 65% remaining ' (,or whatever) and know for certain that it's true is a joy that you'll never understand until you've experienced it.

Its all you need if you have a simple system though I reckon. On my old van my MPPT controller had a screen that told me everything I needed to know. What was going in, what was going out and what my voltage was. I just looked at it occasionally but I got so used to how the old van worked and performed over the years I just knew from the weather how well it was doing and when we needed to be careful or not. Same with the Gaslow. I can probably tell you within a litre how much we have left without even looking at a gauge. I've not quite got there with this van yet but ill figure it out. I know what you mean about "joy" though. I used to get quite excited if I saw my old MPPT throwing in maybe 70 watts!