-------- Original message --------
From: Rick Brass via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com>
Date:02/02/2015 7:55 PM (GMT-05:00)
To: 'David Knecht' <davidakne...@gmail.com>, cnc-list@cnc-list.com
Subject: Re: Stus-List State of the Battery
On Imzadi I have a Blue Seas digital voltage meter that I installed several years ago. It will monitor three battery banks, is very accurate, and I am happy with it. Knowing the voltage gave me a rough idea of the state of charge of each bank.
But a couple of years ago I helped move a “real” cruising boat. The owner had just about everything I could think of to provide electric power – wind, solar, even an auxiliary generator driven off the propeller shaft to charge the batteries as the prop windmilled while sailing. To monitor his batteries he had a Link Pro battery monitor.
For each bank, it tells current voltage, current amp flow in or out, number of amp hours used, number of amp hours remaining, and percentage of capacity remaining.
I decided that the Link Pro was overkill for my needs. I have a large house bank and a single starting battery – and the starting battery is ALWAYS at 12.5 or 12.6 volts, so I never worry about it. I chose to install a Link Lite battery monitor. It has all the functions above but for only one main bank. It does show the voltage for an auxiliary bank, which I have wired to my start battery. That’s redundant, since the same information is on the Blue Sea meter, but I sort of like that. I seem to recall it does not have temperature compensation, which the Link Pro offers, but it might be optional.
Installation of the Link Lite was easy. The wiring harness has a pair of power wires, a sensor wire that goes to the positive terminal of each battery bank, and one or two wires that go to an included shunt that you splice into the negative cable of the main bank you are monitoring.
When I decided to install my monitor a couple of years ago, the Link Lite was about $150 to $170 retail IIRC. On EBay they were generally $24 to $40 less. I kept looking short while, and actually bought the one I installed for under $100 – and it came with a small solar panel that I use to maintain the batteries on my 25. New in the box, the functionality I needed, and a bargain to boot.
What can I say, I’m cheap.
Rick Brass
Washington, NC
From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of David Knecht via CnC-List
Sent: Monday, February 02, 2015 8:27 AM
To: CnC CnC discussion list
Subject: Stus-List State of the Battery
Looking at the wiring diagrams reminded me of a question I am sure this list can answer. I have not done much cruising yet, but plan to do more in the future. One of the things I am unsure of is how people monitor the state of their batteries when you know shore power is not going to be available. I have a digital voltmeter on the panel that I can check the batteries and a chart that translates voltage into percent charge and I have used that as a rough guide, but that seems crude for such an important function. My understanding is that you have let the batteries sit for a while if they have been charging to get an accurate reading. I am not sure if current draws also have to be off. For instance, how would I know if it is safe to run the refrigeration while sailing to the next destination? Can you get a meter that gives you “hours of battery life remaining”? What strategies to listers use to solve this problem? Thanks- Dave
Aries
1990 C&C 34+
New London, CT
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